The biggest mismatch of this season’s edition of the FA Cup occurs this weekend as Tottenham Hotspur travel to face Tamworth.
95 places separate the two sides ahead of their clash at The Lamb Ground on Sunday lunchtime.
Tamworth’s pitch is synthetic which will provide a completely different type of test for Ange Postecoglou’s players.
The fifth-tier outfit have already knocked out Huddersfield Town and Burton Albion in their FA Cup journey this campaign including, beating the latter on penalties to progress into the third round.
Historically, Tottenham Hotspur are no strangers to FA Cup success, having lifted the coveted trophy on eight occasions. Famously, the North Londoners were the first non-league club to win the FA Cup back in 1901.
Ahead of Spurs' trip to National League side Tamworth, let’s look back at Spurs’ last five encounters with non-league opponents and see how they fared.
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Marine 0-5 Tottenham, FA Cup Third Round, 10th January 2021
Spurs’ last meeting with a non-league team ended as expected as the likes of Jose Mourinho and Gareth Bale starred at Crosby Road. Unfortunately, one of the FA Cup’s biggest ever mismatches wasn't watched by any spectators due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Benfica loanee Carlos Vinicius recorded his first and only hattrick for the club against the Mariners with Lucas Moura netting the other goal in the first half from a free-kick.
The second period brought only one more goal for the Lilywhites, but it would be a poignant one. Teenage prodigy Alfie Devine was introduced at the interval by Mourinho and the former Wigan Athletic midfielder had a moment to savour.
The Englishman cut inside before disguising an effort into the bottom corner of the near post and made history in the process.
At 16 years and 163 days old, Devine became the youngest scorer of a senior competitive goal in the history of Tottenham Hotspur.
At the time, Marine plied their trade in the Northern Premier League Division One North West, the eighth tier of English football. Three years later, the Merseyside-based club have rose up the pyramid and now compete in the National League North, two tiers higher.
Marine are a prime example of the possibilities that FA Cup prize money can offer to a team of a smaller stature. The Mariners have invested their funds to tremendous effect.
Spurs would eventually reach round five that season where they were on the wrong side of a nine-goal thriller at Goodison Park. Everton beat the North London club 5-4 with current Tottenham striker Richarlison netting a brace for the Toffees.
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Tottenham 3-0 Altrincham, FA Cup Third Round, 7th January 1995
A comprehensive victory saw Spurs ease into the fourth round of the FA Cup in the 1994/95 campaign.
Inventive thinking saw the hosts impose themselves early on. A quick free-kick sent Ronny Rosenthal through down the right-hand side.
The Israeli cut the ball back to the unmarked Teddy Sheringham who opened the scoring inside ten minutes.
The provider for the first goal then got himself on the scoresheet to double the hosts' advantage.
After Altrincham failed to clear their lines from a corner, Rosenthal was alert to drill in Spurs’ second.
Gerry Francis' team controlled proceedings and gave the inferior opposition very few opportunities.
Their place in the next round was all but confirmed in the 82nd minute as Stuart Nethercott netted a superb header.
Sheringham clipped in a ball into Nethercott who connected sweetly to somehow convert from just inside the box.
The North London club went on to reach the semi-final of the competition before being knocked out by Everton.
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Marlow 1-5 Tottenham, FA Cup Third Round, 2nd January 1993
A few years prior to their encounter with Altrincham, the Lilywhites were drawn against another non-league outfit in the form of Southern Premier side Marlow.
Despite being drawn as an away tie, the game was played at White Hart Lane following police advice.
Marlow’s Alfred Davis Ground had a capacity of 3,000 and it was anticipated that thousands of Spurs fans would try to purchase tickets in the home end making any attempt at segregation futile.
Tottenham raced into a 3-0 lead in N17 courtesy of goals from Teddy Sheringham, Nick Barmby and Vinny Samways.
Unlike the rest of this list, the eight-time FA Cup winners failed to keep a clean sheet as the club hailing from Buckinghamshire managed to beat Norwegian goalkeeper Erik Thorstvedt.
David Lay would provide their fans with a moment to treasure as he smashed home in front of a packed away end.
Ansil Bushay then spurned two gilt-edged opportunities before Samways and Barmby recorded a brace each to see Tottenham advance into the fourth round.
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Altrincham 0-3 Tottenham, FA Cup Third Round Replay, 16th January 1979
It took a replay for Tottenham to prevail over the Northern Premier League outfit back in 1979.
The original tie, which was played the week before, had ended 1-1 at White Hart Lane. Alty cancelled out Peter Taylor's penalty to earn a a priceless replay.
The match would be contested at Manchester City’s Maine Road, with Altrincham’s Moss Lane not deemed suitable for the demand of the tie.
After that scare the previous week, Colin Lee recorded a hattrick to secure a 3-0 triumph for Keith Burkinshaw’s team.
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Margate 0-6 Tottenham, FA Cup Third Round, 13th January 1973
Over fifty years ago, Tottenham hit Margate for six to advance into the fourth round of the prestigious competition.
At the time, Margate were members of the Southern League, a semi-professional division where clubs had to be elected into the Football League. Bill Nicholson’s side’s quality proved too much as they overwhelmed the part-timers.
However, it took the Lilywhites almost half an hour to break the deadlock with Margate’s defence holding firm 25 minutes.
Martin Chivers exhibited his class with a pin-point free kick to breach the Gate's net for the first time of the afternoon.
Spurs took a narrow lead into the interval but the floodgates truly burst open in the second period.
Chivers finished his second before Jimmy Pearce and Martin Peters gave the hosts an unassailable task at Hartsdown Park.
Cyril Knowles and John Pratt capped off the dominant display in the closing stages to see Spurs progress into next round in front of a record Margate crowd of 14,169.
