They are the club that sparked the Non-League Day initiative.
It was back in 2010 that James Doe went on a trip to Devon to watch his team, Queens Park Rangers, in a pre-season friendly at Tavistock AFC.
He enjoyed the experience so much that he set up Non-League Day as a social media experiment to try and encourage others to get along to their local non-League club whenever the opportunity arose.
15 years later and it has now grown to become an annual part of the football calendar, backed by FA Premier League and Football League clubs, MPs, celebrities, media organisations, charities and, most importantly, the non-League clubs themselves and the fans who turn up on the day.
Always scheduled to coincide with an international break, Non-League Day provides a platform for clubs to promote the importance of affordable, volunteer-led community football while giving fans across the country the chance to show support for their local non-League side.
For Tavistock AFC, they go into Non-League Day on Saturday on the back of victories in their last three outings, which has pulled them out of the relegation places in the Pitching In Southern League Division One South.
The upturn has come after long-serving manager, Stuart Henderson, freshened up his squad, with Luke Mortimore one of the players coming in as he made the step up from Okehampton Argyle.
His brace in the 4-0 victory over Cinderford Town at the weekend has made it five goals for him since his February arrival.
“It took me a couple of weeks to get settled and up to speed again with this level,” Mortimore admitted to us. “Obviously the results weren’t great at the time and I came into a team low on confidence, but things have really picked up since then and there’s a real buzz around the team now.
“That has helped me to get into my stride and I am pleased with the contribution that I am making.
“It just shows how important confidence is in football. The new faces that have come into the group have freshened things up and had an effect on everyone. The self-belief has grown and now the results are starting to go our way.
“We’re by no means out of danger, but we’re moving in the right direction and Saturday’s win saw us reach the 40-point mark.
“This level of football is very different to what I have been playing over the past few years – it’s much more of a percentage-based style where teams like to get the ball forward as quickly as possible and go from there.
“I’ve also noticed pretty much straight away that you don’t get many chances in games, so when they do come along you have to be clinical.
“I face the run-in to the end of the season with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. It’s exciting because we’re on a good run and enjoying our football, but it’s also a nervy time because things are still extremely tight and all it takes is a couple of results to go against you and you are right back in it again.
“But we have momentum from three straight wins and we’ll take that into Saturday’s game at Bristol Manor Farm.
“The ultimate aim is to stay in this League, of course, and if I can put in good performances and add a few goals to help towards that, I will be extremely happy.”
IMAGE: Tavistock AFC
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