Bideford currently find themselves top of the Evo-Stik League Southern Division One South & West and two former Torquay United stalwarts are playing key roles in their success.
Robins manager Sean Joyce, who played for the Gulls between 1988 and 1993, has been in charge since 1998. During this time he has overseen Bideford's rise from the Western League to the Southern League, which they won promotion to at the end of the 2009-10 season.
Under the stewardship of Joyce, who appeared for Torquay in the 1989 Sherpa Van Trophy final & the Division Four Play-Off final in 1991, the Robins have also enjoyed several impressive runs in the FA Vase, including the Semi-Final appearance in the 2003-04 campaign.
On the pitch, Bideford are led by another former Gull in the form of Matt Hockley who, like Joyce, was a tough tackling midfielder during his time at Plainmoor. He was a regular for the Gulls in their automatic promotion winning side in the 2003-04 season, in a midfield that featured the likes of Alex Russell and Jason Fowler.
At the time of writing, Bideford are currently six points clear of second placed Hungerford Town with a game in hand and look to be in the driving seat.
If they can maintain their current form then Joyce and Hockley will be soon be adding to what they achieved during the respective careers at Plainmoor.
