Tranmere Rovers striker Paul Mullin is relishing an FA Cup second-round clash with neighbours Southport when the two sides meet at Prenton Park on Sunday afternoon, kick-off 2pm.
Rovers beat Oxford City in a replay, with Mullin, alongside James Norwood on the score-sheet to seal the 2-0 and progression to the next round, where a fixture against the National League North side awaits.
And the striker, who was born on Merseyside, is hoping that Rovers can provide the perfect response to Tuesday’s disappointing 5-2 defeat away at Grimsby Town in Sky Bet League Two, and sees the Emirates FA Cup as a competition that Micky Mellon’s men can have a good run in.
Tranmere will renew their rivalry with Southport, having contested National League games over the course of the past few seasons.
“It’s disappointing to lose the way we did but we have to bounce back,” Mullin said.
“It’s a competition, we want to try and go as far as we can in it, so it is a good chance for us.
“It’s going to be a tough game, like any game really, Southport will be just as desperate to get to the third-round as we are, we’re prepared, we just need to do as well as we can and hopefully win the game.
Tranmere are potentially just one win away from earning a place in the third-round draw, and with Premier League teams, including Merseyside duo Liverpool and Everton entering the competition at that stage, 24-year-old Mullin is dreaming of a big tie but knows the job must be done on Sunday first.
Mullin said: “Getting to the third-round is a massive achievement for a lot of clubs, especially if you get the big draw that everyone wants, for us we just need to look at this game and win that, and only after we do that can we start thinking of the third-round, but we have to get through this.
“Everyone wants the chance to play in those big games and that’s not going to change, we have to do the job on Sunday and that’s what we have to concentrate on.”
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