YORK City manager Martin Foyle is refusing to accept his side have a straightforward passage into the FA Trophy final.

The winners of tonight’s quarter-final between the Minstermen and fourth-bottom Blue Square Premier hosts Barrow have been drawn against 16th-placed Salisbury – the second-lowest ranked side of the five clubs still left in this season’s competition. Stevenage will face Kidderminster in the other semi-final, meaning a rematch between last season’s finalists is still possible.

The Hertfordshire side beat the Minstermen 2-0 at Wembley in May, but Foyle is refusing to think that far ahead.

He said: “The semi-final draw doesn’t interest me yet, let alone who we would meet if we reached the final because we have a very hard game at Barrow first. Salisbury have also done well of late. Oxford would have been considered the hardest draw in the last round but they made six changes and went out. I think they probably made the right decision though.”

Like Stevenage, the Minstermen or Barrow have been drawn away for the semi-final first leg on March 13 before hosting the return leg seven days later.

It would represent the third successive season York have been drawn at home in the second leg of a Trophy semi-final, going out on aggregate to Torquay in 2008, but overcoming Telford last year.

Foyle added: “It does help if you are at home for the second leg, but not if you lose the first match 3-0.”

A lunchtime pitch inspection is planned for today following Saturday’s postponement due to frozen conditions at Holker Street.

Both clubs have agreed to tomorrow as a standby date, subject to FA approval, should the pitch still prove unplayable.

Having seen this week’s league trip to Mansfield already called off because of the weekend’s postponement, Foyle is desperate to avoid a replay, which would mean next Tuesday’s visit to Grays also making way.

He said: “A replay would be the worst-case scenario because I don’t know what we would be expected to do then.”

Should the game go to a replay and City subsequently go on to reach the Trophy and play-off finals then the Bootham Crescent club will complete the 2009/10 season having played 63 fixtures.

That would be three more than Chelsea if they reach the Champions League final and the final of the FA Cup without the need for a replay. It would also represent five more than Carling Cup finalists Manchester United if they were also to reach the final of the Champions League.

About his team’s punishing programme, Foyle said: “It’s not helped that we’ve had replays in the Trophy, but it’s still a crazy schedule. The players will deserve a big pat on the back for coping with it at the end of the season.”

Top scorer Richard Brodie will now be forced to sit out this weekend’s Blue Square Premier home match with Eastbourne as he completes his three-match suspension, assuming the Barrow tie goes ahead this week.

Brodie also served a two-game ban in January but Foyle is not concerned about the England ‘C’ striker’s lack of matches, saying: “It hasn’t entered my mind that he could become rusty.

“He’s been doing extra training and won’t be taking his foot off the pedal. He’s a fit lad but we won’t stop pushing him.”

• City’s trip to Kidderminster has been rearranged for March 23.