Ian Allinson refused to use that old football cliché after St Albans City’s exit from the FA Trophy on Tuesday night – but he heartedly admitted it was true.

‘We can now concentrate on the league’ is a line that has been used many times by so many football managers over the years but with City sitting eighth in the National League South, one place outside of the play-offs, it is one that fits.

They stayed in that position despite a number of the teams in and around them at the top of the table playing league games while City were drawing 1-1 with Harrogate Town in their first Trophy meeting.

But the likes of Hemel Hempstead Town, Chelmsford City and Havant & Waterlooville all failed to win, something that pleased Allinson as he prepares for the first of “17 cup finals” at Eastbourne Borough on Saturday.

“The results went for us on Saturday as some on the top seven dropped points,” said the Saints boss.

“And teams will drop points again this Saturday. We just have to make sure it’s not us who drops points.

“We’ve got to get over [the FA Trophy replay defeat to Harrogate]. It is a long day, a long journey back but we’ve got to make sure we recover.

“It’s another 3G pitch and we have do things differently than we did here.

“We overplayed in certain areas and it felt like a friendly game.

“We’ve got to get away from that and turn it into a game we have to win first and foremost but make sure we’re disciplined in our performance.”

With midweek games now all but over, bar a trip to Weston-super-Mare in February and a game at home to Braintree Town on Easter Monday, Allinson wants St Albans to really go for it, although he does think he may need one or two changes.

He said: “We’ve got a clear run at it and a decent squad. We might just have to tweak one or two and maybe bring in one or two to make us stronger.

“I just saw some frailties [at Harrogate] which was disappointing and I haven’t seen that in almost a year.

“But maybe that was down to Harrogate.”

City go to Priory Lane with almost a full-strength squad.

Sam Merson, Tom Gardiner and Shaun Lucien all returned from injury at Wetherby Road and only Tariq Moore-Azille is considered a doubt.