Royston Town manager Steve Castle expecting tough test ahead of Buildbase FA Trophy 2nd round tie against Leatherhead on Saturday.

The Crows got to the second round of the FA trophy after beating Enfield Town 2-0 in the first round of the competition last month.

Speaking to the Royston Crow, Castle said: “It’ll be a very tough game against a team that’s doing well in all the cup competitions. This competition will always be a priority for us.”

“Leatherhead have a chance to get to the second round of the FA Cup after getting a good results against Billericay (1-1), we’ll give them the utmost respect, as we did against Enfield, hopefully with the same outcome.”

“This is similar to the Enfield game as it’s a team on the same level as us but a different league, and we beat them so I’m hoping we can do ourselves justice.”

Both sides are Step Three in the National League system, with Leatherhead currently 18th in the Bostik Premier League and Royston 13th in the Evo-Stik South Premier League.

In his blog, Castle said: “We had a reasonable run in the FA Trophy last year and a repeat of that would be fantastic.”

The Crows made it to the First Round Proper in last years FA Trophy when they forced a replay in a 2-2 draw away at Dulwich Hamlet.

They were knocked out when the tie came back to Garden Walk and the Southwark side went on to reach the quarter-finals of the competition.

Also in his blog post, Castle said: “The ability is there but their own belief in themselves and teammates around them should be a lot higher.”

Castle continued: “Hopefully this year we will get some home ties and avoid the strongest sides. We got unlucky in the FA Cup this year coming up against a Conference South team so hopefully we can avoid the strongest teams in the Trophy.

“We could get some luck and go a fair way, but we there’s no point looking further than our next game.”

Leatherhead’s previous manager was former Hull City and Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who took the club from second-bottom in the league to thirteenth-place, finishing four points clear of relegation.

Bullard left the Surrey club on good terms to pursue other avenues after one season at the Grove.

Bullard was a popular figure at the Tanners and has expressed an interest in a career as a manager.

Bullard’s most memorable moment at the club was when he ordered his team to sing R Kelly’s “The Worlds Greatest” following a 3-2 win against Billericay Town, mocking their opposition who had done the same as a motivation tactic in the previous matchup between the two sides.

Since Bullard’s departure, Leatherhead have dropped to 18th in the league and are struggling for form. The Tanners won’t just be missing Bullards trademark banter, but rather unexpectadly, his managerial talent.