Football Season Guide

Torquay were one of the stories of last season as they produced a brilliant survival campaign in the final two and a half months, having been bottom of the table in February. But they became one of the form sides in the division thanks to some inspired coaching by Kevin Nicholson and the exploits of players like Nathan Blissett, Nathan Smith and keeper Brendan Moore. The Gulls were good value to stay up by the end and will surely hope that they never go so close to relegation from now on. There is a real sense of momentum and optimism for a first time in a few years now as Nicholson has shown that he is not only a superb club icon on the pitch, having played for the Gulls for nearly ten years, but could become a really good manager too. He has the club at heart and will be surely trying all he can to turn the Dorset side into a more formidable force in the season ahead. He beefed up the squad with some proven quality additions, with Brett Williams, Dan Sparkes and Sean McGinty all players who perform well and have shown that they can be relied up on this level. Yet the squad is not too big as a whole and the loss of Nathan Smith, who was so impressively consistent and assured in defence throughout his loan spell last year, will be one that will not be overcome easily. The squad has a fresh and exciting look about it but a lot will depend on the fitness of Luke Young, the inspirational skipper who missed a large chunk of last season due to a knee injury, and whether Nicholson can keep extracting as much out of the squad on regular basis as he did at the end of the last campaign.