Torquay United appoint Paul Wotton as new Gulls manager

Paul Wotton has been named as the new manager of Torquay United by the Bryn Consortium, who last Friday agreed a deal to buy the club with its administrators.

Wotton joins Torquay from Truro City where he enjoyed five successful seasons, including winning promotion to the National League South in 2022. He was formerly assistant manager at Plymouth Argyle.

Wotton was the captain for both Plymouth Argyle and Southampton during a 21-year career until becoming a coach at Argyle. Last season Wotton, 46, kept part time Truro in the National League South, the same division as full time Torquay, despite working with a lower budget than most teams in the division.

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The sale is subject to ‘creditor approval’ but that hasn’t stopped the consortium from acting quickly and appointing Wotton to work alongside Neil Warnock, who the club have said will be a ‘football advisor’ on the board.

“Following a meticulous search, the consortium board agreed that Paul’s credentials and vision were most closely aligned with our own and he will arrive at Plainmoor as part of a restructuring of the football set up at the Club,” said Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, in-coming co-chairman.

The statement continued: “Wotton has signed an initial three-year contract and will formally take up his post once the Bryn Consortium assumes day-to-day operations of Torquay United upon creditor approval of the CVA.

“Neil Warnock has managed 16 clubs from the Premier League to non-League, including a spell at Torquay United in 1993 which saved the Gulls from relegation. Warnock holds the record for the most promotions, with eight, and the most games with 1,626.”

Consortium-lead Westcott, who will be the other co-chairman, said: “We are delighted Neil is joining the board. He brings an unrivalled wealth of football knowledge and experience to Torquay United as we look to rebuild. There is a strong chemistry and mutual respect between Neil and Paul and we are excited about their approach to building a squad and the uncompromising brand of football they want our team to play.”

Wotton, 46, emerged as the frontrunner to take on the role of manager over the weekend. A defender who captained both Plymouth Argyle and Southampton during a 21-year career before becoming a coach at Home Park, Wotton was named the manager of Truro in 2019 and guided the Cornish club to the Southern League Premier Division South play-offs in 2023 to win promotion to the National South.

Also in 2023 Truro was taken over by Cornwall Rugby League owner Eric Perez and Wotton signed a new ‘multi-year’ contract.
Last season he managed to keep Truro in the National South with a budget significantly lower that most of the teams in the division, despite playing their final home games at Gloucester City, 200 miles from the Cornish city, before a planned return to the Duchy next season.

In the final weeks of the season, both Truro and Torquay were in danger of dropping into the Southern League – but Wotton kept Truro safe, as Aaron Downes kept Torquay safe. It was confirmed that Downes would be leaving the club just before Wotton’s appointment was revealed.

The news will have come as a blow to Truro, who are hoping to return to Cornwall next season after several years of ground-sharing with clubs outside of the county. But a statement from the club suggested they were happy with the ‘financial settlement’ agreed with the Bryn Consortium.

“A suitable compensation package for Paul’s services has been agreed with Torquay United,” the statement read. “Paul had been in charge of City for close to five years after his appointment in July 2019, with the club relegated back to the Southern League Premier division.

“[Paul] led the club’s first team through two covid-19 affected seasons, before finally completing his first full term in charge for the 2021-22 campaign.

“The following year, 2022-23, Paul led City back to National League South level and in the side’s most recent season, secured survival at Step 2, despite a challenging end of term schedule.

“Everyone connected with Truro City thanks Paul for his time spent in charge of the football club and we wish him well in his future endeavours. The process of replacing Paul is now well underway.”

The Consortium also confirmed that Neil Warnock will join the incoming new Board at Plainmoor as Football Advisor.

Neil Warnock has managed sixteen clubs from the Premier League to Non-League, including a spell at Torquay United in 1993 which saved the Gulls from relegation. Warnock holds the record for the most promotions, with eight, and the most games with 1,626.

“We are delighted Neil is joining the Board. He brings an unrivalled wealth of football knowledge and experience to Torquay United as we look to rebuild. There is a strong chemistry and mutual respect between Neil and Paul and we are excited about their approach to building a squad and the uncompromising brand of football they want our team to play,” added Michael Westcott, Co-Chairman of the Bryn Consortium.

Torquay United can also confirm that Interim Manager Aaron Downes, who took charge of United’s first-team for the final thirteen games of 2023/24, has now left the club.

“Aaron Downes has been a loyal servant to Torquay United AFC, in trying and difficult circumstances," a statement from the club said. “We thank him immensely for what he has done with the squad, and for securing our survival in National League South.

“He leaves with our blessing, and we wish him every success in his future endeavours. It goes without saying that he will always be very welcome back here at Plainmoor.”

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