NEW Torquay boss Paul Cox fears the coming season could be the most difficult of his career.
Relegated from League Two in 2014, the cash-strapped Gulls came close to administration last season and eventually finished 13th in the Vanarama Conference.
Since then, the club have been sold to a ten-man consortium led by Dean Edwards, who has disbanded the youth department and slashed the wage bill.
As a result, Cox – who replaced Chris Hargreaves in June – is effectively building a full-time squad on a part-time budget and says avoiding relegation is now the name of the game.
“In terms of finances, this is probably the club’s lowest point in a vast number of years,” said the 43-year-old, who led Mansfield to the Conference title in 2013.
“My job is to rebuild it from the ashes and it’s going to be a very difficult one. Especially this season, which I think will be the toughest of my career due to the lack of resources.
“When you look at the finance and look at the budgets from last year, I’d think we’re down there with teams in the bottom four. That’s the scale of the task.
“But the board have been very honest about that. I go into it with my eyes open and I think the fans are realistic about the situation as well.
“They know that the chains were almost on the gates here last season. It came that close to going under.
“There is a sense of perspective. They know it’s a long-term rebuild that will see a bit of heartache before we get back to where we should be. And I think they know that just stopping in this division would be a major achievement this year.”
Cox says he has been “extremely shrewd” in his transfer dealings, the latest of which saw ex-Cardiff and Crystal Palace prospect, midfielder Bayan Fenwick, 21, commit to the Gulls this week.
“We’ll have to beg, borrow and steal this year,” he admitted. “I’ll be calling in favours and asking League clubs to help us out with loans. It’s tough, but we’ll make it work.”
All of which means the onus is on old heads like Exodus Geohaghon, 30, – the former Peterborough defender and Conference veteran who went up with Cox at Mansfield – to guide a squad of unproven youngsters.
“Big Ex is our oldest player by a mile and he’ll bring so much experience to us,” said Cox. “He’s a calming influence who knows this division like the back of his hand and he’ll be someone I’d expect players to listen to.
“The crowd have already taken to his personality. They’ve taken to his performances. And they’ve taken to that big throw. He’s going to be a big player for us and it would be nice to have a couple more like that.”
