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

Without question the romantic tie coming out the draw on Monday evening, we will face non-league opponents for the 12th time in the Emirates FA Cup when we take on National League side Tamworth in the third round in January.

A date, kick-off time and ticket information will all arrive in due course, but what we do know is we'll travel to The Lamb Ground for the encounter over the weekend of Saturday 11 January.

What we also know is that Tamworth are currently 12th in the National League - a division currently topped by York City - and that they have toppled League One opposition in Huddersfield Town and Burton Albion to reach this stage of the competition for the first time since 2012.

This will be our first tie against non-league opposition since taking on Marine in the third round during lockdown in January, 2021. The Merseysiders from Northern Premier League Division One North West certainly put up a fight early in that game before a four-goal burst in the space of 13 minutes (24-37) put the issue beyond doubt. It was then left to Alfie Devine to create a little club history - by scoring our fifth goal, he doubled up as our youngest player and goalscorer at 16 years, 163 days.

Eleven opponents, 12 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 and played our first season in the old Division Two (now the Championship, 1908/09).

Having been voted into the Football League from the Southern League in 1908, 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 title in that time (1950/51) and the club was booming - 46,185 fans turned up 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-final 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. But 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 our second meeting with 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 Teddy and Jurgen Klinsmann, we beat Liverpool at Anfield and reach the semi-final, where we lost to Everton.

It was another 25 years before our latest tie against non-league, as the eyes of the football world turned to Crosby, Merseyside, and our third round clash against Marine. The game was televised live, with, sadly, no fans in the Marine Travel Arena due to COVID restrictions. Instead, residents watched from their homes as Jose Mourinho took his place in the dugout, and Gareth Bale warmed up the other side of their garden fences. Carlos Vinicius scored a 13-minute hat-trick as we took charge midway through the first half. Lucas Moura made it 4-0 by half-time before Alfie Devine's historic moment.

Now we're in the spotlight again for our first trip to The Lamb Ground, a tie to warm the hearts of all FA Cup romantics out there...

Results | Spurs vs non-league | FA Cup

15.01.1910 | 1st round - Plymouth (Southern League) 1-1 Spurs
19.01.1910 | 1st round replay - Spurs 7-1 Plymouth
01.02.1913 | 2nd round - Reading (Southern League) 1-0 Spurs
30.01.1915 | 2nd round - Norwich City (Southern League) 3-2 Spurs
31.01.1920 | 2nd round - Spurs 4-0 West Stanley (North Eastern League)
13.01.1923 | 1st round - Spurs 0-0 Worksop Town (Midland League)
15.01.1923 | 1st round replay - Spurs 9-0 Worksop Town
Home advantage for the replay sold by Worksop Town
07.01.1956 | 3rd round - Spurs 4-0 Boston United (Midland League)
13.01.1973 | 3rd round - Margate (Southern League) 0-6 Spurs
10.01.1979 | 3rd round - Spurs 1-1 Altrincham (Northern Premier League)
16.01.1979 | 3rd round replay - Altrincham 0-3 Spurs
Replay staged at Maine Road, Manchester City
02.01.1993 - 3rd round - Marlow (Isthmian League) 1-5 Spurs
Tie played at White Hart Lane
07.01.1995 - 3rd round - Spurs 3-0 Altrincham (Conference)
10.01.2021 - 3rd round - Marine (Northern Premier League D1, NW) 0-5 Spurs