Booth determined to become a hometown hero

In all the noise that surrounded Torquay United’s depressing 4-0 loss at home to St Albans on Saturday, spare a thought for debutant and lifelong fan Austen Booth, who suffered a tough start to his Plainmoor return.

In fairness, Booth had little time to settle into his new/old surroundings and the outcome was definitely not down to the 25 year-old, who was part of the United youth system before it was closed in 2017 and is the son of former Gulls’ Player of the Year Jon Gittens.

Since leaving Plainmoor, Booth has learned his trade with Truro City, Barnstaple Town, Buckland Athletic, Tiverton Town and Plymouth Parkway. Most recently, he has been performing superbly for Taunton Town and, despite the St Albans experience, will be looking forward to making a positive impact for a club close to his heart.

“I’m really excited and a great opportunity for me,” said Booth. “I’ve grown up here my whole life, I went to the school across the road and I know exactly what it means to all the fans because I’m a fan myself.

“To turn professional for the first time at your boyhood club is amazing. I feel really fortunate to be able to make this happen at my hometown team.

“I’ve got a lot of games under my belt at this level and I’m excited to do it in a full-time environment. To have this opportunity was something I couldn’t turn down.

“I live in Torquay and I’m a fan. Although it was tough to watch games with my own football schedule, I did come here whenever I could to watch and it’s exciting for me to get to know the boys.

“I know where the club has been and where the fans expect us to be, and I’m exactly the same. I know how much this club means to people in the local area and I’m here to help put smiles on faces.

“I know first-hand what is like to watch games and how much it impacts your life.”

There is no denying the start was tough for Austen but a talented young player with such obvious love for the club deserves to be a success. Good luck to him in the battles ahead.