New TUFC book: After the Jaws of Victory

Christmas may have come and gone, but if any Torquay United fans fancy buying themselves, or fellow Gulls mates, a New Year present, then a new book, After The Jaws Of Victory, should hit the spot.

It’s been written by local journalist Steve Harris and features in-depth interviews with 12 ex-United favourites who have played major roles in the fortunes of the club since 1987 (writes Dave Thomas).

That, of course, was the year when the Gulls pulled off their first ‘Great Escape’ from relegation, with the help of Bryn the police dog, Jim McNichol, Paul Dobson and an unlikely cast of other interesting characters.

It’s become a matter of pride for Gulls diehards that life at Plainmoor is seldom dull, even if the lows often get in the way of the highs.

But, after a foreword by Derek Dawkins, Harris tells most of those stories through the recollections of McNichol, Chris Myers, Dave Caldwell, John Uzzell, Darren Moore, Don O’Riordan, Alex Watson, Paul Gibbs, Kevin Hill, Alex Russell, Martin Gritton and Chris Hargreaves.

It can’t have been entirely straightforward, especially as Harris had to conduct several of his interviews at long distance.

O’Riordan, for instance, lives in the west of Ireland and Russell was running a club in Australia’s remote Northern Territory when Harris tracked him down.

It’s a book by a United fan for United fans.

It celebrates plenty of history that many of us already know, but also unearths plenty that some may not, and it’s definitely a welcome addition to the growing range of work about a club that’s seldom out of the headlines.

After The Jaws Of Victory is available through steveharris84@btinternet.com