Knill runs out of time as Gulls prepare to swoop for new manager

One Knill to the job centre. A late Christmas gift to headline writers and pun fans, the sacking of Alan Knill has seen Torquay United become the butt of online jokes across the country, but for Gulls fans this season has been no laughing matter.

Despite keeping the Gulls up last season and overseeing what seemed like a positive recruitment drive in the summer, things just haven’t worked out for Knill at Plainmoor. Two home wins all season is a poor return, and rumoured rows with senior players, constant changes in personnel and formations and a constant revolving door transfer policy saw fans eventually become impatient with the former Bury and Scunthorpe man.

One feels the decision has been made at the right time, despite protestations to the contrary from many of the TQ1 faithful, who felt the decision should have been made much earlier. There have been some improvements in terms of performances and results in the last few weeks, but, ultimately, it was two consecutive Devon Derby defeats within five days that did for Knill. Indeed, following the 2-0 defeat away to Plymouth, Knill sounded like a manager who had nothing left to give, and even his strongest supporters had to admit it. His time was up.

The Gulls are far from cut adrift in 23^rd position and are only a point away from safety.  Now in the January transfer window, the new man will be given the opportunity to make changes to the squad where he sees fit. And with crucial home matches against relegation rivals Northampton, Accrington and Bury to come in the next two months, it was the right time to make a change.

The next appointment is a crucial one and promoting from within may be the answer. Geoff Harrop and Robbie Herrara are currently the men in temporary charge, and though they possess no managerial experience, are people who know the club through working with the youth set up. A positive result against Morecambe tomorrow may go some way to them getting the job – at least until the end of the season.  Fans may see this as the cheap and uninspiring option, however.

Bringing back Martin Ling would surely be a mistake. The former Leyton Orient manager has expressed an interest in returning to Plainmoor, after being sacked by the club in April for footballing reasons. Given the nature of his departure (he accused the club of being ‘unprofessional’ in their treatment of him after taking time off for a stress related illness), it would surely be unwise to go back.

The smart money would appear to be on the bookies favourite Chris Hargreaves to take the role going forward. The former player remains popular with Torquay fans and though he lacks managerial experience would undoubtedly bring passion to the role. Currently working as a first-team coach with Bournemouth, The Gulls appear to be in direct competition with relegation rivals Northampton Town for Hargreaves' signature. With Hargreaves still living in Devon, this may be one of those rare cases where Torquay’s remote location works in the club’s favour. 

The board may decide to go with experience, however, and Paul Sturrock is a name being mentioned in many quarters. The 57 year old has the know-how and the contacts to make an impression, and is currently unemployed after what some would say was an unjust dismissal last season at Southend, so compensation would not be an issue.  He would be this writers choice.

Whoever the new manager is, he will have some quality to work with, and will be charged with inspiring a squad low on confidence – particularly at Plainmoor, where the Gulls have scored a paltry 11 goals all season.  Winger Jordan Chapell has been a bright spot in an otherwise underwhelming season, Aaron Downes has led from example from the back and has chipped in with some crucial goals, and there have been flashes of quality in many of Knill’s signings – John Marquis, Damien Mozika and Jak McCourt should be retained if possible alongside the impressive Blackburn Rovers defender Anthony O’Connor, who has already agreed to stay at Plainmoor for the remainder of the season. The curious case of Kevin Nicholson will also need be addressed – discarded from the first team squad by Knill – the experienced left-back may have a role to play in the coming months.

Of course, Torquay United have been here many times before, and relegation escape acts used to be something of a speciality until the club’s luck finally ran out in 2007. They must ensure they don’t make the same mistake twice. The Gulls' league status depends on the board getting this decision right.

Gulls put four past Rochdale as young winger flourishes

Torquay United are beginning to develop a habit of making things difficult for themselves. Solid and dependable last season, this campaign has seen the Gulls perform something of a u-turn and instead of making life hard for their opponents, have decided to make life hard for themselves.

It’s entertaining to watch though, if nothing else, and the Gulls’ last two matches have provided great value for money, and more importantly put points on the board.

Tuesday’s entertaining 2-2 draw with last season’s playoff rivals Cheltenham saw the Robins score first, the Gulls equalize and subsequently take the lead with two quick-fire goals in as many minutes, only for ex-Gull Chris Zebroski to break Torquay hearts with an equalizer just ten minutes from time.

The same theme continued on Saturday. Rochdale were the visitors, relegated from League One last season and now managed by the experienced ex-Accrington boss John Coleman. It was another pulsating game at Plainmoor, which saw the Gulls fall behind to an early goal once again, equalise, take the lead, and go into the half time break with a 2-1 advantage.

And it got better still for United; a brace from Rene Howe increased his tally to three for the season and put Martin Ling’s team 4-1 up with 22 minutes remaining on the clock.

Easy? Not so. On 73 minutes, Dale’s George Donnelly was felled in the box, Rochdale had a penalty, and Aaron Downes, impressive for the Gulls in the heart of defence, was given a red card for a professional foul. It was a potential turning point in the match, and a goal for Rochdale could have certainly changed the match in their favor.

It wasn’t to be. Michael Poke guessed right, the spot-kick was saved, and the Gulls saw the game out, though the final 17 minutes were not without their scares, and United secured their first win of the season. It seems likely that both Cheltenham and Rochdale will be in the promotion mix come the end of the season, along with last season’s Blue Square Premier champions, Fleetwood Town. The Gulls have faced all three in their opening three games, and five points from a possible nine will be seen as a satisfactory return in what has been a tough start to the season.

The real feel good story from Saturday, however, came in the shape of Niall Thompson. Just eighteen years old, a lengthly injury list had forced manager Martin Ling’s hand in starting the young winger who was yet to start a competitive game for United, and a player who was seen as an ‘impact sub’ at the beginning of the season by Ling. 

And didn’t he do well? The youngster showed no fear or trepidation against some experienced opponents, and was confident using his pace and trickery to take players on, always looking for the ball. Not just a one trick pony either, the 18 year old showed craft and vision to release Howe early in the first half with a sumptuous through-ball, only for the forward to fluff his lines.

Nonetheless, it was a confident debut that warranted the man of the match award from the youth product - the first to start a competitive league match for the Gulls since the youth academy re-opened in 2007. More impressive performances like this will vindicate the board’s decision to re-open the academy, and from a fan’s perspective, there’s nothing quite like seeing one of your own come through the ranks.

Careers aren’t built on just one solitary appearance however, and it was telling just hours after the match that club captain Lee Mansell tweeted Thompson with the words ‘the hard work starts now.’ It’s a message that he would do well to take on board from a player with over 360 appearances to his name and the respect of his peers that saw him nominated into the PFA team of the season during the last campaign.

It wasn’t a bad start though.

Paignton do an Okey double

PAIGNTON U10s recorded two victories on the bounce when they took on Okehampton.

The first match was a 10-5 victory for Paignton, with Jamie Davey and Rees Drysdale notching a try each.

A much more open affair followed, which gave Paignton's backs a chance to open their legs and get at the Okehampton defence. Paignton tries were scored by Lewis Duce (3) and one each from James Andrews, Morgan Dowell and Harry Law in a 30-20 victory.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Powerful To gives the advantage to Torquay

TORQUAY U15s were 27-24 victors in a closely fought contest against local rivals Totnes.

Torquay started brightly and opened the scoring through Ronan Yeo, only to be pegged back through Totnes' quick running backs.

As half-time approached Ben Ireland put Torquay ahead once again with a try and conversion, ensuring Torquay went into the break with a healthy 12-5 lead.

However, Totnes scored two tries in succession to take the lead in the second half.

Substitute Tyler To used his power to hand the advantage back to Torquay with two tries, and Adam Dart's run from halfway into the corner increased their advantage.

A consolation try from Totnes was not enough, and Torquay held on for the win.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Blakeman hat-trick caps a fine day for dominant All Whites

NEWTON Abbot U9s recorded two comfortable victories over Exeter U9s at Rackerhayes, starting with a 20-0 success.

Olly Blakeman opened the scoring, and his try was swiftly followed by Harry Langabeer crossing the line.

Alfie Raynor put Newton 15-0 up with a trademark score from distance, and Tom Daly ran from his own line as he added a fourth try in the second half with no reply from Exeter.

Newton once again started brightly in the second game and soon took an early lead through Hugo Longrigg.

Reuben Ash quickly doubled the score for the All Whites, only for Exeter to pull a try back after some lax defending by Newton.

The next two line-outs proved fruitful for Newton, as Langabeer and Harrison Gorny raced clear to score.

And a hat-trick of tries from Blakeman sealed victory for the All Whites, with Riley Hutchinson scoring the day’s final try in a 45-5 victory.

TORQUAY U9s came out on top 25-15 in an entertaining match against Teignmouth U9s.

A breakaway try from Louis Powell gave Torquay the lead after just five minutes, only for Teignmouth to hit back through Robert Seir.

Torquay once again took the lead through a try in the corner from Jake Harker, and added to their total thanks to a double from Josh Lovell.

Teignmouth hit back through Brad Breslan and William Annal, but James Alcock bagged a try to seal the victory for Torquay.

Within minutes Torquay were back in action once again, and it was almost a completely new side that took on the Stonehouse Sharks in the team’s second fixture of the day.

A hat-trick from Lovell was enough to seal a 20-15 victory.

Teignmouth were also successful as they rallied to defeat Stonehouse 25-10, thanks to tries from Ethan Harris, Breslan (2), Ethan Knobile and Jack Carden.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Seven tries for Partridge in Cherries' away double

PAIGNTON U8s enjoyed a successful trip to Okehampton after winning back-to-back games in Mid Devon.

The first game was won 13-12 with five tries from Bradley Green, four from Harry Napier, and two tries apiece from Cameron Partridge and Toby Green.

The second game was another tight affair with Paignton once again winning by just one point in a 14-13 scoreline.

Partridge top-scored with five tries, closely followed by Toby Green with four.

Reece Faux and Bradley Green scored twice each, and Liam Cleaver went over once.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)

Torquay no pushovers this time in derby clash

TORQUAY Colts showed how they have improved over the season in a rematch with Paignton on the Recreation Ground.

Back in September the Cherries ran up a 62-14 win over the Tics at Queens Park.

Torquay's young side, comprised mostly of U17s, have been learning all the time and were only pipped 17-5 second time around.

Torquay opened the scoring, after five minutes when a well-worked drive by their forwards ended in Jake Byrne scoring in the corner.

It took Paignton 20 minutes, to get their first try of the afternoon, through Myles Ritchie.

Torquay's pack had the edge over Paignton, but the Cherries' game plan, of moving the ball quickly through their backs, put pressure on the home team, who did well to keep it to 5-5 at the break.

In the second half, Paignton made a change in the centre and the strong running of the replacement, Dan Sanders, proved too much.

He scored two tries in 10 minutes with an impressive turn of pace. The second try was converted by Sam Hedges.

(thisissouthdevon.co.uk)