NEW GULL PROFILE

Sam Jones – @samuellejones

Sam talks about the newest Gull

After a typically United end to the season, Jimmy Ball continues to build the United squad in his image. After the signings of Zak Baker, Sean Robertson and Tyler Hill United announced the signing of highly rated Right-Back Dominic Bernard from Weston-Super-Mare. Bernard reunites with Ball after the Gaffer’s brief stint as interim Manager of Forest Green Rovers, but who is the new Right-Back?

✍️ We are pleased to confirm the signing of defender, Dom Bernard, from Weston-super-Mare.

🏟️ Welcome to Plainmoor, Dom!

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— Torquay United FC (@TUFC1899) June 5, 2026

CAREER SUMMARY

Dom was born in Gloucester in 1997, and joined the Birmingham City academy at the age of 12. He progressed through the Academy ranks, and saw his first taste of Senior football on loan at Aldershot for the 2018-2019 season. Despite being on their books for nearly 10 years, he never made a first team appearance for The Blues and was released in the summer of 2019. He was then snapped up by Forest Gren Rovers, where he would become a first team fixture over the next few season.

While playing at The New Lawn, he first played under Jimmy Ball during his interim spell as manager in 2021. Ball actually made Dom captain as the Gloucestershire side narrowly missed out on Promotion at the end of the 21/22 season. Current Wolves boss Rob Edwards then took over and led the side to the League Two title in 2022, in a season which saw Dom make 39 appearances in all competitions. That was as high as his footballing career got, as FGR suffered back to back relegations to the National League. Dom was then released in the summer of 2024. He then continued his move South, having a spell at Yeovil for the 24/25 season and then Weston-Super-Mare for the 25/26 season before joining the Gulls this summer.

HIGHLIGHTS

Not a man who scores many, here he is scoring the winner for Yeovil in an epic 4-3 win at Fylde in 2024

And here he is sneaking in at the back post to half the deficit in a 2-1 defeat at Aldershot:

TALKING ABOUT DOM

Jimmy Ball on Dom’s signing for United – “He brings a lot of experience, a lot of know-how. He brings a lot of personality to the dressing room. He’s an outstanding right-back at the level and above.”

BERNARD STATS

DATE OF BIRTH: 29TH MARCH 1997 – 29 YEARS-OLD

BIRTHPLACE: GLOUCESTER, ENGLAND

HEIGHT: 1.80M

POSITION: RIGHT BACK

NLS 25-26 STATS: APPEARANCES 24, GOALS 0, YELLOW CARDS 5, RED CARDS 0

MOST LIKELY/LEAST LIKELY

Most Likely To

Be our starting Right-Back. Its clear that Jimmy did not fancy Thomas towards the end of last season, and Bernard is a player he knows well. Expect to see Dom on the team sheet the first day of the season.
Play on the right as well as at centre-back. Bernard seems to be fairly versatile, playing at RB, CB and even DM (according to Transfermarkt), meaning that we might seem him take up different positions to help the team.
Take the captains armband on occasion. Dom has been captain on occasion in this carer, so can expect him to lead the team when duty calls.

Least Likely To

Score. As mentioned earlier, he’s scored 4 goals in nearly 300 career games. If he is our top scorer next season, something has gone very wrong.

CONCLUSION

Jimmy Ball is getting to work. The signing of Bernard is a clear indication of what the gaffer wants to see from United next season. He wants us to be big and tough, not scared of a physical battle like we saw so many times over the past few season. Bernard also comes with plenty of experience, having played all the way up to League One and over 100 games in the Football League. His versatility will also be an asset to us, as well as being a real leader on the pitch which is something we have sometimes missed. The Ball-ball revolution is under way, and Dom may be a big part of that.