The history of Torquay United doesn't begin with just one club; it begins with three: Torquay United, Ellacombe and Babbacombe. The merging of these three clubs is covered in The History Of Plainmoor elsewhere on this site, and it is a great story - a great story indeed.

As Torquay Town, the club shared Plainmoor with their local rivals Babbacombe, and for the seasons running up to the beginning of the First World War, both clubs played in the Plymouth and District League alongside the reserve teams of Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle.

Pressure began to mount in favour of Torquay Town and Babbacombe coming together, when at the end of war in Europe, the first teams of Exeter City and Plymouth Argyle were promoted from the Southern League, into the newly formed Division Three.

Torquay Town and Babbacombe finally became Torquay United in 1921, and the new club joined the Western League to play against, amongst others, Boscombe, Bath City, and the reserve sides of Plymouth and Exeter.

Torquay finished in sixth place at the end of their first season in the Western League, and during the summer break, the club had the audacity to apply for Football League status, but after receiving no votes for their cause, the fledgling club saw Boscombe (later to be re-named Bournemouth & Boscombe and now AFC Bournemouth) victorious in gaining entry.

United played four seasons in the Western League (finishing in sixth, fourth, fifteenth and sixth places respectively). In 1925, the club battled through five qualifying rounds to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup. Captain Percy Mackrill lead the team through two 1-1 draws before a strong Reading side won the second replay 2-0 at Plainmoor.

In 1927, after being crowned champions at the end of their fifth season in the Western League, the club decided to try for Football League status a second time.

By this time United had changed from their early colours of light and dark blue, into Newcastle United-style black and white stripes. The kit soon saw the club being referred to as the Magpies, and under the guidance of chairman Charles Hore, they were elected to Division Three (South) of the Football League, taking the place of Welsh club Aberdare.

The Pre-War Era - Twelve Seasons In Division Three (South)

Torquay United's first match in the Football League was a 1-1 draw with local rivals Exeter City at Plainmoor on August 27, 1927. 11,625 people turned out to see Birmingham-born Herbert Turner score the The Magpies' first ever league goal - from the penalty spot.

Torquay's first season in the League was not a great one. Following their opening day draw with Exeter, the team lost their second game away at Millwall 1-9!

Of the 48 games played that first season, Torquay won 8, drew 14 and lost 20. They finished bottom on 30 points, and faced the trial of re-election for the very first time.

After the drama of the late 1920s, the next decade seems to have been quite uneventful. The club battled through a series of financial problems - a gale blew the roof clean off the grandstand in 1930 - and on the field of play the team never managed to finish higher than tenth place in twelve seasons.

In the three campaigns immediately before the Second World War put the brakes on League football, out of 22 clubs in Division Three (South), Torquay finished in twentieth, twentieth, and nineteenth respectively.

Notable Torquay players from the pre-war era include Paignton-born George Stabb, who scored 24 goals during the 1932/33 season, stalwart Albert Hutchinson (84 goals in 338 games from 1930-38) and Dartmouth-born winger Ralph Birkett, who later went on to play with distinction for Arsenal and Middlesbrough and win one full England cap.

The Post-War Era - Another Twelve Seasons In Division Three (South) And A Little FA Cup Glory

Competitive football resumed at the beginning of the 1946/47 season with United still in Division Three (South), and in that first post-war season Torquay
carried on almost exactly where they left off by finishing in eighteenth place.

Bristolian Sammy Collins, not considered good enough by his hometown team, City, scored 13 goals in 22 games during the 1948/49 season in a hint of things to come.

The club finally broke the top-ten barrier (finishing in ninth place) at the end of Collins' first season, and by the end of the 1949/50 Golden Anniversary campaign Collins had added another 13 goals to his tally, as Torquay finished in fifth place. Collins may have made a great start to his career but he didn't finish his first two campaigns as leading goalscorer, that honour fell to Jack Conley, who scored 19 and 14 goals respectively.

With 11 goals during the 1950/51 season, Collins finally topped United's goalscorers table, a feat that he repeated for the next six seasons.

Collins remains to this day as Torquay United's goalscoring record holder with 219 goals in 379 games. His 40 goals during the 1955/56 season have not been beaten.

The 1954/55 season saw a change of colours for United, from the old black and white to a new gold and blue. It also saw Torquay's greatest ever FA Cup moment.

After defeating Cambridge United 4-0 at home and Blyth Spartans 1-3 away, Torquay were drawn against Leeds United in the third round. Nobody expected the team to go to Elland Road and get any kind of favourable result, so when they managed a 2-2 draw in Yorkshire, the scene was set for over 11,000 fans to crowd into Plainmoor on a Wednesday afternoon, January 12.

Incredibly, with goals from Collins, Harold Dobbie, Ronnie Shaw and captain Don Mills, playing against his old club, Torquay ran out 4-0 winners, to set up a fourth round clash with Huddersfield Town.

The Torquay United versus Huddersfield Town fourth round FA Cup game at Plainmoor will always live on in the memory of those who attended the match on the January 29, 1955. Just how 21,908 people managed to fit into the ground is a mystery. Although Torquay lost 0-1 to the Division One club, the day is still one of the most talked about events in United's history, and the record crowd is never likely to be beaten.

The Nearly Season - 1956/57

Under the management of Eric Webber, the continually improving United side of the mid-1950s slowly became a force to be reckoned with. With players such as Mills, a brilliant inside-forward, marksman Collins, flying winger Shaw and Welsh wing-half Dennis Lewis, United fans began the 1956/57 season in a positive mood.

The campaign went well and by April the possibility of a first-ever promotion to Division Two was the talk of the town.

After home wins against Northampton, Southampton, Newport County and Queens Park Rangers, United found themselves sitting at the top of the table, with Alf Ramsey's Ipswich Town just one point behind.

A trip to Crystal Palace for the team and over 1,500 Torquay fans travelling on the last day of the season beckoned. Torquay only needed to win the game to be certain of going up, but they managed only a 1-1 draw at Selhurst Park and Ipswich, who won their final match away to Southampton, took the title on goal-average.

After that "nearly" season, United's 1957/58 campaign was a poor one. The club finished third from bottom, and because of the abolition of regionalisation, (Division Three South and North), Torquay kicked off the 1958/59 season in the newly formed Division Four.

Promotion - For The Very First Time

With Eric Webber still in charge, United ended their first season in the League's new basement division in twelvth place, but the next season, the club fared a whole lot better.

With a team of players who had been wearing United's colours together for quite a few years, Torquay found themselves in third place with three games left and only a point needed to clinch promotion.

On April 27, 1960, 8,749 fans saw Torquay United beat Gillingam 2-0 at Plainmoor to grab their prize. With two games of the season remaining, United had secured their long-awaited route out of the basement division.

Wearing United's colours during the 1959/60 promotion season were, amongst others, the brothers Northcott, Tommy and George, evergreen Mills, local boys Graham Bond and Ernie Pym, and Colin Bettany, a player who was ever present in United's defence during that campaign and, remarkably, for the following three seasons as well.

Despite losing the last four games of the 1960/61 run-in, against Grimsby Town, Queens Park Rangers, Swindon Town and Reading, United managed a mid-table finish, in twelfth place in Division Three, mainly due to good early season form.

United surrendered their place in Division Three when they lost 4-2 away at Barnsley on the last day of the very next season. Although they finished fourth from bottom above Newport County, Brentford and Lincoln City, it was four down, so United's short run in Division Three had come to an end.

If they had beaten Barnsley on the last day of the season, it would have been the Yorkshire club which would have gone down.

Mills, arguably Torquay's best ever player, hung up his boots during the close season, and joined the coaching staff. Don had been at Plainmoor for over 10 years and he was to spend quite a few more years working for the club, finally leaving in the early 1970's.

Torquay came very close to regaining their Division Three status when they finished sixth and sixth again at the end of both the 1962/63 and 1963/64 campaigns. The club's top goalscorer at the end of the 1963/64 season was a charismatic youngster called Robin Stubbs.

Bought by Webber for a club record fee of £6,000 from Birmingham City, he scored 24 goals in 34 games during his debut season at Plainmoor, immediately striking up a great partnership with Tommy Northcott, who had already held the leading goalscorer honour himself, three times.

Torquay's FA Cup run of 1964/65 was the highlight of a mid-table season. After travelling to Canterbury City in the first round and beating them 6-0, United disposed of Colchester United in the second round 2-0 at Plainmoor. In the third round, Torquay were drawn at home to Tottenham Hotspur.

In front the Plainmoor's second ever largest attendance, just over 20,000 fans turned up to watch the match, and the team gave a display that few there that day will ever forget. Billy Atkinson put United 1-0 up from the penalty spot after Robin Stubbs had been felled. Star-studded Spurs then turned on the style to give themselves a 3-1 lead with two goals from Alan Gilzean and one from Maurice Norman, and then, in the last few minutes, it was the turn of hero of the hour Stubbs, to net two goals and make it 3-3.

The first attempt at a replay in London was cancelled, with the majority of United's travelling fans having already arrived in the capital. A week later though, in front of 55,000 at White Hart Lane, the match went ahead. Jimmy Greaves scored a hat trick as Tottenham showed their class to win 5-1, Stubbs hitting Torquay's consolation goal.

After finishing in twelfth place at the end of the 1964/65 season, Eric Webber was finally sacked after 15 years as manager. He had succeeded Alex Massie in 1951, originally as player-manager, he hung up his boots in 1955 and began building arguably Torquay United's best ever squad. The respect he gained from his players drove the club to the verge of promotion to Division Two and to the fourth round of the FA Cup.

Promotion Again - Frank O'Farrell

It was going to take a big man to step into Webber's shoes, and United found one when new chairman Tony Boyce appointed Frank O'Farrell, who moved to Plainmoor after lifting the Southern League title with Weymouth Town.

In the year that England won the World Cup, Torquay won promotion to Division Three for the second time. By the end of O'Farrell's first year in charge, Torquay were again out of the basement division.

It was a long three-week wait for the last game of the campaign, away at second placed Darlington. With the North Eastern club already promoted, United battled out a 0-0 draw to guarantee the third spot.

The jubilation as the club coach travelled along Newton Road the following day is well documented.

The lethal combination up-front that season was Robin Stubbs (17 goals), and Tommy Spratt (18 goals). Other notable players included skipper John Benson, two goalkeepers Terry Adlington, who broke a finger midway through the season, and his replacement Gary McGuire.

During the following couple of seasons O'Farrell used his connections at West Ham United to bring many ex-Hammers to Plainmoor, John Bond and ex-international Ken Brown being two famous Upton Park names to appear in gold and blue.

At the end of their 1966/67 campaign United finished in seventh, and at the end of their 1967/68 season, United came very close to promotion to Division Two, once again.

They led the table at Easter and were even featured on Match of the Day for the very first time, beating promotion rivals Bury 3-0 in front of more than 10,000 at Plainmoor.

But a poor run-in saw United finish fourth by two points, behind the promoted trio Oxford United, Bury and Shrewsbury Town.

O'Farrell left the club mid-way through the 1968/69 season to take up the offer of managing First Division Leicester City.

He went on to become the manager of Manchester United in 1971, suffering as others did in the aftermath of the great Matt Busby's retirement.

The club finished the 1968/69 campaign in sixth place, with Stubbs ending a third season in a row as top goalscorer, and another new manager, the former Luton and Scotland star Allan Brown. During the following end of season clear-out Stubbs was sold to Bristol Rovers for £12,000.

Another two years in Division Three saw the club finish in mid-table positions,  then at the end of the 1971/72 campaign, United found themselves in the relegation zone, and back in the basement.

Torquay United were by now going under the guise of a new nickname. The now established gold and blue had seen the old black and white forgotten, and it was the Gulls, and not the Magpies, who spent the next 19 years, in the bottom division.

The Seventies And Early Eighties - The Quiet Years

Much like the 1930s, the 1970s was a quiet era in United's history. Although the decade produced such fine players as Dick Edwards, Ian Twitchin, Steve Cooper, Les Lawrence, Clint Boulton and Willie Brown, and goalkeepers Mike Mahoney and John Turner, the club was unable to make any kind of impact on the division until the advent of the early 1980s.

If the1980s must be seen as the most erratic ten years in Torquay United's history, then the first two thirds of the decade must also be seen as the most painful.

After the non-event of the 1970s, the next few years of the decade didn't see much more to get excited about. During United's first twelve seasons in Division Four, the club hadn't managed to finish higher than in ninth place. But amazingly, it also managed to steer clear of too many relegation battles.

O'Farrell made a return to Plainmoor in 1976 when Malcolm Musgrove lost his job after a disappointing FA Cup defeat against non-league outfit Hillingdon Borough. He soon moved upstairs into the position of consultant manager, and ex-Plymouth Argyle promotion-winning captain Mike Green was brought in to control first team matters.

At the end of the 1977/78 season Green saw his Gulls finish in ninth place, with Willie Brown finishing up as top goalscorer with 12 goals.

Halfway through the campaign, just before Green's arrival, O'Farrell bought a local Devon born striker from Bristol City. Colin Lee scored on his Torquay debut, and went on to score 10 goals in 23 games.

His time at Plainmoor was short for in October of the following season United accepted a £60,000 offer from Tottenham Hotspur for his services. Lee famously scored four goals on his debut for the London club during their 9-0 demolition of Bristol Rovers.

Playing for Rovers that day was United's popular current Football & Community Officer Frank Prince.

United finished in seventeenth place and fifteenth place at the end of the next two seasons, with the lion-hearted Steve Cooper, a striker who only ever played for Torquay during his 271-game league career, topping the 1979/80 goalscorers list with 17 goals.

Cooper scored 90 goals for United during his six years at the club between 1978 and 1984. Gerry Fell topped the list with 12 goals at the end of the following season, and during the break, Mike Green left the club, to be replaced at the helm, for the third time, by Frank O'Farrell.

O'Farrell didn't stay in charge of team matters for long, bringing in ex-Scotland international Bruce Rioch to become player-coach.

After a great start to the 1981/82 season, the Gulls soon started to flag, and ended up in fifteenth place.

During the following summer Rioch was named manager, and the following 1982/83 campaign saw United again off to a flying start. They finished twelvth, but reached the fourth round of the FA Cup, going out of the competition at Plainmoor after a thrilling 2-3 defeat at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday.

Rioch's time at Torquay was cut short when, during the following season, he was involved in an altercation with then Player of the Year Colin Anderson. Rioch was forced to resign, a sad loss for the club, for Rioch went on to become a highly successful top manager.

The 1983/84 campaign had already started with Rioch in charge, and when in the February of the season, former Chelsea favourite Dave Webb bought the club, optimism within the walls of Plainmoor was quite high. Webb brought in ex-Bournemouth charges Derek Dawkins and goalkeeper Kenny Allen to strengthen the squad, and also attracted the former internationals Eddie Kelly and Tony Currie to the club. The club finished in ninth place.

The Great Escape - And A Wembley dream

By the end of the 1984/85 season, the Gulls found themselves stuck at the bottom of the Football League for the first time since their debut campaign of 1927/28. After being safely re-elected, United began the next season with Webb declaring himself managing-director and, in September, with ex-Bournemouth youth team coach Stuart Morgan as manager.

Just nine years before the end of the 1985/86 campaign, Workington had failed in their bid for re-election to the Football League, after finishing bottom for two years on the trot. So, when they finished bottom for a second year, Torquay were very lucky to be given another chance at the Football League AGM.

During the close season the League announced that automatic promotion for the top non-league club would come into effect at the end of the following campaign. With Morgan still at the helm, there was no way that the Gulls could afford to finish bottom for a third season in a row.

After a disastrous campaign, Torquay began the last day of the 1986/87 season knowing that only a win at Plainmoor against Crewe Alexandra would guarantee against relegation from the League. United were on 47 points, with only Burnley below them, on 46.

By half time Crewe were 0-2 up and United were deep in trouble. Right-back Jim McNichol saw his early second-half free-kick end up in the back of the Crewe net, to set up a frantic climax.

The Gulls attacked in waves, but Crewe's defences could not be breached, and all looked hopelessly lost when McNichol was bitten in the thigh by a police dog, Bryn, who thought that the Scotsman was about to attack his handler, as he cleared the ball up the touchline.

During the four-minute break for McNichol's injury, the news came through that Lincoln were losing 0-2 at Swansea and most people inside Plainmoor realised that a draw would see United stay up.

In the third minute of stoppage-time, Paul Dobson seized on a misplaced pass in the Crewe defence to score the all-important equaliser.

It was Lincoln who found themselves the first ever club to drop automatically out of the Football League. On New Year's Day, they had been in seventh place and they started the last day as least likely to go down.

Ex-Spurs and England star Cyril Knowles, who had already led Darlington to promotion, was installed as manager at the beginning of the 1987/88 season and, using players left over from the relegation battle of the previous campaign and some astute signings, he was able to guide United to the newly created play-offs.

After beating Scunthorpe United, who had denied them automatic promotion on the last day of the regular season, United met Swansea City in the pre-Wembley two-legged final.

After losing 1-2 in Wales, the game at a rain-soaked Plainmoor finished 3-3 draw, the Swans promoted on a 5-4 aggregate.

It had still been a marvellous effort by a resurgent United, who had managed to beat Knowles' old club Spurs 1-0 in the first leg of an early-season League Cup-tie.

Knowles' signings of men like player-coach Sean Haslegrave, fiery Scottish striker Dave Caldwell and consistent defender Phil Lloyd were inspired.

During the season Knowles also introduced a 16-year-old left-winger called Lee Sharpe. By the end of a long and thrilling campaign, a deal had already been agreen with Manchester United and Sharpe went on to become Torquay's then record sale (£180,000), and it wasn't long before he'd forced his way into the Red Devils' first team and into an England shirt to boot.

The following season saw a forgettable League campaign overshadowed by two unforgettable cup runs. In the FA Cup, United reached the third round after knocking out non-league clubs Fareham in the first round, and Yeovil Town in the second. A trip to Hillsborough was United's prize, and although Dean Edwards gave the Gulls an early lead, Sheffield Wednesday finally showed their class, to win the match 5-1.

In the Sherpa Van Trophy, a couple of preliminary games against Swansea and Cardiff saw United make it to the first round proper. A 3-0 win against Gillingham at Plainmoor and then a 1-0 win at Bristol Rovers earned them a Southern semi-final away to Brentford, where Lloyd scored the only goal of the game. United, so nearly relegated from the League two years before, were just two games from a dream Wembley appearance.

United had to play Wolves home and away in the two legged Southern final, and the first match was a frantic affair at Plainmoor. Wolverhampton-born Edwards give the Gulls the lead and 1-0 was the way it stayed right up until the last four minutes, when Wolves legend Steve Bull hit the target twice, to give the Wanderers a 1-2 first leg lead.

A little over 400 travelling Gulls made up a small part of the 22,532 crowd at Molineux.

By half time United were incredibly 0-2 up with goals from Edwards and Mark Loram. However hard Wolves pushed in the second half they were unable to add another goal to their tally, and so, to the delight of the Torquay fans in the crowd, it was Torquay who made it to Wembley.

United met Bolton Wanderers in the final of the Sherpa Van Trophy on May 28, 1989. Around 20,000 United fans travelled to Wembley to make up a fair proportion of the 46,513 supporters who witnessed the match that day. Edwards opened the scoring, heading home a Loram corner, and United and their fans enjoyed the moment immensely, but it didn't last.

Bolton finally won the game 4-1. The result really didn't dampen the day too much. Torquay United may have been the third of the Devon clubs to join the Football League, but they were now the first of the three to make it to Wembley.

Wembley Again - Promotion At last

Before the beginning of the 1989/90 season Knowles had a clearout of players which saw favourites such as McNichol and Tom Kelly given free transfers. The campaign began poorly, and it wasn't long before Knowles resigned as manager. Within days of Knowles' leaving, former Plymouth manager Dave Smith was brought in to take his place.

Dave Smith managed to steer the struggling Torquay team through a season of ups and downs, the major up being the third round FA Cup clash with West Ham United at Plainmoor. Eighteen-year-old substitute Paul Hirons had only been on the pitch for three minutes when he put the Gulls 1-0 up. The scored remained 1-0 and United found themselves in the fourth round of the FA Cup . They drew Blackpool away and lost the game 0-1.

The beginning of the 1990/91 season saw Torquay off to a wonderful start - they were unbeaten for 14 games and were clear leaders in November - but they faded dramatically. New chairman Mike Bateson sacked Smith in April and appointed former United captain and then youth coach John Impey as manager.
Impey proceeded to breathe new life into the team, guiding them to 7th place and the play-offs for a second time. Torquay beat Burnley 2-1 on aggregate to secure a second Wembley visit in two years.

This time, it was Blackpool who would be facing the Gulls beneath the Twin Towers. Dean Edwards and captain Wes Saunders scored Torquay's two goals, to take the match into extra-time. At the end of extra-time, the score still stood at 2-2, and penalties beckoned for the two teams. With half of Wembley yellow and blue, Torquay players lined up to take the dreaded spot-kicks. Although Mark Loram missed his, the other four penalties were all converted, and so the stage was set for sudden-death. Gulls fans couldn't have expected the next twist, for it was goalkeeper Gareth Howells who stepped up to score and then went into the goal to face Blackpool's veteran striker Dave Bamber.

Bamber's right foot put the ball wide, and Torquay were promoted out of the basement division, for the first time in nineteen years.

United's return to Division Three was very short-lived. Impey and coach John Turner were unable to put together a decent run of results, and soon United were in trouble. Impey was duly dismissed and Saunders took over as caretaker manager before Ivan Golac was handed the job.

Back In The Basement - 1992/93 To The Present Day

Golac's time at Plainmoor was brief and by the time Paul Compton got the job in 1992, the club were back in the basement division. Because of the waves caused by the creation the Premier League, Torquay found themselves in the strange position of being relegated from Division Three, to Division Three.

Paul Compton invited Neil Warnock to help him as consulant in January 1993, but shortly after this he resigned leaving Warnock in charge.

The former Scarborough and Notts County manager guided the club through another close shave with relegation and then left.

His major addition to United's playing staff, player-coach Don O'Riordan, took the senior job. O'Riordan continued to play an important midfield role and he managed, on a tight budget, to guide United to the play-offs again during at the end of the 1994/95 campaign. This time though, there was no Wembley appearance waiting for the Gulls. After beating Preston North End 2-0 at Plainmoor in the first leg of the semi-final, United lost 1-4 after extra time at Deepdale in a game marred by the first-half sending-off of United defender Darren Moore. North End player Paul Raynor claimed that Moore had struck him in the face and, although video evidence later proved that this was not so and Raynor was disciplined by the FA, it was all too late.

O'Riordan found the going a lot tougher during the next season, and after a 1-8 home defeat at the hands of Scunthorpe United, Bateson decided to let the Irishman go. O'Riordan, though, left United with a very special player on the books. It was the Irishman who signed Rodney Jack, when his Caribbean team Lambada played United in a friendly at Plainmoor.

Eddie May took over the reins for the rest of the 1995/96 season but was unable to stop the rot. United finished bottom of the Football League for the fourth time, but were saved from relegation when the Conference champions, Stevenage Borough, were denied promotion to the Football League because their ground had not met League criteria on time.

Stevenage then mounted a High Court challenge citing both the Football League and Torquay United and there followed a worrying and uncertain few weeks before the Judge finally threw out the case.

For the beginning of the 1996/97 season a new manager was installed, complete with his own management team. Ex-Plymouth Argyle stalwart Kevin Hodges took charge with two other ex-Pilgrims at his side, Steve McCall and Garry Nelson.

A couple of years previously Nelson had written a best-selling book, "Left Foot Forward", about his time as a professional footballer and during his year at Plainmoor, he wrote a second. Entitled "Left Foot in the Grave" it too became a best seller.

The threesome managed United through a difficult season, only banishing relegation fears three games from the finish, but Nelson, having taken a job with the PFA, left during the summer.

Hodges and McCall began the 1997/98 campaign with modest ambitions, but United had an outstanding, if ultimately frustrating season, at one point winning a record eight consecutive games.

Torquay powered up to second place, behind runaway leaders Notts County, and suddenly looked favourites to go up.

However, some damaging injuries and a dip in form at the wrong time saw the chasers close the gap and by the last day of the campaign Torquay had slipped into the third and final automatic promotion spot. They still only needed a point, away at Leyton Orient, to secure promotion.

But the Gulls, rocked by a costly early mistake from player-of-the-year Jon Gittens, lost 1-2, Andy McFarlane managing to claw United back into the match late in the second half.

For the last ten minutes United threw everything at the crowded goalmouth, centre-half Alex Watson heading against the bar. But they were unable to grab the all-important second goal, and so another play-off competition loomed.

With Jack in inspired form, United destroyed Scarborough in the two legged play-off semi-final. They beat them 3-1 away and then, on a memorable night at Plainmoor, Jack scored twice in the first seven minutes to spark a 4-1 rout, and a 7-2 victory on aggregate.

There was no fairy tale end to the season though, as Torquay lost 0-1 at Wembley, to a Colchester United team that featured a couple of ex-Gulls in striker Mark Sale and midfielder Paul Buckle, who had both played for them in the play-offs four years before.

During the close season the pull of the vacant manager and assistant manager positions at Plymouth Argyle were too much for Hodges and McCall to resist. They headed back to their old club.

Saunders, who had been working outside football in his native North-East since retiring through injury, answered the call and moved south.

Saunders' first season in charge was uneventful, although the club did garner a transfer bonanza of some £1.2 million through the sales of Jack to Crewe for a club record £500,000, young goalkeeper Matthew Gregg to Crystal Palace for £400,000, Scott Partridge to Brentford and Andy Gurney to Reading.

Saunders did break the club's transfer record when he paid out £70,000 for the Welsh striker Eifion Williams from Barry Town. Williams paid Saunders back immediately when he scored a hat-trick on his debut at Plainmoor against Hartlepool United.

Saunders' second season was better. United finished just outside of the play-offs and drew 1-1 away to First Division Queen's Park Rangers before losing an exciting replay 2-3 at Plainmoor.

All didn't go to plan during his third season in charge, and United never managed to pull themselves out of the bottom half of the table. Ex-Torquay player and former Wolves manager, Colin Lee, was brought in to help Saunders, and when Saunders was sacked with nine games left, Lee agreed to take over until the end of the season.

The campaign came down to the last game of the season with Torquay travelling to Barnet needing a draw to escape relegation again.

Torquay came out firing on all cylinders down the Underhill slope, and went in at half-time 3-0 up, after goals from Jason Rees, Kevin Hill and Scottish signing David Graham. Although Barnet managed to claw the score back to 2-3 in the second half, United held on to win, sending Barnet down into the Conference.

Roy McFarland was appointed the new manager of Torquay United after lengthy negotiations with Colin Lee, saw the ex-Torquay striker, and United owner and now chairman again Mike Bateson, fail to agree a contract. During the summer though, Mike Bateson was able to agree terms with Scottish striker David Graham.

McFarland brought with him coach David Preece, and their one season in charge saw the Gulls finish nineteenth after an up and down campaign of rebuilding. 

The duo left Plainmoor shortly after the end of the season after the board of directors decided that, because of the ITV Digital crisis, David Preece was surplus to requirements. McFarland decided that he didn't want to work without his sidekick.

With new head coach Leroy Rosenior now in charge, a man who had been a candidate for the top job when McFarland was given it, the Gulls finished in a respectable 9th at the end of the 2002/03 season. Though the end of the campaign was a little disappointing following some great form during the season - making them promotion material.

Armed with a squad of young, but now experienced players, Torquay's head coach will be looking to improve on that finish when the new campaign begins in August.

The 2004/05 season saw Leroy Rosenior triumph on the very last day when an away victory clinched automatic promotion. The joy was slightly soured with the sale of star striker David Graham to Wigan Athletic for £215,000 but Leroy already had his sights on a new forward as was proved when Adebayo Akinfenwa was signed up to start the new season in Division 2 now renamed League 1.

Ups and Downs

The Gulls were back in the third tier of English football for the first time in 13 years and the campaign started with an inspiring 1-1 draw at Bristol City. However the opening three months were spent in the relegation zone and this prompted boss Rosenior to break the club's transfer record. £75,000 was splashed out on Peterborough United striker Leon Constantine after an initial impressive loan spell. Torquay spent nearly the whole campaign struggling to keep their heads above water, but they still looked likely to pull off another great escape act with four wins in a row which left The Gulls only needing a point away at Colchester United on the last day of the season. But once again in recent history, Colchester played their part in breaking the hearts of Torquay supporters, a 2-1 defeat for Torquay and wins for Oldham Athletic and Milton Keynes Dons saw Leroy and his team relegated back to League Two on goal difference.

Now back in League Two, Rosenior started to re-build his side for an expected promotion push, but these hopes were dealt a blow when player-of-the-year Adebayo Akinfenwa rejected a new contract and joined League One Swansea City for £85,000. Playmaker Alex Russell also departed on a free transfer to Bristol City. The season started in a terrible fashion with only one victory picked up in the opening eight games. One bright note was United's run in the FA Cup. Premier League side Birmingham City came to Plainmoor in the third round and The Gulls took them all the way, gaining a 0-0 draw and a replay, which was subsequently lost 2-0. Back in the League, a 3-1 home defeat to Rochdale in February left Torquay in the relegation zone and prompted Rosenior to leave by mutual consent after 4 years in charge. Former Exeter City boss John Cornforth was quickly appointed manager and despite a gradual improvement United still struggled. Ian Atkins, who had been linked to the Plainmoor hot-seat before, was brought in to help Cornforth, but it quickly became apparent this scenario wasn't helping the club's battle against relegation. Cornforth was sacked and 'firefighter' Atkins, who had saved clubs from relegation before, was appointed manager until the end of the season. The Gulls this time needed to pull off 'the greatest escape' in their history after finding themselves six points from the safety zone with five games remaining. However against all odds, four wins and a draw saw United do the unexpected and survive in League Two.

Chairman Mike Bateson quickly acted to keep Atkins as manager for the new campaign, and the season started brightly with The Gulls in the play-off places and parading a new strike-force of ex-Plymouth striker Mickey Evans and Aston Villa youngster Jamie Ward. Behind the scenes after years of trying, Mike Bateson had finally struck a deal to sell the club. Chris Roberts became chairman and his consortium initially acquired 34% of the club's shares. Roberts quickly started to stamp his mark on the club, including an initiative to sack players for diving and plans for a new stadium. But this caused unrest on and off the field as The Gulls slipped down the table. Atkins rejected a move into a Director of Football role, and was replaced as manager by former Czech international Lubos Kubik. Despite his strong coaching skills, a lack of experience in English football was proving difficult as the team hit rock-bottom. Colin Lee returned to Plainmoor once again in a supporting role, but Kubik quit in early February. Keith Curle was appointed as head coach until the end of the season but events off the field were taking its toll. Roberts finally resigned amid growing pressure from supporters and the board of directors, all of whom were unhappy with his conduct as chairman. Mervyn Benney and Keith Richardson had spells in charge before Roberts failed to make the next payment to purchase the club leading to Mike Bateson's return as owner. Torquay were losing the battle against relegation, despite the return of promotion striker David Graham and United's 80 year stay in the Football League was ended after a 1-1 draw with Peterborough United on April 14th, 2007. With the club now facing life in the non-league, Bateson decided to make drastic changes. Mervyn Benney was appointed chairman, and Leroy Rosenior returned to Plainmoor as manager for a spell that now famously lasted only for ten minutes! Bateson had sold the club to a local consortium and Rosenior found himself out of a job. The new consortium headed by new chairman Alex Rowe now had a huge task of re-building the club after relegation.

New-Look Gulls in the Blue Square Premier

A major revamp was taking over at Plainmoor with Colin Lee being appointed Chief Executive. Only four players remained on the books, and after Keith Curle turned down the managers job, Lee appointed former Gulls midfielder and Exeter City assistant Paul Buckle as manager. His knowledge of the Blue Square Premier was vital as he built a side ready to battle for promotion. Improvements on and off the field saw United become one of the season's early pacesetters, a dramatic turnaround after the events of the previous season. The good form continued in the FA Trophy, and The Gulls reached the Wembley final after a 2-1 aggregate win over York City. As we reach the business end of the season, United are still pushing hard for promotion back to the Football League and on the 10th of May will take on Ebbsfleet United in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley, an achievement richly deserved after all the hard-work from everybody over the course of this season. Everybody connected to the help hopes it will be a fairytale ending to the 2007/2008 season.