The Yellamen face a mammoth five-hour trek to Cornwall to play AFC St Austell, with the hosts heavy odds-on favourites to progress (3pm ko).

Holmer Green, Horndean, Newport (IOW), Colliers Wood and Norwich United have so far been beaten by Ascot in the competition.

McGrotty accepts it will be a difficult task for his side to progress to the last four, but he believes they are capable of upsetting the odds if they replicate their form from the last round.

“It’s going to be very tough,” said McGrotty. “The message to the players is to have no regrets.

“We went so close to making it to the semi-finals two years ago but a late goal knocked us back. When you get to a semi-final it is two legs so you never know, this is a massive opportunity for us and it’s one that we should have no regrets over.

“We’re up against it but if we can play like we did in the last round and prepare as professionally as we did for that then we have a chance.

“They’re a great team (St Austell) with some very good players. There’s been stuff said about them being a step below but the league they’re in doesn’t see teams get out of it easily due to the finances and travelling involved. Make no mistake, they’re favourites.” The Yellamen are travelling down today and will base themselves at St Mellion Golf Club and Resort to give them the best possible preparation.

St Austell are unbeaten at home this season and a boisterous crowd of 1600 is expected to roar them on.

McGrotty believes it is a factor his players will have to deal with and has challenged them to turn it to their advantage.

“There’s going to be a strong, partisan crowd that’ll be on our backs,” he explained. “They’ll be right on top of us and cheering every tackle and ball.

“It’s something we’ve got to deal with but we can use it a positive. If we can keep it tight early on and frustrate them then the fans might start to get nervous and that might spread to their players.” McGrotty believes around 70 Ascot supporters will be making the 500-mile round trip this Saturday. They’ll be watching a Yellamen side that look to have overcome most injury concerns, though Andy Dean (shoulder) and Dave Hancock (hamstring) are rated 50/50 for the contest.

Hancock has been absent since going off injured in the last round of the FA Vase but his return will be a huge boost to the Yellamen as they look to advance to the semi-finals for the first time in their history.