JOHN ASKEY has enthused that “there is nothing like the FA Cup” ahead of York City’s first game in the competition.

York will take on Bury AFC tomorrow (3pm) away from home in the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup.

City will travel to Neuven Stadium, which is the home of Radcliffe FC and where Bury currently groundshare.

The Shakers, a phoenix club of Bury FC, compete in the North West Counties League premier division and their clash with York will be their sixth FA Cup game of the season.

They are the lowest ranked team remaining in the competition.

“We know that Radcliffe has a bit of a slope on it, luckily the weather has been good. It should be in as good a condition as possible for this time of year,” noted City manager Askey.

“We’re looking forward to it, there’s nothing like the FA Cup. There’s something about it that’s special.

“We want to put a good performance on and send our supporters home happy again.”

The Minstermen will no doubt be seeking an improvement on their cup run last season, which ended in the first round.

City were beaten 1-0 by Buxton and eliminated from the competition.

When asked if it would be nice to have a break from league action, Askey replied: “Yeah, it is. It’s always nice to play in the FA Cup as well. We know it’s going to be a tough game against Bury, but it’s one to look forward to.

“These are the games that we’ve got to really buckle down in if we want to have any chance of getting a glamorous tie in games to come, but you’ve got to put that hard work in now.

“I won’t forget, only three years ago when I was at Port Vale and we played Manchester City at the Etihad.

“It was a fantastic occasion, they played all their top players and we performed well on the day.

“It was a memorable occasion and for players, that’s what you want to do. You want to test yourself against the best players. The carrot is there, we have to try and take it.”

Teams generally have a chance to make changes to their side for a cup game, perhaps more so than they would for a regular league match.

Askey acknowledged that his side’s clash with Bury gave him the opportunity to rotate his squad.

“It gives us the option to do that (make changes),” he said. “That’s why it’s nice to have a cup game.

“We’ve had a look at it and whether we feel one or two need resting, we’ve got the option of doing that.

“But we also know the importance of getting through this round, because it can bring a lot of revenue in.

“It is very much so (a balancing act), because as we’ve said, the priority is the league, so it’s an opportunity to get players playing and get a competitive game under their belt.

“It’s just trying to do the right thing. But we know whoever plays, they’re more than capable if their attitude is right of winning the game.

“We have got better players, but we all know on the day, it doesn’t matter how good you are. If you don’t work hard and put the effort in then the other team can beat you.”