Torquay United: Fan discontent as Gulls struggle in National League South

Torquay United are eighth in the National League South table and were beaten 3-1 by leaders Yeovil Town on Tuesday

Torquay United fans want the club's hierarchy to meet them to discuss their disappointing start to the season.

Torquay United Supporters Trust (Tust) say they have concerns with how owner Clarke Osborne is running the club.

Osborne, who took over at Plainmoor at the end of 2016, has not met fans and presided over a second relegation to the sixth tier in his time in charge.

"Normally one would expect a decently run club to have a fans forum annually," Tust's Nick Brodrick said.

"Torquay United has not had a fans forum since before Clarke Osborne took over the club.

"I approached one of the directors of the club towards the end of last season to ask for a fans forum and was told it wasn't necessary because she and the club's chief executive talk to fans regularly as they walk around the ground.

"There has been a growing unrest amongst supporters since the club returned to regional football at the beginning of this season and we felt that there was a demand for fans to get together to voice their opposition about how the club's been run."

Unfulfilled promises from the owner

It is not the first time that fans have had concerns over Osborne - in 2018 as they prepared for their first relegation to National League South they voiced similar concerns.

Then, as now, the club were approached by BBC Sport for a comment, but declined the invitation to take part.

The Gulls missed out on promotion back to the English Football League in 2021 after losing on penalties in the promotion final to Hartlepool United.

But relegation from the National League followed this summer, and unlike last time where Torquay cruised to the National League South title, this season they are already 10 points behind leaders Yeovil.

While Osborne continues to finance the loss-making Gulls - the latest set of accounts to June 2022 show his firm Riviera Stadium Limited has put more than £4.25m into the club - fans are again growing increasingly restless over what they see as unfulfilled promises made when he took over.

"He made a series of promises, such as a five-year plan, a new stadium, a local board, an academy and the golden ticket promise was a return to the Football League," Tust chairman Brodrick explained to BBC Spotlight.

"Here we are in regional football under his stewardship for the second time in five years and we are nowhere near a return to the Football League.

"There has been no five-year plan issued, no local board, no academy and there is no new stadium.

"The last time he was seen at a Torquay match was the play-off final with Hartlepool at Ashton Gate, because coincidentally he lives close to Bristol."

Three missed penalties in a shootout saw Torquay miss out on promotion to League Two in 2021

So what now?

At their forum this week Gulls fans have talked of staging a protest at a forthcoming league game with Tonbridge Angels on 2 December.

It led to the club putting out a late-night statement warning fans about stepping over the line.

"Whilst everyone at TUAFC recognises that football is a passionate sport, and fully appreciates that all supporters are entitled to voice their own opinions, the club strongly condemns the instigating of disruptive, anti-social, or criminal behaviour, such as pitch invasions and the throwing of missiles, which puts the safety of players, staff, officials and fellow supporters at risk," it said.

"This is just the beginnings of what I believe is going to be a journey," said Brodrick.

"If you compare it with say a war, you have battles, they're not the war, they're just part of the war.

"The forum was just part of the beginnings of a journey which hopefully will lead to the club realising that it's important that every fan is important and they should communicate."