FA Cup is inspiring Chichester City again – but what about the league?

And he said the performance – a week after he admitted they were ‘shocking’ in two league games – was the standard they must try to reach on a regular basis.

The 2-1 first qualifying round victory at the home of the Tanners, courtesy of goals by Ethan Prichard and Josh Clack either side of half-time, was the third tie City have come through.

They’ll be dreaming of another run to the ‘proper’ rounds like the one that took them to Tranmere in 2019 – but they have been handed a stiff test in the second qualifying round. They’re away to National South side Folkestone Invicta, who knocked them out of the Cup last season with a 5-2 win at Oaklands Park.

There’s more knockout action ahead for City this weekend when Faversham visit Oaklands Park in the FA Trophy.

Delighted Rutherford said: “We played well at Leatherhead and were delighted to win the tie. We’d been shocking in our bank holiday games against Corinthian (1-1 draw) and Lancing (1-0 defeat). We were lacklustre in both those games and showed no desire not to get beaten.

"We spoke about it as a group and at Leatherhead there was real desire. We defended so well – we put bodies on the line – and you can’t ask for more.

"We went there without several regulars – Connor Cody, Ben Pashley, Lloyd Rowlatt and Callum Overton – and to come away with the win shows what we can do.

"You can’t expect a team to be brilliant in every game but you can expect those sort of levels more regularly. They knew they’d let themselves down in the previous two games and put it right.”

Rutherford said thoughts of another extended Cup run were nice, but a trip to Folkestone was about as hard a tie as they could have drawn.

Meanwhile City have made an offer to take former Bognor, Pompey academy and Brentford loanee Ethan Robb to Oaklands Park. He has left Nyewood Lane and Rutherford said: “If he wants regular football we’d love to have him.”