NEWPORT County boss Dean Holdsworth has vowed his side will do all they can to lift the FA Trophy this season, after being handed an all Blue Square South tie in the third qualifying round yesterday.

The Exiles will host Essex boys Braintree on Saturday, November 21, and Holdsworth is determined not to let County’s promotion push detract from a stab at winning the Trophy or getting to the Wembley final.

While winning the Blue Square South is the number one ambition for County supporters and players, Holdsworth believes the cup competition can provide a welcome distraction, not to mention a chance for his squad to test themselves against the best the Blue Square Premier has to offer.

“We will take the FA Trophy very seriously, we want to do as well as we can in it and if possible, be in with a chance of winning it,” he said.

“We value the competition, of course our main priority is the league, but we have a good squad and there is no reason why we can’t compete on two fronts.

“We have aspirations of playing 40-odd games in the Blue Square Premier next season and there is no better way to assess how ready we are than to play against these sides.

“We want to go as far as we can in the competition and believe we can do so.”

The boss was happy with the draw, despite Braintree being one of the better sides the Exiles could conceivably have drawn at this stage of the competition.

“It’s the old cliché, but we’re happy with the draw because it’s a home game, Braintree are a very good side, but I dare say they won’t be jumping up and down about the draw. We back ourselves at home, we’re a very good side and hopefully we can get through the tie and go as far as possible.”

Holdsworth is expecting a much quieter week ahead after a fortnight that has seen a flurry of transfer activity, with his only focus on Saturday’s hugely important league fixture.

It’s first against second as the Exiles make the mammoth trip to Dover Athletic, a marquee fixture for the Blue Square South with the potential for the highest attendance in the league to date.

“We are going to spend the week preparing for the game, I am not expecting any news on the transfer front, the focus is on the game,” he said.

“We’ve had Dover scouted four or five times this year and we’ll be reviewing the footage and training hard because it’s a huge test.”