Mark Robins looked ahead to his second FA Cup tie in charge of Town and said: “I don’t want to leave Blundell Park embarrassed.”

Beaten 4-1 in round five by then Premier League side and eventual competition winners Wigan in his first game at the helm last February, the boss is out to make sure his side are in Sunday’s fourth-round draw (live on ITV around 2.00pm).

“I want an FA Cup run, and this is a game we are taking very seriously,” said Robins, who as well as studying the Mariners on film and via scouting reports, watched their pre-Christmas Skrill Conference clash with Kidderminster in person.

Along with Macclesfield, who host Sheffield Wednesday, Grimsby and Kidderminster (at home to Peterborough) are the only survivors from outside the Football and Premier Leagues.

And the boss accepts neutrals will be keen to see Town humbled by non-league opponents for the first time since they were beaten 1-0 at then Conference side Accrington in the first round 10 years ago.

“It’s going to be tough,” admitted Robins, who both played alongside and managed current Grimsby boss Paul Hurst at Rotherham.

“We are playing a non-league side on their own patch and they will fancy their chances. I imagine there will be a pretty boisterous atmosphere, they will come at us, and we have to deal with that.

“There will be no radical changes in terms of team selection. I will pick players I hope will cause problems for a good Grimsby side.”

Town are set to again be without 12-goal top scorer James Vaughan, who could be out for another fortnight because of his knee injury.

And centre-back Joel Lynch faces a fitness test on the groin injury which forced him off during the first half of Wednesday’s 3-2 defeat at Burnley, which left Town 13th in the Championship.

“That was a frustrating defeat and this is a good game to have coming up,” added Robins.

“We need the kind of adventure we showed in the final 10 minutes all the way through the tie, and we need to work hard without the ball all the way through.

“If there are phases when things aren’t going according to plan, we have to work hard to create some momentum and not be anxious about receiving the ball when under pressure.”