Aylesbury United v Gloucester City

FA Trophy, in partnership with Carlsberg, Sixth Round
Saturday, 15 March 2003
Winning club receives £3,000

As a player, Chris Burns reached the semi-finals of The FA Cup with Portsmouth and the final of The FA Trophy with Forest Green Rovers.

Although he was on the losing side on both occasions - knocked out of The FA Cup in 1992 on penalties by Liverpool (pictured left) and finishing runners-up to Canvey Island in The FA Trophy two season ago - they rank as career highlights.

Leading Gloucester City out in the final of this season's FA Trophy at Villa Park would, however, top both of those achievements.

He said: "Playing in the final of The FA Trophy at Villa Park was a fantastic occasion, despite losing. It was like our FA Cup.

"It's always been my ambition to take my side to a final and it would be a dream to get that far this season. We have proved that if we play well on the day, we are just as good as anybody else."

In just his second season as manager, the 35-year-old midfielder has guided his young side to the quarter-finals of the country's elite non-league knockout cup competition.

The Dr Martens League Western Division side have played ten games to get this far, having been taken to a replay on four occasions, and have taken the scalp of two Nationwide Conference giants.

The underdogs triumphed with replay victories away from home against three-times former winners Woking in the Fourth Round and former runners-up Southport in the Fifth Round.

On Saturday, the odds will once again be stacked against them when they travel to Ryman League Premier Division outfit Aylesbury United for a place in Monday's draw for the semi-finals.

Burns, who will be playing, said: "At the start of the season we wanted to have a good run in The FA Cup and The FA Trophy and finish in the top ten of our league. We've done that so I'm really pleased.

"It's fantastic how far we've got in The FA Trophy. We've played ten games already in the competition which is a mini-season for us and we've seen off two Conference sides.

"Come Saturday, we will be the underdogs again. They are in a league higher than us and have got some good players, but we've got a chance.

"We're quite a young side - the average is about 21. It's pretty exciting for them, but I don't think they realise what a big game it is. If we can get through, it would be a massive achievement."

Burns would love to face his old club Forest Green Rovers in the semi-finals for what would be a thrilling local derby.

He joined Forest Green in 2000 after a three-year spell with Gloucester City, returning to the club as manager last season.

He said: "We have been travelling on Forest Green's coach to our away games in the Trophy this season and they have been borrowing our training ground.

"We'll be going to Aylesbury on it this Saturday, but I'm not sure whether their driver would still pick us up if we were drawn away to them in the semi-finals!"