Wilkin looking for Saints to produce another cup run

Capping them all was the Buildbase FA Trophy victory at Wembley and now Saints have a great opportunity to take another step in the Emirates FA Cup.

It is a competition in which Saints have produced upsets with two replay victories over Gillingham.

Saints entertain Marine in Saturday’s third qualifying round tie and will be favourites to progress at the expense of the Evo-Stik Northern Premier League outfit. Marine are in the bottom half of the premier division table but Saints boss Kevin Wilkin will not be taking them lightly.

Wilkin said: “It will be good to get have a distraction away from the league and this is a competition we want to do well in. We’ve enjoyed cup runs in recent seasons and we want to have another run in this one.

“It’s always important to get a home draw and this fixture away would have been a lot more difficult. But we can’t get complacent and one moment can change a cup tie.

“We looked comfortable at Nuneaton in the previous round but in one moment they equalised and almost won it, that could have been us out of the competition. We didn’t play that badly but we didn’t get that crucial second goal to give us that cushion.

“Playing at home on a good surface in the replay, we performed really well but we didn’t score enough goals.

“I would imagine Marine will be the underdog but a good result in the cup can change their season and give them a lift. We need to be professional, stay consistent and get the job done.

“We need to see games out more often we’re getting to 70 minutes and some of the younger players are losing their concentration. We’re a young side and some of them lose their way in games.

“We look comfortable in games and then, for some reason, they switch off. We put a lot of effort into games but find it difficult to sustain that for 90 minutes.

“We need to be in more control of games but we’re a young side. As long as we’re winning while we’re learning then that’s okay.”

Glenn Walker is the only doubt for Saints with a knee injury which means Wilkin is down to a 15-man squad following the departure of Gregg Smith back to Boston United and defender Luke Graham to Kettering Town.