Grimsby Town midfielder Harry Clifton says the Mariners should be fearless in their Emirates FA Cup third round tie with Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Saturday (5.30pm).
Michael Jolley’s face Roy Hodgson’s Premier League outfit at the weekend, with the Mariners hoping to reach the FA Cup fourth round for the first time since 2000.
And Town youth academy graduate Clifton said he and his teammates must be fearless against the Eagles, who currently sit in 14th-place in the Premier League.
Speaking exclusively on iFollow Mariners, he said: “We know it’s going to be a hard game because they’re obviously a very, very good team.
“But I think we just go in with no fear, and we’re going in with confidence from this past month or so, so we’ll see what happens.
“If everyone plays at a good level, I think we’re good enough to maybe get something, or maybe get them worried for a little bit, but we’re in a really good place to be going into this game.
“This will be the biggest game I’ve played so far – definitely the biggest stage I’ve played on – so I’m really excited.
“But there’s a lot of young lads in our team, and it’s probably their biggest stage so far as well.
“So we’re all excited – it will be a good day – but we know we’ve got to be professional and we’ve still got a job to do.”
And the 20-year-old, who scored Town’s second goal in the 2-0 win over Chesterfield in the FA Cup second round, said he hopes the Mariners can give their 5,500 travelling supporters something to cheer about.
He said: “I’ve got a lot of family coming down – same with all of the lads. My family are going to make the most of it, and we’re all really looking forward to it.
“We’ve sold over 5,500 tickets now, and we can’t wait, and I’m sure it’ll be a good day out in London for everyone.
“I’m sure they’ll be singing all game, and I just hope that we can give them something to shout about.
“We’ve got good enough players to try and take it to them at stages. I just hope we can get them a bit excited, and maybe celebrating – I’d love it if we can do something like that.”
