As we reach United's first home game of the new season Torquay supporter Richard Stephenson gives us his look back at last season when he introduced his son to the field of dreams that is Plainmoor!

A Season in the Life of a New Torquay Fan

I have been a fan of Torquay United for as long as I can remember. By the age of 11 I was a regular at Plainmoor.The 1980/81 season, I think, was my 1^st as a regular, watching the likes of Les Lawrence and Steve Cooper. During the 81/82 season I was a ball boy at the club, a role I full filled for a fair few seasons, watching with arguably the best view in the ground right on the touchline. I was mascot for a home game (I can't remember which), but I still have a picture of me leading out the team with Bruce Rioch right behind me. I have seen many highs and lows with this club (more lows than highs).I have been to the old Wembley, watched as we won promotion and lost my nails as we clung to league survival with a goal so far into injury time that Lincoln must have thought they were safe. During the 90's, with living away from Devon, with college and work and life in general, I drifted away from matches for 10 or so years. I would come and watch the odd game but never on a regular basis.

So for me to introduce my son to Plainmoor and to the pains of being a Gull's supporter was very strange to me. He had watched 1 game the previous season, the 0-1 defeat verses Darlington. I didn't enjoy the game and he didn't ask to go to any more games that season so I am pretty sure he didn't either. I was there on Sat 5^th of May to watch our farewell to league 2, feeling very concerned that we would never be back. However, I decided that with the new players and the progress made in pre-season by Paul Buckle that it was only fitting to go and watch our 1^st game in the BSP. I was surprised when I was asked by son if he could come with me. Off we went on that warm Sunday in August. The result was a disappointment but that was the only thing that was. Some fast flowing enjoyable football in a very good game lacking just goals. I had the usual why did he blow the whistle? what's offside? is it a penalty dad?

We had to then wait a whole two weeks for the next home game. Meantime he had kept asking me for the score on the previous Saturday, anxious to know how they had done in their away match. The next home game against Rushden was a cracker and he loved it. 3-0 up with some lovely flowing football, penalties and a hugely tense last few minutes. By the end of October he had watched 8 matches and was totally hooked. His birthday was on the weekend of the Cambridge game so he missed that match along with our first defeat whilst we took part in quasar and ten pin bowling! He wore his new birthday present, a yellow and blue shirt. At this point he had still to experience the feeling of defeat at Plainmoor. The next home game, an FA cup match verses Yeovil, saw his new shirt get a run out and a result which most of us may have only dreamed about. By this time his knowledge of the game was really starting to improve, you could hear him shouting out the player's names as they attacked in their droves, "come on Greavesy", "shoot Zebs".

His first feeling of defeat at Plainmoor came in the FA cup verses Brighton. Although we lost the side played well and defeat verses a team several divisions higher was no disgrace. It made the defeat easier to take. Then the disappointment of defeat on boxing day, which we had to listen to on the radio in between our main course and dessert whilst out with family for lunch (they thought we kept going to the toilet). After, he experienced his 1^st local derby and the love that both sets of fans have for each other! He enjoyed the match and, in particular, the result as much as everyone else at that ground in yellow that day.

By Mid march we had watched and really enjoyed many great matches; almost everything to date had been a high with the very occasional low point. Good victories verses Ebbsfleet and Crawley led us up to the match verses Aldershot. An evening game with what I can only describe as the best atmosphere I can ever remember at Plainmoor, the hairs on the back of my neck still stand up now thinking about it. We sat up high in the grandstand as our normal spot down by the half way line by the dugouts was solid so we grabbed seats where he could see the action. It was an excellent game, we were rocked by going 0-1 down but really felt it was ours for the taking after the equalizer only to be hit with a sucker punch in the 94^th minute.This hurt, the defeat against Brighton and the defeat to Burton were not good but this really hurt and I could see his disappointment in earnest for the first time. The drive home was quiet as we both reflected on what could have been. Unfortunately this was not the last time he was to feel like this. The defeats to Farsley and Crawley on the last day of the regular season didn't seem to matter as much; already looking like we were play-off bound along with a trip to Wembley to boot. We seemed to be cruising in second gear.

His first trip to an away ground was St James Park, a ground which has changed a lot since the last time I went there (apart from the away end which is still pretty awful)! We were fortunate to sit up in the seated area. This was a nice position to watch the game with the unfortunate side effect of the abuse from one or two home fans that seemed to be more interested in bating the away fans rather than the game itself. Disallowed goals, equalisers and late winners provided an entertaining match although for all of us there it proved very hard to watch and enjoy purely because of the importance of the game. The last home game of the season saw us get to the ground at least an hour before kick off. We wanted to make sure we secured a spot on the railings to get a really good view. The feelings we both felt after that game eclipsed the defeat to Aldershot by some margins. I still can't work out where we lost that game.

Our trip to Wembley for me seemed a pointless trip but my son was very excited by the prospect. If it had not been for him I probably would not have gone. Having said that, once under way travelling with the masses up the M5/M4 and the excitement of the pending big game I'm glad I did go. Chatting with people you know who you met on the underground on the way to Wembley and the sea of yellow and red down Wembley Way was something I had forgotten and my son had never seen. Despite the eventual result we enjoyed our trip there; Wembley was everything it should have been and more.

After the disappointment of missing out on promotion and a Wembley final defeat on reflection it wasn't a bad season. How many Torquay fans can say that in their 1^st full season of watching they had to wait until December for the 1^st defeat and that they played teams in the FA cup several divisions higher and embarrassed them. We had a very good cup run which took us to Wembley and we were 20 minutes away from a play-off final match. Looking back to the season where we struggled for survival playing poor football and never really impressing I am sure in years to come he will look back with pride at a club, who for him, gave him a very enjoyable introduction to football.