2009-10 season | |||
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Chairman | Alex Rowe (until 5 September 2009) Simon Baker (from 5 September 2009) |
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Manager | Paul Buckle | ||
League Two | 17th | ||
FA Cup | Third Round | ||
League Cup | First Round | ||
League Trophy | Second Round | ||
Top goalscorer |
League: Scott Rendell (12) All: Elliot Benyon (15) |
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Highest home attendance | 5,124 v Notts County, 8 May 2010 (League Two) |
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Lowest home attendance | 2,122 v Cheltenham Town, 1 Dec 2009 (League Two) |
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Average home league attendance | 2,855 | ||
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The 2009–10 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's 74th season in the Football League and their first season in League Two after being promoted from the Conference National. The season runs from 1 July 2009 to 30 June 2010.
Despite a 2–0 win over Chesterfield providing an encouraging start to the season, the Gulls soon stumbled upon a run of bad form which saw them play eleven games in League Two without a win. They had slightly more success in the early rounds of the cup competitions; aside from an early exit to Crystal Palace in the Carling Cup, Torquay enjoyed emphatic 3–1 victories over Cheltenham Town in the first rounds of both the FA Cup and Johnstone Paints Trophy. But, while they were beaten on penalties in the second round of the latter competition by eventual winners Southampton, the Gulls were finally knocked out in the third round of the FA Cup by Brighton after achieving a convincing 4–0 win against in the second round.
With relegation from League Two still a real threat in late March, Torquay finally found the winning formula at just the right time, winning six and drawing two of their last eight games. The most impressive display during this run was a 5–0 thrashing of league leaders Rochdale at Plainmoor, a result which earned Torquay the F&C Investments Performance Of The Week Award from the League Managers Association. The dramatic upturn in the Gulls' on-field performances meant that their league survival was assured with three games to spare following a 3–0 victory away to relegation rivals Grimsby Town. Remarkably, Torquay managed to keep a clean sheet in all of their last seven games of the season and, in the process, set a new club record of 691 minutes played without conceding a goal.