| Full name | Torquay Town Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 1910 | |
| Dissolved | 1921 | |
| Ground | Plainmoor,Torquay | |
| League | Plymouth & District League | |
| 1920–21 | 6th | |
Torquay Town Football Club was an Englishfootball club based inTorquay, Devon. The club existed from 1910 until 1921 before merging withBabbacombe to formTorquay United.
By 1910, the Devon town of Torquay had three established amateur football teams in Babbacombe (competing in the Plymouth & District League),Ellacombe ( in the Devon League) and Torquay United in theTorquay & District League. With Devon's two leading football clubs,Plymouth Argyle andExeter City having already turned professional, there were calls for Torquay's three main teams to amalgamate in order to create a single professional football club. Although Babbacombe preferred to maintain their independence, Ellacombe and United merged to become Torquay Town. With United having led a somewhat nomadic existence since their foundation in 1899, the newly formed Torquay Town chose Ellacombe'sPlainmoor ground as their home where, ironically, they would soon be joined in a ground share with Babbacombe.[1]
Both Torquay Town and Babbacombe joined thePlymouth & District League for the 1910–11 season and Town enjoyed a respectable first season finishing 5th out of 13 teams. They also enjoyed a good run in theFA Cup, reaching the fifth qualifying round before being knocked out byAccrington Stanley. Torquay Town's second season was even better, becoming champions of the Plymouth & District League. However, the following two seasons saw a decline in Town's fortunes finishing in 6th and then 10th place before the outbreak ofWorld War I resulted in the closure of the club in August 1914.[1]
When competitive football resumed in 1919, Torquay Town were unable to recreate the achievements of their earlier seasons and, with Babbacombe now conceding to the inevitability of a merger between the two rival sides, both teams ceased to exist at the end of the 1920–21 season and subsequently joined to form a new professional club. Installing Torquay Town's star strikerCrad Evans as player-manager, the new team revived the name of Torquay United and were eventually elected into theFootball League in1927.[2]
| Season | Division | Position | Pl. | W | D | L | F | A | P | FA Cup |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1910–11 | Plymouth & District League | 5th | 24 | 13 | 3 | 8 | 54 | 33 | 29 | Fifth round qualifying |
| 1911–12 | Plymouth & District League | 1st | 30 | 23 | 4 | 3 | 85 | 29 | 50 | First round qualifying |
| 1912–13 | Plymouth & District League | 6th | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 42 | 43 | 28 | did not enter |
| 1913–14 | Plymouth & District League | 10th | 26 | 10 | 4 | 12 | 55 | 52 | 24 | Extra preliminary round |
| No competitive football played for the duration ofWorld War I | ||||||||||
| 1919–20 | Plymouth & District League | 10th | 24 | 7 | 1 | 16 | 41 | 46 | 15 | did not enter |
| 1920–21 | Plymouth & District League | 6th | 22 | 10 | 5 | 7 | 35 | 39 | 25 | Extra preliminary round |
