Tranmere Rovers manager Micky Mellon is relishing Friday night’s FA Cup third-round tie with Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur under the Prenton Park floodlights.
Defeating non-league sides Oxford City and Southport over replays in the previous two rounds of the competition to set up a date with Mauricio Pochettino’s North Londoners, with the tie to be televised on BT Sport.
And Mellon feels that the tie with Spurs will be a proud moment for Tranmere Rovers to showcase themselves in front of a sell-out crowd at Prenton Park and millions watching the tie live on TV.
Mellon said: “We’ve had five games in 14 days which has been tough for us but we’re now coming to the end of that and there is a massive game at the end of it and that’s Tottenham so we’re all excited and looking forward to it.
“It’s about going out there and making sure that you take part in the game, it’s a fantastic opportunity for the Football Club to go and announce to the footballing world that its still here, we’ve been through some tough times so it’s important we go out there and we take part in the fantastic occasion.
“We’ll get prepared the best way we can and know that it is a massive game for us and a big, big ask, but we’re going to go there and give it a go and try and represent the Club as well as we do properly.
“It will be great to see the ground full, it’s the first time since we played Liverpool that it’s been full, so that’s fantastic, it’s great to be involved in that and see the stadium bouncing.”
While Mellon and his Rovers squad are looking forward to going head-to-head against Spurs in front of a sold-out support, the Scot has contained his excitement in the build-up to Friday, ensuring that it has been business as usual for TRFC.
Mellon continued: “It’s huge for the Club, getting back on its feet again that we’re getting these big ties and being involved in these big games, it’s brilliant for us for a whole host of reasons, financially and announcing that we are still here. It’s exciting but we’ll contain our excitement, we’re still very professional and looking forward to what should be a fantastic game.
“They (the Tranmere players) will go out there, they’ll be ready, they’ll be as prepared as what we can make them. I’ve told them to make sure they take part in it, to be involved in it and enjoy it, it is a fantastic occasion to go and get involved in. We’ll prepare them properly, they know their jobs and their roles and what they need to know before they go out there, then it’s just about them going out there and being composed and giving it a right go.”
Mellon revealed how the FA Cup remains a special competition for him as it gives teams in the lower leagues of English football the opportunity to come up against Premier League and international players.
He added: “It’s fantastic, it gives you the opportunity to have occasions like this, it’s terrific that you can have a group of players who have all played in the National League playing against a Premier League team, it’s brilliant and it’s what football is all about.”
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