The journey of West Bromwich Albion head coach Darren Moore from being a Torquay United apprentice to managerial victor over Jose Mourinho has been a long and winding one.
Moore's second game in caretaker charge of the Baggies saw them secure victory over Manchester United, which effectively ended the Red Devils' hopes of catching rivals Manchester City and handed former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager Pep Guardiola his first Premier League title.
It all began for Moore as a teenager in his native West Midlands when he was recommended to the Gulls by John James, the scout who also had a hand in another West Midlander Lee Sharpe finding his way to Plainmoor.
His debut for United came whilst he was still a teenager against Birmingham City, who at the time were in second place in the 'old' Third Division - what is now League One. Although the Blues won 2-1, Moore was used on several other occasions by then manager Ivan Golac, and he even managed to find the back of the net in a 2-0 win over Bolton Wanderers.
Moore soon became a firm favourite of the Plainmoor faithful, and even earned the nickname 'Bruno' for his likeness to the boxer Frank Bruno. He was awarded his first professional contract on the eve of the 1992-93 season and was part of the side that pulled off a 'Great Escape' under Neil Warnock with a 1-0 win over Carlisle United in the penultimate game of the season, and also received the club's Player of the Year award for his efforts.
The following season, under Warnock's successor Don O'Riordan, saw the Gulls challenging at the right end of the table. They reached the end of season play-offs where they faced Preston North End over two legs for the chance to compete in the final at Wembley.
United won the first leg 2-0 at Plainmoor with Moore finding the target with a stunning volley and Duane Darby added another, as they headed to West Lancashire with a two-goal advantage.
However, the second leg proved to be a game to forget for both Moore and United, as he was dismissed for striking out at North End striker Paul Raynor in retaliation to being kicked in the chest by the Lillywhite's forward on 36 minutes. To rub salt in the wounds, Raynor scored a late winner in injury time to secure a 4-3 aggregate win for Preston.
Since the incident, the Yellow Army have never been too shy of reminding Raynor of the part that he played in the aforementioned fixture whenever their paths have crossed.
Moore remained with the Gulls until the summer of 1995 when he joined Doncaster Rovers for a fee of £62,500, which was decided by a tribunal, but he remained a firm favourite of the Plainmoor faithful and has always received a warm welcome on his subsequent returns.
He later went on to appear for Bradford City, Portsmouth, West Bromwich Albion, Derby County, Barnsley and Burton Albion. He helped the Bantams, the Baggies and the Rams win promotion to the Premier League in the 2001-02 and 2006-07 seasons respectively (although he didn't appear in the top-flight for Bradford).
After retiring from playing he became a development coach at West Brom before joining Alan Pardew's backroom and stepped up to take charge of first team affairs following his dismissal.
His two results in charge so far have yielded a draw with Swansea City and the unlikely victory over Mourinho's Manchester United, which played a key role deciding the destiny of the Premier League title. He might even be in with a shout of getting the job on a more permanent basis.
