COLCHESTER United boss John McGreal admits victory at Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup tomorrow would give them a welcome cash boost in the transfer window.

The U’s head up to the Crown Ground looking to progress past the first round of the competition for the first time since 2015, with a tidy sum of £36,000 on offer to the winners after prize money was doubled for the 2018-19 campaign.

And McGreal said: “Everyone knows the constraints of the club.

“We haven’t really had cup runs of late and this season (the draw) hasn’t been kind.

“But we had Oxford City at this stage last season which we all thought was a great draw and we ended up getting beaten.

“If you do get through, I think it’s double the money this year in the FA Cup.

“We’ll go there and try and win, because the money could help in January.

“The FA are looking to make it even more prestigious, with the amount of money they’re putting in it.

“It’s valuable for us and the likes of Accrington, because it’s big money for us to get through.

“I should hope that the FA Cup has the same importance now as it did when I was playing.

“For players, it can get them in the limelight because they can be heroes on the day.

“It’s different to the league games, which come thick and fast.”

“We’ve got decisions to make and an opportunity for somebody to come in and prove their worth to the team.

“All of the subs are knocking on the door for a start – they’ve come on and really helped the team of late.

“It is the team – I keep saying that this year.

“Sometimes, players have been distracted and have been thinking about themselves a lot but we’ve tried to get into that team mode this year.

“We’ve got a small squad backed up by a couple of young lads.

“Now we’re hoping that (Ryan) Clampin is coming back and Ollie Kensdale has had a little spell in and around the squad.

“But apart from that, we’ve got 16 and we’ve had to get that unity and team spirit from pre-season.

McGreal says it was nice to receive recognition from outside of the club after being shortlisted for the League Two Manager of the Month award for October.

He was nominated for the monthly award, which has been won by MK Dons manager Paul Tisdale.

McGreal led Colchester to five wins in all competitions during October, a run that paved the way for them rising into the top three in League Two.

McGreal added: “It’s a proud moment because no sooner it happens, my mum and dad and my brothers are ringing me up.

“You don’t really get recognised within the club at times – it’s nice when you do get it from outside of the club.

“A lot of people see what you’re doing outside the club which is fantastic for me and Steve (Ball), Perry (Blanchette) and Rene (Gilmartin) and the coaching staff.

“As well as everyone talks about the players, it’s nice that we do get acknowledged from outside.

“The players have got to put into practice what we do on the training ground and they’ve been able to do that last month, when we took 12 points plus the Checkatrade Trophy win - it was a terrific month for us all.”