Royston Town boss Steve Castle believes Tuesday night’s win over AFC Hayes will stand his side in good stead ahead of their FA Trophy clash with Witham Town at the weekend.

Just three days after falling to a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Kettering Town, the resurgent Crows saw off Hayes by the same scoreline at Garden Walk despite a number of key injuries.

With Chris Watters currently sidelined with a broken toe while Dave Theobald and Lewis Endacott also remain on the treatment table, Royston are down to the bare bones in a busy period of the season but Castle is hoping the Hayes success is a springboard for a Witham win.

Castle told the Crow: “We have obviously been struggling with injuries recently which has not helped our cause but I still think the Trophy is a good distraction at the moment.

The league is obviously our bread and butter and with us up near the top of the table, we can turn our attentions to the cup without fears in the league.”

Witham currently lie 19th in the Ryman Premier League and with a place in the second round of the Trophy and some big names from the Vanarama Conference lying in wait in future rounds, a lot is at stake for both sides.

Castle said: “The finances that come from the cups are always good so we would hope to prolong our progress this season to give the club an extra boost both on the pitch and off it.

“Obviously they will be thinking the same thing so we have to make sure we are the stronger of the two sides come Saturday.”