Town won the Devon Senior Cup in their first season and became champions of the Plymouth & District League the following year.
When the Football League underwent restructuring in 1958, a poor season for United saw them placed in the newly created Division Four.
However, when Torquay were again relegated from Division Three in 1972, it heralded a period of mediocrity which culminated in the club requiring re-election to the Football League in both 1985 and 1986.
When automatic relegation into the Conference was introduced the following year, only a last minute equaliser against Crewe Alexandra on the final day of the season saved United from the drop.
Just three years later, in 2001, Torquay once again escaped expulsion into non-League football by beating Barnet on the final day of the season.
By 2004, the club had bounced back again by achieving automatic promotion to the third tier of English football (now renamed League One) for the first time since 1966.