1932–33 Torquay United F.C. season

Torquay United

1932–33 season
Chairman	Charles Dear
Manager	Frank Brown
Third Division South	10th
FA Cup	Second round
Top goalscorer	League: George Stabb (24) All: George Stabb (26)
Highest home attendance	7,683 v Exeter City, 17 September 1932 (Third Division South)
Lowest home attendance	2,462 v Bristol Rovers, 26 April 1933 (Third Division South)
Average home league attendance	3,991
Home colours
← 1931–32 1933–34 →

The 1932–33 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's sixth season in the Football League and their sixth consecutive season in Third Division South. The season runs from 1 July 1932 to 30 June 1933.

Overview

After finishing in 19th place in their previous Third Division South campaign, it was clear that Torquay United needed to make major changes if they had any intentions of challenging for promotion to the Second Division. However, believing the club lacked the ambition to do so, manager Frank Womack left Torquay at the end of the 1931–32 season.^[1] His replacement was Frank Brown who had played for the Magpies in their non-League days and had subsequently become a trainer under Percy Mackrill and then Womack. His first task was to rebuild the team, replacing stalwarts such as Bob Smith, Jack Butler and Laurie Millsom with newer, younger faces. Of the team which lined up on the opening match of the season against Coventry City, eight out of the starting eleven were debutants, with new goalkeeper Percy Maggs and centre back Jack Tennant becoming ever-presents throughout the campaign, as was right half Ted Anderson who had joined the Magpies for the second half of the previous season.^[2]

While two draws and two defeats in their opening four games suggested the unfamiliar team had yet to find their feet, an 8–1 victory over Southend United at Plainmoor in early September certainly helped the squad to settle into the new season. Torquay would prove to be particularly strong at home with only two defeats at Plainmoor throughout the entire season. However, away from home it was a slightly different story with the team suffering twelve losses and only four victories on the road. Nevertheless, by the penultimate game of the season, Torquay's excellent home form had propelled them up to 8th position in the table and a victory against Queens Park Rangers on the final day could have seen the club finish in an unprecedented 5th place. As it was, a 1–1 draw at the White City Stadium and with other results going against them, the Magpies had to ultimately settle for 10th place, which was still the club's best finish in the League to date.

Inevitably, with a much improved side, the Torquay players began attracting attention from other clubs. At the end of the season both Jack Tennant and Alf Gray were sold to First Division side Liverpool, while Ted Anderson was also lured away to Second Division West Ham United. Perhaps most heartbreaking of all to the Plainmoor faithful was the departure of Dartmouth born right winger Ralph Birkett. After 98 appearances and 20 goals for Torquay, the 20-year-old Birkett was sold to eventual First Division champions Arsenal, with manager Herbert Chapman willing to pay the significant amount of £1,588 to secure his services.^[3] After later joining Middlesbrough, Birkett would go on to play for England in 1935.

Although losing such key players was a blow to the club, there was at least some hope for the future with the arrival of Don Welsh. The talented young centre half would soon develop into another Torquay legend and gave reason enough for Frank Brown to confident for the coming season.

League statistics

Third Division South

Pos	Team v t e	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts
8	Northampton Town	42	18	8	16	76	66	1.152	44
9	Bristol Rovers	42	15	14	13	61	56	1.089	44
10	Torquay United	42	16	12	14	72	67	1.075	44
11	Watford	42	16	12	14	66	63	1.048	44
12	Brighton & Hove Albion	42	17	8	17	66	65	1.015	42

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	Pts
42	16	12	14	72	67	1.075	44	12	7	2	51	26	31	4	5	12	21	41	13

Results by round

Results

Third Division South

FA Cup

Club statistics

First team appearances

Nat	Pos	Player	Total		Third Division South		FA Cup
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	Percy Maggs	47	0	42	0	5	0
	DF	Jack Tennant	47	1	42	0	5	1
	DF	Lew Tapp	40	0	35	0	5	0
	DF	Jack Fowler	7	1	7	1	0	0
	DF	Wally Webster	5	0	4	0	1	0
	MF	Ted Anderson	47	1	42	1	5	0
	MF	Tom Robinson	29	0	24	0	5	0
	MF	Alf Gray	22	1	22	1	0	0
	MF	Fred Martin	16	0	11	0	5	0
	MF	Don Welsh	16	0	16	0	0	0
	MF	Don Hewitt	11	0	11	0	0	0
	FW	Don Bird	45	10	40	9	5	1
	FW	Albert Orr	45	6	41	6	4	0
	FW	George Stabb	45	26	40	24	5	2
	FW	Albert Hutchinson	38	17	34	15	4	2
	FW	Ralph Birkett	35	9	32	8	3	1
	FW	Fred Flavell	10	3	9	3	1	0
	FW	Fred Avey	4	0	3	0	1	0
	FW	Tommy Davis	4	1	4	1	0	0
	FW	Leslie Mills	2	1	2	1	0	0
	FW	Maldwyn Owens	2	0	1	0	1	0

Source:^[2]

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Third Division South	FA Cup	Total
1	FW		George Stabb	24	2	26
2	FW		Albert Hutchinson	15	2	17
3	FW		Don Bird	9	1	10
4	FW		Ralph Birkett	8	1	9
5	FW		Albert Orr	6	0	6
6	FW		Fred Flavell	3	0	3
7	MF		Ted Anderson	1	0	1
=	FW		Tom Davis	1	0	1
=	DF		Jack Fowler	1	0	1
=	MF		Alf Gray	1	0	1
=	MF		Leslie Mills	1	0	1
=	DF		Jack Tennant	0	1	1
			Own goals	2	0	2
			TOTAL	72	7	79

Source:^[2]

Transfers

In

First appearance	Nat.	Pos.	Name	From
27 August 1932		FW	Fred Avey	Fulham
27 August 1932		FW	Don Bird	Bury
27 August 1932		FW	Tommy Davis	Boston Town
27 August 1932		MF	Alf Gray	Oldham Athletic
27 August 1932		GK	Percy Maggs	Blackpool
27 August 1932		MF	Fred Martin	Millwall
27 August 1932		FW	Albert Orr	Chesterfield
27 August 1932		DF	Jack Tennant	Stoke City
31 August 1932		MF	Tom Robinson	Bury
5 November 1932		FW	Fred Flavell	Oldham Athletic
15 December 1932		FW	Maldwyn Owens	Unattached
4 February 1933		FW	Leslie Mills	Unattached
4 February 1933		MF	Don Welsh	R.N. Devonport

Out

Last appearance	Nat.	Pos.	Name	To
17 December 1932		FW	Maldwyn Owens	Released
28 January 1933		MF	Fred Martin	Released
11 February 1933		MF	Tom Robinson	Retired
18 April 1933		FW	Ralph Birkett	Arsenal
22 April 1933		FW	Fred Avey	Tunbridge Wells
6 May 1933		MF	Ted Anderson	West Ham United
6 May 1933		FW	Tommy Davis	New Brighton
6 May 1933		MF	Alf Gray	Liverpool
6 May 1933		DF	Jack Tennant	Liverpool
6 May 1933		DF	Wally Webster	Rochdale

References

External links

• "Torquayunited.com". Archived from the original on 27 December 2009.
• "TFF History Room". Archived from the original on 26 February 2011.
• "TUFC History". Archived from the original on 12 May 2008.
• "Football Club History Database".
• "Statto.com". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 15 December 2011.
• "Historical Football Kits".