Torquay United return for pre-season

The Gulls are back on the training pitch and a six-week preparation programme before the season kicks off on Saturday, August 9.

After the pain of losing out to Boreham Wood, it was clear Torquay United needed time to recover from the physical and mental strains of a gruelling campaign.

“The break is always welcome, to mentally and physically recharge, especially for the players,” said United boss Paul Wotton. “It’s not really a break for the manager because recruitment goes into overdrive.

“It has been another busy summer, obviously not as much as last year in terms of signings, but I have been on the phone an awful lot, so I’m looking forward to putting that to bed.

“At the end of last season, there is always a time for massive reflection, and it has to be an honest reflection. I know where we need to improve and I feel like we have addressed that with our recruitment.

“The team that finished the season, if we’d had that at the start, maybe the season would have panned out differently. We had a strong core of players, which we added to during the season.

“I’m expecting my team to be tremendously hard-working, organised, hard to beat and to show good character. We are in a good position at the minute.

“From the first second of pre-season, we will work as hard as we can. I always do a six-week pre-season, the runs are set out, the drills are set out, and a really important time to integrate. It’s important they know what I want them to do, in and out of possession.”

As well as new faces on the pitch and tying down players on longer contracts, Wotton will have his assistant manager Mike Edwards by his side on a permanent basis for the campaign ahead.

“Mike Edwards being with us full-time is absolutely critical and I thank the Board for sorting that out,” said Wotton. “He is my right-hand man, we are very good friends and I respect him hugely as a professional.

“There were times last year when I couldn’t get out and watch as many games as I would have liked because Mikey was only down on a Thursday and Friday. It takes the workload off me and it’s good to have him here because he’s a friend.

“Managing football clubs can be very lonely, especially when we’ve lost a game, so having someone to bounce off is important.

“As a squad, we are in a better place and the club is building on and off the pitch. Without the Yellow Army, there is no football club and the appreciation we have got for them is never in doubt.

“There is a tinge of disappointment from how last season finished but the future looks great for the football club. The owners are very positive, I’m very positive, we’ve made good additions to the good players we already have.

“With sheer determination, we can hopefully get to where we all want to be and at the forefront of Torquay United is the fans. Life is expensive and they spend their hard-earned money to watch us, and we promise to work as hard as we can to make them proud.”

Pictures from PPAUK