During his seven years as a player with Torquay United between 2007 and 2014, Kevin Nicholson won 12 FA Cup ties in a spell that saw the Gulls reach the fourth round twice.
Now, in 2016, Nicholson will be looking to recapture their spirit of their previous successes as they prepare to welcome Woking to Plainmoor on Saturday.
United haven't tasted victory in the world's oldest knock out competition since they defeated Chesterfield in the first round of the 2011-12 campaign on November 12th, 2011 and, following their 3-2 second round defeat against Sheffield United of the same season, as well as failing to secure a win the Gulls haven't managed to score.
In the last two seasons, they have failed to qualify for the first round proper - having lost out in the fourth qualifying round.
However, if United were looking for any inspiration for turning around such an appalling run they need look no further than to Plymouth Argyle.
The Pilgrims, who famously reached the semi-finals of the competition in 1984, endured a wretched spell in the cup between 2008 and 2013. In 2008, Argyle were knocked out in the fourth round by eventual winners Portsmouth, which sparked a run of five years without a win.
Although they earned a plum draw with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the third round in the 2008-09 season, they endured a winless streak that included defeats against Stourbridge of the Southern Premier League and Dorchester Town, then of National League South, in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 campaigns respectively.
This nightmare run came to an end in the 2013-14 season when a first round win over Lincoln City sparked a run to the third round where the Pilgrims were eliminated by Port Vale.
A similar run in the current campaign for the Gulls would certainly come in handy in terms of prize money and gate receipts, given the financial unease surrounding the club which has seen Nicholson drive the team mini-bus to the recent fixture against Chester FC to enable the players to afford an overnight stay.
