DEVASTATED Clitheroe manager Dave Burgess still harbours hopes of securing an FA Vase final spot against Taunton tomorrow.

The Blues are 5-0 down after the first leg but Burgess says he has not given up hope of an historic fightback.

"There would be no point in turning up if we didn't think we could do it," he said.

"I would just send my reserve team out to give them some experience and save the first team for the league.

"We are under no illusions as to the size of the task but we will go out there and give it a go. If we score a few goals and don't get through at least at the end of it we can hold our heads up and say it was just 30 minutes of madness in the first leg that lost it for us."

The Blues conceded five first half goals and then had Mark Stewart sent off, but created chances after the break in the first leg in Somerset.

"That has given us a bit of confidence," said Burgess. "We sat down in training and talked about it. The league is still our priority -- we have always said that -- but we'll go out and give it a real go.

"That is all we can do. We have no injury problems and I am going to play an attacking line-up.

"I am not saying we are going to go out and score five goals but we have done it before.

"We want to be able to say we have given it our best shot. It has been preying on my mind but in years to come people will look back and say 'we got to the FA Vase semi-final' and they will realise how much we achieved."

A bumber crowd was expected at Shawbridge for tomorrow's game and Burgess has urged fans to still turn out.

"All I can say to the fans is if you don't come you might just miss an historic event."

Burgess has spent the past week wondering what went wrong and what he might have done differently.

"It was one of those days when every player from one to 11 had an off day," he said. "Every player let themselves down and that is a hard thing to say about our team because they never do.

"Everything Taunton hit went in and four of the goals were direct from mistakes from us, after we gave them the ball in the final third. They thoroughly deserved to win.

"I don't think we will ever come to terms with it but after a week you begin to look back at what you have achieved as a team. We have raised the profile of the club and of Lee Sculpher and myself as a management team.

"I haven't stopped thinking about what went wrong and what we could have done differently.

"It has been there in the back of my mind all week but I am still thinking 'you never know'. At the moment I have feelings of sadness tinged with a little bit of anticipation and a lot of hope.

"We will give it our best shot."