The TT Blog 30th May 19

“Kyle played every match with commitment and desire, and has forged a real bond with the fans over the last year”

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Dom Roman – @DomRoman

‘No rest for the wicked’, said someone at some point – well there’s some truth in that at TT! It feels like we’ve actually been busier since the season ended – with season reviews follows by various other features, that may or may not have caught your attention. May 19 has seen more visitors to the site than any other month, pretty impressive considering the lack of TUFC fixtures! What’s been on the agenda? Here’s a reminder:

• SEASON REVIEW  √

• DREAM TEAMS  √

• TRANSFER GOSSIP  √

• TUFC PROGRAMME DISCUSSION  √

• TT BLOGS  √

This blog is only a brief one this week and it’s mainly to announce that we’ve now gone big-time (sort of) and become a TUFC player sponsor, as 14 of our contributors dug deep and coughed up the necessary funds to become the away days sponsor for defensive rock Kyle Cameron. When Kyle’s name came up it was a big thumbs up from the team for me to get in contact with Sharon Cox and get it sorted. Money very well spent I think, as Kyle was absolutely brilliant in his first season at Plainmoor.

Kyle is a terrific character and exactly the type of player TT wanted to sponsor – so we are more than happy to have our logo propped up alongside his name. Arriving as a virtual unknown from the North-East last summer, the centre back slotted straight into the team and never looked back. Attributes-wise he is big and strong, whilst also showing decent composure on the ball and a turn of pace to cover his colleagues if required. Add to that his passion and fire for the cause he has in abundance and you have a real force to be reckoned with.

That passion and fire I mentioned cannot be under-stated, it’s what us fans want to see from everyone in a United shirt and should not be taken for granted – after all numerous players have turned up with big reputations, but poor attitudes to go with it. Kyle played every match with that commitment and desire, and has forged a real bond with the fans over the last year. He is simply a perfect fit for TorquayTalk and the commitment we have for the club. 

Torquay United have had a long line of brilliant centre backs over the years and in picking dream teams, this area of the line-up has prompted much head-scratching. It’s a position where we have unearthed so many gems and I’m not sure why – compare that to right-back, a position that has appeared cursed over the years (not any more I might add!).

In around 30 years of supporting the club I’ve seen so many rocks at the centre of our defence:-

Matt Elliott – What a man mountain Matt was in the early-90s! Sold on for a typically TUFC low fee – a real shame he left so soon.

Wes Saunders – Wes had all the experience and leadership required to help guide us to an unlikely promotion in 1991.

Darren Moore – Another man mountain! Nobody messed with Darren and it was nice to see him eventually rise up the leagues.

Jon Gittens – The late Jon Gittens was a real gritty competitor for Kevin Hodges in that exciting 97-98 team.

Alex Watson – Alex had been a youth player at Liverpool, so we were lucky to have him aboard in the late 90s.

Wayne Thomas – Youth player Wayne had composure and class, and was soon snapped up by Stoke City in the early 2000s.

Steve Woods – One of my favourite ever TUFC players, Woodsy had grace with the ball and was a real leader under Leroy.

Craig Taylor – Dovetailing perfectly with Woods – Taylor was one of the missing pieces that pushed us to 2004 promotion.

Chris Robertson – An under-rated player in his time at the club, Chris was a gentle giant who regularly shackled strikers.

Chris Todd – Battled back from illness to help us win promotion, an inspirational guy who is back in football at St Austell.

Mark Ellis – All-action fans-favourite, Mark Ellis played every TUFC game like it was his last and we loved him for it.

Guy Branston – Guy arrived with swagger and instantly helped transform our fortunes. Total confidence and a great character.

Aaron Downes – It was a bad time at the club when Downesy arrived, but he always lead by example and was a big miss after leaving for Cheltenham.

Angus MacDonald – The responsibility of captaincy helped mature Angus and turned him into an inspirational leader destined for bigger things.

*Tell us who your favourites are out of the above list and feel free to mention any I’ve missed out!

Kyle is the latest man to take up that mantle and I’m very excited to see how the Geordie and the rest of the team develop next season. We await incomings and I think everyone is expecting a new partner for KC for 19-20. No disrespect to Big Jean, but the prospect of an experienced and quality new centre back could have a big bearing on how well TUFC do next season.

The Yellow Army are being patient regarding incomings and snapping up season tickets, so we’re doing our part this summer. I’m sure GJ and his team won’t let us down and with TorquayTalk involved in sponsorship, the season is destined to be a good one isn’t it?? In the meantime keep an eye out for more features coming your way, much like Kyle I feel like we’ve just started at TT and the best is yet to come…

Thanks to the following contributors for their £:

Luke Hunter, Karl Standeven, Rich Heesem, Rachel Malloch, Ben Currie, Ryan Etches, Matty Hayward, Thomas Kelly, Marcus Arscott, Sam Druiff, Andy Charles, Jonny Jones and Sam Jones.

torquaytalk.com – @torquaytalk – Away Sponsor of Kyle Cameron