MARK Collier says that he struggles to envision a tougher FA Trophy assignment than the one his Chippenham Town side are tasked with this weekend but is backing the Bluebirds to have every chance of overcoming Leiston.

On Saturday, Chippenham roll out the red carpet for the Isthmian League Blues in the second qualifying round, welcoming opposition who are currently a point off the top of their own division.

Last month, Suffolk side Leiston won 4-1 at National League Hungerford Town in the third qualifying round of the FA Cup but they were denied a place in the first round proper by headline-makers Westfields, the lowest-ranked side still in the competition.

Collier will also be without top scorer Andy Sandell, who is suspended, and first-choice goalkeeper Darren Chitty, who misses out due to a family wedding, but the Hardenhuish Park chief has his fingers crossed that those obstacles will prove surmountable.

“When the draw happened, I think it was the hardest tie that we could have got in the competition – they were probably the number one seed,” said Collier.

“We’ve had a report on them and they beat Hungerford 4-0 in the FA Cup, so we know that they’re a good team. They’re also right near the top of their league.

“But we’re at home and hopefully that home advantage will work in our favour.

“Andy Sandell is suspended and misses the game and Darren Chitty is away at a family wedding, which we knew when we signed him.

“You’re always going to miss somebody like Sandell, who has scored 17 goals. At the moment, James Rae will come in for Darren Chitty but he has a bit of a knee problem, so we’ll have to assess him.”

Chippenham are hoping to be able to include Michael Pook, who overcame a back injury to feature off the bench during his side’s 3-0 league victory over Hayes & Yeading United last weekend, and full-back Nuno Felix.

However, Conor McCormack and James Guthrie are ruled out.

Although his team remain in the hunt for promotion from the Southern League Premier Division, Collier sees no harm in his players throwing their all into a Trophy run this term.

The Bluebirds boss added: “Because of our ambitions, we decided not to enter the league cup this year but the Trophy gives us a great distraction from league football.

“It’s a huge competition and it’s great for the club financially, so we’re going to be trying our best to win the tie on Saturday.”