1931–32 Torquay United F.C. season

The 1931–32 Torquay United F.C. season was Torquay United's fifth season in the Football League and their fifth consecutive season in Third Division South. The season runs from 1 July 1931 to 30 June 1932.

Torquay United

1931–32 season
Chairman	Charles Dear
Manager	Frank Womack
Third Division South	19th
FA Cup	First Round
Top goalscorer	League: Billy Clayson (14) All: Billy Clayson (14)
Highest home attendance	6,000 v Southend United, 28 November 1931 (FA Cup)
Lowest home attendance	2,547 v Northampton Town, 5 December 1931 (Third Division South)
Average home league attendance	3,718
Home colours

Overview

Having just enjoyed their most successful season so far in the Football League, Torquay United were keen to build upon last season's achievements. Unfortunately, the season got off to a terrible start with an opening day 7–0 defeat at Crystal Palace. After conceding six goals to Watford in their second home game of the season, Torquay then had to endure a mortifying 10–2 defeat to Fulham at Craven Cottage. Results did slowly begin to improve after that humiliation but Torquay would never find themselves any higher than 15th in the League table all season. The team were also to make an early exit from the FA Cup, losing 3–1 at home to Southend United in the First Round.

Torquay also had to make do without last season's top goalscorer Jimmy Trotter for the second half of the season after he was sold to Watford in December.[1] Billy Clayson did his best to fill Trotter's boots, eventually becoming this season's top scorer. However, Cyril Hemingway, returning for his second spell at the club, could not recreate the form which saw him top Torquay's goalscoring charts for the 1928–29 season. Nevertheless, Paignton born striker George Stabb showed much potential after signing from Dartmouth United, while another local lad, Lew Tapp, was also a promising new addition to the defence.[1]

Torquay did at least have one memorable victory with an 8–1 defeat of Bristol Rovers on Easter Monday, but it was ultimately a hugely disappointing season for Frank Womack and the team. Finishing in 19th place and narrowly avoiding the need for re-election, it was clear that Torquay United were in desperate need of improvement.

League statistics

Third Division South

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GAv	Pts	Promotion or relegation
17	Swindon Town	42	14	6	22	70	84	0.833	34
18	Bristol Rovers	42	13	8	21	65	92	0.707	34
19	Torquay United	42	12	9	21	72	106	0.679	33
20	Mansfield Town[lower-alpha 1][lower-alpha 2]	42	11	10	21	75	108	0.694	32
21	Gillingham	42	10	8	24	40	82	0.488	28	Re-elected

Source:
Notes:

1. Mansfield Town was transferred to Third Division North for the following season.
2. New club in the league

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	12	9	21	72	106	0.679	33	9	6	6	49	39	24	3	3	15	23	67	9

Source: rsssf.com

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	37	38	39	40	41	42
Ground	A	H	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	A
Result	L	D	L	L	W	L	D	L	W	W	D	D	L	D	D	L	W	L	W	L	L	W	L	L	D	W	L	L	W	W	L	W	L	D	W	W	L	D	L	L	L	L
Position	19	19	21	21	21	21	21	21	20	17	15	16	16	16	15	16	16	16	15	16	18	18	19	19	20	18	19	20	19	18	18	17	18	18	17	16	17	17	17	19	19	19

Source: statto.com
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

Third Division South

29 Aug 1931	Crystal Palace	7 – 0	Torquay United	Selhurst Park
				Attendance: 18,479

2 Sep 1931	Torquay United	1 – 1	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	Plainmoor
	Trotter			Attendance: 4,485

5 Sep 1931	Torquay United	3 – 6	Watford	Plainmoor
	Hutchinson Trotter			Attendance: 4,559

7 Sep 1931	Fulham	10 – 2	Torquay United	Craven Cottage
			Hutchinson Stabb	Attendance: 9,706

12 Sep 1931	Mansfield Town	2 – 4	Torquay United	Field Mill
			Birkett Trotter Hutchinson	Attendance: 8,499

16 Sep 1931	Torquay United	2 – 3	Fulham	Plainmoor
	Birkett Trotter			Attendance: 5,056

19 Sep 1931	Torquay United	1 – 1	Brighton & Hove Albion	Plainmoor
	Trotter			Attendance: 4,590

26 Sep 1931	Norwich City	2 – 0	Torquay United	The Nest
				Attendance: 10,583

3 Oct 1931	Torquay United	2 – 1	Swindon Town	Plainmoor
	Waller Trotter			Attendance: 4,483

10 Oct 1931	Clapton Orient	1 – 3	Torquay United	Lea Bridge Stadium
			Stabb Birkett Clayson	Attendance: 8,998

17 Oct 1931	Thames	1 – 1	Torquay United	West Ham Stadium
			Trotter	Attendance: 2,491

24 Oct 1931	Torquay United	1 – 1	Brentford	Plainmoor
	Hutchinson			Attendance: 4,650

31 Oct 1931	Exeter City	3 – 1	Torquay United	St James Park
			Fowler (pen.)	Attendance: 8,489

7 Nov 1931	Torquay United	3 – 3	Coventry City	Plainmoor
	Fowler (pen.) Hemingway			Attendance: 3,065

14 Nov 1931	Gillingham	1 – 1	Torquay United	Priestfield
			Fowler (pen.)	Attendance: 3,919

21 Nov 1931	Torquay United	1 – 2	Luton Town	Plainmoor
	Birkett			Attendance: 3,490

5 Dec 1931	Torquay United	4 – 1	Northampton Town	Plainmoor
	Trotter Hutchinson Fowler Clayson			Attendance: 2,547

12 Dec 1931	Reading	4 – 1	Torquay United	Elm Park
			Trotter	Attendance: 5,507

19 Dec 1931	Torquay United	2 – 1	Southend United	Plainmoor
	Cooper Hemingway			Attendance: 2,900

25 Dec 1931	Torquay United	2 – 3	Queens Park Rangers	Plainmoor
	Clayson Birkett			Attendance: 4,999

26 Dec 1931	Queens Park Rangers	3 – 1	Torquay United	White City Stadium
			Hutchinson	Attendance: 24,133

2 Jan 1932	Torquay United	3 – 1	Crystal Palace	Plainmoor
	Hemingway Waller Clayson			Attendance: 2,703

13 Jan 1932	Cardiff City	5 – 2	Torquay United	Ninian Park
			Fowler (pen.) Hemingway	Attendance: 3,890

16 Jan 1932	Watford	1 – 0	Torquay United	Vicarage Road
				Attendance: 9,335

23 Jan 1932	Torquay United	2 – 2	Mansfield Town	Plainmoor
	Waller Clayson			Attendance: 3,370

30 Jan 1932	Brighton & Hove Albion	0 – 2	Torquay United	Goldstone Ground
			Waller Fowler (pen.)	Attendance: 7,079

6 Feb 1932	Torquay United	2 – 4	Norwich City	Plainmoor
	Birkett			Attendance: 3,057

13 Feb 1932	Swindon Town	3 – 0	Torquay United	County Ground
				Attendance: 3,457

20 Feb 1932	Torquay United	3 – 0	Clapton Orient	Plainmoor
	Fowler (pen.) Cooper Miller			Attendance: 2,708

27 Feb 1932	Torquay United	3 – 1	Thames	Plainmoor
	Clayson Cooper			Attendance: 3,003

5 Mar 1932	Brentford	3 – 0	Torquay United	Griffin Park
				Attendance: 11,293

12 Mar 1932	Torquay United	2 – 1	Exeter City	Plainmoor
	Cooper Birkett			Attendance: 5,839

19 Mar 1932	Coventry City	3 – 1	Torquay United	Highfield Road
			Cooper	Attendance: 9,923

25 Mar 1932	Bristol Rovers	1 – 1	Torquay United	Eastville Stadium
			Cooper	Attendance: 10,729

26 Mar 1932	Torquay United	1 – 0	Gillingham	Plainmoor
	Stabb			Attendance: 3,038

28 Mar 1932	Torquay United	8 – 1	Bristol Rovers	Plainmoor
	Anderson Clayson Hutchinson Griffiths			Attendance: 2,830

2 Apr 1932	Luton Town	6 – 1	Torquay United	Kenilworth Road
			Hutchinson	Attendance: 5,778

9 Apr 1932	Torquay United	2 – 2	Cardiff City	Plainmoor
	Clayson			Attendance: 3,437

16 Apr 1932	Northampton Town	2 – 0	Torquay United	County Ground
				Attendance: 2,882

23 Apr 1932	Torquay United	1 – 4	Reading	Plainmoor
	Cooper			Attendance: 3,270

30 Apr 1932	Southend United	4 – 2	Torquay United	The Kursaal
			Clayson Freer	Attendance: 5,471

7 May 1932	Bournemouth & Boscombe Athletic	5 – 0	Torquay United	Dean Court
				Attendance: 3,474

FA Cup

28 Nov 1931 First Round	Torquay United	1 – 3	Southend United	Plainmoor
	Trotter			Attendance: 6,000

Club statistics

First team appearances

Nat	Pos	Player	Total		Third Division South		FA Cup
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
	GK	Joe Wright	29	0	28	0	1	0
	GK	Laurie Millsom	14	0	14	0	0	0
	DF	Jack Fowler	43	8	42	8	1	0
	DF	Wally Webster	24	0	24	0	0	0
	DF	Lew Tapp	19	0	18	0	1	0
	DF	Jim Wright	2	0	2	0	0	0
	MF	Don Hewitt	28	0	27	0	1	0
	MF	Bob Smith	28	0	27	0	1	0
	MF	Ted Anderson	19	0	19	0	0	0
	MF	Jack Butler	18	0	18	0	0	0
	MF	George Parkin	8	0	8	0	0	0
	MF	Wilf Freer	6	1	6	1	0	0
	MF	Bob Meacock	4	0	4	0	0	0
	FW	Albert Hutchinson	43	10	42	10	1	0
	FW	Billy Clayson	41	14	40	14	1	0
	FW	Ralph Birkett	37	8	37	8	0	0
	FW	Harry Waller	28	4	28	4	0	0
	FW	Cyril Hemingway	24	4	23	4	1	0
	FW	Jimmy Trotter	19	11	18	10	1	1
	FW	Jack Cooper	14	7	14	7	0	0
	FW	George Stabb	12	3	11	3	1	0
	FW	Willie Miller	7	1	7	1	0	0
	FW	Arthur Griffiths	5	1	5	1	0	0
	FW	? Rodgers	1	0	0	0	1	0

Source:[2]

Top scorers

Place	Position	Nation	Name	Third Division South	FA Cup	Total
1	FW		Billy Clayson	14	0	14
2	FW		Jimmy Trotter	10	1	11
3	FW		Albert Hutchinson	10	0	10
4	FW		Ralph Birkett	8	0	8
=	DF		Jack Fowler	8	0	8
6	FW		Jack Cooper	7	0	7
7	FW		Cyril Hemingway	4	0	4
=	FW		Harry Waller	4	0	4
9	FW		George Stabb	3	0	3
10	MF		Ted Anderson	1	0	1
=	MF		Wilf Freer	1	0	1
=	FW		Arthur Griffiths	1	0	1
=	FW		Willie Miller	1	0	1
			TOTAL	72	1	73

Source:[2]

In

First appearance	Nat.	Pos.	Name	From
29 August 1931		MF	George Parkin	West Ham United
2 September 1931		MF	Bob Meacock	Blackpool
5 September 1931		DF	Wally Webster	Sheffield United
7 September 1931		FW	Jack Cooper	Walsall
7 September 1931		FW	George Stabb	Dartmouth United
12 September 1931		DF	Lew Tapp	Newton Abbot F.C.
16 September 1931		FW	Cyril Hemingway	Wolverhampton Wanderers
26 December 1931		MF	Ted Anderson	Wolverhampton Wanderers
30 January 1932		FW	Willie Miller	St Johnstone
28 March 1932		FW	Arthur Griffiths	Unattached

Out

Last appearance	Nat.	Pos.	Name	To
2 September 1931		DF	Jim Wright	Grimsby Town
26 September 1931		MF	Bob Meacock	Tranmere Rovers
12 December 1931		MF	George Parkin	Halifax Town
12 December 1931		FW	Jimmy Trotter	Watford
13 February 1932		GK	Joe Wright	Brighton & Hove Albion
20 February 1932		FW	Cyril Hemingway	Dartmouth United
19 March 1932		FW	Willie Miller	Released
9 Apr 1932		MF	Bob Smith	Released
23 Apr 1932		FW	Jack Cooper	Released
30 Apr 1932		MF	Wilf Freer	Released
7 May 1932		MF	Jack Butler	Daring Club
7 May 1932		FW	Billy Clayson	Scarborough
7 May 1932		FW	Arthur Griffiths	Newport County
7 May 1932		GK	Laurie Millsom	Released
7 May 1932		FW	Harry Waller	Wrexham

References

1. Edwards, Leigh; Gibbes, Jon; Lovis, John (1999). Torquay United, The Official Centenary History, 1899-1999. Yore Publications. ISBN 1-874427-38-0
2. Edwards, Leigh (1997). The Definitive Torquay United F.C.. The Association of Football Statisticians. ISBN 1-899468-09-9.

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 10 December 2011.
• "Historical Football Kits".