When asked about what he believed to be the most essential ingredient for a promotion winning side, former Torquay United manager Dave Smith replied: "score goals, lots of them."
Smith achieved three promotions during his managerial career, a figure which includes leading Plymouth Argyle to promotion to what is now the Championship in the 1985-86 season, and he also laid the foundations for the Gulls' side that triumphed in the 'old' Division Four play-offs in 1991.
One hallmark of that side, which was also true of Leroy Rosenior's automatic promotion winning side of 2003-04, was that it possessed a strike partnership that yields between 30 and 40 goals in Tommy Tynan (19) and Dean Edwards (19) - David Graham netted 23 in the 2003-04 campaign, whilst Jo Kuffour scored 11.
However, Kevin Hodges' 1998 play-off final side came within a whisker of emulating their achievements - they were denied automatic promotion of the final day of the 1997-98 season with a defeat against Leyton Orient before losing to Colchester United in the play-off final - by doing things slightly differently.
Although Rodney Jack finished the campaign as United's top scorer with 16 goals, the responsibility for finding the back of the net was spread evenly throughout the team.
Right wing-back Andy Gurney found the back of the net nine times, left wing-back Paul Gibbs and Kevin Hill - in his debut season after joining from Torrington - scored seven and Jon Gittens and loan signing Jason Roberts found the back of the net six times.
For messrs Jack, Gurney, Gibbs, Hill and Gittens, their respective tallies that season was their highest goal scoring returns for a season to date. In fact every member of the United squad found the back of the net that season apart from central defender Jamie Robinson.
Fast forward to the present day Torquay United, and if Brett Williams, Ruairi Keating, Jamie Reid and Andre Wright can't score 30-40 between them then it would be helpful if a few others could chip in with their career best figures to date to aid their promotion cause.
