Torquay 'still have all to play for' despite slump

"If we were in the music world we had a very successful first album and came close to going platinum. We're in the difficult second album syndrome this season," says Torquay United co-chairman Michael Westcott.

The Gulls' season has taken a remarkable downturn in less than two months.

At the start of February, a 3-2 win at Dover Athletic put the Gulls three points clear at the top of National League South - the pinnacle of a five-game unbeaten run to start 2026 that saw then-manager Paul Wotton named manager of the month.

But as injuries mounted, so form dipped - they lost four of their next five games and after a 5-0 home loss to Chelmsford City, Wotton was sacked.

England's most experienced manager Neil Warnock - an advisor to the Gulls' board - was put in temporary charge before Jimmy Ball took over last week after leaving AFC Totton.

But the Gulls - who missed out on the title on goal difference last season - are now seventh in National League South after Saturday's 1-0 loss at Dagenham and Redbridge.

They are 10 points off leaders Dorking Wanderers, who they host on Tuesday, and a point clear of dropping out of the play-off race altogether.

"We had a lot of luck last year and I think that's sport, isn't it? You can't get complacent because Lady Luck will bite you hard, probably when you least expect it," Westcott told BBC Radio Devon.

"I know that this time of year lots of teams face injuries, but we have had more than our fair share this season, there's no question that that has hampered our progress.

"I think you've got to ride out the storms sometimes and there's still all to play for this season.

"It's a crazy league, as we know from last year, and I suspect the the battle for play-offs and promotion this year will be equally fierce.

"We're still right in it, the players believe that and this story's not written yet for this season."

Westcott says sacking Wotton was "an incredibly tough decision" but his successor Ball dazzled the club when they were searching for a new boss.

"Jimmy impressed us really from the first conversation," he said. "He'd done a great job at AFC Totton - I think in the last three seasons he's had two promotions and a play-off campaign.

"He was energetic, he was clear in his thinking, he was super strong on standards and culture, and we felt he was the right man for the next phase of Torquay United."

Ball has already brought in a new striker in former Maidstone United forward Deon Moore after Cody Cooke was ruled out for the season with a shoulder injury.

And Westcott says the board are prepared to back Ball with more new recruits as they aim to at least make the play-offs and mount a promotion push.

"We plan to bring in some additional players," he added. "Jimmy's been working around the clock since he joined us on Thursday on that.

"We were close to getting another one over the line for Saturday, the cards didn't fall quite right for that.

"But I wouldn't be surprised if we saw at least one more edition in time for Dorking on Tuesday night at Plainmoor, and potentially another addition before our next home game on Saturday."