GUISELEY chief executive Adrian Towers says bragging rights will be on the line in the FA Cup clash at Halifax but he admits: “League survival is our priority.”

The Lions travel to The Shay to face their West Yorkshire rivals in the fourth qualifying round on October 24 as they bid to reach the first round proper.

This is the latest that Guiseley have ever entered the famous old competition following their promotion to the National League in May.

But with Halifax struggling badly this season and Mark Bower’s side having won only four of their opening 16 games before last night’s trip to Wrexham, Towers acknowledged the importance of league survival.

Towers said: “Without putting a downer of it, I think both clubs at the moment are looking at the difficulties they are having in the league.

“I’m sure if you offered either team the choice between staying up and FA Cup glory, there would be no doubt which would be my preferred option.

“But local bragging rights are important for the fans too because it’s about who is the biggest non-league club in Yorkshire.

“There is certainly a lot of pride at stake and we are one game away from the first round and a tie that could potentially bring a lot of attention to the club.

“It’s really a matter of getting the game won and seeing what happens next. I don’t think there will be a massive attendance at The Shay, but it should be decent.”

Towers admits life in the top flight of non-league has been a challenge this term and he is keen to start climbing the table.

Towers explained: “It has been an eye-opener for us all, not least because last night game’s at Wrexham was our 17th match in nine weeks.

“For a part-time club making the step up to this level, with the amount of travelling we’ve had to do, you know what to expect but you don’t know how it’s going to feel until you actually do it.

“With our part-time players having jobs as well, it has been quite difficult but we have acclimatised well.

“I think we always knew that the likes of Tranmere, Forest Green and Grimsby were essentially on a different planet. They are full-time and have got tremendous budgets with deep squads whereas we haven’t.

“Overall, we’ve made a decent start but I think in the next month we need to start picking up points if we are to avoid looking over our shoulders.”