Nobody will have more motivation to knock Albion out of the Sussex Senior Cup than Doug Tuck.

The Bognor stalwart could be forgiven for glancing across at the Seagulls' youngsters in tomorrow night's semi-final at Nyewood Lane and wondering what might have been.

Tuck was on Albion's books as a teenager. The midfielder missed out on becoming a pro more because of lack of inches than lack of talent.

Tuck's uncle and ex-Albion defender Stuart told The Argus: "He got taken on as a scholar. He would be the first to admit, his ability was never in question, but he was always quite small as a youngster.

"He was one of those players that divided opinion because of the physicality side of it.

"There were those that went with it, because of his ability, and those that went the other way.

"By all accounts, even at the end when he was told he was being released, that was part of the deal.

"They said his ability was not in question, it's just the physicality that went against him."

Tuck's Albion exit has been Bognor's gain. He has thrived with the club Stuart (below) also played for when he dropped into non-league, combining pulling the strings in the middle of the park for the Rocks with a job as a council IT consultant for primary schools.

The Argus: Stuart said: "When he left Brighton he went to Bognor with Jamie Howell and Jack Pearce, I know the club well from the time I was there and the style of football they played was something we thought would suit him.

"I am biased. Although he is not the biggest, because of his ability it was no surprise to me that he went into a decent standard of football and has done quite well there.

"He is only 24 now and he has played over 300 games for Bognor. They went up into Conference South for a while and I've already seen him play in one Senior Cup final.

"Already he's had quite a successful non-League career. Like most people the dream was to be a professional footballer and even after he had been released by Brighton, like a lot of players, you cling to hopes you might get in the back door but you have to accept at some stage it's not going to happen.

"So he's moved on now whilst enjoying a decent non-league career at Bognor."

Stuart, who works in the PE department at Varndean School, recognises the extra motivation for his nephew to prevent Albion from lifting the trophy for the sixth time in ten years.

"Like anyone who plays, there is always a bit more of an edge to it if it is against a former team, even if it was at youth team level," Stuart said.

"It will be a really interesting game with the strength of depth now that Brighton have got throughout their club.

"They are probably slight favourites still whereas back when I was playing a Conference/Ryman team might have had the edge on a Brighton reserve/youth team.

"It should be a really good game. Bognor still play a lot of football. It's a nice playing surface, so you are not going to get that leveller where it is a cut-up pitch at this stage of the season."