2010–11 Torquay United F.C. season

March 2015 March 2015 Torquay United 2010–11 Paul Buckle (until 30 May 2011)Martin Ling (from 13 June 2011) Simon Baker League Two 7th FA Cup Fourth round League Cup First Round League Trophy Second Round Chris Zebroski (14) Chris Zebroski (15) 5,065 v Crawley Town, 29 January 2011(FA Cup) 1,514 v Rotherham United, 1 March 2011(League Two) 2,630 _adidas_blue_piping FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 FFFF00 _Torquay12Away _goldsides 000000 000000 000000 000000 000000 2009–10 2011–12 The 2010–11 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's 75th season in the Football League and their second consecutive season in League Two. The season runs from 1 July 2010 to 30 June 2011. Overview Carrying on their good form from the end of the 2009–10 season, which saw Torquay set a new club record of 691 minutes without conceding a goal, the Gulls won their first four games of the new League Two campaign making it the best ever start to a season in the club's history. Unfortunately, Torquay were finally to concede a goal in the last of those four matches which meant the club record for clean sheets was now established at 998 minutes. Despite making a strong start to the season and spending the whole of August at the top of the table, Torquay's form was soon to dip to the extent that they were only to win another three League matches by the end of the year. Nevertheless, some respite was offered by the cup competitions. Despite the Gulls experiencing early exits in the First Round of the Carling Cup (to Reading) and the Second Round of the Johnstone Paint's Trophy (losing to Swindon Town after first defeating Bournemouth), Torquay again made a strong showing in the FA Cup. Having beaten Mansfield Town, Walsall and Carlisle United in the earlier rounds, Torquay reached the fourth round of the FA Cup where they were eventually beaten 1–0 in an ill-tempered tie with Conference side Crawley Town. Following the defeat by Crawley, Torquay's League form finally began to improve and a run of just three defeats in their last 21 matches was enough to seal a place in the play-off semi-finals. This was despite the sale of leading goalscorer Elliot Benyon to Swindon and the fact that the Gulls were docked one point by the Football League for fielding loan signing Jake Robinson while still ineligible to play. Torquay saw off their semi-final opponents Shrewsbury Town with relative ease to set up a League Two play-off final clash with Stevenage. However, the Gulls' season was ultimately to end in disappointment with a 1–0 defeat in the final and the departure of manager Paul Buckle for Bristol Rovers just two days afterwards. League statistics League Two TOR Results summary 10 8 5 36 22 7 10 6 38 31 1 * Torquay United April 2011 *Deducted 1 point for fielding an unregistered player. Results by round table b Round Ground H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/H /A/A/H/A/H/A/H/A/A/A/A/H/H/A/H/H/H/A/H/H/A/A/H/H/A/H/A/A/H/A/H/A/H/H/A/H/A Result W/W/W/W/L/D/D/L/L/D/D/L/D/W/W/D/D/W/L/D/L/W/L/D/L/W/W/W/D/D/L/D/W/L/W/W/D/W/D/W/W/D/D/D/D/L Position 1/1/1/1/2/1/4/5/6/8/8/11/13/8/7/7/7/6/7/10/11/10/11/11/14/12/10/10/9/10/11/11/8/8/8/8/7/4/4/6/5/5/5/8/6/7 Home Away green2 Win yellow2 Draw red2 Loss 1st 2nd blue1 red1 Torquay United March 2011 Season diary July A busy pre-season fixture list saw Torquay take on a wide variety of teams and, apart from a 3–1 defeat to Championship side QPR (now with ex-Gulls manager Neil Warnock in charge), Torquay managed to win all of their other pre-season matches. These included encouraging displays against another Championship side Bristol City as well as defeats of local rivals Plymouth Argyle and Yeovil Town, both of League One. Among the close season signings, perhaps the most impressive was the ex-Leicester City forward Billy Kee. The young striker scored a total of nine pre-season goals, including a hat trick against Weymouth on his debut and an astonishing four first half goals against Tiverton Town. Of the trialists on show during these games, midfielder Damon Lathrope (formerly of Norwich City) caught the eye of manager Paul Buckle and was offered a two-year deal.http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2096386,00.html Tiverton 0 United 8 torquayutd.com 2010-07-19 2010-07-19 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100720235251/http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0%2C%2C10445~2096386%2C00.html 20 July 2010 Meanwhile, a familiar face returned to Plainmoor in the form of striker Martin Gritton, who had enjoyed a successful spell with the Gulls between 2002 and 2004. Although still under contract to League Two rivals Chesterfield, Gritton was allowed to join Torquay on loan until January 2011.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/8868970.stm Torquay United sign Martin Gritton from Chesterfield BBC Sport 2010-07-29 2010-07-29 Another (more recent) fan favourite, Guy Branston also re-joined the Gulls, with the combative defender agreeing a permanent one-year deal having been on loan from Burton Albion for the latter half of the 2009–10 season.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/b/burton_albion/8840924.stm Defender Guy Branston leaves Burton and joins Torquay BBC Sport 2010-07-21 2010-07-21 However, another Plainmoor hero, Wayne Carlisle, was deemed a free agent after the winger failed to agree a new contract due, in part, to his ongoing struggle with injury.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/8815893.stm Wayne Carlisle contract offer at Torquay expires BBC Sport 2010-07-13 2010-07-19 August Having finished last season with a club record of 691 minutes without conceding a goal,http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3151894,00.html Gulls hold Magpies at home Sky Sports 2010-05-08 2010-09-05 Torquay were keen to begin the new season in a similar fashion. The Gulls got off to a perfect start in their season opener with a 3–0 win against Northampton at Plainmoor, a win which put the Devon side at the top of the new League Two table. After consecutive 2–0 victories against Lincoln and Bradford, Torquay went into their match away to Port Vale aiming to become only the fourth team in Football League history to post eleven consecutive clean sheets.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/UNITED-AIM-BEST-START/article-2578942-detail/article.html Torquay United aim for best ever start and to make history thisissouthdevon 2010-08-28 2010-09-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20100906061856/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/UNITED-AIM-BEST-START/article-2578942-detail/article.html 6 September 2010 dead dmy-all Unfortunately, Port Vale managed to breach the Torquay defence in the first half, although the Gulls still went on to win the game 2–1. Nevertheless, a new club record of 998 minutes without conceding a goal had been set, and victories in the first four games had ensured the best start to a season in Torquay's history. Those wins made sure that the Gulls spent the whole of August at the top of the League Two table. With the news that Wayne Carlisle had agreed to rejoin the Gulls,https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/8906205.stm Wayne Carlisle rejoins Torquay United BBC Sport 2010-08-11 2010-08-11 Torquay went into their Carling Cup First Round fixture against Reading full of confidence. The Torquay defence proved as resilient against the Championship side as it had been against every other team it had encountered since the beginning of April, and it was not until the very last minute of extra time that Royals striker Grzegorz Rasiak finally found a way past keeper Scott Bevan.http://www.torquayunited.com/page/MatchReport/0,,10445~53951,00.html Torquay United vs Reading 0–1 torquayutd.com 2010-08-11 2010-09-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20100815074608/http://www.torquayunited.com/page/MatchReport/0,,10445~53951,00.html 15 August 2010 dead dmy-all A similar problem was encountered by Bournemouth in their Johnstone Paints Trophy First Round clash with the Gulls. However, this time, with the match going straight to penalties with a 0–0 stalemate after 90 minutes, the Cherries still could not find a way past Bevan and Torquay went on to win the tie 3–0 in the penalty shoot out.http://www.torquayunited.com/page/MatchReport/0,,10445~54560,00.html Bournemouth vs Torquay United 0–0 torquayutd.com 2010-08-31 2010-09-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20100904040302/http://www.torquayunited.com/page/MatchReport/0,,10445~54560,00.html 4 September 2010 dead dmy-all With the side currently enjoying so much success, it was perhaps no surprise that other clubs began to take an interest in the Torquay players. After turning down an offer from an unnamed League One side for defender Mark Ellis, manager Paul Buckle was relieved to reach the end of the summer transfer window without losing any of his squad.http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2131153,00.html Bucks Turns Down Offer For Ellis torquayunited.com 2010-08-22 2010-09-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20100826234018/http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2131153,00.html 26 August 2010 dead dmy-allhttp://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/SCOUTS-EYES-UNITED-S-TABLE-TOPPERS/article-2582207-detail/article.html Torquay face an anxious end to the August transfer window thisissouthdevon 2010-08-30 2010-09-05 https://web.archive.org/web/20100902172307/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/SCOUTS-EYES-UNITED-S-TABLE-TOPPERS/article-2582207-detail/article.html 2 September 2010 dead dmy-all September In recognition of Torquay's impressive start to the season, Paul Buckle was named League Two Manager of the Month for August.http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11779_6366323,00.html Buckle handed monthly award Sky Sports 2010-09-09 2010-10-05 However, after a near perfect August, September was to prove something of a reality check for the Gulls. With Torquay's clean sheet record ending against Port Vale in their previous match, a 2–1 defeat away to Southend in their first game of the month put to an end a twelve match unbeaten run in the League which had stretched back to March. This was then followed up by two successive 0–0 draws at home to Accrington Stanley and away to Stevenage. Although these results seemed to suggest the Gulls had got their defensive house back in the order, they were now struggling to find the back of the net. With summer signings Billy Kee and Martin Gritton yet to register on the goalscorer charts, and Elliot Benyon out injured for the Accrington game and on the bench for most of the Stevenage match, the Gulls were starting to look a little light up front, despite the best efforts of the versatile Chris Zebroski who was being employed as both winger and striker. One new face who appeared during the month was full back Danny Senda.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9006950.stm Full-back Danny Senda pens deal at Torquay United BBC Sport 2010-09-16 2010-10-05 The ex-Millwall and Wycombe defender had impressed Paul Buckle after recently playing in reserve team games against Exeter City and Forest Green. Unfortunately, his debut match, at home to Macclesfield, coincided with a further downturn in the Gulls fortunes when they were beaten 3–1. A chance to make amends came three days later with another home match, this time against former Conference rivals Aldershot. However, with midfielder Damon Lathrope leaving the field injured after only 14 minutes on his first League start, Torquay could not find a way past a resolute Shots defence and were eventually sunk by a Marvin Morgan goal in the 86th minute. With just 2 points taken from a possible 15, Torquay were fortunate to still find themselves in the play-off positions at the end of September having begun the month at the top of the table. October After being informed by chairman Simon Baker that the club's playing budget had been cut,http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/NEW-SIGNINGS-RULED-BUDGET-CUT/article-2712057-detail/article.html Torquay United rule out new signings after budget cuts thisissouthdevon 2010-10-02 2010-11-03 https://archive.today/20120914154853/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/NEW-SIGNINGS-RULED-BUDGET-CUT/article-2712057-detail/article.html 14 September 2012 dead dmy-all Paul Buckle now found his options limited as he attempted to revive Torquay's flagging league campaign. In his efforts to "shuffle the pack", Buckle would now have to delve into the loan market and also make some tough decisions with the current squad members. Most significantly, after first being dropped for September's match against Aldershot and then again for the trip to Crewe Alexandra, club captain Nicky Wroe was placed on the transfer list.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9085882.stm Torquay United place Nicky Wroe on transfer list BBC Sport 2010-10-13 2010-11-03 It was also made known that the club would be open to offers for defender Kieran Charnock who had struggled to break up the central defensive partnership forged by Mark Ellis and Guy Branston.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/GULLS-SWOOP-WOLVES-STRIKER/article-2790394-detail/article.html https://archive.today/20130505095627/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/torquayunited/GULLS-SWOOP-WOLVES-STRIKER/article-2790394-detail/article.html dead 2013-05-05 Torquay United swoop for Wolves striker Romone Rose thisissouthdevon 2010-10-23 2010-11-03 With Wroe and Charnock on the transfer list, new faces began to appear with the aim of freshening up the side. First through the door was Joe Oastler on loan from Queens Park Rangers.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9074607.stm QPR's Joe Oastler joins Torquay in one-month loan deal BBC Sport 2010-10-08 2010-11-03 Capable of playing as both a midfielder and defender, Oastler joined Torquay on a one-month deal. Later in the month, two more loan signings arrived at Plainmoor within twenty four hours of each other. Winger Romone Rose became the second loanee from Neil Warnock's QPR, signing a three-month deal, while the young Wolves striker Ashley Hemmings joined Torquay, like Oastler, on a one-month contract.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9115550.stm Torquay United sign Rose and Hemmings on loan BBC Sport 2010-10-22 2010-11-03 On the pitch, Torquay struggled to get back to the early season form which saw them spend the whole of August at the top of the League Two table. Although a creditable 1–1 draw away to in-form Shrewsbury Town seemed to point to an improvement in the team's performances, the Gulls were then to crash out three days later to Swindon Town in the Second Round of the Johnstone Paints Trophy (although, the fact that several of Torquay's first choice regulars were rested for the match indicated that the League Trophy was not high on Paul Buckle's list of priorities). Astonishingly, Torquay then managed to scrape only a 3–3 draw away to Crewe and then lose 4–3 at home to Bury, despite going 2–0 ahead in both matches. However, a corner of sorts appeared to have been turned in their match away to Gillingham when, at 1–0 down with 94 minutes of the match played and with newly installed club captain Lee Mansell sent off four minutes previously, a Kevin Nicholson free kick somehow managed to sneak past Gills keeper Alan Julian and salvage a 1–1 draw with the final kick of the game. The Gulls took their good fortune with them into their final game of the month at home to Morecambe, where they ran out 3–1 winners and achieved only their first victory in ten league games. With an upturn in their on-field performances, Torquay were now able to look forward to November with renewed optimism. November The revival which seemed to have been sparked by Kevin Nicholson's last gasp equaliser at Gillingham began to gather momentum during November. In contrast to the previous season, the Gulls were quickly developing into a formidable outfit on the road and this proved crucial during a month in which three of Torquay's four League Two fixtures were away from Plainmoor. After a convincing 2–0 victory over former Conference rivals Oxford United, the Gulls were disappointed to only pick up one point in a 1–1 draw away to Stockport. However, the performance of the month was probably the impressive 3–1 win over promotion-chasing Wycombe Wanderers at Adams Park, a result which saw Torquay move above the Chairboys into sixth place in the League Two table. Conversely, the only home league fixture of the month resulted in a lacklustre 1–1 draw with relegation-threatened Barnet. As per tradition, November saw the entry into the FA Cup of the League One and Two teams. The first two rounds were played during this month and Torquay found themselves involved in both after first easing past Conference side Mansfield Town and then seeing off Walsall of League One. The two 1–0 victories ensured the Gulls participation in the Third Round for the fifth time in six seasons. The Third Round draw saw Torquay receive a home fixture against another League One side Carlisle United. While possibly not the money-spinning draw that either team was hoping for, it was at least a game which, on recent form, gave the Gulls a very realistic chance of progressing to the FA Cup fourth round. No new additions were made to the squad during the month, although the loan deal for Joe Oastler was extended until Januaryhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9167740.stm QPR's Joe Oastler extends Torquay United loan stay BBC Sport 2010-11-08 2010-12-04 while Wolves agreed to allow Ashley Hemmings to extend his stay at Plainmoor.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/Hemmings-extend-stay-Charnock-moves/article-2934853-detail/article.html Hemmings to extend stay as Charnock moves on thisissouthdevon 2010-11-25 2010-12-04 https://archive.today/20130505122553/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/Hemmings-extend-stay-Charnock-moves/article-2934853-detail/article.html 5 May 2013 dead dmy-all With the loan window about to close, leading striker Elliot Benyon appeared to be on the verge of leaving Torquay, with Swindon, Dagenham & Redbridge and Southend among the clubs reported to have been interested in making a move for the young forward. However, Gulls fans were relieved when the window closed with Benyon still part of the United squad – at least until the January transfer window.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/BENYON-STAY-GULLS/article-2940319-detail/article.html Striker Elliot Benyon to stay with Torquay United thisissouthdevon 2010-11-26 2010-12-04 https://archive.today/20120917225551/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/BENYON-STAY-GULLS/article-2940319-detail/article.html 17 September 2012 dead dmy-all Of the two players placed on the transfer list in October, Kieran Charnock moved on loan to Morecambe, with a view to making the deal a permanent one in January.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/m/morecambe/9229198.stm Torquay United's Kieran Charnock joins Morecambe BBC Sport 2010-11-25 2010-12-04 However, former captain Nicky Wroe now seemed happy to remain at Plainmoor after Paul Buckle revealed the midfielder had rejected a move to Aldershot.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/Wroe-rejected-switch-Shots/article-2961259-detail/article.html Wroe rejected a switch to Shots thisissouthdevon 2010-12-02 2010-12-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20110106212129/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/Wroe-rejected-switch-Shots/article-2961259-detail/article.html 6 January 2011 dead dmy-all In recognition of the Gulls remaining unbeaten in all competitions throughout November, Paul Buckle was once again short listed for the League Two Manager of the Month award.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/horse-race/article-2969484-detail/article.html Two-horse race thisissouthdevon 2010-12-04 2010-12-04 https://web.archive.org/web/20110106201429/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/horse-race/article-2969484-detail/article.html 6 January 2011 dead dmy-all December With November's League Two Manager of the Month award going to Port Vale's Micky Adams, Gulls fans would have been relieved to have avoided the 'curse' often associated with the award, and which certainly appeared to affect Torquay's form after Paul Buckle won the award for August. However, the December curse seemed to have been applied to the entire Football League, with a large number of matches being postponed due to the freezing weather conditions which hit the UK throughout most of the month. As a result, the Gulls only managed to fulfil one of five fixtures scheduled for the final month of 2010, that being a disappointing 1–0 defeat away to league leaders Chesterfield. Off the field, December saw the departure of two players. Danny Senda left the Gulls after making only three appearances since joining in September, while Wayne Carlisle was released after making 76 appearances for Torquay and being a key member of the squad which gained promotion from the Conference.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9296052.stm Torquay release Wayne Carlisle and Danny Senda BBC Sport 2010-12-15 2011-01-03 Of the recent loan signings, Romone Rose was allowed to return to QPRhttp://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11779_6627023,00.html Rose back with Rangers Sky Sports 2010-12-31 2010-01-03 while Ashley Hemmings had his loan deal from Wolves extended until the end of the season.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9331234.stm Torquay United extend Ashley Hemmings loan from Wolves BBC Sport 2010-12-31 2011-01-03 There was a sense that Paul Buckle was clearing the decks in time for the January transfer window. However, whether he himself would still be at Torquay by the end of January was in serious doubt as he was being heavily tipped to take over from the recently sacked Paul Trollope at League One side Bristol Rovers.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/ODDS-SLASHED-BUCKLE-GOING-ROVERS/article-3057120-detail/article.html Odds slashed on Buckle going to Bristol Rovers thisissouthdevon 2011-01-03 2011-01-03 https://web.archive.org/web/20110105032925/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/ODDS-SLASHED-BUCKLE-GOING-ROVERS/article-3057120-detail/article.html 5 January 2011 dead dmy-all January Another year, another transfer window and another FA Cup run for Torquay United. Despite being the favourite with many bookmakers to take over at Bristol Rovers, Paul Buckle was left to focus on his job at Plainmoor after Dave Penney was installed as the new manager at the Memorial Stadium.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/bristol_rovers/9354951.stm Bristol Rovers appoint Dave Penney as their new manager BBC Sport 2011-01-10 2011-02-01 As is often the case, most of the transfer activity was left until the last day of January, although two predictable changes did take place early in the month with Kieran Charnock making his loan move to Morecambe a permanent onehttp://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/GULLS-SMALL-FEE-CHARNOCK/article-3069768-detail/article.html Torquay United to get small fee for Kieran Charnock thisissouthdevon 2011-01-06 2011-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20110115004529/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/GULLS-SMALL-FEE-CHARNOCK/article-3069768-detail/article.html 15 January 2011 dead dmy-all and Martin Gritton returning to parent club Chesterfield after the striker had failed to make an impression during his second spell at the club.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/Gritton-s-allowed/article-3080986-detail/article.html Torquay United striker Martin Gritton is allowed to go thisissouthdevon 2011-01-10 2011-02-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20110115085939/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/news/Gritton-s-allowed/article-3080986-detail/article.html 15 January 2011 dead dmy-all Meanwhile, Joe Oastler had his loan from QPR extended until the end of the season.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9373495.stm Midfielder Joe Oastler extends his loan deal at Torquay BBC Sport 2011-01-25 2011-02-01 With weather conditions more favourable than they had been throughout December, Torquay were keen to get themselves back into contention for a play-off spot. However, two draws, two defeats and only one win saw the side slip from 7th position at the end of 2010 to a disappointing 13th place in the League Two table by the end of January. With their clean sheet record of earlier in the season a dim and distant memory, the Gulls were now too often succumbing to late goals with a total of seven points being dropped in the dying moments of the games against Oxford, Morecambe and Gillingham. An encouraging display of the month was reserved for the fewer than 2,000 spectators who turned out at Plainmoor for the 2–1 win over in-form Crewe Alexandra with Torquay claiming their first home victory in the league since October. Despite their indifferent league form, the FA Cup was once again providing a welcome distraction with Torquay being involved in the Third Round for the third consecutive season. One goal from Eunan O'Kane was to prove enough to edge past Carlisle in this season's Third Round tie and anticipation was high yet again for the following day's fourth-round draw. Unfortunately, despite being the first ball pulled out of the drum, the Gulls yet again missed out on the chance of meeting one of the so-called "big boys", instead having to entertain the winners of the yet to be played match between Crawley Town (the only non-league team left in the competition) and Derby County of the Championship. After having beaten League One side Swindon in the Second Round, Crawley pulled off another shock win over the Rams to set up a reunion of the two former Conference rivals. Although, many Gulls fans were disappointed by the draw, there was now a fantastic opportunity for Torquay to reach the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in the club's history. With over 5,000 supporters struggling to get through the Plainmoor turnstiles for the match with Crawley, there was a fifteen-minute delay to the kick off to what turned out to be an ill-tempered Fourth round tie. Torquay found it hard to get a foothold in the first half of the game and eventually fell behind in the 39th minute to a Matt Tubbs strike. However, worse was to follow in the second period when Chris Zebroski was sent off in the 61st minute for a second bookable offence after a handball in the six yard box. However, when keeper Scott Bevan managed to save the resulting penalty from Tubbs, the Gulls spirits were raised again until another penalty was awarded to Crawley just minutes later. Astonishingly, Bevan pulled off his second penalty save of the match, this time from Craig McAllister, to give Torquay another lifeline. Unfortunately, they were unable to capitalise on Bevan's heroics and, despite the sending off of Dean Howell for Crawley in the 83rd minute, the score remained 1–0 until the final whistle. In a match which saw seven bookings in addition to the two dismissals, many Torquay supporters were angered by the tactics employed by Crawley manager Steve Evans (two of Crawley's yellow cards were for time wasting) and their misery was compounded the following day when Evans’ men were rewarded with a trip to Old Trafford to play Manchester United in the fifth-round draw. Just two days after the huge disappointment of the Crawley game, the last day of the January transfer window finally saw the departure of top striker Elliot Benyon to Swindon.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/s/swindon_town/9383043.stm Swindon swoop for Torquay striker Elliot Benyon BBC Sport 2011-01-31 2011-02-01 Benyon had been one of Paul Buckle's first signings when he took over at Plainmoor in 2007, and had now developed into Torquay's main goal threat. As such he had been tracked by several clubs over a number of months and his eventual move had been seen as inevitable by the majority of Gulls fans. The last day of the window also saw the transfer of Nicky Wroe to Shrewsbury and the cancellation of Ashley Hemmings’ loan deal with Wolves. In their place came striker Jake Robinson and midfielder Craig Stanley on loan deals from Shrewsbury and Morecambe respectively.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/sport/GULLS-ACTION-DEADLINE-DAY/article-3165163-detail/article.html Gulls take action as January's transfer window closes shut thisissouthdevon 2011-02-01 2011-02-01 https://archive.today/20130505122055/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/sport/GULLS-ACTION-DEADLINE-DAY/article-3165163-detail/article.html 5 May 2013 dead dmy-all With a new-look squad and just the league to concentrate on, Torquay had to now put an ultimately disheartening month behind them and look to the future. February When new loan signing Jake Robinson scored after ten minutes of his debut against Hereford on the first day of the month, Torquay United looked set to put the misery of their FA Cup exit behind them. However, even before the game had reached half time, it was made known to Paul Buckle that Robinson's registration had not been completed before the required deadline and was actually ineligible to play in the fixture.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9385552.stm Torquay United field unregistered player BBC Sport 2011-02-02 2011-02-28 With the possibility of any points won from the match being deducted by the FA, Buckle was unable to prevent the demoralised Gulls from slipping to a 3–1 defeat.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/Players-knew-error-half-time/article-3177654-detail/article.html Paul Buckle had the stugging knocked out him by ineligible player thisissouthdevon 2011-02-03 2011-02-28April 2019 InternetArchiveBot yes Incredibly, it emerged days later that Hereford had also fielded an ineligible player in the same game, with midfielder Rob Purdie’s registration also not being completed in time for the match.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/9391073.stm Football League charges Hereford United & Torquay BBC Sport 2011-02-09 2011-02-28 With Torquay now having to wait for a decision on any punishment from the FA, the club had to make the most of a busy February schedule which included a further six League Two encounters following the disastrous Hereford game. The first three were against teams battling relegation and the Gulls took full advantage, grabbing maximum points against struggling Stockport, Barnet and Burton Albion. These matches saw Paul Buckle begin to experiment with his squad selection with second choice keeper Danny Potter being brought in to give Scott Bevan a well-deserved break and left back Lathaniel Rowe-Turner deputising for the ever-present Kevin Nicholson. Both players rewarded the manager's faith with Potter keeping clean sheets in his first three games and Rowe-Turner scoring on his first league start of the season against Barnet. With loan players Jake Robinson and Craig Stanley fitting seamlessly into the new-look squad, Torquay were further enhanced by another loan signing in Northampton midfielder Ryan Gilligan.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9393835.stm Torquay United sign Northampton Town's Ryan Gilligan BBC Sport 2011-02-10 2011-02-28 Although the next three matches against Southend, Cheltenham and Accrington Stanley only secured a total of two points, the Gulls could be relatively satisfied with the returns of a busy month which left them just four points outside of the play-offs and with games in hand on most of the teams around them. March In a month with a punishing eight matches to be played, Torquay had to be at full strength if they were to make any kind of push for promotion. With that in mind, Paul Buckle once again dipped into the loan market. Although current loanee Ryan Gilligan unfortunately had to make an early return to Northampton following a family bereavement,http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2307055,00.html RYAN RETURN torquayutd.com 2011-03-03 2011-03-30 https://web.archive.org/web/20110307132327/http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2307055,00.html 7 March 2011 dead dmy-all Buckle was able to make an immediate replacement in the form of young Derby midfielder Ben Pringle.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9414280.stm Torquay sign Derby midfielder Ben Pringle on loan BBC Sport 2011-03-04 2011-03-30 Shortly afterwards, Plainmoor also saw the arrival of two loan strikers in Ronan Murray from Ipswich Townhttps://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9420499.stm Torquay sign striker Ronan Murray on loan from Ipswich BBC Sport 2011-03-10 2011-03-30 and Gavin Tomlin of Dagenham & Redbridge.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/t/torquay_united/9422603.stm Torquay sign Dagenham striker Gavin Tomlin on loan BBC Sport 2011-03-11 2011-03-30 With Buckle eventually negotiating for both forwards to remain with Torquay until the end of the season, the Gulls now had a variety of attacking options with the likes of Jake Robinson, Chris Zebroski, Eunan O’Kane and Billy Kee already causing problems to opposition defences. Gavin Tomlin was to make an instant impact, scoring just five minutes into his debut in the home match against Shrewsbury. It was a game in which the Gulls went on to win 5–0, a particularly impressive performance considering the Shrews were currently 4th in the table and had spent the majority of the season in the play-off positions. Even that result was arguably bettered by Torquay's trip to Gigg Lane three days later where they beat 2nd placed Bury 2–1 after coming back from a goal down. Earlier in the month, Torquay had already claimed four points from two other play-off challengers, grabbing a 1–1 draw with Rotherham and a 2–0 victory against Stevenage. In fact, Torquay seemed to be experiencing more problems against teams lower down in the division; the only defeat of the month came away to Aldershot and the Gulls only just managed to sneak a point with a 91st minute Guy Branston header to secure a 3–3 draw away at Macclesfield. Shortly before the home game against Cheltenham, Ben Pringle had made it known to Paul Buckle that he wanted to go back to Derby to fight for a first team place there. Despite some encouraging performances during his short spell at Plainmoor, Buckle allowed the midfielder to make an immediate return to the Championship club.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/9433561.stm Derby County's Ben Pringle ends Torquay loan stint BBC Sport 2011-03-23 2011-03-30 That match against Cheltenham resulted in a relatively comfortable three points for Torquay and the Gulls went into their final fixture of the month, a Friday night trip to Northampton, full of confidence. However, traffic problems on the M5 motorway resulted in the team arriving two hours late at the Sixfields Stadium.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/GULLS-CREATE-MOTORWAY-EXIT/article-3377028-detail/article.html GULLS CREATE THEIR OWN MOTORWAY EXIT! thisissouthdevon 2011-03-26 2011-03-30 https://archive.today/20120917152630/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/GULLS-CREATE-MOTORWAY-EXIT/article-3377028-detail/article.html 17 September 2012 dead dmy-all Even with the kick off being delayed by half an hour, the Gulls had little time to prepare for the match once they had arrived. Nevertheless, with the score at 1–1 going into injury time, Billy Kee seemed to have snatched a late win for Torquay with a stunning strike in the 92nd minute. However, a controversial 96th minute free kick for the Cobblers resulted in a goal from Guillem Bauzà and the Gulls had to settle for a 2–2 draw. That draw left Torquay in 4th place in the League Two table, although with most other teams playing on the following day and a few more midweek matches at the end of the month, the Gulls eventually ended March in 8th position, one point outside the play-off zone and just four points away from automatic promotion with seven games left to play. With four of those matches against teams in or around the play-offs, Torquay Utd went into April with their destiny very much in their own hands. April The saga regarding the fielding of the unregistered Jake Robinson in the February match against Hereford was finally resolved with Torquay receiving a one-point deduction and a £10,000 fine. With Hereford playing the equally ineligible Rob Purdie in the same match, they were also fined £10,000 and deducted the three points they had gained from the match.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/12987033 Torquay and Hereford docked points by Football League BBC Sport 2011-04-06 2011-05-03 While it could be argued that, having lost a point they had never gained in the first place, the Gulls were more harshly treated than the Bulls, Torquay decided not to appeal against the Football League's ruling. All of the off-field politics meant that Torquay had to make the most of their remaining games in order to make a push for promotion to League One. The month got off to a great start with a 2–0 home win against Lincoln, followed up by an impressive 3–0 away victory over sleeping giants Bradford City. However, despite having not participated in a goalless draw since September's trip to Stevenage, the Gulls managed to produce two consecutive 0–0 results at home against Port Vale and Wycombe. The latter game was particularly frustrating for Torquay as only some wayward finishing and the heroics of Wycombe keeper Nikki Bull kept the Gulls from gaining all three points. That match effectively ended Torquay's hopes of clinching an automatic promotion place and was also Ronan Murray's final game for the club as he was recalled by Ipswich a few days later. Easter Monday's trip to Burton saw Torquay find their shooting boots again with Chris Zebroski and Gavin Tomlin putting the Gulls 2–0 up within the first 15 minutes. However, not for the first time this season, Torquay managed to surrender a two-goal lead and had to rely on a stunning 78th-minute strike from Billy Kee to rescue a point in a thrilling 3–3 draw. This was a result which left Torquay just outside the play-offs with two games remaining. The penultimate game of the league campaign was a Friday night encounter at home to champions-elect Chesterfield. Over 5,000 supporters witnessed yet another 0–0 draw which was also Craig Stanley's last game before having to return to parent club Morecambe. Stanley was perhaps one of Paul Buckle's most successful loan signings and many Gulls fans were hopeful that the midfielder would make a return to Plainmoor next season. The significance of the Chesterfield draw was only fully felt the following day with Gillingham and Stevenage both losing their matches. This meant all three teams would go into the final day of the season tied on 68 points with just two play-off spots remaining, although Torquay's superior goal difference left them in pole position. The Gulls now had to travel to Rotherham knowing they only had to equal or better the Gillingham and Stevenage results in order to guarantee a place in the play-offs. As had so often been the case throughout the years, Torquay's destiny would ultimately be decided on the final day of the season. May As the last day of the regular season arrived, and with Torquay, Stevenage and Gillingham separated only by goal difference, it was vital for the Gulls to do everything they could in their match with Rotherham to ensure they secured one of the two remaining play-off berths. However, it was to prove a challenging afternoon at the Don Valley Stadium. Nerves began to jangle as soon as Ryan Taylor put the Millers 1–0 ahead after just ten minutes and, despite Chris Zebroski equalising in the 31st minute, Rotherham restored their lead just two minutes later thanks to a Danny Harrison strike. Meanwhile, with goals going in at the Stevenage and Gillingham games, Torquay found themselves in 6th, 7th and 8th position at various times during the afternoon and, when Oliver Banks put Rotherham 3–1 ahead in the 80th minute, they were now relying on scores from elsewhere if they were to book a place in the play-offs. While Stevenage secured their place with an enthralling 3–3 draw against Bury, the Gulls were ultimately indebted to Chesterfield who, by beating Gillingham 3–1, not only clinched the League Two title for themselves, but also made sure that Torquay would finish the season in the final play-off spot, ahead of the unfortunate Gills on goal difference alone.http://www.skysports.com/story/0,,11750_6918676,00.html League Two round-up Sky Sports 2011-05-07 2011-05-23 Torquay's play-off semi-final opponents turned out to be Shrewsbury who missed out on automatic promotion by just one point. With the first leg at Plainmoor in front of the Sky Sports cameras, the Shrews were no doubt mindful of the 5–0 thrashing they had received at the Gulls’ home ground just two months previously. The fact that two of those goals came from Jake Robinson (on loan from Shrewsbury) added extra spice to the tie, particularly as there was no clause preventing Robinson from playing against his parent club in the play-offs.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/S-YELLOWS-JAKE/article-3538057-detail/article.html On-loan forward insists he's committed to beating his own club thisissouthdevon 2011-05-10 2011-05-23 https://archive.today/20120918041745/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/tufc/torquayunited/S-YELLOWS-JAKE/article-3538057-detail/article.html 18 September 2012 dead dmy-all Despite Robinson not getting on the score sheet, Torquay produced an assured performance which saw them comfortably win the first leg 2–0 thanks to goals from Chris Zebroski and Eunan O’Kane. The Gulls had to make sure they finished off the job in the return leg and that is exactly what they did with a 0–0 draw at the New Meadow. The draw meant that Torquay United had done enough to ensure their place in the play-off final where the opponents would be their old Conference rivals Stevenage, who secured their own spot thanks to a 3–0 aggregate win over Accrington Stanley.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13385762 Accrington 0–1 Stevenage (agg 0–3) BBC Sport 2011-05-20 2011-05-23 With the Champions League Final scheduled to take place at Wembley Stadium on the same weekend as the League play-off finals, Torquay instead had to make the trip to Old Trafford for their showdown with Stevenage. The omens were not good for the Gulls when it was announced that the referee for the final would be Darren Deadman. This was the same man who had overseen the disastrous FA Cup fourth-round match with Crawley Town, the team who, ironically, had prevented Torquay from making an earlier trip to Old Trafford. Like the Crawley match, the kick off was delayed by fifteen minutes (due to traffic congestion on the M6 motorway) and like the Crawley match, Torquay fell behind to a goal late in the first half, this time a 41st-minute strike from Stevenage midfielder John Mousinho. And just like the Crawley match, the Gulls failed to find a reply which meant that Mousinho's goal was enough to see the Hertfordshire side promoted to League One while ensuring Torquay would remain in League Two for another season. Two days after the play-off defeat, it was announced, following much speculation, that Paul Buckle would be leaving Torquay after four seasons to become the new manager of Bristol Rovers.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13593492 Paul Buckle leaves Torquay to be Bristol Rovers manager BBC Sport 2011-05-30 2011-05-30 It was a position he had been linked with since the previous December after the sacking of Paul Trollope and, when his successor Dave Penney was also sacked after just two months, there was a certain inevitability to Buckle's eventual move to the Memorial Stadium. With Buckle also taking first team coach Shaun North with him to Rovers, there was a huge rebuilding job to be done at Plainmoor. With uncertainty hanging over those players whose contracts were soon to expire as well as the loan players which had performed admirably over the final few months of the season, it looked like the end of an era for Torquay United and the beginning of a new one. June With the original shortlist of candidates containing names such as Paul Trollope and former Torquay favourites Alex Russell and Chris Hargreaves, speculation was growing amongst Gulls fans as to who would replace Paul Buckle.http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Gulls-likely-interview-candidates-manager-s/story-12723537-detail/story.html Gulls likely to interview up to five candidates for manager's vacancy thisissouthdevon 2011-06-07 2011-07-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20120402234306/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Gulls-likely-interview-candidates-manager-s/story-12723537-detail/story.html 2 April 2012 dead dmy-all One name which had not been mentioned in the local press was Martin Ling, so it was something of a surprise when the former Leyton Orient and Cambridge United boss was announced as the new man in charge at Plainmoor.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13750150 Torquay United appoint Martin Ling as manager BBC Sport 2011-06-13 2011-07-01 Top of Ling's list of priorities was to start building a new team. With players reaching the end of their contracts and loan players returning to their parent clubs, the squad was now starting to look rather threadbare. Several key players who had got Torquay to the play-off final would definitely not be at the club for the new season. Player of the year, Guy Branston made a move to Bradford City while Scott Bevan decided to join Paul Buckle at Bristol Rovers.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13764249 Bradford City sign Guy Branston from Torquay United BBC Sport 2011-06-14 2011-07-01https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13703945 Scott Bevan in no doubt over Bristol Rovers move BBC Sport 2011-06-08 2011-07-01 Torquay fans were also disappointed to see midfielder Craig Stanley, who had been particularly impressive for the Gulls on his loan spell from Morecambe, also follow Buckle to the Memorial Stadium.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13682491 Bristol Rovers sign Morecambe midfielder Craig Stanley BBC Sport 2011-06-07 2011-07-01 Meanwhile, another loan player who would not be returning to Plainmoor was Jake Robinson who agreed to join Northampton Town instead.https://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/n/northampton_town/9507845.stm Northampton Town sign striker Jake Robinson BBC Sport 2011-06-08 2011-07-01 The first new face at Plainmoor was Shaun Taylor, who was appointed as Ling's assistant manager. Taylor was previously the youth coach at Exeter City and was also brother to former Torquay defender Craig Taylor.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13895202 Shaun Taylor set to be named Torquay United assistant BBC Sport 2011-06-23 2011-07-01 With Taylor on board, Ling now looked to bring new players to Torquay. Firstly, Joe Oastler signed a permanent two-year deal with Torquay after being released by QPR, while Danny Stevens also agreed in principle to renew his contract.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13907251 Midfielder Joe Oastler joins Torquay on a two-year deal BBC Sport 2011-06-28 2011-07-01http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Gulls-close-new-Stevens-deal/story-12807043-detail/story.html Gulls close in on new Stevens deal thisissouthdevon 2011-06-21 2011-07-01 https://web.archive.org/web/20120402234334/http://www.thisissouthdevon.co.uk/Gulls-close-new-Stevens-deal/story-12807043-detail/story.html 2 April 2012 dead dmy-all Another familiar face who returned to Torquay was Chris McPhee. He had played for the Gulls during their disastrous 2006–07 season and was looking to make amends on his return to the club. Joining on the same day as McPhee was Daniel Leadbitter, a promising young defender who had just been released by Newcastle United.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13944665 Torquay sign Chris McPhee & Daniel Leadbitter on two-year deals BBC Sport 2011-06-28 2011-07-01 While the new signings did much to assure Torquay's fans, more disappointment came with the news that top goalscorer Chris Zebroski had handed in a transfer request.https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13975426 Torquay striker Chris Zebroski hands in transfer request BBC Sport 2011-06-30 2011-07-01 With still no goalkeeper and pre-season friendlies just around the corner, it was clear that Martin Ling and Torquay United still had much work to do before the arrival of the new season. Results League Two 2010–11 Football League Two 7 Aug 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 3–0 Report Northampton Town Robertson 28 Nicholson 44 Zebroski 47 Benyon 50 Plainmoor 3,567 Oliver Langford W 14 Aug 2010 15:00 BST Lincoln City 0–2 Report Torquay United Benyon 26 71 Sincil Bank 3,033 Michael Naylor W 21 Aug 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 2–0 Report Bradford City Stevens 2 Zebroski 66 Branston 72 Wroe 74 Mansell 80 Threlfall 0 12 Doherty 42 Plainmoor 2,941 Steve Tanner W 28 Aug 2010 15:00 BST Port Vale 1–2 Report Torquay United Tomlinson 5 Griffith 37 Collins 70 Roberts 83 Wroe 5 pen. 77 Nicholson 21 Zebroski 28 Benyon 68 Mansell 90 Vale Park 5,750 Geoff Eltringham W 4 Sep 2010 15:00 BST Southend United 2–1 Report Torquay United Grant 15 Simpson 43 Zebroski 62 78 Mansell 90 Roots Hall 5,505 Dean Whitestone L 11 Sep 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 0–0 Report Accrington Stanley Edwards 83 McConville 84 Ryan 90 Plainmoor 2,598 Simon Hooper D 18 Sep 2010 15:00 BST Stevenage 0–0 Report Torquay United Mousinho 29 Roberts 53 Mansell 6 Ellis 29 Branston 42 Stevens 64 Broadhall Way 3,049 David Coote D 25 Sep 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 1–3 Report Macclesfield Town Benyon 40 86 Bencherif 12 Draper 76 Sinclair 78 Plainmoor 2,551 Gary Sutton L 28 Sep 2010 19:45 BST Torquay United 0–1 Report Aldershot Town Robertson 35 Morgan 86 Plainmoor 2,167 Roger East L 2 Oct 2010 15:00 BST Shrewsbury Town 1–1 Report Torquay United Robinson 5 6 Neal 22 Benyon 34 pen. 69 Robertson 69 Zebroski 83 New Meadow 6,034 Chris Sarginson D 9 Oct 2010 15:00 BST Crewe Alexandra 3–3 Report Torquay United Donaldson 45+2 Bell 66 Westwood 73 78 pen. Ellis 8 16 O'Kane 63 67 Branston 77 Alexandra Stadium 4,445 Russell Booth D 16 Oct 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 3–4 Report Bury Robertson 18 Zebroski 20 56 Benyon 87 Lowe 27 pen. Sodje 31 Ajose 33 Schumacher 51 Jones 71 Lees 78 Plainmoor 2,553 Iain Williamson L 23 Oct 2010 15:00 BST Gillingham 1–1 Report Torquay United McDonald 80 Oastler 70 Robertson 84 Kee 86 Mansell 2 90 90+2    Nicholson 90+5 Priestfield Stadium 5,345 Pat Miller D 30 Oct 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 3–1 Report Morecambe Benyon 11 75 Rose 69 Zebroski 84 Parrish 0 9 McCready 30 Shuker 0 82 Plainmoor 2,172 Phil Gibbs W 2 Nov 2010 19:45 GMT Oxford United 0–2 Report Torquay United Batt 5 o.g. Macklin 0 17 Kee 89 Kassam Stadium 6,401 Darren Sheldrake W 13 Nov 2010 15:00 GMT Torquay United 1–1 Report Barnet Benyon 11 O'Kane 37 Gritton 78 Nicholson 87 Uddin 8 Byrne 20 Marshall 59 Parkes 82 Plainmoor 2,257 Keith Stroud D 20 Nov 2010 15:00 GMT Stockport County 1–1 Report Torquay United Tansey 75 Oastler 35 O'Kane 61 Rose 87 Edgeley Park 3,772 Gary Sutton D 23 Nov 2010 19:45 GMT Wycombe Wanderers 1–3 Report Torquay United Beavon 7 Winfield 68 Lewis 76 Wroe 27 49 Branston 61 Benyon 88 Oastler 90+3 Adams Park 2,273 Gavin Ward W 11 Dec 2010 15:00 GMT Chesterfield 1–0 Report Torquay United Lester 28 B2net Stadium 4,801 Jonathan Moss L 1 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT Hereford United 2–2 Report Torquay United Fleetwood 32 Manset 66 Heath 78 Townsend 89 O'Kane 25 Benyon 45 Edgar Street 2,373 Steve Rushton D 3 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT Torquay United 3–4 Report Oxford United Benyon 43 73 Zebroski 66 Kee 79 Ellis 86 Hall 9 Craddock 35 Midson 42 64 90+1 McLaren 50 Plainmoor 3,021 Roger East L 11 Jan 2011 19:45 GMT Torquay United 2–1 Report Crewe Alexandra O'Kane 7 Zebroski 16 Ellis 58 Ada 33 Miller 53 Shelley 59 Plainmoor 1,955 James Linington W 15 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT Morecambe 2–1 Report Torquay United Wilson 87 pen. 90+2 pen. Robertson 32 Kee 78 Globe Arena 1,643 Andy Woolmer L 22 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT Torquay United 1–1 Report Gillingham Benyon 6 Rooney 87 Plainmoor 2,368 Graham Scott D 1 Feb 2011 19:45 GMT Torquay United 1–3 Report Hereford United Robinson 10 Lathrope 78 Fleetwood 14 46 Townsend 72 Featherstone 80 Plainmoor 1,680 Brendan Malone L 5 Feb 2011 15:00 GMT Torquay United 2–0 Report Stockport County Zebroski 13 Kee 73 Plainmoor 1,954 Simon Hooper W 12 Feb 2011 15:00 GMT Barnet 0–3 Report Torquay United Pulis 0 29 Fraser 29 Parkes 39 McLeod 70 Rowe-Turner 25 Stanley 53 Kee 75 Zebroski 90 Underhill Stadium 2,168 Peter Quinn W 15 Feb 2011 19:45 GMT Torquay United 1–0 Report Burton Albion Robertson 56 Plainmoor 1,602 Karl Evans W 19 Feb 2011 15:00 GMT Torquay United 1–1 Report Southend United Oastler 34 Branston 37 Kee 73 Gilbert 12 Corr 81 Plainmoor 2,880 David Coote D 22 Feb 2011 19:45 GMT Cheltenham Town 2–2 Report Torquay United Goulding 79 Thomas 90+4 Robinson 14 50 Zebroski 31 O'Kane 63 Stevens 65 Oastler 79 Whaddon Road 2,977 Anthony Bates D 26 Feb 2011 15:00 GMT Accrington Stanley 1–0 Report Torquay United Joyce 42 Craney 78 Ellis 0 45 Crown Ground 1,543 Mick Russell L 1 Mar 2011 19:45 GMT Torquay United 1–1 Report Rotherham United O'Kane 17 Robertson 60 Branston 82 Stevens 90+2 Taylor 73 Plainmoor 1,514 Trevor Kettle D 5 Mar 2011 15:00 GMT Torquay United 2–0 Report Stevenage Zebroski 16 Stevens 46 Robinson 85 Roberts 0 68 Laird 90+3 Plainmoor 2,197 Bobby Madley W 8 Mar 2011 19:45 GMT Aldershot Town 1–0 Report Torquay United Guttridge 53 Mekki 85 Zebroski 26 Halpin 77 Recreation Ground 1,939 Carl Berry L 12 Mar 2011 15:00 GMT Torquay United 5–0 Report Shrewsbury Town Tomlin 5 Robinson 54 pen. 56 Zebroski 70 Sharps 85 o.g. Grandison 0 42 Cansdell-Sherriff 87 Plainmoor 2,861 Andy D'Urso W 15 Mar 2011 19:45 GMT Bury 1–2 Report Torquay United Holroyd 4 Stanley 61 Zebroski 70 Gigg Lane 2,747 Mike Dean W 19 Mar 2011 15:00 GMT Macclesfield Town 3–3 Report Torquay United Barnett 29 Daniel 35 Bencherif 57 Wedgbury 89 Robinson 52 74 pen. Stanley 78 Branston 90+1 Moss Rose 1,556 Graham Salisbury D 22 Mar 2011 19:45 GMT Torquay United 2–1 Report Cheltenham Town Branston 28 Murray 71 Andrew 89 Plainmoor 2,186 Steve Tanner W 25 Mar 2011 19:45 GMT Northampton Town 2–2 Report Torquay United Johnson 30 Bauzà 90+6 O'Kane 14 37 Branston 65 Stanley 90 Kee 90+2 Sixfields Stadium 4,553 Chris Sarginson D 2 Apr 2011 15:00 BST Torquay United 2–0 Report Lincoln City Stanley 17 Robertson 31 Zebroski 74 Tomlin 84 Kilbey 40 Watts 55 Fuseini 88 O'Keefe 90 Plainmoor 2,751 Iain Williamson W 9 Apr 2011 15:00 BST Bradford City 0–3 Report Torquay United Nicholson 31 Tomlin 59 Kee 78 Valley Parade 10,894 Pat Miller W 16 Apr 2011 15:00 BST Torquay United 0–0 Report Port Vale Zebroski 56 Mansell 75 Branston 90 Griffith 16 Yates 71 McCombe 78 Plainmoor 3,726 David Phillips D 22 Apr 2011 15:00 BST Torquay United 0–0 Report Wycombe Wanderers Stanley 71 Winfield 66 Bloomfield 83 Johnson 90 Plainmoor 4,009 Dean Whitestone D 25 Apr 2011 15:00 BST Burton Albion 3–3 Report Torquay United McGrath 26 Pearson 41 59 Zola 56 Moore 90+1 Zebroski 10 Tomlin 14 Oastler 51 Kee 78 Branston 76 Rowe-Turner 83 Pirelli Stadium 3,280 David Webb D 29 Apr 2011 19:45 BST Torquay United 0–0 Report Chesterfield Plainmoor 5,002 David Coote D 7 May 2011 15:00 BST Rotherham United 3–1 Report Torquay United Taylor 10 Harrison 33 Cresswell 47 Banks 80 Oastler 17 Zebroski 31 Don Valley Stadium 3,379 Andy Woolmer L League Two play-offs 2011 Football League play-offs 14 May 2011 17:45 BST Semi-final 1st Leg Torquay United 2–0 Report Shrewsbury Town Zebroski 29 O'Kane 45+3 Plainmoor 4,130 Scott Mathieson W 20 May 2011 19:45 BST Semi-final 2nd Leg Shrewsbury Town 0–0 Report Torquay United Sharps 28 Tomlin 29 Lathrope 67 Branston 86 New Meadow 8,452 Kevin Wright D 28 May 2011 15:00 BST Final Stevenage 1–0 Report Torquay United Mousinho 41 59 Harrison 90+4 Zebroski 55 Oastler 80 Old Trafford 11,484 Darren Deadman L FA Cup 2010–11 FA Cup 6 Nov 2010 15:00 GMT First Round Mansfield Town 0–1 Report Torquay United Nix 23 Cook 82 Grand 90 Zebroski 28 Benyon 87 Field Mill 2,179 Michael Naylor W 27 Nov 2010 15:00 GMT Second Round Torquay United 1–0 Report Walsall Kee 41 pen. Branston 90 Westlake 38 Plainmoor 2,334 Danny McDermid W 8 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT Third Round Torquay United 1–0 Report Carlisle United O'Kane 6 Wroe 28 Branston 38 Taiwo 37 Simek 45 Plainmoor 3,005 Phil Gibbs W 29 Jan 2011 15:00 GMT Fourth round Torquay United 0–1 Report Crawley Town Zebroski 2 59 61 Ellis 59 Kee 83 Branston 86 Tubbs 39 90+3 McFadzean 42 Howell 2 45 83     Kuipers 55     Mills 71 Plainmoor 5,065 Darren Deadman L League Cup 2010–11 Football League Cup 11 Aug 2010 19:45 BST First Round Torquay United 0–1 y Report Reading Zebroski 70 Benyon 115 Gunnarsson 114 Rasiak 120+1 Plainmoor 2,832 Jonathan Moss L League Trophy 2010–11 Football League Trophy 31 Aug 2010 19:45 BST First Round Bournemouth 0–0 W Report Torquay United Bradbury 90 Gritton 90 Dean Court 3,140 Graham Scott Cummings Bradbury Pugh 0–3 Robertson Wroe Nicholson 5 Oct 2010 19:00 BST Second Round Swindon Town 2–0 Report Torquay United Ball 10 Péricard 45+2 Charnock 43 County Ground 3,625 Fred Graham L Friendlies 10 Jul 2010 15:00 BST Weymouth 1–5 Report Torquay United Halloran 80 O'Kane 29 Kee 57 72 83 Benyon 76 The Wessex Stadium 357 Mark Pottage W 13 Jul 2010 19:45 BST Torquay United 3–1 Report Plymouth Argyle Mackln 35 Benyon 56 Wroe 90 pen. Noone 1 Plainmoor 1,794 Brian Malone W 14 Jul 2010 19:30 BST Bovey Tracey 0–6 Report Torquay United Yeoman Charnock Benyon Kee (pen.) Stevens Western Counties Roofing Ground W 16 Jul 2010 19:30 BST Torquay United 1–3 Report Queens Park Rangers Robertson 60 Helguson 9 Parker 72 Ephraim 87 Plainmoor 1,429 L 19 Jul 2010 19:00 BST Tiverton Town 0–8 Report Torquay United Kee 7 17 18 35 Zebroski 24 Yeoman 51 Stevens 72 Benyon 39 Ladysmead 280 W 21 Jul 2010 19:45 BST Torquay United 2–1 Report Bristol City Mansell 63 Ellis 75 Clarkson 55 Plainmoor 1,081 W 28 Jul 2010 19:45 BST Weston-super-Mare 0–3 Report Torquay United Zebroski 31 Benyon 63 Gritton 75 Woodspring Stadium W 31 Jul 2010 15:00 BST Torquay United 1–0 Report Yeovil Town Nicholson 48 Plainmoor 914 W Devon St Luke's Bowl 26 Jan 2011 Second Round Tavistock 1–6 Torquay United Yeoman Palmer Parish Kudi Langsford Park Adam Hopkins W 2 Mar 2011 19:15 GMT Quarter Final Buckland Athletic 2–1 Report Torquay United (pen.) Halpin Lathrope 0 Homers Heath Brett Huxtable L Club statistics First team appearances League Two 1 1 1 FA Cup League Cup League Trophy 1 Scott Bevan GK ENG 40+0 0 4+0 0 1+0 0 1+0 0 2 Lathaniel Rowe-Turner DF ENG 4+6 1 0+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 3 Kevin Nicholson DF ENG 45+2 3 4+0 0 1+0 0 1+0 0 4 Mark Ellis DF ENG 24+3 2 4+0 0 1+0 0 2+0 0 5 Chris Robertson DF SCO 43+3 2 3+1 0 1+0 0 2+0 0 6 Kieran Charnock DF ENG 1+3 0 1+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 6 Craig Stanley MF ENG 19+0 1 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 7 Lee Mansell MF ENG 48+0 0 4+0 0 1+0 0 2+0 0 8 Billy Kee FW NIR 20+23 9 1+3 1 1+0 0 1+1 0 9 Elliot Benyon FW ENG 22+1 13 3+0 1 1+0 0 2+0 0 9 Jake Robinson FW ENG 25+0 7 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 10 Eunan O'Kane MF NIR 34+14 7 3+1 1 0+1 0 2+0 0 11 Nicky Wroe MF ENG 20+0 3 4+0 0 1+0 0 2+0 0 11 Ryan Gilligan MF ENG 0+5 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 11 Ronan Murray FW IRE 4+3 1 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 14 Lloyd Macklin MF ENG 3+8 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 15 Wayne Carlisle MF NIR 3+7 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 15 Gavin Tomlin FW ENG 15+0 4 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+1 0 16 Danny Potter GK ENG 9+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 17 Saul Halpin MF ENG 0+4 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 18 Joe Oastler DF ENG 17+11 0 2+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 19 Danny Stevens MF ENG 19+20 3 2+2 0 1+0 0 1+0 0 20 Martin Gritton FW SCO 3+9 0 0+1 0 0+0 0 0+2 0 21 Romone Rose MF ENG 2+3 1 1+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 22 Damon Lathrope MF ENG 13+8 0 0+1 0 0+1 0 0+1 0 23 Guy Branston DF ENG 48+0 2 3+0 0 1+0 0 1+0 0 24 Ashley Yeoman FW ENG 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 25 Ed Palmer DF ENG 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 26 Chris Zebroski FW ENG 47+0 15 4+0 0 1+0 0 1+0 0 27 Ashley Hemmings FW ENG 4+5 0 1+1 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 29 Danny Senda DF ENG 2+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 1+0 0 29 Ben Pringle MF ENG 5+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 0+0 0 |} Source: Torquay United Top scorers PlacePositionNationNumberNameLeague Two 1 1 1FA CupLeague CupLeague TrophyTotal1 FW ENG 26 Chris Zebroski 15 0 0 0 152 FW ENG 9 Elliot Benyon 13 1 0 0 143 FW NIR 8 Billy Kee 9 1 0 0 104 MF NIR 10 Eunan O'Kane 7 1 0 0 85 FW ENG 9 Jake Robinson 7 0 0 0 76 FW ENG 15 Gavin Tomlin 4 0 0 0 47 DF ENG 3 Kevin Nicholson 3 0 0 0 3= MF ENG 19 Danny Stevens 3 0 0 0 3= MF ENG 11 Nicky Wroe 3 0 0 0 310 DF ENG 23 Guy Branston 2 0 0 0 2= DF ENG 4 Mark Ellis 2 0 0 0 2= DF SCO 5 Chris Robertson 2 0 0 0 213 FW IRE 11 Ronan Murray 1 0 0 0 1= MF ENG 21 Romone Rose 1 0 0 0 1= DF ENG 2 Lathaniel Rowe-Turner 1 0 0 0 1= MF ENG 6 Craig Stanley 1 0 0 0 1 Own goals 2 0 0 0 2 TOTALS 76 3 0 0 79 Source: Torquay United Disciplinary record NumberNationPositionNameLeague Two 1 1 1FA CupLeague CupLeague TrophyTotal26 ENG FW Chris Zebroski 9 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 12 123 ENG DF Guy Branston 10 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 13 018 ENG MF Joe Oastler 8 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 07 ENG MF Lee Mansell 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 15 SCO DF Chris Robertson 7 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 7 04 ENG MF Mark Ellis 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 4 16 ENG MF Craig Stanley 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5 09 ENG FW Elliot Benyon 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 5 010 NIR MF Eunan O'Kane 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 020 SCO FW Martin Gritton 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 011 ENG MF Nicky Wroe 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3 08 NIR FW Billy Kee 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 022 ENG MF Damon Lathrope 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 03 ENG DF Kevin Nicholson 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 019 ENG MF Danny Stevens 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 014 ENG MF Lloyd Macklin 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 ENG DF Kieran Charnock 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 015 ENG FW Gavin Tomlin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 017 ENG MF Saul Halpin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 021 ENG MF Romone Rose 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 015 ENG FW Gavin Tomlin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0TOTALS713812020834 Source: Torquay United 1 1 1. League Two statistics include the League Two play-offs. Transfers In DateNat.Pos.NameFromFeeReferences19 July 2010ENGMFDamon LathropeNorwich CityFree21 July 2010ENGDFGuy BranstonBurton AlbionFree16 September 2010ENGDFDanny SendaMillwallFree14 March 2011ENGFWRay SpearTraineen/ahttp://mobile.torquayunited.com/runtime/torquayunited/article?articleId=2315498 CONGRATULATIONS RAY torquayunited.com 2011-03-14 2011-07-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20120326182455/http://mobile.torquayunited.com/runtime/torquayunited/article?articleId=2315498 26 March 2012 dead dmy-all28 June 2011ENGMFJoe OastlerQueens Park RangersFree28 June 2011ENGFWChris McPheeKidderminster HarriersFree28 June 2011ENGDFDaniel LeadbitterNewcastle UnitedFree Loans in DateNat.Pos.NameFromExpiry dateReferences28 July 2010SCOFWMartin GrittonChesterfield10 January 20118 October 2010ENGMFJoe OastlerQueens Park RangersEnd of season22 October 2010ENGMFRomone RoseQueens Park Rangers31 December 201022 October 2010ENGFWAshley HemmingsWolverhampton Wanderers31 January 201131 January 2011ENGFWJake RobinsonShrewsbury TownEnd of season31 January 2011ENGMFCraig StanleyMorecambe3 May 201110 February 2011ENGMFRyan GilliganNorthampton Town3 March 20114 March 2011ENGMFBen PringleDerby County22 March 20119 March 2011IREFWRonan MurrayIpswich Town25 April 201110 March 2011ENGFWGavin TomlinDagenham & RedbridgeEnd of season Out DateNat.Pos.NameToFeeReferences16 December 2010NIRMFWayne CarlisleReleasedn/a16 December 2010ENGDFDanny SendaReleasedn/a5 January 2011ENGDFKieran CharnockMorecambeUndisclosed31 January 2011ENGFWElliot BenyonSwindon TownUndisclosed31 January 2011ENGMFNicky WroeShrewsbury TownUndisclosed31 May 2011ENGGKDanny PotterNewport CountyFreehttps://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/13589594 Goalkeeper Danny Potter joins Newport from Torquay BBC Sport 2011-05-29 2011-07-0730 June 2011ENGGKScott BevanBristol RoversFree30 June 2011ENGDFGuy BranstonBradford CityFree Loans out DateNat.Pos.NameToExpiry dateReferences25 November 2010ENGDFKieran CharnockMorecambe5 January 2011February 2011ENGDFEd PalmerWeymouthApril 2011http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2325204,00.html ED EXTENDED torquayunited.com 2011-03-28 2011-07-07 https://web.archive.org/web/20120321202013/http://www.torquayunited.com/page/News/0,,10445~2325204,00.html 21 March 2012 dead dmy-all References 2 Tor 2010–11