THE Isuzu FA Vase might not be the priority for Worcester City boss Chris Cornes but he admits the competition is growing on him as his side look to book a place in the quarter-finals on Saturday.

Providing the pitch is playable following all the rain this week, tournament favourites City (5-4 with the bookies) will travel down the road to Walshes Meadow for a sell-out round-of-16 clash with local neighbours Stourport Swifts on Saturday, where both sides will battle it out for a spot in the last eight of the tournament.

City remain on course for a non-league quadruple; they sit top of the Hellenic League Premier with four games in hand on second-placed Corsham Town, and are in the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the Wiseman Lighting Floodlit Cup and Marsh Challenge Cup respectively.

Attention now turns to the other competition on their hit-list, the FA Vase, where a potential Wembley final awaits. But for Cornes, it still plays second fiddle for the league campaign.

"For me, it is about being in and around the top of the table at the end of the season, that's the priority for me, promotion or play-offs, whichever it might be," said Cornes.

"I have been saying the same thing every game in the Vase up till now and I suppose, when you get closer and closer to the final, you end up thinking about it more.

"It's still at the back of my mind at the moment and I am not lying when I say I would prefer a league game on Saturday so we can put more points on the board but we have to keep plodding along and see what Saturday brings.

"Whatever happens this season, when will this club ever get a better chance to go to Wembley, so I see it from that point of view.

"Hopefully we can win and we get to the next round, and then we will go from there. It's a big game for both clubs and for Worcestershire football so we will be going all out."

Regarding some team news for City, Cornes will be without three key players in Calvin Dinsley, Dylan Hart (both injuries) and centre-half Elliot Keightley, who is away on holiday.

On Dinsley's hamstring issue: "It is slightly better but it hasn't fully settled down, it will probably be a couple more weeks but there is no definitive time line on it.

"Physios are doing everything right and George and Nicole are brilliant at looking after the lads. But we wont rush him back, it wouldn't be right

"As for Dylan (Hart), it's more about the trauma of the surgery. The doctor said anywhere between 3-6 weeks total recovery so he could be a couple of weeks away before he starts his rehab work."

Keightley's absence could lead to a debut for new signing Chris Knight, who was brought in this week from AFC Wulfrunians. He will most likely partner Kirk Layton in the middle of the back four, whilst Jordan Lymn and Jamie Insall will continue in place of Dinsley and Hart.

But Cornes will be boosted by the return of captain Adam Mace to the side after serving the first of his two-match league ban last Saturday. He is free to feature in the Vase but will then sit out the match with Thornbury Town next week.