TORQUAY United could be honoured with a Football League awards 'double' in the next 24 hours.

Gulls boss Paul Buckle is favourite to win the League Two Manager Of The Month award for August.

And young central defender Mark Ellis has been nominated for the Player Of The Month award.

If Buckle is handed the MOM prize, he will be the first United manager to do it for 13 years.

Kevin Hodges was the last Torquay 'winner', after leading his promotion-chasing team to five successive victories in February 1998.

Leroy Rosenior, who guided United to automatic promotion in 2004, never won a monthly award.

And neither so far has Buckle during his successful three-and-a-half years in charge of United.

Several times he was close to winning during the club's two years in the Blue Square Premier.

During this August United kicked off their league campaign with four successive wins.

And, although they lost a Carling Cup-tie to Championship side Reading in stoppage time, they also knocked League One AFC Bournemouth out of the Johnstone's Paint Trophy on penalties.

Ellis, 21, has three other nominees up against him.

They are strikers Wes Thomas (Cheltenham) and Adam Le Fondre (Rotherham) — they have both scored five goals so far — and Accrington Stanley goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin.

Dunbavin did not concede a goal in Stanley's first four league games.

If either Buckle or Ellis is successful — an announcement should be made tomorrow — Gulls fans will have a chance to applaud them before Saturday's home game against Accrington.

Meanwhile, Accrington are sweating on their place in the Second Round of the JPT.

Stanley have been charged by the Football Association for fielding a player while he was suspended.

Ray Putterill played in Stanley's penalty shoot-out win over Tranmere Rovers last week, 24 hours after he should have started a 42-day ban.

He was suspended for improper or insulting behaviour towards a referee during a match for non-League Halewood Town last April.

Torquay United's Johnstone's Paint Trophy Second Round tie at League One Swindon Town will be played on Tuesday, October 5, almost certainly with an earlier 7pm kick-off.

Prices for the tie are still being finalised.