When interviewed by BBC Sport after Torquay United were relegated from League Two at the end of last season- former Gulls' defender Guy Branston stated Torquay needed to recruit players who had played in and won the Conference before.
And, in making his first signing of the close season, Torquay boss Chris Hargreaves has secured the signature of a player who meets that criteria in the form of ex Mansfield Town forward Louis Briscoe, on a two-year deal.
During his five-year stay at Field Mill- which came to an end at the end of the 2013-14 campaign- Briscoe, 26, helped the Stags lift the Conference title in the 2012-13 season and was named in the Conference Team of the Season for the 2010-11 campaign, as he helped Mansfield reach the final of the FA Trophy.
After starting career with Port Vale, for whom he made four appearances, Briscoe drifted into the Midlands non-league football scene as spells with Leek Town, Hednesford, Gresley Rovers, Stafford Rangers and Ilkeston followed before he signed for the Stags in 2009.
Whilst with Mansfield, he also played for England C'.
He looks set to be the first of many new faces that Hargreaves will be looking to recruit ahead of the Gulls' opening pre-season friendly against Totnes and Dartington on July 9th.
