It is a shared ambition of most managers to take their club on an extended FA Cup run and Wycombe Wanderers boss Gareth Ainsworth is no different.

In his fledgling three year managerial career he is yet to take the Blues beyond the second round of the cup and has therefore missed out on potentially big draws against Premier League opposition.

It is a fact that he is eager to change and will start on the road to doing so with a trip to non-league Halifax Town on Sunday.

“Last year we went out in the second round and we would like to go one better this time, and of course as a manager you want to play against a big team, and obviously the players want to do that as well,” he said.

“It is a big carrot for the players that they could get a big draw in the later rounds and they look forward to the cup games.

“As managers and players we still fantasise about going far in the FA Cup and you do think about it, but we have to start by focussing on beating Halifax Town.”

While the personal drive to push on in the cup is big for Ainsworth he is also aware of what a lengthy cup run would mean to the Wycombe wanderers fans.

He has been at the club as either a player or manager since 2009 and has regularly praised the Adams Park fans for their unwavering support.

The FA Cup therefore represents an opportunity to give back to the supporters and Ainsworth would like to see his players grasp it.

He said: “I have been here for a few years and I am proud to be associated with this club, if we can advance in the cup and give the fans something to sing and shout about that would be great.”

Matt Bloomfield’s 12 years at the club eclipses his manager’s stay comfortably and with over 260 appearances under his belt he knows better than most what a cup run would mean to the Chairboys’ fans.

Like Ainsworth he has had limited success in the FA Cup and feels the club are overdue a third round tie where he would like to meet a big side.

The 31-year-old was part of the team that reached the semi-final of the League Cup in 2007 where they held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at home before going down 4-0 at Stamford Bridge.

He fondly recalls the atmosphere that engulfed the club during the heroics of that League Cup run which saw Wycombe defeat Premier League opposition in the form of Fulham and Charlton.

“It would be amazing to get a good run going in the FA Cup. Going back a while I was here for the League Cup run and there was such a great buzz around the club,” explained Bloomfield.

“Maybe if we can get a good run in the cup we can get a big team down to Adams Park and that would be fantastic for the fans.

“We want to do well in the FA Cup every year and it hasn’t quite happened for us at Wycombe recently so maybe this is the year to change that.”

While Bloomfield’s attention is understandably on football related matters the financial rewards of going far in the FA Cup are well documented.

The total prize pot for the competition is over £15m and a long run in the cup can have a huge impact on the finances of teams playing in the bottom tier of the football league.

Although Wycombe’s financial future doesn’t rely on a cup run, after the work of the Wycombe Wanderers Supporters Trust has helped ensure financial stabilisation, the extra funds would undoubtedly be a boost for the club.

Ainsworth is aware of this added incentive to continue in the competition and highlighted the difference Cambridge United’s run to the third round last year has made to them.

Yet, having happy memories of spending full days watching the cup final with his family as a child he feels the focus should remain firmly on football rather than finances.

“Cambridge were able to basically build a new squad from what they did against Man United last year and to have a run like theirs would be a bonus for us,” he said.

“A bonus is all it would be though because the club is well run and doesn’t need to rely on the finances of a cup run.

“I remember spending whole days watching the finals with my brother and the one that sticks out is Coventry City against Tottenham in 1987. Those games are what I think of when I think about the FA Cup.”