GRIMSBY Town can put one foot in the Wembley door with victory at Blundell Park today (3pm).
That's according to boss Paul Hurst, who welcomes Gateshead to Cleethorpes in the FA Trophy Second Round.
With several Conference sides falling at the first hurdle, Town and the Heed are among the favourites for the cup competition this season.
The Mariners demolished today's opponents 6-1 back in August, but Hurst says his side are in for a tough afternoon.
And the rewards are clear for both teams – with the winner just three stages away from a Wembley showdown.
Hurst told the Telegraph: "Of course the league is the most important thing to us, without any shadow of doubt.
"But we want to do well in this competition – and have almost felt the joy of winning the cup.
"We took almost 20,000 fans to the final two seasons ago, and I'm sure they would turn out in numbers again.
"Our aim is to get through to the next round, as some of the bigger teams have been knocked out already.
"Both ourselves, and Gateshead, have a good chance of winning the game and the competition."
On the significance of getting past Gateshead, Hurst added: "I saw they made three targets at the start of the season.
"They wanted to get to the Third Round of the FA Cup, get promotion and then win the FA Trophy.
"Unless anything has changed, they will be coming here today to knock us out – and we want to do the same to them.
"Gateshead are a very good team, who play very good football and can cause problems – so it should be an interesting game.
"There are no second prizes – we would like to finish the game off on the day."
Unlike the First Round tie against Nuneaton, a draw in today's Trophy encounter will result in a replay.
If that happens, both sides will face off once again at the International Stadium on Tuesday.
