A brief history of Spurs against non-league teams in the FA Cup

Ten opponents, 11 ties including three going to replays - here is all you need to know about us playing non-league opposition in the FA Cup going all the way back to 1908, when we became a Football League club, ahead of Sunday's third round tie at Marine.

Marine represents our first match against non-league opposition since we beat Altrincham 3-0 at the Lane back in January, 1995, a gap of over 25 years between non-league opponents.

We were voted into Division Two of the Football League from the Southern League in 1908, and a number of our first FA Cup matches as a league club - remember, famously won the trophy as a non-league club in 1901 - were against familiar Southern League opposition in Plymouth (1910), Millwall (1911), Reading (1913) and Norwich (1915).

Next up, West Stanley of the North Eastern League swept aside 4-0 in the second round in January, 1920, the season we'd dominate the Second Division and clinch promotion as champions to the top flight.

We had a scare against Worksop Town in the first round in January, 1923 as the Midland League side held us to a goalless draw at the Lane. However, back then it was possible to buy the rights to stage the replay, and home advantage was sold in return for a guaranteed share of the matchday income. We cantered home 9-0 in that replay played two days later on a Monday afternoon.

There was then a gap of 33 years - including the Second World War - before we played non-league opposition again and it was another Midland League team, this time Boston United in the third round in January, 1956. We'd won our first Division One championship in that time (1950/51) and the club was booming - 46,185 fans were there for a 4-0 win. We reached the semi-final that season, but lost out to Manchester City.

It would be another 17 years before we faced Margate of the Southern League in the third round in January, 1973. We won that tie 6-0 but went out against Derby in round four. However, we landed the League Cup that season and, defending the trophy, reached the semi-finals of the UEFA Cup, losing out to Liverpool.

We had a tough time in the FA Cup in the mid-1970s - we didn't get past the third round between 1974-78 - but that run ended when we beat Altrincham, then in the Northern Premier League, in January, 1979. However, we needed a replay after a 1-1 draw at the Lane. The replay was at Maine Road and Colin Lee scored a hat-trick in a 3-0 win.

Another 14 years went by before we beat Marlow of the Isthmian League 5-1 at home in the third round in January, 1993. It was an 'away' tie for us, but it was switched from Marlow's Alfred Davis Ground, capacity at the time 3,000, to the Lane, where 26,636 saw us into round four.

That brings us to the last time we played a non-league team in the FA Cup, a 3-0 win against Altrincham, who had moved up the ranks to the Conference (now National League), in January, 1995. Ronnie Rosenthal, Teddy Sheringham and Stuart Nethercott were on target that day and inspired by the deadly duo of Teddy and Jurgen Klinsmann, we beat Liverpool at Anfield and reached the semi-finals, where we lost to Everton.

Over 25 years on, the eyes of the football world will turn to Crosby, Merseyside, for 90 minutes on Sunday (5pm) as we take on Marine of Northern Premier League Division One North West in round three. It really is the magic of the FA Cup...

Non-league opponents in the FA Cup

1909/10
15.01.10 - 1st round - Plymouth (Southern League) 1-1 Spurs - Humphreys - 10,200
19.01.10 - 1st round replay - Spurs 7-1 Plymouth - Humphreys 3, Middlesmiss 2, Minter, D Steel - 16,500

1910/11
14.01.11 - 1st round - Spurs 2-1 Millwall (Southern League) - Minter, OG - 21,464

1912/13
01.02.13 - 2nd round - Reading (Southern League) 1-0 Spurs - 17,794

1914/15
30.01.15 - 2nd round - Norwich City (Southern League) 3-2 Spurs - Cantrell, OG - 9,758

1919/20
31.01.20 - 2nd round - Spurs 4-0 West Stanley (North Eastern League) - Banks, Wilson 2, Bliss - 17,261

1922/23
13.01.23 - 1st round - Spurs 0-0 Worksop Town (Midland League) - 23,928
15.01.23 - 1st round replay - Spurs 9-0 Worksop Town - Lindsay 4, Handley 3, Seed, Dimmock - 23,122
Home advantage for the replay sold by Worksop Town

1955/56
07.01.56 - 3rd round - Spurs 4-0 Boston United (Midland League) - Smith 2, Duquemin, Robb - 46,185

1972/73
13.01.73 - 3rd round - Margate (Southern League) 0-6 Spurs - Chivers 2, Pratt, Peters, Pearce, Knowles - 8,500

1978/79
10.01.79 - 3rd round - Spurs 1-1 Altrincham (Northern Premier League) - Taylor - 31,081
16.01.79 - 3rd round replay - Altrincham 0-3 Spurs - Lee 3 - 27,878
Replay staged at Maine Road, Manchester City

1992/93
02.01.93 - 3rd round - Marlow (Isthmian League) 1-5 Spurs - Sheringham, Barmby 2, Samways 2 - 26,636
Match played at White Hart Lane

1994/95
07.01.95 - 3rd round - Spurs 3-0 Altrincham (Conference) - Rosenthal, Sheringham, Nethercott - 25,057