Having announced a few weeks ago an intention to appoint administrators, Torquay United have submitted their application to do so, invoking the mandatory 10 point deduction which plunges the Gulls into a relegation battle for the final six weeks of the season.
At the turn of the year the club were in and around the play-off places looking for an instant return to the National League under wily boss Gary Johnson. But the walls have come crashing down since with owner Clarke Osborne no longer committing to funding the club and Johnson himself leaving by mutual consent the same day.
Instead of looking upwards, Torquay are in real danger of dropping into the Southern League and part time football. Since Johnson’s departure the Gulls went four games unbeaten under Aaron Downes, a run that ended on Tuesday night against a Taunton side that are now relegation rivals.
Fans and the community have rallied round the club since the news broke on 22nd February and gestures of goodwill have since followed, including Weymouth donating part of the gate receipts from travelling supporters back to the club.
However, it’s on the pitch that matters and the deduction takes the club down to the depths of 17th place, just three points outside of the bottom four. Relegation might not be the end result for the Gulls. There are still nine games left to pick up enough points but they will find there is quite a contest already happening around them.
Welling United are on a run of one defeat in their last nine games, one of the in-form teams within the National League South. The new manager bounce under Rod Stringer has been a huge success and lying just a point behind Torquay will understandably worry their supporters.
The three points Taunton Town walked away with on Tuesday night from Plainmoor means the Peacocks are also now just a point behind Torquay. The worry here comes from the games in hand, four in total, that could well lift them above the Gulls and towards the safety marker.
It doesn’t get any easier for Torquay either, with Truro City having five games in hand and a single win behind the south-coast club. Dartford also with the same points total of 38 but having played the same amount of games, a more level playing field but no margin for error.
The home defeat earlier this week will be damaging, coupled with losing the 10 points that won’t be coming back. The sides around them other than the Darts have good reason to feel optimistic they won’t be finishing in the bottom four.
Dartford themselves however have appointed a new manager in Ady Pennock a week ago and will be looking for that same bounce Welling have enjoyed so far. A run of five games without a win has seen the Kent club drop into the relegation zone.
Torquay fans will be hoping the amount of games both Taunton and Truro have to play in such a short space of time will catch up with them coupled with the Gulls earning enough wins themselves to be safe.
The season could inevitably come down to results when the Gulls travel to the aforementioned pair in those last nine games. Whilst Torquay can’t afford to slip up in those two games, their opponents have scope to drop points and still have enough time to pick up the required wins.
These are dark times for Torquay United, a club with a proud Football League history but facing up to the fact they could easily be starting next season three promotions below where their fans believe they should be.
To go from second place behind runaway leaders Yeovil Town at one stage this season to having to fight to stay in the National League South is a remarkable journey no fan wants to see their club involved with.
If every club in the bottom six had played a similar amount of games then it would be easier on face value to pick the sides who won’t survive. Taunton Town and Truro City both have a lot of games left against the sides around them and will fancy their chances of staying up. One thing is for sure the Gulls certainly can’t rely on those around them for help.