Vital Statistics
Founded: 1899
Chairman: Thea Bristow
Last Season: League Two - 19th
Nickname: The Gulls
Rivals: Exeter City, Plymouth Argyle
Major Honours
None
Scheduled Matches
Portsmouth vs Torquay: Saturday, February 1st (3pm)
Torquay vs Portsmouth: Saturday, October 26th (3pm)
Torquay United: A brief history
In its early years Torquay merged with a couple of rival clubs whilst playing in the local Devon leagues as Torquay Town. When Exeter and Plymouth were elected to the Football League, Town wanted to follow suit and merged with Babbacombe in 1921 to become Torquay United.
The Gulls were elected to the Football League in 1927 and stayed in the bottom two divisions for the entire time until relegation to non-league football in 2007. It took two seasons for Torquay to be promoted back to the Football League and the club have stayed in League Two since.
The Manager: Alan Knill
Knill began his playing career as a Southampton youth player but never made a senior appearance for Saints and joined Halifax Town. He then played for Bury and Rotherham before retiring in 2001.
The 48-year-old's first job in management was with the Millers in 2005 but he was sacked two years later for a poor run of results. He then joined Bury and transformed the club into League Two promotion contenders before leaving for Championship club Scunthorpe with just eight games of the season remaining.
Knill's tenure at The Iron wasn't successful and he was sacked in October of last season. He then took temporary charge of Torquay in February with Gulls manager Martin Ling on sick leave and he kept them in the Football League, earning the job on a full time basis for this current season.
The Ground: Plainmoor (Capacity 6,500 - Away: 1,100)
Pompey fans will get an early chance to go to Plainmoor this season with the Johnstone's Paint Trophy draw. For now, check out the Football Ground Guide's Torquay page.