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Steve Harris – @steveharris84

Four years on, Steve looks at what the 2021 play-off squad are up to now

LUCAS COVOLAN

Brazilian keeper Lucas Covolan made plenty of headlines with his last ditch equaliser and two penalty saves in the subsequent penalty shoot-out. He earned himself a move to the EFL with Port Vale before dropping back into non-league football with Maidstone United, Braintree Town and Worthing.

BEN WYNTER

After making the right-back spot his own since his arrival from Bromley in 2018, Ben Wynter would remain at Plainmoor for a further year before he returned to the South East to sign for Barnet. He has since played for Woking, who he was released by in the summer.

JOE LEWIS

Joe Lewis had returned to Plainmoor on a permanent basis midway through the 2020-21 season from Swansea City following a successful loan spell during the 2019-20 campaign. Joe carried on where he left off in his loan spell, and was the third of the Gulls’ four successive spot-kick takers at Ashton Gate. He left United for Stockport County in the summer of 2022, after winning United’s young player of the year award in 2021-22. He later moved onto AFC Wimbledon, who he won promotion from League Two in 2024-25.

SAM SHERRING

Bournemouth loanee Sam Sherring was loaned out to Cambridge United and Accrington Stanley before joining Northampton Town in 2022 and is currently playing for MK Dons.

DEAN MOXEY

Dean Moxey became the last player to feature in this game to leave the Gulls when he was released by Paul Wotton at the end of the 2024-25 season. Dean won the club’s player of the year award during the difficult 2023-24 campaign.

ADAM RANDELL

On the back of a successful season long loan at Plainmoor, Adam Randell returned to Plymouth Argyle and established himself as a first team regular in the Pilgrims’ side who won the League One title in 2022-23. He continued to appear regularly during their two years in the Championship between 2023 and 2025 and has even captained the Pilgrims on occasions.

ASA HALL

Skipper Asa Hall was the first of the Gulls’ four successful penalty takers and he remained an influential figure until his departure in 2024, with his final act being scoring the winning goal in the Gulls’ 2-1 win over Taunton Town in the penultimate game of the season, which ensured that United survived in National League South following their ten-point deduction for entering Administration and a further point for fielding an ineligible player. Asa joined Tiverton Town on leaving Plainmoor and was appointed as player-manager towards the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

ARMANI LITTLE

The third of the Gulls’ four successful spot-kick takers, Armani Little finished the 2021-22 campaign as top scorer with 15 goals, which helped to earn him a move to the EFL with Forest Green Rovers. He later joined AFC Wimbledon and is currently plying his trade in League Two with Gillingham.

KYLE CAMERON

In what proved to be his last game for the Gulls, Kyle Cameron infamously had two goals disallowed by referee Simon Mather, leaving the Yellow Army wondering what might been. Cameron then became one of several United players who joined Notts County, who he would win promotion from the National League in 2022-23. Whilst with the Magpies, Cameron would have loan spells with Scottish side St Johnstone and Barrow before he was released at the end of the 2024-25 campaign.

CONNOR LEMONHEIGH-EVANS

The scorer of United’s fourth and final penalty would stay with the Gulls for a further season, which would see him score 11 goals, including a hat-trick in a 5-1 win over Notts County. After leaving Plainmoor, he moved to the EFL with Stockport County where he would be joined by Joe Lewis, and had loan spells with Notts County, where he would appear alongside a number of Plainmoor colleagues. Lemonheigh Evans is currently appearing for MK Dons alongside two of his ex-United teammates Sam Sherring and Aaron Nemane.

DANNY WRIGHT

The second of the three unfortunate United to miss in the penalty shoot-out, when his effort hit the bar, Danny Wright left Plainmoor to join Havant & Waterlooville in 2022 and eventually finished his career with Gloucester City in 2024.

SUBS

JAKE ANDREWS

Jake Andrews replaced Dean Moxey in normal time before being substituted himself due to injury and was replaced by Matt Buse. Andrews joined Havant & Waterlooville on loan, a move that later became permanent. He later had a spell with Poole Town and is currently playing for Melksham Town in Southern League Division One South.

BENJI KIMPIOKA

Swedish Under-21 international Benji Kimpioka on loan from Sunderland where Gary Johnson’s son Lee Johnson was manager at the time. After another loan spell with Southend United, Kimpioka returned to Sweden to sign for AIK Stockholm before returning to the UK when he joined Scottish side St Johnstone in 2024.

BILLY WATERS

The first player to miss a spot-kick in the penalty shoot-out for United, the Gulls’ defeat at Ashton Gate brought the curtain down on Billy Waters’ stint at Plainmoor. He joined FC Halifax Town in the summer of 2021 before moving on to Wrexham and his current club Oldham Athletic.

MATT BUSE

Seeing his penalty saved by Hartlepool keeper Brad James, which finally decided the outcome of the final, proved to be the last act of Matt Buse’s two-year spell with the Gulls. Moves to Wealdstone and Weymouth followed before he joined his present side Dorchester Town in Southern League Premier South, who he is starring for alongside one of his ex-United teammates in Olaf Koszela.

SHAUN MACDONALD

United’s one unused sub on that occasion. Shaun MacDonald left the Gulls in the summer of 2021, but returned in September 2021, following an injury to Mark Halstead, making his second debut at home to Southend United. MacDonald went on to win the club’s player of the year award for the 2021-22 campaign before moving to the EFL with Cheltenham Town before returning to Devon to sign for Exeter City, who he was released by at the end of 2024-25.