"As everybody knows, we've had some tough times, so it's important we go out there and take part in a fantastic occasion. We'll go and do that the best way we can.

"It's a massive game for us and a big, big ask, but we're going to give it everything we've got and try to represent the club, as we always do, properly."

Mellon, a former Tranmere player who was part of the 2004 run to the last eight, took charge at the club in October 2016 with them lying ninth in the National League.

They lost in the play-off final that season, won the play-offs a year later, and are currently ninth in League Two.

"We disappeared off the Football League radar for a wee while," the Scot said.

"With three years out of the Football League you can lose generations of fans and you can stop being a big football club.

"But certainly we have seen over the past couple of years, the trips to Wembley and big occasions like this, the promotion battles, that Tranmere is still here.

"It still has a fanbase that, when called upon, you can sell out in three hours. It's unbelievable potential.

"So it's up to us as a football business to make sure we try to keep the momentum from that going forward, and games like Friday night will help that."

Regarding the sell-out crowd for Friday, he said: "Somebody just said it will be the first time since we played Liverpool (in the 2001 FA Cup quarter-finals) that it's been full.

"So that's fantastic, great for people to be involved in that, and see the stadium bouncing.

"The atmosphere will be electric. Friday night is party night anyway in Birkenhead, and it happens to have a game of football right slap bang in the middle of it, to add to the spice.

"We have absolutely nothing to lose and we're excited about it."

Tottenham moved up to second in the Premier League with their 3-0 win at Cardiff on New Year's Day.

Mellon added: "It's terrific you can have a group that played in the National League now playing against what the Premier League table has said is the second-best team in England at the minute. It's brilliant, it's what football should be all about.

"They're a wonderful team, full of internationals. We know and respect that.

"But it's the FA Cup. So although we have to be realistic and say our chances are small, there's certain things you can do to increase that, so we've spoken about that in the last couple of days.

"We know it's going to be tough, but this is football, it's the FA Cup."

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