GUISELEY will take a break from their gruelling first National League campaign as they turn their attentions to the FA Cup on Saturday.

Their fourth qualifying round visit to FC Halifax Town will be a welcome diversion for both clubs and gives the Lions the chance to reach the first round for the seventh time.

Boss Mark Bower admitted: “The cup becomes the focus now. It is nice to have a little break from the league. It has been relentless with 18 games in such a short time.

“It has been a real grind to get through especially when you get some results that have been difficult.

“It is a great game for both sides, a local derby FA Cup tie with incentive to get to the first round and into the hat for the draw against some of the big clubs from the Football League.”

With no midweek game Guiseley have had the chance to recharge their batteries. Last week’s matches against Wrexham and Borehamwood were extremely demanding physically and emotionally.

Bower added: “If we can play how we did for much of Wednesday’s match and the first half on Saturday we can get ourselves into the first round.”

When the sides met last month in the league at Nethermoor, Guiseley secured the local bragging rights with a 2-1 win. Since then Halifax, who are currently 23rd, five places and ten points below the Lions, have changed managers and brought in new players.

Neil Aspin has been replaced by former Oldham boss Darren Kelly who has brought in experienced defender Nat Brown and midfielder Tommy Miller this week.

Centre-back Brown, 34, has joined on a month’s loan from Lincoln, while central-midfielder Miller, 36, was previously without a club and has had spells at Ipswich and Sunderland in the Premier League and Huddersfield.

One man who will be watching the game with interest is Guiseley’s injured skipper Ben Parker. He sees it as a chance to boost confidence.

He said: "We want to get back to winning ways whether it is a league or cup game. Whether it is against Halifax or another local team it doesn’t matter.

“Being a local derby makes it sweeter and a bit more anticipated before the game. We’ve got to go in the game with a lot of confidence."

He added: “We know what they are all about, we beat them at our place recently but they have had a lot of change with the new manager coming in along with a couple of new players.

“It will be a great game. It is an opportunity to get back to winning ways and we all know the great reward if you get through – you can get a lucrative tie which all the fans and staff will being looking forward to.

“We must go into the game with confidence even though our results have not been great. We believe if we can play to our capabilities we are more than a match for anyone.”