FORMER FA Trophy final winner Jordan Burrow is hoping the competition can prove a springboard for better form in National League North.

Burrow was a member of the 2016 Wembley-winning Halifax side 12 months before the Minstermen lifted the trophy for a second time.

But both clubs’ victories coincided with relegations from the National League during the same campaigns, with Burrow now hoping Trophy progress can instead help improve fortunes away from the knockout competition just as it did gloriously for City’s double-winning 2012 team.

City start this term’s Trophy campaign with a third qualifying round trip to Kidderminster with Burrow saying: “I don’t really want to go on about reaching the FA Trophy final as we have more pressing issues, but it is a great day out and they are memories that stick with you so, if we can use the Trophy as a platform to get us going and firing in the league, that’s what we’ll do, even though we’d probably rather have a league game this weekend to put things right and help us climb the table.”

Burrow was an unused substitute during City’s 3-0 home league defeat in September to this weekend’s hosts and, despite the fifth-placed Harriers’ 4-0 loss to Chorley at Aggborough on Saturday, the 26-year-old forward reasoned: “They were beaten heavily on Saturday, but we know they’re a good footballing team and we’re expecting a tough away game.”

The match will see Joe Tait available again after serving his three-match suspension, with Burrow having taken over the captaincy in his absence and it is a role the latter would be happy to continue in, declaring: “It’s an honour.

“The manager trusts me in the position and has seen something in me in terms of the way I go about things and play. I’ll guarantee that I’ll always give everything I’ve got in terms of effort and determination whether I’m captain or not and I think he has given me the role because he wants me to lead by example.

“I’ve never captained a team before, other than in reserve games and when I was younger, but I enjoy the added responsibility, even if it makes you feel even more responsible after defeats.”

Burrow went on to confess that he felt Saturday’s 3-0 loss to Altrincham particularly keenly, admitting: “It was a very disappointing result. Our fans came out in their numbers, but we didn’t do ourselves justice in the second half and were well below standard.”

The ex-Gateshead forward went on to add that he understood the frustrations of the 350-strong travelling contingent at Moss Lane, if not the actions of the pitch invading fan, who ran towards the away dugout to remonstrate with City boss Sam Collins.

“The fans have every right to express their frustration and say what they feel,” Burrow reasoned. “They pay their money and I understand they’re not happy, but that kind of thing is not acceptable, and I don’t think there’s any place for it in football.

“The security should have probably done more, but it was an isolated incident that I don’t want to talk about too much, as all the rest of the fans behaved themselves. They voiced their anger, which they are entitled to do and, if I was a fan who had seen my team beaten 3-0, I don’t think I’d be happy.

“I just hope everybody associated with the football club sticks together and all I can do is assure people we will do everything we can within our powers to put things right, although I know that’s been said before, talk is cheap, and actions speak louder than words.”

A run of one point from a possible 15 has seen City slip to sixth bottom in the standings, but Burrow insisted that nobody wants to focus excessively on the club’s current position in the table with four games still to play until the season’s midway point.

“We’ve just got to get back to basics and start picking up wins,” he argued. “It’s as simple as that.

“I don’t think we need to be looking over our shoulder and, whilst it’s an old cliché, we’ve just got to approach everything game by game.”

Burrow has started the last two goal-less games up front with new loan signing Joe Ironside, who will not be eligible to play against his parent club at the weekend.

Despite the team failing to net with the pair in attack, Burrow feels it is a partnership that can still flourish, saying: “Against Chester, I felt we played well, and we were unlucky not to win because the team created chances.

“We didn’t really create many chances at Altrincham but, while we are similar, I think we can both play together and give the team a platform to play off and I think it’s a partnership that can work with a bit more time.”