Longridge Town boss Lee Ashcroft concentrates on league progress for now

Town booked their place in the last 16 with a win over Newark Flowserve on Saturday.

Monday’s draw gave them a home tie against Northern League First Division high flyers Hebburn Town on Saturday, February 8 after they won at Vauxhall Motors.

Before then, however, is the small matter of playing catch-up in the league.

Town’s FA Vase progress means they have dropped out of the Hallmark Security League Premier Division’s top three – but with plenty of games in hand on the sides above them.

“It’s important we concentrate on the league now,” Ashcroft said.

“We’re in a fantastic position, and while it’s great to have a cup run, we have a few really hard games coming up.

“We said we’d like to stabilise and stay in the division this year but we took the momentum from promotion last year and kept winning.

“I think it’s the only time in the next few years that the top three will go up, so why not have a go at it?”

Town’s FA Vase progress means their scheduled league game for February 8, a home match with Whitchurch Alport, will have to be rearranged.

In its place will be what Ashcroft believes is as tough a tie as Town could have been handed.

He said: “The favourites were knocked out on Saturday and Hebburn are second favourites for the competition.

“They are second in a difficult league and they have a good following; they took 70 or 80 to Vauxhall.

“We just hope the people of Longridge get behind us, we’re hoping to have 300 or 400 there that day.

“There won’t be any easy games at this stage; we’ve done incredibly well to get to where are, we’ve come such a long way in a short period.”