Torquay United's Patient Approach: Jimmy Ball's Strategic Squad Tweaks

Jimmy Ball is not in a hurry. Not anymore.

After a hectic few weeks of ins and outs at Torquay United, the Gulls boss says he is prepared to be patient as he looks to fine-tune a squad he believes can finally drag the club out of National League South.

Torquay have already dipped into the market, bringing in Plymouth Argyle youngsters Tegan Finn and Caleb Roberts, while defender Oludare Olufunwa and winger Angelo Cappello have also arrived to bolster the ranks. At the same time, striker Jordan Young, defender Sam Dreyer and winger Dylan Morgan have all moved on.

So the squad has shifted. The temptation might be to keep going, to keep adding. Ball is resisting that urge.

"There's a couple of positions within the squad I'd like to strengthen," he told BBC Radio Devon. "But I'm in a position now where I can take my time and make sure of the decisions that I'm making.

"Not that we didn't have all the lads we've brought in on a list, on a radar, but there's no rush now.

"But I'd like to bring one more in for sure. But there's no rush about it, it's going to be a calculated one."

That word – calculated – is doing a lot of heavy lifting. Torquay have been stuck in the sixth tier for four seasons and cannot afford another misstep. Ball knows it.

From play-off heartbreak to a slow burn

Ball took over in March after Paul Wotton’s sacking, inheriting a club fraying at the edges and a fanbase running out of patience. He steadied the ship, then did more than that, driving Torquay to a third-placed finish in National League South.

They were minutes from promotion in May before it all unravelled in a dramatic play-off final defeat at Hornchurch. That kind of loss lingers. It shapes a summer.

This season did not start with the response many expected. Torquay struggled out of the blocks, stuttering through the early weeks while the table began to take shape above them. Any early optimism felt fragile.

Then came a spark. Back-to-back wins have lifted the Gulls up to eighth and shifted the mood around Plainmoor. The table suddenly looks less like a burden and more like a target.

A manager backing his own work

Ball’s message now is clear: the foundations are there, the recruitment is on track, and the next signing has to be right, not rushed.

He trusts the process he and his staff have put in place. The recent arrivals point to a blend of youth and athleticism, of players with something to prove and room to grow. The exits of Young, Dreyer and Morgan have opened space – and responsibility – for others.

The manager is convinced that, handled correctly, this evolving squad can mount a serious push for promotion and finally end Torquay’s exile from the upper tiers of non-league.

One more signing. Calculated, not panicked. If he gets that call right, does this become the season the Gulls finally rise again?