Every Wednesday in the Herald Express, our Torquay United correspondent Richard Hughes takes a sideways look at what's going on in the World of the Gulls - and this week, he reveals what he wants from 2024
All I want for Christmas is a new stadium and a winning team making progress up the leagues towards European glory. Not much to ask for is it? Of course, as a fan of little old Torquay United, I am pretty sure I am not going to get my wish anytime soon – but, wait ... apparently at least a new stadium is still possible.
Last week we finally got to hear from Torquay owner Clark Osborne when he sat in line with chief executive George Edwards, director Mel Hayman and manager Gary Johnson for a 52-minute YouTube video and answered a lot of the questions that had been sent into the club for this ‘fans’ forum’.
And, after years of silence from both the owner/chairman and the chief exec, it turned out they did have some answers to some difficult questions – and answering them may have done the relationship between club-board and the fans some real good. Indeed, it left one wondering what all the fuss was about. Some supporters might not have been happy with some of the answers, some fans might have been red with fury because the answers weren’t what they wanted. But honestly, I came away from my computer screen feeling like it had been a positive move by the club – and an important one.
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One of the big gripes that fans have held over the last year – against the owner – is that the Five Year Plan he mooted when he took over in December 2016 had seemingly disappeared into thin air. However, I always thought it was a bit harsh to hold the man to a promise he made before Covid-19 came along and smeared doubt all over the playing surface.
And we all blame one referee, Simon Mather – and we now know George Edwards definitely does, too – for that major setback at Ashton Gate in June 2021. Torquay should have won that National League play-off final against Hartlepool United, but Mather decided to disallow two perfectly good goals by Kyle Cameron.
The game, remembered by millions for that dramatic last-minute equaliser by the Gulls’ then goalkeeper Lucas Covolan, is remembered by all Torquay fans as a travesty of justice. Extra time drew a blank and Matt Buse hit the crossbar with his penalty to send Hartlepool up to the league (though they of course didn’t stay there for long and they are back in the National League this season.)
Yes, we are all still bitter, Mr Mather, especially as, on the back of those two high-profile mistakes you managed to win promotion to the EFL yourself. It comes up in conversation with the Gaffer quite a bit, that he is still waiting for an apology. One suspects Gary will be waiting for quite a long time for one of those.
Johnson said at the time: “I’ve asked the referee to come back to me and have a look at the video and let me know if he still thinks they’re fouls for the goals – but I’ve been around a long time and a thousand times I’ve asked that over the seasons and never has a referee come back to me and said ‘sorry about that.’”
And answering a question about the Five Year Plan, Edwards said: “We were two refereeing decisions away from achieving the plan within two years – and the objective still remains to be in the Football League as soon as possible.”
It is also worth noting that three of the players who were offered attractive contracts that season, but waited to see where Torquay would end up – Joe Lewis, Armani Little and Connor Lemonheigh Evans – are all now playing together at AFC Wimbledon in the EFL! I I doubt they would have left if Torquay had gone up. In fact, had Torquay gone up, I doubt they would have done a Hartlepool and come back down again within two seasons. Meanwhile, Kyle Cameron looks a world beater at Notts County – perhaps he would have stayed, too.
It’s Boxing Day morning as I write this – because the deadline for this paper is while Torquay are playing Truro. So let’s hope the Gulls put that injury-influenced defeat at Chelmsford City behind them – and have flown off into 2024 with another good win...
All the best for 2024 – perhaps this will be the year that Christmas wishes come true. Fingers crossed there’s not another Mr Mather around to trample on our dreams.
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Fingers crossed no-one will trample on our dreams
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27.12.2023
Every Wednesday in the Herald Express, our Torquay United correspondent Richard Hughes takes a sideways look at what's going on in the World of the Gulls - and this week, he reveals what he wants from 2024
All I want for Christmas is a new stadium and a winning team making progress up the leagues towards European glory. Not much to ask for is it? Of course, as a fan of little old Torquay United, I am pretty sure I am not going to get my wish anytime soon – but, wait ... apparently at least a new stadium is still possible.
Last week we finally got to hear from Torquay owner Clark Osborne when he sat in line with chief executive George Edwards, director Mel Hayman and manager Gary Johnson for a 52-minute YouTube video and answered a lot of the questions that had been sent into the club for this ‘fans’ forum’.
And, after years of silence from both the owner/chairman and the chief exec, it turned out they did have some answers to some difficult questions – and answering them may have done the relationship between club-board and the fans some real good. Indeed, it left one wondering what all the fuss was about. Some supporters might not........
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