NEWPORT County AFC manager Michael Flynn has described the FA Cup first-round trip to Grimsby Town as “an awful draw” but he insists his side will be going for glory once again in the world’s oldest cup competition.

The 500-mile round-trip on November 9 will be all the more arduous as County will be back at Blundell Park a week later in League Two, with a Leasing.com Trophy tie at Cheltenham Town sandwiched in between.

But the Exiles boss knows all about the potential financial rewards on offer in the FA Cup with his side having earned millions over the past two seasons with remarkable runs to the fourth round in 2018 and one step further last season.

“It’s an awful draw,” said Flynn. “It’s not a great draw for us. It’s not good for the supporters.

“But it’s one we can go and win, so we’ve got to go up there with the right mentality.

“And I think the last time we went up there twice in a week [in 2013], we ended up getting promoted so let’s hope that happens again.

“We’ll still give it a go, of course we will,” he added. “There’s too much money at stake for the football club so we’ll give it a go.

“And the first couple of rounds are just normal Saturdays.

“We’ve got a Trophy game [at Cheltenham Town] sandwiched in between [the two trips to Grimsby] but I won’t be… I’ll give other players a chance in that.”

South Wales Argus: FLASHBACK: Michael Flynn had an angry exchange with a Newport County supporter at Grimsby in FebruaryFLASHBACK: Michael Flynn had an angry exchange with a Newport County supporter at Grimsby in February

County lost 3-0 on their last trip to Blundell Park in February, just three days before beating Championship club Middlesbrough in an FA Cup fourth-round replay to set up a lucrative fifth-round tie against Premier League champions Manchester City.

Flynn was a player in the 2012-2013 season under manager Justin Edinburgh when the Exiles concluded their Conference campaign with a 3-0 defeat at Grimsby on April 20.

They returned four days later for the first leg of the play-off semi-final, winning 1-0 on their way to sealing promotion against Wrexham at Wembley the following month.

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