YORK City boss Sam Collins believes an FA Trophy trip to neighbours Harrogate Town presents a chance to restore some lost North Yorkshire pride.

For the first time in the club’s histories, Harrogate are currently plying their trade a division higher than the Minstermen.

In fact, 36 places currently separate the fourth-placed National League promotion hopefuls and City, who are languishing sixth-bottom in the sixth tier of the English game.

The only occasion the two clubs have met as league equals was last season when Simon Weaver’s men completed a double over their fallen foes, winning both matches 2-0 on their way to promotion via the National League North play-offs.

But Collins’ team upset the bookmakers with a 3-1 third-qualifying round win at Kidderminster on Saturday and the City boss is keen to gain a measure of revenge for last term’s derby defeats when the first-round proper tie is contested on Saturday, December 15.

He said: “It’s a good draw and a tough one, because they have been doing well, but there will be a good crowd there and we’re hoping to put on a good performance. I wasn’t here last season, but I heard about the games and it’s something we’d like to turn around by going there and beating them.

“Our fans will want to see that happen and our players are capable of giving them a really, good game. They showed that against Kidderminster on Saturday.

“Harrogate play at a high tempo, but I want us to go there with the same attitude we had in the FA Cup at Swindon where, the longer the game went on, the more belief we got, and we were unlucky not to at least get a draw. Our levels against Harrogate will need to be up and around that again.”

The Wetherby Road outfit have lost just one of the last 17 matches on their 3G pitch – a 3-0 reverse to table-topping Leyton Orient in September.

City’s current squad are familiar with the surface, however, having trained on York St John University’s artificial pitches at Haxby Road in recent times.

Veteran striker Jon Parkin’s knee problems would rule him out of the Wetherby Road clash, but Collins added: “Playing on a different surface is never easy and they are used to playing and training on it, but we’re quite fortunate that we are already using the university’s outstanding facilities when the training ground is a bit heavy and we’ll prepare properly on their pitch in the build-up to the game.

“Most of our lads are OK with them and there’s a big difference to how I remember artificial pitches when I played on them. I played against Preston and that was like concrete.

“The modern pitches do play a littler bit quicker, but we’ll just have to adjust to that and there will be no excuses.”

Having been ruled out against their parent club at the weekend, on-loan Kidderminster pair Joe Ironside and Kennedy Digie will be eligible against Harrogate with Collins declaring: “They can both play, which is good for us, as they improve the squad and make us stronger.”

Pickering Town, meanwhile, will travel to Evo-Stik Northern League premier division strugglers Workington if they can win tomorrow night’s replay at Ramsbottom United.

Before the Trophy tie, City will play host to FC United of Manchester and Leamington in back-to-back National League North contests on Saturday and Tuesday, December 4 respectively.

A trip to Boston United will then follow on Saturday, December 8.

The full FA Trophy first-round draw: Southport or Chester v Solihull Moors, Lancaster City or Guiseley v Blyth Spartans, AFC Fylde v Stratford Town, Salford City v Gateshead, Chesterfield v Basford United, Wrexham v Boston United, Barrow v Halifax Town, Harrogate Town v York City, Leamington v Hartlepool United, Workington v Pickering Town or Ramsbottom United, Spennymoor Town v Stamford or Barwell, Altrincham Town v Stockport County, AFC Telford United v Farsley Celtic, Chippenham Town or Wingate and Finchley v Welling United or Dulwich Hamlet, Biggleswade Town v Wealdstone, Maidenhead United v Oxford City, Hereford v Billericay Town, Aldershot Town v Bedford Town, Carshalton Athletic v Dorking Wanderers, Lewes or Hemel Hempstead Town v Eastleigh, Dover Athletic v Havant and Waterlooville, Woking v Maidstone United, Ebbsfleet United v Dagenham & Redbridge, Barnet v Bath City, Bromley v Sutton United, Truro City v Weston-super-Mare, Salisbury v Braintree Town, Boreham Wood v Torquay United, Leyton Orient v Beaconsfield Town, Brackley Town v Hayes & Yeading or Brightlingsea Regent, Weymouth or St Albans City v Royston Town or Needham Market, Eastbourne Borough or Dartford v Dorchester Town.