St Albans City joint manager James Gray admits there is a “massive pot of gold” at stake for the club if they can reach the first round proper of the FA Cup.

The Saints host Concord Rangers this weekend in the fourth qualifying round and will also receive £12,500, along with a potentially lucrative tie, if they get past their opponents on Saturday.

Gray said: “We know what’s at stake and there is a massive pot of gold at the end of it. It is massive for us if we can get through and earn a draw against one of the big guns like Sheffield United. The financial gains could be huge but we have to get ourselves ready for Saturday. Hopefully we can get a big crowd down to Clarence Park and get through to the first round of the competition.”

Concord are below the Saints in the Conference South table but the manager insists the hosts are not the favourites and cannot take anything for granted this weekend.

Gray, whose side will be without suspended defender Darren Locke, said: “They are a strong, physical side and are probably one of the fittest teams in the league. We were well beaten by them in pre-season last year although we’ve come a long way since then.

“We are two very similar teams that have both been recently promoted and there is nothing much between us in the league. We certainly don’t consider ourselves favourites and we know that we can’t take them lightly. Playing at home is a slight advantage for us but it also brings its own pressures.”

The Saints have extended Sean Shields’ loan from Dagenham & Redbridge by another month. The attacker has made a big impression since his move from the League Two side and Gray is delighted to keep him at the club for longer.

He said: “Sean has done really well and scored three in the last three games so we’re very happy to keep him here for another month. Maybe something can be done after that but Dagenham may decide to put him in their squad.

“He is a box of tricks and can open up defences. It has taken him a bit of time because he needed to get some matches under his belt but I would expect to see the best of him this month. Everybody can see he is a tricky little player.”

St Albans’ promising league form continued on Saturday after a comfortable 2-0 win at struggling Weston-super-Mare which took them up to seventh in the table.

Gray said: “We looked very solid defensively and were never really in any trouble. The damage was done in the first half and we did a professional job in the second half.

“We wanted to keep in contention with the top pack of sides which we’ve done. We’ve made a good start but that’s all it is so far and it’s a tight league.

“The thing we’ve done well so far is gambled during matches which has meant that we’ve not had many draws but have won and lost quite a lot.”

James Comley made his international debut last week when the Saints midfielder came off the bench during England C’s 2-0 defeat away to Turkey in the International Challenge Trophy.

Gray said: “It is recognition for him as a good player. It is also recognition for us and the faith we’ve shown in him so it’s nice for St Albans to have a representative at international level. We are trying to put the club on the map.

“He put in a good performance and really enjoyed the experience so hopefully he will be involved again next time. It is a reward for him after working his socks off.”

The Saints’ home match against Farnborough, scheduled for Saturday, has been postponed due to the club’s FA Cup tie. The new date has been confirmed as Monday, November 17, with kick-off at 7.45pm.

There is a St Albans City team and supporters’ coach going to Bath City for the Vanarama Conference South away game on Saturday, November 1.

The coach will depart at 9.30am from the Clarence Park entrance to the ground. Since the coach has a limited number of seats available, anyone going should book as early as possible.

To reserve seats, call Ian Rogers on 07714 145862 or alternatively you can book at this Saturday’s game. The cost for the coach is £15.