Doug Tuck found a footballing home from home when his professional dreams ended at Albion.

Now he hopes to help Bognor play their way out of the Vanarama National League south relegation zone – and enjoy an FA Trophy occasion.

Rocks host Leyton Orient tomorrow as Sussex’s sole survivors in the last 32 and will look to Tuck to make them tick from midfield.

He has been doing that since deciding the way Bognor play football was worth making the 70-mile round trip from his Brighton home three times a week for training and matches.

It’s a style they will stick to throughout their relegation battle - and certainly when the O’s visit.

Tuck told The Argus: “I’ve been here for five or six years now and I love it down here.

“We play good football, it’s a nice pitch, nice club.

“I was at Brighton with Martin Hinshelwood and Vic Bragg as coaches. Steve Brown was there in my first year.

“We played good football. It was drilled into me from a young age so Bognor was the perfect club to go on to.

“Dabba (coach Darrin Kilpartrick), Jack (Pearce, manager), Jamie (Howell, ex-manager) when he was here, that is how they want to play and it suits me.

“I went straight to Bognor from the Albion the year I got released and it’s the only club I’ve played for.”

Asked if he did so retaining hopes of making it as a professional, he said: “Yes and no. Obviously it is always in the back of your mind “But the important thing was to be playing games.”

He added with a laugh: “That’s gone now, though.

“I work as an IT technician for the council and I travel down from Brighton for games and training.

“I’ve done it for about six years.”

One of the big question marks over Tuck making the grade was his size, or rather lack of it.

Rightly or wrongly, it would probably rule him out of many non-league teams, too.

But the touch and vision have never been in doubt, not even on a tricky pitch at Whitehawk last Saturday when he threaded perfectly directed and weighted passes into the path of team mates.

Failure to build on a 2-1 lead over the Hawks has kept Rocks firmly entrenched in the relegation dogfight.

“We should be winning that,” Tuck said of the 2-2 draw which did neither side much good.

“The story of our season has been taking our chances.

“I am confident we can get out of trouble.

“If we keep playing as we are it will come for us.

“It’s just good to be scoring goals again.

“Jimmy Muitt got two and he hadn’t scored in a while so that will give him confidence.

“There are some good teams in the league.

“The teams down the bottom aren’t bad teams.

“If we keep playing as we are, we will be okay. But we need a win.”

Tomorrow will be a bit different.

They would love to beat Justin Edinburgh’s Orient side, who have not scored in their last three matches.

But they do not have an awful lot to lose.

They can enjoy a tussle against an O’s outfit featuring Football League know-how in Jobi McAnuff, ex-Crawley striker Matt Harrold, former Luton goalkeeper Dean Brill and experienced forward David Mooney.

Tuck recalled: “We had a Trophy run a couple of years ago and it’s a nice occasion.

“It will be a good game to play in with a good crowd.”

Pearce sees it similarly and will enjoy it while he can.

The Rocks boss said: “The pressure is off – but then the following week the pressure builds again because you have got to have league points.

“But we’ll keep playing the same way.

“That is the way we will always play while I’ve got influence.”

Rocks continue to have injury problems with James Crane, Chad Field, Corey Heath, Keaton Wood and Ollie Pearce all ruled out.

Ben Swallow is suspended but on-loan centre-back Manny Adebowale has been cleared to play by his parent club Dover.

Rocks have added French midfielder Richard Gilot, who has played second-tier football for Quevilly-Rouen, to their squad.

Bognor midfielder Tommy Block is set for a week’s trial with Sunderland from Monday. He heads to Wearside after catching the eye of scouts this season. Block only turned 18 in December and plays in central midfield.