Grimsby Town's assistant manager Chris Doig has warned his players that they will have to match Eastleigh's physicality when the two sides meet in the semi-finals of the Football Conference playoffs.

The Mariners, who finished third, will travel to the Silverlake Stadium for the first leg on Thursday, before playing host to Richard Hill's men in the return clash on Sunday afternoon.

Looking ahead to the encounters, Doig has conceded that it is like "going into the land of the giants".

"We've played them twice already and they're a very, very physical, direct side who play for set-pieces and look for free-kicks around the box," he told the Grimsby Telegraph.

"They're very tall and it's almost like going into the land of the giants with them, but we're ready for it. We know what we'll have to deal with."

Grimsby won both of the matches between the teams earlier in the campaign.

Written by
Liam Apicella