GRIMSBY Town will not have an easy passage to the FA Trophy Final – according to the man whose team stands in their way.
Dartford boss Tony Burman has vowed that Town will be made to work in order to book their place at Wembley when the two sides meet to conclude their semi-final clash tomorrow (3pm).
The Mariners hold a healthy 3-0 advantage from their first leg victory and while Burman understands the task facing his side, he insists Town are in for an uncomfortable afternoon at Princes Park.
He said: "We've got to get four goals," he told BBC Radio Kent.
"We'll make it uncomfortable for them.
"Their fans were great for them last week, let's hope our crowd will make them feel uncomfortable this time round.
"I need all the supporters to get behind the boys and give us a good shot."
The Darts will need to create history if they are to make it to the final on March 24 at the expense of the Mariners.
No team has ever overturned a three-goal deficit from the first leg to win a semi-final tie since the competition was first played over 40 years ago.
But with the record books stacked against his side, Burman remains undaunted by the challenge, saying the Darts will 'have a go' at Town in the second leg.
He continued: "If it had been 1-0, we'd have said that we'd done the job. We have got to get those goals back – football is a strange game and you have to hope things go for you on the day. We have 90 minutes to have a go.
"The players have been consistent and will do their best – the onus is on us to have a real go at Grimsby
"They'll want to catch us on the break but it's always been a two-legged affair.
"You do get a second bite of the cherry,
"We're down because of what happened in the last 10 minutes (at Blundell Park)," he continued.
"It was a mad 10 minutes when we should be keeping our composure and taking them back 1-0 down.
"We're 3-0 down. We've got to go for it at home now."
While the Mariners endured a long trip to Braintree on Tuesday evening, by contrast, the Darts had no midweek fixture to distract them.
And midfielder Tom Champion believes their free week could prove beneficial tomorrow.
"When the game comes round we will have recovered and feel like we're still in with a shot," he said.
"Once we've had a week to think about it, we'll give it everything we've got."
One player who the Mariners will not be facing off against tomorrow is Lee Noble.
The midfielder was sent off in the 91st minute of the first leg after clashing with Town's Aswad Thomas.
The Darts failed with their appeal to have his suspension overturned, meaning he will miss the next four games.
But regardless of the personnel that they come up against tomorrow, Mariners joint-boss Paul Hurst knows his side are in for a tough test.
He said: "We want to see the job through, get to Wembley and give everyone a lift.
"That was the aim from day one in this competition – we've given ourselves a great chance to achieve that.
"Surprising things happen and we don't want to be on the end of a result that everyone's talking about and raises eyebrows.
"We've still got very much a job to do – how difficult that is will heavily depend on our approach to it.
"If we approach it right I think we have a great chance of getting through."
On Dartford's approach to the game, Hurst added: "We're away from home and the onus is very much on them to bring the game to us – they certainly won't be sitting back.
"I may be proved wrong, but, as I said last week, if we score I really don't see us not getting through the tie.
"Dartford will be a little bit hurt by last week, a bit disappointed because for a long while it looked like it was going to be 1-0.
"Then to find themselves losing the game 3-0, they'll be disappointed, but listening to what's coming out from their end, they remain positive.
"An early goal would give them a massive lift, and they'll try everything they can, I'm sure, to put us on the back front and under pressure.
"It's how we deal with that and what problems we can then cause them. If they commit too many men forward we'll look to exploit that."
