As the build up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil continues, we will now look at the players and managers with Plymouth Argyle connections who have participated in previous tournaments.
Out of Devon's three professional clubs, Plymouth Argyle are the only side who have seen a current contracted player appear in the competition.
In the 2010 tournament in South Africa, then Pilgrims' striker Rory Fallon became the first Argyle player to feature in the finals. After scoring the crucial goal in their two-legged qualifying Play-Off victory over Bahrain, he was ever present for New Zealand as they finished third in their group, which featured Paraguay, Slovakia and Italy.
This was the latest in a long list of Pilgrims with World Cup connections, which goes back to the 1954 tournament in Switzerland when former Argyle boss Andy Beattie took charge of Scotland.
Four years later, in the 1958 competition in Sweden, future Argyle manager Billy Bingham was part of the Northern Ireland squad that reached the Quarter Finals of the tournament.
Bingham would later manage the province in the 1982 and 1986 finals in Spain and Mexico; he was assisted in both tournaments by Martin Harvey- who was assistant manager at Home Park at the time.
Also in the 1982 tournament, Paul Mariner- who spearheaded the Pilgrims' promotion in the 1974-75 season- and Peter Shilton- Argyle manager between 1992 and 1995- were part of the England squad.
Mariner formed a strike partnership with Plymouth-born Trevor Francis and found the back of the net in England's final group match, a 1-0 win over Kuwait, and Shilton was ever-present in all of England's five matches in the competition.
In 2009, Mariner returned to Home Park to work alongside then Argyle manager Paul Sturrock, who played for Scotland in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups.
Shilton also went on to play for England in the 1986 and 1990 finals, and holds the record for the highest number of clean sheets kept in World Cup finals.
One of his team-mates in the 1986 tournament in Mexico was another future Pilgrims boss in the form of midfielder Peter Reid.
He also worked alongside a former Argyle manager Mike Kelly, who worked as goalkeeper coach with Bobby Robson's squad and later performed the same role for Roy Hodgson's Switzerland in the 1994 World Cup in the USA.
Kelly's predecessor in the Home Park hot seat, Tony Waiters, was also present at the 1986 finals in Mexico. After leaving Argyle in 1977, Waiters moved to North America and became manager of the Canadian national side, and led Canada to the 1986 finals.
Current Pilgrims' manager John Sheridan represented the Republic of Ireland in the 1990 and 1994 finals as the Irish qualified for their first World Cups under Jack Charlton.
Sheridan made one appearance for the Republic in Italia 90, but was ever present during their USA 94 campaign- and started the move that led to Ray Houghton's decisive goal against Italy as they avenged their 1990 Quarter Final exit at the hands of the Italians.
