Mark Robins was far keener to talk about the romance of the FA Cup than the January transfer window as he completed preparations for Town’s second test of the New Year.

Disappointed but not despondent in the wake of the 3-2 Championship defeat at Burnley, the boss is desperate to pilot his side into tomorrow’s fourth-round draw.

That means getting through this afternoon’s potentially awkward tie at Skrill Conference Grimsby, who are going well under Paul Hurst.

While forthcoming in his praise of the man he both played alongside and managed at Rotherham, Robins was more reluctant to discuss the transfer window.

If reports are to be believed, one, two or all three of James Vaughan, Ollie Norwood and Paul Dixon could be heading to Celtic.

Meanwhile Bradford’s Nahki Wells, Barnsley’s Tomasz Cywka plus Leon Clarke and Callum Wilson, who both played under Robins at Coventry, are among those being linked with Town.

While those names come under the heading speculation, Liam Ridehalgh is in the process of completing a permanent move to Tranmere, where he has been playing on loan.

And Sheffield United have confirmed an interest in Jon Stead, whose return to Town has failed to take off the way the 30-year-old wanted.

“People will always talk about transfers,” accepted Robins, who has always emphasised Town’s need to operate within structured financial limits.

“There’s nothing we can do about that, but we won’t be commenting on speculation. Anything we need to do, we do in house.

“Should anything need to be disclosed, it will be disclosed at the proper time, but at the moment, my focus in entirely on a tough game at Grimsby.”

While sympathetic to fellow manager Paul Lambert’s view that the Premier League takes precedence for Aston Villa, Robins says the FA Cup is important for Town.

“You hear a lot about managers up and down the country focusing on the league, and for various reasons, different clubs have different priorities,” he said.

“Paul will know how important the league is to Villa, and may have concerns about certain players picking up injuries or suspensions.

“But from our point of view, and I am pretty sure Grimsby will think the same, the FA Cup provides a pot of prize money which is well worth dipping into.

“There is always that hope that if you get through, you could draw a big Premier League side, which is great for players, supporters and the coffers.”

An FA Cup winner as a player with Manchester United against Crystal Palace in 1990, Robins suffered two defeats in the competition last season.

He was still with Coventry when they went down 3-0 at Tottenham a year ago (they had earlier beaten non-league Arlesey Town and Morecambe in the first two rounds).

Then his first match after taking charge at Town last February was the 4-1 home defeat by eventual winners Wigan in round five.

“They gave us a bit of a lesson, and that was tough, and I certainly don’t want to taste another defeat (today),” added Robins.

“We have one or two injury worries (James Vaughan, Anthony Gerrard and Joel Lynch) but I’m generally pleased with the health of the players after a busy period.

“That gives me the opportunity to field a strong side to try and get us into the next round (the Blundell Park winners will be ball No29, with the pairings made live in ITV around 2.00pm).

“We have done our homework on Grimsby, and we know they are a good side who are strong physically, but like to play out from the back and pass the ball.

“Paul Hurst is a great lad who was a good player for Rotherham. He broke the club appearance record when I was manager there.

“He has moved into management and worked his way up the levels, and the view within football is that Grimsby are moving in the right direction.

“The Conference is tough to get out of because there is only one automatic promotion place and Cambridge are going really well, but the play-offs are a strong possibility.

“I like traditional grounds like Blundell Park, and there will be a good atmosphere there, with their fans baying for a victory.

“It’s a good challenge and good experience for our players, and we have to be professional and do the job properly.

“If we’re not on our mettle, we’ll be in trouble.”