Chester FC boss Steve Burr has cautioned against looking too far ahead as he prepares his team for this weekend's FA Cup opener.

National League rivals Altrincham stand between the Blues and a place in the first round with clubs from League One and Two.

Chester beat Stockport County and Southend United in the competition last season before taking Barnsley to a replay in the second round.

The club earned in excess of £100,000 from those four matches, which enabled the manager to strengthen his squad in the January transfer window.

He knows how significant a repeat of that run, or even better making the third round where the Premier League clubs enter the competition, would be for the fan-owned club.

Altrincham are having a tough season in the league but beat Burr's side twice last term and the 55-year-old expects Lee Sinnott's team to prove difficult opponents.

However, he is confident his team - who have recorded back-to-back wins - can enjoy another fruitful campaign in the world's most famous domestic cup competition.

"Like all clubs at our level, we want to have a good cup run like we did last year because it helps with the finances and it'll be nice to do that again so we can strengthen this squad," said Burr, who has a good FA Cup pedigree in management.

"Altrincham is a tough place to go but over the years as a player and as a manager it has been quite a happy ground for me and hopefully that will be continue.

"It's a cup tie so it's going to be tough but we want the highs that we had last year at Southend and Barnsley because it was a great experience for the boys.

Steve Burr and his Chester squad pose in front of fans after the FA Cup tie at Barnsley last season
Steve Burr and his Chester squad pose in front of fans after the FA Cup tie at Barnsley last season

"We've been drawn away again and last year the draw wasn't all that kind to us but with the FA Cup, lads will remember it long after they've finished playing and coaches and managers remember it when they've finished, maybe more than the league games because that's what the cup brings.

"There's no better competition to be involved with. You need a bit of luck along the way but the prize is there

"Everybody wants to have a run and then pull a Premier League side and I've had that experience at Northwich when we went to Sunderland and with Stoke when I was at Nuneaton.

"It's there and we've got an opportunity to do that but you need that bit of luck as well.

"Everybody wants to pull out a big one but there's a lot of work ahead of us before we do that."

Steve Burr reached the FA Cup third round while manager of Northwich Victoria, who faced Sunderland at the Stadium of Light
Steve Burr reached the FA Cup third round while manager of Northwich Victoria, who faced Sunderland at the Stadium of Light