NORTHERN Counties West League bottom club Ashton Athletic will arrive at Bootham Crescent next weekend as one of the FA Cup’s biggest minnows, even at the second qualifying round stage of the famous old competition.

But caretaker York City chief Sam Collins has first-hand experience of the perils such banana skins can pose for managers.

Collins was given his second chance in temporary charge of Hartlepool when Paul Murray was sacked less than 24 hours after the Victoria Park outfit were dumped out of the FA Cup in front of the live BBC television cameras against then Northern Premier League outfit Blyth Spartans.

Former City boss Gary Mills, meanwhile, suffered the same fate last season when City went out of the competition following a 3-2 defeat at South Shields.

Billy McEwan – the longest-serving City manager aside from Mills since Terry Dolan was dismissed in 2003 – also only lasted one more match after his team were subjected to a Bootham Crescent Cup upset against Havant & Waterlooville in 2008.

Pontefract-born Collins, like most professionals, has enjoyed his share of highs and lows in the historic tournament.

As a player, he was a member of the Hartlepool team that knocked out Premier League Stoke City in 2009 but, in his 18-year playing career, he also endured shocks against non-League trio Northwich, Scarborough and Kettering, who featuring current Minstermen midfielder Simon Heslop and ex-forward Moses Ashikodi.

Given the demise of Mills and McEwan before him, Collins knows the continuation of his caretaker regime will, in all probability, depend on a positive result against the tier-nine Greater Manchester hopefuls.

Anything less would perhaps rank higher than previous Cup upsets at the 87-year-old ground, including the Havant humiliation, a 1986 loss to Caernarfon Town and 1930s embarrassments at the hands of Scarborough and Burton Town.

On avoiding potential pitfalls in the Cup, Collins said: “I’ve experienced being on the wrong end of cup shocks a couple of times and the one that stands out was when I was helping Paul Murray out as a player-coach at Hartlepool and we got beaten by Blyth on TV. That wasn’t very nice, and it cost Paul his job the day after.

“That’s a horrible situation to be in, but it can happen if you don’t prepare properly. You can come undone and we’ll have to make sure the players realise playing Ashton won’t be easy.

“They’ve just got to keep doing what they have been doing so far for me, other than during the 20 minutes against Hereford when we lost our way in terms of how I want to play. We’ve got a big squad so, if we have a few niggles, we can make a few changes and still have enough to deal with next week, but we’ll still be setting our stall out to win the game.

“I always enjoyed the Cup as a player and will feel exactly the same next week.”

Collins is also fully aware of the glory and special occasions progress in the Cup could bring for City’s non-League squad.

As well as the triumph against Stoke, Collins was unfortunate to finish on the losing side for Hull City during a 1-0 loss to an Aston Villa team boasting the likes of Colombian star Juan Pablo Angel, along with England internationals James Milner and Gareth Barry.

With Bootham Crescent having staged momentous FA Cup victories over top-flight quintet West Brom, Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Tottenham and Arsenal through the decades, not to mention thrilling draws with the likes of Liverpool and Southampton, one final glorious run in the competition would provide a fitting farewell before the club relocate to Monks Cross next summer

And, even if the tournament has been marginalized by some at the top end of the game, it still retains a magical allure for Collins, who enthused: “I don’t think it really matters what level you’re at, it’s still fantastic to play in.

“The rewards are there the further you go, and we want to progress as far as we can. I remember being a young player excited to find out who my team would get and I’m sure the fans look at the draws and feel the same.

“We beat Stoke at Hartlepool, so that was a big cup shock because of where we were in League One at the time and they had been in the Premier League for a couple of years. Having played at Port Vale for four years, it also had a bit more on it for me.

“The game for Hull against Aston Villa was a really, good experience too. They had a really strong team at that time and we were up against Angel, who was an international player and a real handful. We lost 1-0, but played really, really well and were unlucky not to get something out of the game.

“Teams at that level punish you for the slightest mistake and that can cost you, but challenges like that are good tests for all players and I always enjoyed them. When you get to first-team level, you’ve normally been in the game for quite a few years and, when you come up against the top players, you want to see how good you are and what you’ve learnt in your career to deal with those situations.”

With the Cup’s prize fund having doubled this season, progress to the first-round proper would also pocket the club a significant sum of £49,000, with respective cheques of £9,000, £15,000 and £25,000 available to clubs who win ties in the next three stages of the tournament.

On that possible boost, Collins reasoned: “It generates income, which is great if you are trying to do things behind the scenes or looking to recruit players. Winning football matches in any competition is also a good thing for everyone at any club.”