GULLACTICO

Steve Harris – @steveharris84

Steve looks back at Alex’s time at Torquay

ALEX RUSSELL

With an automatic promotion and a player of the year award to his name, not to mention two PFA team of the season nominations, Alex Russell must surely rank as one of the most decorated Torquay United players of all time.

His four years at Plainmoor between 2001 and 2005 coincided with one of the most exciting periods in the club’s history. He joined the Gulls as Roy McFarland’s first signing, having previously won promotion from Division Three under McFarland with Cambridge United in the 1998/99 season.

Four years later, he would enjoy another automatic promotion success with the Gulls in the 2003-04 campaign under Leroy Rosenior, McFarland’s successor, when United pipped Huddersfield Town to the division’s third automatic promotion spot on the final day of the season.

By performing the role of a midfield lynchpin in a promotion lower league side, Russell was following in the footsteps of his father, Alex senior, who helped a Southport side, who featured two former Gulls in the form of Jim Fryatt and Andy Provan, win the ‘old’ Fourth Division title in the 1972/73 campaign. In addition to the Sandgrounders, Russell senior also appeared for a number of clubs including Wrexham, Tranmere Rovers and the LA Aztecs in the North American Soccer League.

Russell’s own career started in the late 1980s as an apprentice with Liverpool, where his contemporaries included Steve McManaman, before he was released and dropped into the Northern Premier League to sign for Morecambe. He then earned a brief return to the professional ranks with Stockport County, but his stay with the Hatters proved to be a short one as they were rising through the leagues under the guidance of their Uruguayan manager, the late Danny Bergara.

A return to the non-league ranks with Burscough followed before Rochdale paid them £4,000 for his services – remarkably that was the only fee for him in his career! After four years at Spotland, he swapped the North West for the Cambridgeshire Fens when McFarland secured his signature for Cambridge United in the summer of 1998. In his first season at the Abbey Stadium, the U’s won promotion from Division Three and went on to re-establish themselves in Division Two.

Russell proved to be a key figure for Cambridge during his period until he was frozen out by John Beck following McFarland’s dismissal during the 2000/01 season. However, he would be reunited with McFarland and his assistant David Preece at Plainmoor in the following summer, when he became the former Derby County defender’s first signing of his reign as manager of Torquay United.

Russell finished the 2001/02 campaign as United’s second top scorer with seven in 35 appearances in all competitions – a haul which included his sole career hat-trick in a 3-1 win away to Darlington on February 23, 2002. A strong finish to the 2001/02 season left the Plainmoor faithful hopeful of a promotion challenge in 2002/03; but then came the bombshell that McFarland and Preece would be leaving Plainmoor, after McFarland resigned after being told that he would have to work without Preece by chairman Mike Bateson following the collapse of the ITV Digital deal.

Nevertheless, any worries that Russell may have had about his future in the wake of McFarland’s departure were soon quickly as allayed as his successor Leroy Rosenior implemented a style of passing football with Russell and his teammate Jason Fowler playing influential roles.

Russell was on target in Rosenior’s first game in charge against Bristol Rovers from the penalty spot, as the Gulls won 2-1 after Martin Gritton had cancelled out Guiliano Grazioli’s opener for the Pirates. Although United fell short of reaching the play-offs – finishing in 9th place – in the 2002/03 campaign, it did end on a high note for Russell as he was named in the PFA Division Three team of the season.

HPL00736_TNA_026 SPORT.13/7/03.Photo by Paul Levie. Alex Russell TORQUAY V FULHAM

The additions of Craig Taylor and Brian McGlinchey during the 2003/04 season gave the Gulls a more solid look as they ended the campaign by winning automatic promotion for the first time in 38 years, which was sealed with a final day 2-1 win away over Southend United.

Russell had an influence on the proceedings at Roots Hall, as his corner was headed home by Steve Woods for United’s opening goal. He was also named in the PFA team of the season for Division Three, and on this occasion he was joined by his teammate David Graham.

However, the 2004/05 season in the newly rebranded League One would prove to be a very different challenge for the Gulls, and the summer of 2004 saw the sale of Graham to Wigan Athletic for a fee of £215,000.

Despite the signings of Adebayo Akinfenwa and Leon Constantine, an immediate return to League Two appeared to be on the cards for United, but a draw with Walsall and four successive wins against Milton Keynes Dons, Port Vale, Oldham Athletic and Blackpool ahead of their final league fixture away to Colchester United gave them a chance of beating the drop.

Russell played as well as he ever had done in a United shirt during their late run, but despite his best efforts he couldn’t help the Gulls from slipping to a 2-1 defeat to Colchester that condemned them to relegation on goal difference.

That afternoon at Layer Road proved to be Russell’s swansong in a United shirt, and he has experienced a varied career since leaving Plainmoor in the summer of 2005.

He helped Bristol City win promotion to the Championship in the 2006/07 season and he also scored the winning goal for Cheltenham Town in their 2-1 win over Leeds United at Elland Road during the 2007/08 campaign.

Playing spells with Exeter City, Yeovil Town, where he was a teammate of current United boss Paul Wotton, and Bath City followed before going into coaching with Bristol City, Tranmere Rovers and Southport.

Shortly afterwards he returned to playing in the Western League with Clevedon Town, Shepton Mallet and Bristol Manor Farm, which he combined with working as a letting agent, before the opportunity to play for the England Veterans’ side presented itself, with whom he would win the Veterans’ World Cup in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2023.

Russell is currently living in Cairns, Australia where he is turning out for Leichhardt Lions in the Football Queensland Far North and Gulf Premier League at the age of 51, and was even named in the league’s team of the season for the 2024 season.