Torquay United Fans Forum

Great picture

I've told this story before on Devon Live but thought I would share it here too - a tale of how Torquay came to be my lower league club and how I ran into trouble pretending to be Derek Dawkins. Never got to see him actually playing in the flesh but then having been at a few games this season, not sure I've seen too many Torquay players actually playing this season either -
https://www.impartialreporter.com/opini ... exam-time/

GULL 67 wrote: ↑09 Apr 2024, 11:32 Thanks but the one who truelly deserves a medal is Paul Bastard. He has been attending all the games for years. When I pointed him out to my boy, at one particularly dreadful game, and explained he had been attending all games for eons, my boy stated " no wonder he's known as poor bastard". In truth this has been one of the few for years that I have been going away so much. More of a bonding time with my boy. We both travel home miserable together!!!

I got two great pictures of Paul Bastard that captured the desperation and despair and the near misses at the Welling game Saturday. Thought I would share them here. Never thought I would see the day when Torquay (my lower league team) would be in a National League South relegation battle with Welling (second nearest football club to where I live in London). After the Truro game, looks like they will be seeing each other next season again. Hope so anyway. Great to catch up with a few Gulls fans in the local ale house afterwards too.

Would be very happy with a visit to Welling. Up the road half an hour from me.

standupsitdown wrote: ↑23 Jul 2021, 19:00 Details here.

Should be easy to obtain but need to buy in advance.
I imagine Plymouth will bring a fair few so should be decent crowd for that one.

https://torquayunited.com/pre-season-ar ... plainmoor/

Thanks for that.

Not sure if this is the right place to post this but it's a story I've been meaning to write for a long time about my early days of following the Gulls. - https://www.devonlive.com/sport/dude-en ... nd-5654753

Quick question - how hard or easy is it likely to be to get tickets for the pre-season games? Thinking of visiting Devon next week for a few days and would like to see one of the games.

Don't think anybody can have sour grapes about the result but facilities are far from standard of many clubs in top 4 divisions. Solihull looked a good side and in light of full season I dunno if this will seem that awful a defeat even if it could have been a better scoreline. Too many silly mistakes and half-hearted efforts. What the hell was Keating doing with that back flick that led to 3rd goal for example? Lots of silly mistakes and Solihull far more streetwise. But maybe it's the wake up call some of these players needed. This league's a step up in concentration, physicality and pace. Some of the players hadn't wakened up to that last night. But it was hard against a good experienced side that will be up there in top 3 again by end of this season.

Just posted this on another thread as well but might be more appropriate for here - Does anybody need a ticket for this game? I bought one but now can't go because of a combination of reasons. If anyone needs a ticket for free email me at [email protected] - I am happy to give it for nothing as long as the person who gets it is definitely going along to support the team. Just as well I am not going anyway. Aside from about one game per season and this season that was Hungerford I tend to be a jinx for Torquay when I go.

Does anybody need a ticket for this game? I bought one but now can't go because of a combination of reasons. If anyone needs a ticket for free email me at [email protected] - I am happy to give it for nothing as long as the person who gets it is definitely going along to support the team. Just as well I am not going anyway. Aside from about one game per season and this season that was Hungerford I tend to be a jinx for Torquay when I go.

Yep, Woolwich Arsenal is an option or you can go to Charlton station and get the 486 bus. If you are coming via Central London the Charlton/486 combination is actually faster. Will be there on Saturday and hopefully bringing a few people along. If you haven't been before, Welling has a very relaxed atmosphere though a lot of standing rather than seating. There are 2 bars in the ground and usually very little segregation. As a Charlton fan who also follows Torquay as my non league team would like to see Gulls go up automatically and Welling via playoffs. This will be an important game and hoping Dartford do another favour next weekend. They are another defensive team with trouble scoring from what I have seen this season. Have also seen Welling twice this season and they create a lot of chances but don't have a finisher in the mould of the several Torquay have these days. Should be a Torquay win but they are also a hard side to break down. Might take a while to get that crucial first goal. Reckon it will be 2-0 Torquay.

Being based in London and following Torquay's fortunes these past few years, I am looking forward to games against Dartford, Welling and Dulwich depending on dates of the matches. Brother in law follows Dartford and says their standard is surprisingly good. Maybe too, some of their fans would rather be at the top of NLS every season than struggling near the bottom of NL. Won't be that easy for Torquay next season and you only have to look at the way Welling have struggled since relegation to see that but Braintree have shown that teams can bounce back into contention fairly quickly. I am hoping for a good season for the Gulls that will provide momentum when back in The National League the season after. As a Charlton fan, I always remember that Exeter came to The Valley and won 3-1 about five years after they were getting beaten by the likes of Canvey Island. Fortunes can turn around fairly quickly, though watching all the ownership issues from a distance, not sure I have any more idea about Clarke Osborne's motives than I do the Belgian owners that we have at Charlton. Both seem to be in it for what they can get out of it. Just hoping Torquay get out of NLS quickly, and it can be a season chalked down to the experience of visiting some new and interesting places along the way, even if some of the football might not be that great at times.

westyorkshiregull wrote: ↑06 Dec 2017, 21:28 They were doing the conga down near the clock tower. I know Mario Walsh is now a PE teacher as a few years ago I sent him some torquay united stuff from the 1987 season.
Yep tom Kelly never did seem to age , not seen him for a long time but last time looked 21 still.
Loram was the class in that squad is 1987. Ive so many stories about him as my dad's mate was manager of brixham villa in 1983/84. True class. For me best player in my era, above Russell, graham ect. What if he tried a bit harder??

I have heard from ex players that Mark Loram is the best player they ever shared a pitch with. Would love to have seen him play at his peak. All I have ever seen of Torquay live in the flesh is 2006 to now sadly. But there have been some good points along the way - just nothing to match Loram, Dobson, Caldwell, Sharpe etc.

Didn't quite get that cutting & pasting the quote bit right.

Remember my dad telling me the players and fans were doing the conga down the seafront in the evening??

Tom Kelly rock solid and has never seemed to age
Loram being loram ...great skill
Walsh ...never seen such a stick insect player
Mann and Myers...kids in a man's world...
Dobson just a goal machine

Whatever happened to Mario Walsh? His career just faded out into nothingness. And does Jim McNicholl still own a pub or is he long gone back to Scotland?