THE FA Trophy is important to Worcester City because it's a competition that realistically we can win.

There is a genuine chance and it is possible because we have seen Nationwide North sides get to the semi-finals and final in the past.

Also, some Nationwide Conference clubs don't treat the trophy as a priority because they are trying to get into the Football League.

The main aim at Worcester is to get promoted but I would like to give the trophy as good a show as possible, starting away at Blyth Spartans in the third qualifying round on Saturday.

However, if there are any risks to be taken, such as leaving George Clegg out with his knee injury, I would rather take them in the trophy than in the league.

Anything in the trophy is a bonus financially for the club because reaching the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup was enough to cover our budget for cup competitions.

I don't think the FA Cup was a disappointment.

It was disappointing in the way we went out on penalties at Basingstoke but we did what we were expected to do and that was to get to the fourth qualifying round and we had budgeted for that.

If we had gone out to Romulus or Hemel Hempstead in the earlier rounds, that would have been a disappointment.

But we achieved what we set out to do at the start of the season and we might even have over-achieved financially because of the replays.

So the more rounds we can go in the trophy, the better our finances will be for a push in the league. It all helps, it's all extra money in the coffers.

We are in a great league position at the moment, having moved up to sixth.

Our league position has been a little bit up and down this season.

We were top at one time and then we slipped below mid-table but I think we are playing as well as we have done this season.

We are in a strong position to attack from. We are nearly at the half-way point of the season now so there's a good chance we can stay in the play-off places for the remainder of the season.

The team is looking better and better each week but we are still a little bit short in terms of strength in depth in the squad.

As soon as we get one or two injuries it starts to show in the squad we have got.

But we are still on the look out for players.

It's difficult to get the right players for the right price and we will just keep searching but the lads who are playing at the moment are doing well.

Danny Hodnett will be rested for another 10 days with his ankle injury.

He won't play at Blyth but might be fit for Stalybridge on Saturday week.