JONATHAN SMITH is glad to see the back of Accrington Stanley's 'embarrassing' defensive form.

And the 24-year-old hopes it can help the Crown Ground side get through to the fourth qualifying round of the FA Cup - the last before the first round proper - at Emley tomorrow.

Centre-half Smith has helped Stanley to clean sheets in the last two league games.

And he hopes that has signalled the end of the side's early-season knack of handing out goals on a platter.

"We are doing all right, we have kept a few clean sheets and we are defending a lot better," said the former Great Harwood defender.

"We were letting in a lot of goals earlier in the season but teams were just having 10 minute spells against us where we always seemed to concede.

"Every mistake was being punished. It was embarrassing.

"It doesn't help that we are an attacking team which tends to commit defenders but we have changed it around a bit in the last few games which has helped."

Smith, who has a neck injury but hopes to be fit for tomorrow's game, tends to be the defender going forward and he has bagged four already this season, including the opener against Worksop in the 5-0 win last Wednesday.

"I didn't score any last season but I got about 12 the year before that," he said. "Thankfully this year I seem to have found my scoring boots again.

"The Worksop game was probably our best performance of the season but they had their chances so hopefully that is a sign that the defence is sorted."

Tomorrow's game against UniBond Premier side Emley could be tough, considering Emley's reputation as giant-killers in the competition.

Reds manager John Coleman says they will have a belief in themselves that Stanley will have to conquer.

"There are a few players still there from the run a couple of years ago and they will think they can do it again.

"The crowd will think they are going to do it as well."

Smith agreed but said Stanley's 3-0 league win earlier in the season will give them the edge.

"We all know about their cup runs," he said. "But we will have the psychological edge because we beat them in the league.

"The run they had just shows what can be done and as the most famous non-League side in the country - so they say - there would be a lot of interest in us of we got through to the first round proper.

"We went out at this stage last season against Bedlington Terriers when we were very poor.

"They went on to play Morecambe who went on that great run and played Ipswich."

If Stanley do make it through the next two rounds, there is a certain league side he would like to be drawn against.

"It would be nice to play Blackpool, with Brett Ormerod doing so well there and attracting so much interest.

"I don't care as long as we are at home. We never seem to be - we haven't had a home game in the Cup for three years!"