IAN Street hopes his players learned a lesson when they squeezed past Maine Road in the FA Cup’s previous round.

1874 Northwich progressed thanks to substitute Matthew Beadle’s late winner, but the manager blamed a bad attitude for the victors’ underwhelming performance.

He warned they will not be as lucky if there is a repeat against Prescot Cables tomorrow, Saturday.

“We have to be careful,” he said.

“That’s what I stressed last time and if we approach this game in a similar way, then we’ll be knocked out.

“But if we play to our level and put in a performance we’ve proved since we’re more than capable of, then we can turn them over.

“I’ve watched Prescot; they’re a young team who play with lots of energy and enthusiasm.

“They have lads who want to prove they can cut it in the league above, and their defensive record proves they’re not easy to beat.”

He refers to Cables’ sequence of three shutouts in their first four games, during which they’ve only scored once.

A stalemate at promotion favourites Spennymoor proves they will not buckle in front of a big crowd.

Northwich will start the preliminary round contest in confident mood following a 3-2 win at Runcorn Town in midweek, a game they trailed 2-0 after an hour.

It marked the first time this season they have beaten a team outside of the North West Counties League Premier Division’s bottom four.

Street said: “I think the fuss over the referee’s performance has deflected attention away from what an achievement it was for us to win there.

“Runcorn tend to be strong at home, so it’s a big scalp for us.

“The lads were buzzing afterwards, and there was a real sense of euphoria in the dressing room.

“Their confidence has had a big boost, and the timing is great before what is an important cup tie.”

FC United of Manchester await tomorrow’s victors in the first qualifying round, scheduled provisionally for Sunday, September 14.

Midfielder Rick Bailey is back after a holiday, while Danny Thomas has recovered from a calf strain and is available again.

Ryan Stewart (knee) is 1874’s only absentee, while captain Lee Jones is likely to start from the bench after only recently resuming training following an inury.

To read a preview of tomorrow's game, click here: http://bit.ly/1n4xPt5