Chesham United boss Andy Leese is delighted to be taking his side into the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup.

Dave Pearce scored a penalty with 17 minutes remaining on Saturday before sealing a 2-0 victory over North Leigh with his second three minutes later to put United into the hat for the next round.

They are now just one win away from reaching the first round proper for the first time in Leese’s eight years at the club.

It is a stat that is not lost on Leese, who is relishing the chance to take Chesham further in a competition that he holds in the highest regard.

“We set out to do well in the cup every year and it is the Holy Grail for clubs at this level because you just don’t know who you are going to draw,” he explained.

“You can draw a big team and end up on TV which would be great. We want to go as far as we can in the competition.

“It would be the first time I have gone that far in the competition and as a manager that is where you want to be.”

Chesham will face a home tie against Hitchin Town or Enfield Town in the next round and the fact they are playing opposition from the same division represents a genuine chance for them to progress.

While Leese is understandably excited about the prospect of reaching the first round proper of the cup he is acutely aware of the need for perspective and managing expectations.

He said: “It was a tight game on Saturday and we are just taking it one round at a time. It’s our objective to go as far as we can in the competition but I can’t come out and say ‘we can go really far’. That’s unrealistic.”

“It really doesn’t matter to us who we play and we are just happy to be at home because we will get a great crowd for the game and that will help us a lot.”

Saturday’s fixture was played against the backdrop of Non-League Day which aims to promote the non-league game to a wider audience.

The initiative shines a light on the importance of clubs in the lower levels of England’s football pyramid.

Leese concedes that the glamour of the Premier League will always hold a greater appeal for the average football fan but understands the important role non-league clubs play in their community.

“I think most people have their first professional club from a young age but you can have a second club and Non-League Day shows people what clubs at this level can offer,” Leese said.

“Non-league clubs are important to their communities and the fact that it coincided with FA Cup weekend this year made it an even better day for what I think is a vital initiative.”

FA Cup hopes will have to be put on hold for the time being as Chesham return their focus to a league meeting with Bideford at the Meadow on Saturday.

The visitors have had a poor start to the season and are 23rd in the Evo-Stick Southern Premier Division while a win could see United move up to as high as ninth in the league.

Leese is determined to ensure that the feel-good factor is carried over from Saturday’s cup tie and Chesham string together a run of positive results.

He said: “Hopefully the form we have shown in the last few games can help us get back to where we need to be in the league and we have to focus on the league games before looking at the cup.”