The memories will come flooding back for Stuart Tuck when he leads Eastbourne Borough out at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday.

The Borough skipper is no stranger to high-pressure games where a whole season rests on the outcome of 90 nerve-jangling minutes.

Eight years after helping Albion achieve the point they needed at Hereford to retain their Football League status, Tuck hopes to guide Borough into the Conference by beating Altrincham in the play-off final.

Tuck believes the experience of that tense final day at Edgar Street, where Robbie Reinelt's goal saved the Seagulls from possible extinction, will stand him in good stead for Sunday's showdown.

Tuck, 30, said: "That was the ultimate experience in feeling under pressure because if we had lost it could have been the end of the club.

"I had lived in Brighton all my life and grown up with the club so I didn't want to be part of the team which was relegated from the Football League.

"I was only 22 at the time so it was not so bad for me. When you are young you just tend to go out and play but you could tell a lot of the older players were feeling it.

"Now I'm one of the older players at Borough so it will be my job to help the younger ones if they are struggling.

"There is no hiding the fact it is going to be a huge game in front of a big crowd but we have got to put the nerves to the back of our minds and grab the opportunity we have given ourselves."

A year after helping Albion pull off the great escape Tuck was forced to hang up his boots following a major operation on a persistent groin injury.

The blow hit Tuck hard and he turned his back on the game for two years before accepting the chance to rebuild his career in the part-time ranks with Worthing.

He moved to Eastbourne Borough in October 2001 and has helped the club climb from the Dr Martens eastern division to the verge of the Conference. With Tuck unable to play professionally again the opportunity to perform at the highest level in the non-league game is one he is desperate to grab.

He said: "I was only 24 and had just established myself as a regular in the first team so for my dream of being a professional footballer to be cut short was really hard to take.

"I didn't take it that well to begin with but I got back into non-league football and ever since then it has been my biggest goal to get into the Conference. Altrincham are a big club so it will be a tough game. No one expected us to get this far so in one way we have nothing to lose but now we are in the final it will be disappointing to miss out.

"The worst thing would be to freeze on the big stage. If we lose after giving it everything then we can hold our hands up and say we tried our best but I'm confident if we play the way we can then we've got a great chance."

Borough will be without Phil Warner whose loan from Aldershot ran out following the 3-0 win over Cambridge City in the Conference south play off final last Saturday. Ollie Rowland is available again following suspension while Darren Smith has returned from honeymoon and Danny Chapman has been passed fit.

Altrincham have no new injury worries and are expected to name the same side which beat Kettering 3-2 after extra-time in the Conference north play-off final last Saturday.