Sutton United chairman Bruce Elliott has witnessed many big FA Cup ties in his 49 years at the club, but it has not sated his appetite for more.

United will be the underdogs when they travel to Kidderminster Harriers on Saturday in the first round proper of the competition.

Harriers are flying high in the Skrill Premier, while United are doing likewise in the league below, the Skrill South.

However, that does not stop Mr Elliott, who became chairman in 1995, dreaming of a giant-killing, as United have done it before.

He admits that the financial rewards - £24,500 so far and another £18,000 awaiting Saturday’s winners – are essential to the club, but the magic of the cup is priceless.

“I remember when we played Leeds United in 1970 in the fourth round and lost 6-0, but I also remember when we played Coventry City in 1989 in the third round, and won 2-1,” said Mr Elliott.

Your Local Guardian:

Memories: Sutton United celebrate a famous win over Coventry City in 1989   Courtesy of Tony Rains

“We reached the second round two years ago, so we have been lucky with some wonderful cup runs.

“We don’t always win but they are always memorable days and Saturday is not going to be any different.”

He added: “Paul [Doswell, the manager] is quietly confident, but our target when the season started was to reach this stage, and so anything else is a bonus.”

That is not to say United are not taking the match seriously – they are travelling up on Friday night in the hope of optimising their preparation time on Saturday morning.

Mr Elliott said: “We decided a three-hour journey would not be ideal on the morning of the match, especially when you remember players have to get to Sutton first.

“If there are any hold-ups we could be running late and we want to give the lads the best possible time to prepare.

“We’ll probably have a light morning training session and then head over to the ground.

“We are playing well at the moment, and so we’re feeling confident we can put on a good show.”

While the club does not include a cup run and its financial rewards in a pre-season budget plan, Mr Elliott admitted the lump sums from the FA after each round win are essential.

However, he also highlighted where the FA are falling short on helping grass-roots clubs, the very clubs the money is meant to help.

“The great thing about the FA competitions is that there is prize money from the very first qualifying round,” he said.

“But the money is not getting to the very bottom rung of non-League football because the losers in the very first round get nothing, and they are probably the teams that need it most.

“We don’t plan our finances around a cup run, that is very dangerous, but it can make a huge difference to clubs like Sutton United.”

Your Local Guardian:

Job Dun-das: Craig Dundas scores the all-important second goal against Hemel Hempstead to seal United's trip to Kidderminster            SP80484