SOUTHEND United boss Kevin Maher will be looking to edge closer to his Wembley dream when the Shrimpers host Darlington at Roots Hall tomorrow.

Blues take on the National League North leaders in an FA Trophy fourth round tie.

And Maher will be taking the clash seriously as he strives to get nearer lining up at the home of English football, something that evaded him as a player.

“I’ve never been there as a player and it’s something you definitely aspire to do,” said Maher.

“Obviously we had our finals when I was a player here but we went to Cardiff for them.

“You don’t want to look too far ahead and it’s a tough one on Saturday.

“But any player or manager wants to get to Wembley and the chances don’t come around too often so when they do you try and take full advantage.

“We’ll be giving it our upmost to get there so we’re definitely taking it seriously and want to do well in the Trophy.”

The Shrimpers - who are sixth in the National League - beat Solihull Moors 3-0 at Roots Hall last weekend.

And Maher is looking to build on the strong display.

“We want to follow on from last week in terms of the standard of performance we produced,” said the Blues boss.

“If we can do that then let’s see what the result comes.”

However, Darlington will also be heading into the contest in a confident frame of mind.

The Quakers were wound up in the High Court back in 2012 before a new club was formed and has continued to rise back up the leagues.

That momentum has seen Alun Armstrong’s side score 50 goals in 26 league games so far this season.

And Maher knows this weekend’s match will be far from straight forward.

“We will have to be on top of our game against Darlington if we are to get through,” said Maher.

“They can cause you a lot of problems in terms of the attacking threat they’ve got.

“They score a lot of goals and they’re having a good season.

“They will come with a lot of confidence because they’re used to winning football matches.

“It’s a cup tie and anything can happen but the lads should be buoyed by their last performance.”