YORK City caretaker boss Sam Collins is wary of fourth qualifying round hosts’ Blyth Spartans’ FA Cup pedigree, having fallen victim to one of their past giant-killings.

The Minstermen have been drawn away to their National League North rivals, with the tie set to take place on Saturday, October 20.

And Collins still has unhappy memories of the last time he met the north-east part-timers in the tournament as caretaker assistant-manager at then League Two outfit Hartlepool during December 2014.

Blyth, who were in the Evo-Stik League at the time, secured a 2-1 triumph at the Victoria Ground in front of the live BBC TV cameras and, subsequently went on to lead 2-0 against Championship club Birmingham City in the third round before bowing out 3-2.

In 1978, meanwhile, Blyth even went as far as the tournament’s last 16 and Collins knows how much the Cup means to the locals in that corner of Northumberland.

He still believes City, who defeated Blyth 2-0 during Collins’ second game in temporary charge, have a great chance of progressing into the first-round proper, though, with higher-division opposition having been avoided following the entry of National League clubs into the competition.

Collins said: “I suppose we’re happy not to be playing a team from the division above and it’s a chance to bring more revenue into the club (the winners receive £25,000 in prize money). It’s quite a good one, because we’ve already played well against them and got a good result so, if we perform like that again, we can get another win.

“We also know reaching the first round could get us a really good draw, but we won’t be under-estimating Blyth because it’s at their place, they’re in our division and they’ve got some good players. They’ve always had a history of doing well in the Cup too and have pulled off a couple of upsets, including one when I was on the receiving end.”

Collins also believes this latest contest between the two teams might pose a different challenge to City’s August bank-holiday league victory, secured courtesy of goals from substitutes Jon Parkin and Adriano Moke.

“That game maybe doesn’t have a bearing on this one, as we carry a bigger squad than Blyth and we played them on a bank-holiday Monday after we’d both played on the Saturday,” he reasoned.

An away draw means that City will now, disregarding the prospect of a replay, hit the road for each of their next four fixtures with the Blyth trip sandwiched by Saturday National League North visits to Southport and Telford, before a Tuesday, October 30 match at Spennymoor.

Collins has drawn all three of his away matches at the helm so far and, if he remains in situ, securing victories on the team’s travels will be a priority.

On the schedule ahead, he declared: “We can’t change that, and it is what it is. We’ve just got to make sure we prepare properly.

“One of the things I’d like to improve on is our away results. We’ve been picking up points, but we need to start winning games as well, because that can have a big effect on where you are in the league and where you finish at the end of the season.”

The Press understands, meanwhile, that City are continuing to conduct interviews for the full-time managerial vacancy at Bootham Crescent – a process that started last week.

Collins, himself, has not yet held talks with the board and added: “I’m still enjoying what I’m doing and love the job. I can’t affect what’s happening at this moment in time but, when I do speak to people, hopefully it will go well and it’s good news.”

FA Cup fourth qualifying round draw: Cleethorpes Town or Guiseley v Stourbridge, Warrington Town v FC Halifax Town, Chorley v Barrow, Hartlepool United v Workington or Kidsgrove Athletic, AFC Fylde v Chesterfield, Southport v Ashton United, Blyth Spartans v York City, Harrogate Town v Wrexham, Dunston UTS v Gateshead, Stockport County v Altrincham, Marine v Salford City, Witton Albion v Solihull Moors, Alfreton Town v St Neots Town or Coalville Town, Woking v Welling United, Hitchin Town v Leatherhead or Hanwell Town, Chippenham Town or Hendon v Maidenhead United, Eastbourne Borough v Slough Town or Bristol Manor Farm, Hemel Hempstead Town v Oxford City, Weston Super Mare v Bath City, Boreham Wood v Dagenham & Redbridge, Tiverton Town or Metropolitan Police v Havant & Waterlooville, Gloucester City or Dorking Wanderers v Bromley, Aldershot Town v Kettering Town, Torquay United v Winchester City, Billericay Town v Taunton Town or St Albans City, Eastleigh v Hampton & Richmond Borough, Wealdstone v Sutton United, Ebbsfleet United v Worthing, Maidstone United v Leyton Orient, Haringey Borough v Horsham or Poole Town, Barnet v Braintree Town, Concord Rangers v Dover Athletic.