Torquay United's first round FA Cup tie with Derby County will be the first time that the two have faced other in a competitive fixture.
However, over the years, a number of players have appeared for both clubs, including some extremely well known figures.
John Turner:
Now found working behind the bar in the Gulls’ Nest on match days, John Turner was one of the most popular goalkeepers ever to appear for Torquay United. He arrived at Plainmoor in the summer of 1978 with a fine pedigree – he'd started out as an apprentice at Derby County under Brian Clough and Peter Taylor. Whilst with his former club Reading, Turner became one of the few keepers to displace the legendary Royals’ keeper Steve Death – albeit temporarily.
After winning the Gulls’ player of the year award in the 1979-80 season and being named in the PFA Division Four team of the season, Turner secured a £80,000 move to Chesterfield. However, Turner would later return to Plainmoor ahead of the 1983-84 season, but became one of the first victims of Dave Webb’s cost-cutting measures. He later found his way to Peterborough United, who he joined as a replacement for a certain David Seaman.
Bruce Rioch:
After making his way in the game with Luton Town and Aston Villa, Bruce Rioch first joined Derby County in February 1974 when the Rams paid Villa £200,000 for his signature as manager Dave Mackay looked to put his own stamp on the side that he had inherited from Brian Clough. In the subsequent 1974-75 season, he helped Derby to win their second league title - three years after their first triumph under Clough.
In December 1976, he left the Baseball Ground to join Everton for £180,000, but he would return to the Rams in November 1977 for a fee of £150,000. Rioch would go on to captain Scotland in their ill-fated 1978 World Cup campaign, and appeared against Peru and Holland, before heading stateside to sign for the Seattle Sounders.
He returned briefly to England to join Torquay under Mike Green in the 1980-81 season, and would return to Plainmoor as player-coach under Frank O'Farrell following Green's departure. In the 1982-83 campaign, he was named as Gulls manager in a move that saw O'Farrell move upstairs to become general manager. Rioch remained in charge of United until January 1984 following an altercation with Colin Anderson; highlights of his reign included a run to the fourth round of the FA Cup in 1982-83 where the Gulls were beaten 3-2 by Sheffield Wednesday at Plainmoor. He would later manage Middlesbrough, Millwall, Bolton Wanderers, Arsenal, Norwich City, Wigan Athletic and Danish side Aalborg.
John Sims:
Another player who served the Rams under the Clough/Taylor partnership, John Sims made a handful of appearances for Derby County, including a European Cup semi-final against Juventus in the 1972-73 season. He found himself loaned out to Luton Town, Oxford United and Colchester United before he joined Notts County in 1975. Three years later he headed for the Westcountry to sign for Exeter City under Bobby Saxton and would later follow Saxton to Home Park a year later when he became Plymouth Argyle manager. In the 1983-84 campaign, he became part of the select band of players to have played for all three Devon clubs when Bruce Rioch signed him for Torquay United. Sims would later rejoin the Grecians, as he became another victim of Dave Webb's cutbacks, but he would rejoin the Gulls and briefly became player-manager in 1985 for 33 days.
Don O'Riordan:
Don O'Riordan started his career with Derby County after being spotted in his native Dublin and joined the Rams as an apprentice in 1972 under Brian Clough. He would later make his debut under Clough's successor Dave Mackay and was later released by Tommy Docherty.
Spells with Tulsa Rougnecks in America, Preston North End, Carlisle United, Middlesbrough and Grimsby Town followed before he signed for Notts County where he enjoyed something of an Indian Summer under Neil Warnock. O'Riordan helped the Magpies win back to back promotions between the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons between the 'old' Third Division and the 'old' First Division - and he also scored in the FA Cup quarter finals against Tottenham Hotspur in 1990-91.
He linked up with Warnock at Plainmoor towards the end of the 1992-93 season, and his experience proved vital in helping the Gulls to pull off a 'great escape'. During the summer of 1993, O'Riordan succeeded Warnock as manager - and guided United to the Division Three play-offs in the 1993-94 campaign.
O'Riordan remained in charge of the Gulls until October 1995, when he was dismissed following an 8-1 defeat to Scunthorpe United. He then went onto enjoy a varied career as a coach which has seen him coach in a number of countries, including China, the USA and South Africa.
Darren Moore:
A product of the Gulls' youth set-up, Darren Moore broke into the Torquay United side as a teenager and won the club's player of the year award for the 1992-93 season. He was also part of the United squad that reached the play-offs in the subsequent 1993-94 campaign.
Moore left Plainmoor a year later to join Doncaster Rovers and later appeared for Bradford City, Portsmouth and West Bromwich Albion. He would appear for the latter in the Premier League before joining Derby County in 2006.
Whilst with the Rams, Moore won another promotion to the Premier League in the 2006-07 season after beating West Brom in the Championship play-off final. However, they would make a swift return to the second tier, as they finished the 2007-08 campaign with a record low Premier League points tally of 11.
Spells with Barnsley and Burton Albion followed before Moore retired as a player. He then embarked on a coaching career with West Brom and succeeded Alan Pardew as manager in 2018.
After leaving West Brom during the 2018-19 season, Moore was appointed as manager of Doncaster Rovers before taking charge of Sheffield Wednesday, who he is presently manager of.
Paul Trollope:
The son of Swindon Town record appearance holder, John Trollope, Paul Trollope initially joined the Gulls on loan from the Robins in the 1991-92 season before making the move permanent.
He became a regular in United's midfield under Don O'Riordan, as the Gulls made the play-offs in the 1993-94 season.
Midway through the 1994-95 campaign, he joined Derby County under future United manager Roy McFarland and helped the Rams to win promotion to the Premier League under Jim Smith in the 1996-97 season.
Stints with Fulham, Coventry City, Northampton Town and Bristol Rovers followed for Trollope, who was also capped nine times by Wales. In the 2005-06 season, he became first team coach of the Pirates with Lennie Lawrence as director of football.
He remained in charge at the Memorial Stadium until 2010, during which time he led them to promotion from League Two in 2006-07 via the play-offs. Coaching spells with Birmingham City, Norwich City, Cardiff City and the Welsh national side followed before he became manager of Cardiff in 2016.
Dean Moxey:
One of the first prospects to emerge from Exeter City's now famed youth academy, Dean Moxey was part of the Grecians side that famously drew 0-0 with Manchester United in the 2004-05 campaign. He would later help City win back-to-back promotions between the Blue Square Premier League and League One between 2007-08 and 2008-09.
His form prompted Derby County to pay £300,000 for his signature in 2009; he remained at Pride Park until 2011 when he joined Crystal Palace, who he appeared for in the Premier League in 2013-14 before joining Bolton Wanderers in 2014.
After helping the Trotters win promotion from League One in the 2016-17 season, Moxey returned to St James Park in the summer of 2017. He remained with the Grecians for three years until he joined the Gulls in 2020, and he is currently United's third longest serving player.
