In many ways it's perhaps fitting that former Torquay United duo Paul Trollope and Darren Moore guided teams to promotion on the same weekend.
Former Wales international Trollope helped to steer Luton Town to promotion to the Premier League as the assistant to Hatters boss Rob Edwards, which saw the Hatters become the first team to rise from the National League to the Premier League, after they emerged as victors on penalties after drawing 1-1 in normal time against Coventry City in the Championship play-off final.
Two days later, Moore led Sheffield Wednesday to victory over their South Yorkshire neighbours Barnsley in the League One final, with Josh Windass scoring the game's decisive goal deep in injury time to seal a return to the Championship for the Owls.
The pairs success comes nearly 30 years since they last appeared for the Gulls and their spells at Plainmoor came in a similar era. They both made the debuts in the 1991-92 season; Trollope as a loanee from Swindon Town (where his father John was the club's record appearance holder) against Stoke City and Moore as a second year YTS player against Birmingham City.
In the 1992-93 campaign, Trollope and Moore were both part of the United side who avoided relegation from the Football League under Neil Warnock after beating Carlisle United 1-0 in their penultimate game of the season at Brunton Park.
This was followed in the following 1993-94 season with a play-off challenge from the Gulls under Warnock's successor Don O'Riordan and a two legged semi-final with Preston North End awaited United. They won the first leg at Plainmoor 2-0 with Moore and Duane Darby finding the target with Trollope also featuring. The second leg was the final match that took place on Preston's infamous plastic pitch. It was all going so well as United were drawing 1-1 - Barbadian international Gregory Goodridge scored for the Gulls - until Moore was involved in the off-the-ball scuffle with Preston midfielder Paul Raynor, in which Raynor went down clutching his face, that earned Moore a red card (even though replays have since shown Moore didn’t make contact with him).
Both of them would leave the club in 1995, Trollope joined Derby County for £50,000 and Moore headed to Doncaster Rovers for £62,500. They then went on to enjoy careers which would see them reach Premier League and appear internationally for Wales and Jamaica respectively before entering coaching and management.
