WORCESTER City might not get a better chance to reach the FA Cup first round proper.

Prior to Tuesday night’s third qualifying round replay against Leamington, if you had offered them two home games against a team at their level and then three below to progress, they would likely have snapped your hand off.

While few were talking about the prospect of hosting Greenwich Borough, one of the lowest ranked teams left in the competition, before the Leamington clash, you bet people had thought about it.

Had the prize been Barnet away in the fourth qualifying round, you could have forgiven both sets of players for thinking the draw had been unkind.

But, with it being about as favourable as is possible at this stage, the pressure was ramped up on Tuesday and that showed as tempers flared towards the end.

Yet, by that point, City had done enough to progress after captain Ellis Deeney’s second goal of the season and Danny Jackman’s first.

Now they are just 90 minutes from a coveted place in the draw for the first round proper, a stage City have not been to for nearly a decade.

Greenwich Borough have earned the right to play Worcester on merit but, deep down, the Blue and Whites know this is their chance.

Manager Carl Heeley said: “You would look at that game and say that it’s one that we should be winning, and we should be, but Greenwich Borough have won five games and they need respecting.

“One thing I can guarantee is that when the team goes out they will be focused and know what’s at stake.

“You’ve got to be professional against teams from lower divisions and we have been this season.

“We will be professional and I expect us to go and do the job.”

One of those experienced players is Wayne Thomas, who scored for Stoke City in a 2-1 defeat to Arsenal at Highbury, back in 2005.

He knows better than most what the stakes are.

The 35-year-old centre-half said: “We’ve got a very young squad and they’ve got to be looking to get into the first round to be testing themselves against players and teams that they want to aspire to be.

“No disrespect but they can’t be happy sitting at Worcester, they’ve got to want to strive to do more and be better.

“They’ve got to be challenging to play against the bigger sides and test themselves against the lads they want to be playing against and with in the future.

“Hopefully we can go and do a job in the fourth qualifying round, which is what we’re concentrating on, we’re not taking anything for granted.

“We are going to approach the game professionally, like we did for Leamington, and give everything we’ve got and hopefully that will be enough to take us through.”