Fan Zone 11/10/2025
- TUST
- Oct 11
- 4 min read
FAN ZONE
By Nick Brodrick, TUST's Chair and TUFC board member.
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SURELY IT’S TOO EARLY FOR CARROLL SINGING BUT COULD THERE BE A RECORD?
LEARN ABOUT LOCAL CHARITY READ EASY AND HOW YOU CAN SUPPORT THEM
MORE MANAGER NON-LEAGUE MUSICAL CHAIRS
Tomorrow’s return to Plainmoor after three weeks promises to be a must not miss match for all kinds of reasons. Visitors Dagenham & Redbridge are another former Football League club, relegated last season from the National League but one of the pre-season favourites to be up there challenging. But they’ve made a dismal start to the South, winning just once.
On Friday, former Dagger Terry Harris returned as the club’s new assistant manager to support under fire manager Lee Bradbury.
With it being an international weekend DAZN/National League TV have chosen the game to show live. Could that be because of a certain Andy Carroll who could return following his three- match suspension?
With this weekend also being the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup the match probably shouldn’t have been played but Dagenham managed to be beaten by Southern League Premier Central side Spalding United in the previous round.
Extra seating in Bristows for home support should help to see attendance over 3,000 especially as United could create a new record that has stood since 1926/27 season. And what is the record to beat? According to club historian Jon Gibbes, when United won the Southern League title in 1926/27 the team had seven straight home wins – six if you count the Western League as well. With five straight home wins to date the record is in sight. Five straight home wins has been achieved twice, in 1968/69 and 1982/83.
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The weekend is being billed as a double header, as United’s Women are at Plainmoor on Sunday for a SWRWFL Premier Division clash with current league leaders Pucklechurch Sports.
And the women’s side remain unbeaten at Plainmoor this season.
The First Round draw of the Adobe Women’s FA Cup gave United a home tie on October 26th against local rivals Exeter City. With almost 500 watching United women defeat Southampton in the last round, this all-Devon clash promises to set a new Plainmoor Sunday record.
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Saturday will be the first opportunity for the majority of fans to see the new Big Screen in operation, sponsored by the WCR Group and the Supporters’ Trust.
Also, fans will be able to look up and spot the new LED lights in the floodlights.
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Tomorrow the Supporters’ Trust are promoting local charity Read Easy.
Read Easy Torbay and South Devon provides local adults who struggle to read with free, confidential, one-to-one coaching from a trained volunteer. Their coach will work with them for as long as it takes until they are confident readers. They follow the tried and tested Read Easy UK phonics reading system using high-quality resources which are fun and written for adults.
Did you know more than 7% of adults in England never learnt to read at school, that’s over 7,000 adults just in Torbay! As a result, they struggle to do some of the everyday things that most of us take for granted. Volunteers with Read Easy work with individuals to help them to read: Read Easy transforms people’s lives.
Over the past 10 years Read Easy Torbay and South Devon has helped hundreds of adults learn to read. When Read Easy celebrated its 10thanniversary one of the first adults who learned to read was Lawrence.
He had a disrupted early education and in his early 20s he found himself unable to progress. He wanted to gain an HGV licence but this proved difficult as he couldn’t read.
Under a trained coach, Sally, they met every Saturday morning in Torquay library for around two years. Lawrence learnt to read, gained his licence and now runs his own water bore hole drilling firm. As he says, “My life changed massively as a result of Read Easy, I can’t thank them enough.”
Do you know of an adult who would like to learn to read? You can contact Read Easy on 07593 233 600 or email torbaysupporter@readeasy.org.uk.
Might you be interested in volunteering to help a local adult learn to read? Read Easy are keen to recruit more male coaches as most of the readers are men who say they prefer a male coach. You can email Jane on torbayrecruiter@readeasy.org.uk.
There are other volunteer roles to fill, they are looking for someone very organised to help recruit new volunteers plus anyone with networking skills.
Read Easy are on Facebook or readeasy.org.uk/groups/Torbay. It is registered as a charity with HMRC.
Tomorrow at Plainmoor, you can support Read Easy by donating to their bucket collection.
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Non-League Crowd Watch: Southend 7,754, Scunthorpe 5,472, Hartlepool 4,428, Macclesfield 3,003.
The manager merry-go-round (or musical chairs?) continues this week: following Worthing’s Chris Agutter moving to Sutton United, his assistant Dean Hammond has joined him but former manager Adam Hinshelwood, newly sacked by York City, has returned. Meanwhile, Eastbourne manager Matt Gray has been sacked.
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Two successive clean sheets, two Paul Wotton favourite 1-0 scorelines have put smiles back on faces. Last Saturday’s win at Salisbury wasn’t a classic but will be remembered for almost 800 Yellow Army making the A303 journey.
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No fan zone tomorrow but another big game – and don’t forget Sunday.
Finally, make sure you’re in the draw for October 14th’s 1899 Lotto.
COYY
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