Aidy Boothroyd urged his Colchester United players to put the FA Cup to the back of their minds after they were handed a tough tie at Coca-Cola Championship side Preston North End in the third round.

The U’s will travel to Deepdale to take on the two-time FA Cup winners at the beginning of January, with a place in the fourth round at stake.

Colchester progressed to the third round of the competition after beating Hereford United 1-0 at Edgar Street, thanks to John-Joe O’Toole’s stoppage-time winner.

U’s boss Boothroyd admitted the Preston tie will be a difficult one for his in-form side.

However, he stressed the need his Colchester players to remain focused on their Coca-Cola League One campaign, between now and their trip to Lancashire.

Boothroyd told the Gazette: “For me, it’s a really tough game becausePreston are a good team.

“It’s an away tie which is not what we wanted and it won’t be a money-spinner for us.

“We would have preferred a home tie and we will have to be at our best in order to get a result.

“But in my opinion, it’s a game that is winnable and I’m neither pleased nor unhappy with the draw.

“Now we have to put it to the back of our minds and in that respect, it’s a really good draw.

“It’s not a sexy one that might have got players thinking about the FA Cup rather than the league.

“We have a lot of games to play between now and then.”