Pic: Patrick Tinkler
TORQUAY UNITED player-manager Kevin Nicholson has been given the green light to reshape his squad after a meeting with the Gulls' board.
United are struggling in the Vanarama National League and currently sit second bottom of the table with just three league wins all season.
Nicholson replaced Paul Cox as Gulls manager in September and he now wants to bring in some fresh faces to Plainmoor.
Bayan Fenwick has left the club by mutual consent and Alex Fisher has departed for “personal reasons”, meaning Nicholson has room in his budget to make some changes.
He said: “After today's (Wednesday's) board meeting, I am very happy to see that the board of directors have stepped up and backed me with words and actions. I have been given a small pot to work with and a chance to manoeuvre a few of the current squad.
“It is now up to the lads here to show me that they are up for the fight. Results have not been good enough and, at the end of the day, it is a results-driven business.
“However, with a few new additions and a fresh impetus that they will bring, it fills me with huge confidence that we can get this proud club moving in the right direction again.
“If they rise to the challenge then the second half of the season can be extremely positive for everyone involved. If we get through these tough times, we are in a position to make sure this club never finds itself in this situation again.”
The Gulls face some difficult fixtures over the festive period, playing second-place Forest Green Rovers twice as well as leaders Cheltenham Town.
Nicholson added: “Everyone has written us off already but it's up to the players to go out there and prove people wrong.
“I need them to go out there and stand up and be counted. We know that first and foremost we have to work hard and stay focused.
“We've got a lot of young lads who have the ability but they need to do the basics right and on a consistent basis.”
Hopefully these new signings are good ones nico or we are down pal bring back some old faces? Maybe the likes of Toby ajala.. Or rene Howe on loan we need a decent goalkeeper and a striker who will score us goals… Then we might make it just….
I hate seeing us to so poor this is not the Torquay I know anymore?!?! Where’s the real Torquay gone these days let’s hope these new signings will give us a good chance of “trying” to stay up this season!