OPPORTUNITY knocks for Guiseley according to joint-manager Marcus Bignot, as they gear up for an FA Cup clash this weekend.

The Lions travel to Derbyshire on Saturday to face Northern Counties East League Premier Division side Staveley Miners' Welfare in the second qualifying round of the competition.

Bignot says his side have momentum after a 3-0 win over FC United of Manchester in Vanarama North in their last match.

He is aiming for more success and is even dreaming of a glamorous FA Cup third round clash against one of English football's biggest sides.

Bignot said: "We have got momentum and we want to continue that. Our league form can go hand in hand with a cup competition.

"The FA Cup is an important competition for non-league clubs. It's an opportunity for anyone's story to be told. Wins can change a club's landscapes in terms of its finances.

"Realistically, we are not going to win the FA Cup. Our final would be a third round glamour tie against one of the top sides away from home. That would put the football club on the map.

"It's a difficult tie on Saturday, they are in really good form.

"We are really thin on the ground at the moment. We had a busy August and it is good to not have a mid-week match as it gives us a chance to get players back."

Bignot spoke enthusiastically about the romance of the cup, and was happy to recall some of his personal highlights.

He added: “I’ve not been fortunate enough to lift the FA Cup, but I think I once won Match of the Day’s ‘celebration of the round’ when I was at Telford United.

“I did score for Bristol Rovers, though, when we knocked Everton out of the League Cup over two legs in 2000, and they had Paul Gascoigne playing for them then.”

“There’s a story to be told in the competition every year and we hope it’s ours this time.”