Player-manager Mark Bower, facing a former club for the first time, does not want Guiseley to sit back in Saturday’s big FA Trophy derby at Halifax Town.

The Bradford-born defender, who spent most of his professional career at Valley Parade but also had spells with Darlington and then the Shaymen before arriving at Nethermoor as a player before becoming player-manager, knows that Halifax have the best home record in Skrill North.

However, he reckons that his improving Lions have enough about them to make an impact in the attractive first-round tie.

Bower said: “Expectation levels have risen after our recent good run and we feel we can cause them problems.

“Halifax Town have the best home record in the division and have added to their squad since they were promoted last season but we don’t want to play them on the counter-attack. We want to keep the ball, pass it and hopefully use it well and give Halifax Town concerns in their half of the field.

“We should be bringing quite a few of our fans and there should be a cracking atmosphere, and it will certainly be different to the 0-0 draw we had at Worcester City on Tuesday.

“There are a few bumps and bruises from that match but hopefully everybody will be fit and available for selection.

“The onus will be on Halifax to come and attack us but we will look to get our foot on the ball and pass it and move it.

“There is no reason why we can’t go there in a positive frame of mind and try and get a decent result.”

The tie will also provide a meeting of old boys. Simon Ainge, Josh Wilson, Kevin Holsgrove and Ryan Toulson, who may well miss out through injury, are with the Shaymen, while Alex Johnson and Danny Forrest are in the Guiseley squad.

It will be Guiseley’s first clash with Halifax this term but the clubs certainly had their fair share of battles last season, meeting five times in just over a month.

They met twice in Conference North, twice in the play-offs and then in the West Riding County Cup final at Valley Parade.

Three of them were 1-1 draws but the Shaymen won the play-off semi-final second leg on the way to promotion, and the County Cup final.

Halifax have reduced admission prices for the tie, with adult tickets costing £13 and concessions £10, with under-16s at £5 and under-12s at £1.