The giant frame of Gavin Kelly could be a major obstacle for Avenue as they look to continue their journey on the road to Cardiff.

The Bridlington Town keeper, who left Bradford last season due to personal problems, is still signed-on at Horsfall Stadium and will be looking to make an impact when he returns to his old club.

Until the arrival of inspirational German Lutz Pfannenstiel, Avenue had suffered nothing but problems in filling the number one shirt vacated by Kelly, who was widely regarded as the best keeper to have played for the reformed side.

And he could be the key man in tomorrow's huge FA Cup third qualifying round clash.

"If Gav's on top form he could be a big stumbling block," said Avenue boss Trevor Storton.

"He is a very good keeper and we would have loved to keep him here. I got on very well with the lad and he was a cracking player, very good for our side."

Avenue assistant boss Ian Thompson watched the Northern Counties East side in midweek and reported back to Storton.

"They are a big strong side at the back and their work-rate was particularly impressive," said Storton, whose side have lost just once in the last ten games.

"But on paper we are the better side and if we play to our ability we should not have a problem.

"The key is to match them for work-rate. If we can do that then they we should have the measure of them.

"It will be their cup final but if we are go in to the game with the right attitude upstairs then we should be okay."

With £10,000 at stake for the winners, the match takes on enormous importance for a club playing at a ground that does not meet Conference football standards.

And it is not just the money. A cup run would raise the club's profile and help Avenue move forward.

"I expect there will be about 600 here tomorrow," said Storton, a scorer in the fourth round of the cup 20 years ago.

"But I would like to see the 760 we got for the Accrington game beaten. This is a

very big game for us, it is the FA Cup

and we expect the fans to really get behind us."

Veteran Graham Mitchell is another desperate for a good cup run. "I think it is something that could do wonders for the club," said Mitchell, who has reached the Fourth Round with both Cardiff and Huddersfield.

"It would create a real buzz for the players, for the manager and for the fans. And, of course, the money it would bring in wouldn't hurt either."