Grimsby Town boss Michael Jolley says he’s excited to take charge of his first ever Emirates FA Cup tie this weekend.

The Mariners welcome MK Dons to Blundell Park in the first round of the competition on Saturday (3pm).

And Jolley has hailed the importance and prestige of the world’s oldest national football competition.

Speaking on iFollow Mariners, he said: “I’m really looking forward to it. When I was much younger, the FA Cup was a very prestigious and important competition and, as far as I’m concerned, it still remains so.

“Especially for a club like Grimsby Town, where the FA Cup can give us momentum and income that’s very important to us, so we take the game extremely seriously and we want to try and win it.

“We’ve got to think in the way of anything can happen – already, to some extent, we’re going into a game where we’re second-favourites.

“But many underdogs have won cup games before, and we can look to that and use that as a strength to get a win on Saturday.

“When you’re very young you have aspirations as a player, but now as a coach and a manager it’s exciting to be involved.

“It’s obviously a big challenge with MK Dons, but anything can happen in the FA Cup, and we’re really looking forward to taking the challenge on.”

Alex Whitmore is still struggling with his bruised ribs, but could be in contention for a place in the squad on Saturday.

All players who are in on loan from other clubs are eligible to play in Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup tie.

Tickets are still available for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup tie with MK Dons at Blundell Park.