BLUES chairman Stephen Vaughan is dreaming of an FA Cup giant-killing after his club was handed a money-spinning route back into the competition.

Chester were reinstated in the FA Cup on Wednesday at the expense of Bury, who were thrown out for fielding an ineligible player in their 3-1 second-round replay win over the Blues on December 12.

If, as expected, the Shakers are un-successful in their appeal, City will host Championship side Ipswich Town in round three on Saturday, January 6 - a tie that could see them bank a six-figure sum.

Vaughan said: 'We sympathise with Bury and the people involved, but rules are rules. We've got a lifeline, we're back in and justice has been done.

'We should have got the job done in our first game against Bury and in the second we never got out of the traps. Now we've got a third bite at a competition we were eliminated from. It's fate and let's just hope there's some more to come.' Chester were informed of Bury's mistake by the FA last Friday and Vaughan felt it handed the players a well-timed boost for Saturday's match at Peterborough, which City won 2-0.

The chairman is now eyeing a win over Ipswich, who are 15th in the Championship table.

'It gave us a lift when we first got the news last Friday,' said Vaughan. 'I just hope that it can put the desire and the hunger back into the camp for when we have another bite at the cherry against Ipswich.'

Chester's FA Cup reprieve will see them bank £24,000 in prize-money for reaching the third round. According to Vaughan, they can expect to make somewhere between £50,000 and £70,000 from gate receipts from staging the Ipswich tie, although FA Cup rules state that half of the money goes to the visiting club.

Progression to round four is worth £40,000 in prize-money alone.

'It could all be worth a six-figure sum to us,' added Vaughan.

The cash windfall will put Chester in a stronger position once the transfer window reopens in January, but boss Mark Wright was always likely to be handed funds by his chairman.

'We'd have been in that market anyway,' confirmed Vaughan.