Nearly ten years ago, Torquay United faced Southend United on the final day of the 2003-04 requiring three points to secure automatic promotion for the first time in 38 years.
Goals from Steve Woods and David Graham helped to give the Gulls a 2-1 victory over the Shrimpers and, as their promotion rivals Huddersfield Town had failed to beat Cheltenham Town, Leroy Rosenior's side clinched United's first automatic promotion since the mid-1960's.
However, when Alan Knill's Gulls of 2013-14 take on Southend on Saturday at Plainmoor, in a season defining game; they head into the fixture knowing that three points could be enough to lift them off the bottom of the League Two table.
Saturday's meeting with the Shrimpers is the first of a number of festive fixtures, which includes a visit to Dagenham and Redbridge and a return fixture with Plymouth Argyle on New Year's Day; as well as home clashes with Bristol Rovers and Exeter City on Boxing Day and December 29th respectively.
With home games against fellow strugglers Northampton Town, Bury and Accrington Stanley coming up in the early part of the new year, a minimum of two victories from their next five games would give them an excellent foundation heading into those matches.
The evidence of the importance of the Gulls winning their December and New Year fixtures can be found in the ill-fated 2006-07 season when, under the disastrous Chairmanship of Chris Roberts, Torquay failed to win four fixtures that could have helped save them.
In December 2006 and January 2007, the Gulls only picked up two points from a possible 12 from home matches against Wrexham, Boston United, Macclesfield Town and Bury.
Maximum points from those four games would have given Torquay a fighting chance of beating the drop heading into their final few fixtures of the campaign in question, which is why the Gulls must ensure that they get a healthy points return during the festive period.
