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Dan Elliott – @Dan_Torquay_Man

Dan takes a look back at 2024 for the Gulls

AN END OF YEAR REVIEW

A end of year review for Torquay United in 2024 where do you start?

Probably the craziest year in the clubs history.

Not my words, but some words of people that are more smarter, educated, closer to the club and have a lot more information than what I do

It has been an eventful year to say the least, very Katy Perry.

MOMENTS

These are in no particular order, but just some of the moments that stick out for me in this wild year in the history of Torquay United Football Club.

THE BEGINNING OF THE END

You have to start on the 22nd of February 2024 at 8 am in the morning.
I was in London walking to work, I had multiple appointments that day. As you do you’re walking along the street you go down and check your phone, you go onto Twitter and you see your notifications are lit up.

A tweet from Daniel Story, a journalist with The I newspaper had gone out with a link to an article covering the then owner Clark Osborne and the state of Torquay United Football Club.

To cut a long story short it was essentially Daniel Storey shining light onto what was the darkness of the situation at the club at that time.

One article, one tweet, one journalist doing their job and within hours the money had been been pulled. The club was in administration and Clarke Osborne had released a statement saying he was no longer at the club.

This was all by 1 o’clock in the afternoon then before 5 o’clock in the afternoon Gary Johnson; the first team manager had left his role also.

So within one day, the club was in administration no first team manager and basically put on the brink of extinction.
House of cards, Dominos, use whatever phrase you want, but this was essentially the beginning of the end.
With all the uncertainty it was a worrying time BUT this wasn’t our independence Day this was our liberation day.

THE END IS ONLY THE BEGINNING

After months of uncertainty around the club with administrators now running the club day by day, we are in a state of limbo and a period of uncertainty as we were looking to essentially find new owners for the club

Finally a preferred bidder had been announced however the bidder had not been announced publicly. At this stage it was undisclosed who the bidders were of the club and administrators did their due diligence. Rumours were going around it was the owner of Brew Dog who loved the attention on social media by liking posts that suggested it was him. Great for him and great banter at the time.

During this period there was optimism, excitement and everybody crossing their fingers and toes to ensure the club was purchased. All we wanted was for the club to be put on an even footing and able to carry on as it is. Talks were going around of a Phoenix Club…… run by Brian Potter with Max & Paddy!

Then as we thought we were near in the end of the end. There was an announcement to say the preferred bidders had not been accepted and administrators were exploring other bids and opportunities.

Then, finally an announcement came to everyone’s delight saying that a new preferred bidder had been accepted

A consortium of local businessman with the backing of the Torquay United supporters trust had successfully become the preferred bidder and information started to come out that we had new owners.

The Bryn consortium.

The end was finally over with these new owners these new custodians and above these fans we had running our club the end was only just the beginning.

PERFECT OWNERS – LOOK IN THE BOOK

Over the months and periods waiting for news there was always a lot of conversations about what owners would come in.

What would happen, how would they run the club?

What would they do with Plainmoor?

How would they even engage with the fans?

There were dream scenarios going around on social media , podcasts and local radio stations!

When it was announced it was The Bryn Consortium and we started to hear from the new custodians of the club, it wasn’t the dream scenario……. It was better than that, way better!

Where there was silence coming from the club through the Osborne years, with darkness and secrecy covered over the football club. Within days there was communication, conversations, objectives and above all there was hope!

With Mark Bowes Cavanagh and Michael Westcott we were having chairman chats on YouTube, meetings with fans at the stadium and PowerPoint presentations delivered to us showing us commercial, operational and financial information and data shared with us to show us all where the club is at.

Not only the noise coming from the club, we have Michael Wescott responding to fans on Twitter, Torquay United Supporters Trust were invited in as part of the process and even the travel club was given support and acknowledgement for the incredible work they do.

Calsberg don’t do National League South football club owners if they did they probably would be The Bryn Consortium.

GAMES

Looking back on 2024 is a very polar experience going from games from the start of the year through to the end of the year. What I’ve done here is select a few games that were important to the club in 2024 and some of the games that I’ve experienced being there with the yellow army.

TAUNTON AWAY

Controversially, probably the most important game this calendar year and also probably the most important game since Ashton Gate.
Sadly, with a state how bad it got at the club, you might even go as far to say torn and away was properly even more important than Ashton Gate

Dropping down another level would’ve been simply unthinkable.
I have no issues saying this whatsoever, but we do have to give credit to Aaron Downes for getting that performance out of that team and ensuring that result happened. That was absolutely pivotal for the club. Whilst our new owners and manager quite rightly don’t want to talk about the past and I agree with them I think if you ever ask them how important that result was they would say exactly the same as me.

In a season of dark, bleak miserable away performances that Taunton game AND result was the only shining light in an absolute grim season

Special mention as always to the legend, that is Asa Hall. When we needed a goal in any situation you could always count on the Viking to pop up and get on the end of a cross or a ball in the box, arriving in Frank Lampard style at the right time to connect and hit the back of the net.

I do hope to see him back at the club one day at some capacity.

BUCKLAND AWAY

Seems strange to be including a pre-season game in an end of year memories of games piece however when you’re turning up to a preseason game with new owners, a new manager a complete new set of players and Neil Warnock walking around with a Torquay United coat on, you kind of have to mention it.

Then when you take it one step further when the team come out wearing a kit that’s been selected by the fans. It is a kind of pinch yourself moment.

Explaining to the wife and daughter why the son and I have driven over 400 mile round-trip from North Cambridgeshire just to go back to Kingskerswell to watch a preseason game it’s difficult to explain, however for the first game under these new owners and new set up, we had to be there! Watching Paul Wotton walk out onto the pitch with Neil Warnock was unreal.

FARNBOROUGH AWAY

Forget the result this was a special day. Walking into the ground an hour before kickoff and the only fans in the stadium were Torquay United fans all wearing the brand-new Home shirt, flags all around the stadium and a few brand-new ones with Basil Fawtly on them on display, you knew that was a buzz and how grateful everyone was that we still had a football club.

You speak to Tom Kelly about the last time he was at the stadium. He was giving out flyers to get people to question the ownership of the time and the direction of the club. You could see what it meant to him, all the hard work he had put in. He had a smile on his face feeling proud knowing there’s new owners and that he took a stand to question a previous regime when others wouldn’t.

Neil Warnock was walking along the side of the pitch stopping and saying hello to every United fan shaking their hands, taking photos. Then our new Co-chairman Michael Westcott walks into the ground coming off the Torquay United Travel coach after buying everyone bacon butties and bringing them on the coach with him. All the fans trying to buy Michael a pint whilst he was going up and down and listening to every single person as he stopped to say hello.
And not just Michael, Simon Robinson also. Simon from the Bryn Consortium is at every away game we go to. He is a legend.

This was dreamland. A pinch yourself moment, this was just something on another level!

BATH AWAY

This was the first game under the new ownership that you could feel the energy coming from the fans and everyone from the club. The first away game with segregation and the volume of fans there from The Yellow Army made this feel like we were back. Not only a great result and performance but a mention from Paul Wotton saying at the end he could feel the difference having “a traditional away end” with the segregation really helped the team. Ed Palmer and that header! Great evening.

TOXIC CHESHAM

Bank holiday in August, and there’s an away day at Chesham United.

Two of my closest mates from Torquay; Dave and Jamie had brought the family and made their way up to come to the game also!

The Sun is out. It’s a glorious day they’re playing cricket next to the football ground, the barbecue is on and the Sun is in the sky.
Perfect day for football!
We headed into the ground where there’s a warm friendly atmosphere, the tea bar had already tweeted before we’d arrived saying how they’re looking forward to welcoming us. The Teahut window was opens for tea and coffee with the cakes laid out and the warm cookies come straight out of the oven.

One of the four musketeers was allowed to bring his beautiful dog body into the ground, famous fans such as Charlie and Chris were walking around & every side of the ground was full. The picture was perfect. The sky was blue. All we needed was three points for a perfect day.

Thanks to a well organised professional hard-working and non-stop group of players that were Chesham United. There was no way we were just coming in and getting three points that easily

Thanks to a 90+ minute winner from Brad Ash, the mighty gulls left toxic Chesham with a 2-3 victory.

Completely undeserved but 100% we would completely take it!

My son and I religiously at every away game make sure on the journey there we listen to the National Obsession podcast with John and Charlie; they are our pre-game soundtrack whenever we do an away day with Torquay United. Their catchphrases and their assessment of games does bring a smile to our faces and even now quoting their brilliant Toxic Chesham phrase as pure satire to what the actual conditions were like there does make us smile!

PEOPLE

A few names will be absolute no-brainers, but it’s still important to mention when looking back in 2024

THE BRYN CONSORTIUM
Only one place to start and I need to mention every single one of them because every single one of them stood up and wanted to be counted at a time when the club needed it more than ever. I’m extremely fortunate. I’ve had multiple conversations with Michael Wescott when he comes to speak to us all on a terraces at away grounds along with Simon from the consortium and I can honestly say I couldn’t think of any better people to be running our club and naturally that is not some sort of “wild take” that is gonna be revolutionary or outrageous because I think every single one of us United fans 100% agree with that.

Michael Westcott, Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, Simon Robinson, Rob Hawes, Matt Corby & Tom Allen, THANK YOU!

DOM ROMAN
What a challenging year not only to be a fan but trying to run an online Fanzine! The man behind Torquay Talk ensured the communication going to fans on whatever platform was still continuous and a platform for the fans by the fans was important more than ever in year of uncertainty and change. The man behind it always is the one that deserves most credit. Well Done and Thank you Dom!

TORQUAY UNITED TRAVEL CLUB

You only need to see how much support that the guys have had since the Bryn Consortium have taken control of the club to show you the volume of work Mark and Harry do week week out getting fans to away games.

I see the lads at the away games and the effort they put in and the work they do to ensure fans have a way to get to the games is incredible. I am so pleased that the owners support and see how valuable the work these guys do! Well Done and Thank You!!!

DANIEL STOREY
He won’t agree with me and I know because I keep telling him on social media however the the man who shun the light into the darkness is the man we have to thank for saving our club.
I’m very much the same mindset of the Bryn consortium. I don’t wanna keep talking and looking back in the past however when you’re asked to look back in 2024 and do a review for Torquay Talk, sadly you do have to look back as part of it.

I firmly believe that The Daniel Storey tweet was the straw that broke the camels back…… the final nail in the coffin…….. and essentially the beginning of the chain reaction that was the previous regime exiting our club.
You don’t need to be a huge fan of films, any Batman movie or any other hero movie there’s always a common theme that villains and perpetrators like to operate in the shadows under the cover of darkness. Every now and then it takes a hero to shine a light in the darkness and uncover those villains lurking in the shadows

Daniel Storey is not only the hero we deserved but the hero we needed, A Vocal guardian, a watchful protector……. A Yellow Knight!

When others locally stood by and watched it happen, Daniel Storey looked deeper and took action. Thank you Daniel.

Happy New Year Yellow Army!