CALUM MCINTYRE is facing a fine balancing act as Chester turn their focus towards the FA Cup this weekend.

The Blues begin their FA Cup tilt with tomorrow’s home clash against Hebburn Town, of the Northern Premier League Premier Division.

While Chester’s main focus this season is attempting to go up from National League North, manager McIntyre has also highlighted the importance of the FA Cup.

He told Chester FC TV: “The FA Cup matters to this club immensely and what can be really challenging being the manager of this club is, the aim is to get promoted.

“But the aim is also to succeed in the FA Cup and then the aim if to succeed in the FA Trophy, and that can be tough with, like I said, we’ve got 16 fit players.

“We’re running with a small squad. So, we get ready to regroup. The FA Cup’s very, very important to the club, so we’ll make it really, really important to us and see where it takes us.”

McIntyre, whose side are fourth in the National League table, has also praised the backing of supporters this season and he added: “The way they’ve stuck with us is tremendous and it’s important.

“You want to reward that and I think we are at the moment. The message from me is there’ll be bumps along the road, at some point a little speed bump, we’ll clip a fence.

“We need to stay on the horse, we need to stay together. We need to keep moving forward. So, there is a lot to be positive about.”