Torquay United face massive week as bids for Gulls submitted

There looks set to be an historic end to the week for torquay-united-fc>Torquay United, with two deadlines that will shape the future of the football club. On Thursday, it is expected that one, or none, of the bids to buy the club will be accepted – and then on Friday, Torquay will probably go into administration.

Nick Brodrick, chairman of Torquay United Supporters’ Trust, revealed last week that TUST are working with a consortium led by businessman Michael Westcott to secure a 50% stake in the club through the sale of ‘community shares’. Westcott and fellow fans Mark Bowes-Cavanagh, Simon Robinson, Andrew Beaulieu, Tom Allen and Joe Lovell have put together a package to buy the club and have invited TUST to put in further funds for half of the club.

Another bid is believed to have been submitted by current director Mel Hayman, and her father Ian Hayman, who has also previously been a director of the club. Owner Clarke Osborne will have to decide to accept one or none of the bids – but if he doesn’t, and the club goes into administration, then it will be down to the administrators to talk to the bidders from Friday onwards.

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Brodrick says details of the community shares will be announced soon, with fans asked to buy into the club to secure its immediate future. And the chairman of TUST was keen to point out that no decisions have been made on the club going part time – after some negative reactions to the Westcott/TUST statement when they announced their bid last week.

The noise on social media is about the club going part time from next season, if the Westcott/TUST bid is accepted. But Brodrick hit back: “None of us have actually come out and said, yes, the club will definitely go part time. All we have said is, it is a possibility.

“But everyone has picked up on the fact that it is part time – that’s it, end of story. People are being selective in what they choose to understand – but I guess that’s human nature.”

Brodrick was also keen yesterday to make it clear that there is another bid on the table – something the club revealed in its latest update for supporters on its official website last week.

Brodrick said: “The other thing which people seem to have picked up on, which again is totally incorrect, is that we believe we are the only bidders. We don’t believe that. From the latest information I have got we reckon there are two other bidders out there – and one of them is Mel Hayman and her dad. The other one, no-one is clear about.

“Whoever’s bid is accepted, then there will obviously be a lot of due diligence that has to take place. As things stand at the moment, it is Clarke Osborne who is deciding – once the club is in administration, it will be the administrators.”

It is now six weeks since Osborne stepped down as chairman and pulled his financial plug. There have been two 10 working-day extensions to keep the club out of administration – but there is not likely to be a third.

This will not affect the team on the pitch, as Torquay have already been deducted 10 points and are now fighting a relegation battle to avoid dropping into the Southern League.

On Good Friday, the Gulls were soundly beaten 3-0 at Yeovil Town, but they led twice at Plainmoor on Easter Monday, before earning a point from a 3-3 draw against Weston Super-Mare. With five games to go, the next four are all away, with Torquay at Welling United on Saturday, and taking on Truro City at their Gloucester ‘home’ on Monday night.

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