LAST season was a memorable one for Newport County in League Two and the FA Cup – and boss Michael Flynn wants success on both fronts again this time around.

There were plenty of moments to savour during the 2018/19 campaign as the Exiles shone in the two competitions.

They strung together a superb sequence of results to reach the play-off final at Wembley, having already continued their love affair with the world’s most famous knockout tournament.

Today sees them begin what everyone at Rodney Parade is hoping will be another unforgettable run in the FA Cup, with a trip to Grimsby Town awaiting Flynn’s men (kick-off 3pm).

Flynn takes his side to Cleethorpes with captain Joss Labadie back from suspension and fellow midfielder Josh Sheehan free to play before an impending ban.

The manager yesterday confirmed that not all County’s loan stars had been made available for the first-round tie by their parent clubs, but wouldn’t divulge who he could call on.

Nevertheless, whoever is involved will either have been part of or know about County’s relationship with the cup in recent times.

A win today and one more in the next round may mean another opportunity to go up against one of the big guns.

Leeds United, Middlesbrough and Leicester City have come a cropper in Newport of late, while Spurs were given a real scare and Manchester City a good run for their money.

“I’m looking forward to it,” said Flynn when asked about this afternoon’s showdown. “I’ve said enough in the past, it’s a special competition and means a lot to me.

“It has obviously provided the club, the players, myself and all the fans some unbelievable and unforgettable memories.

“It is important in monetary terms and for experiences that you don’t get week in and week out. It’s a competition that’s very important to us.”

As for what County’s priority is this season, he added: “I want to get the club out of League Two so, this year, although I’d give a slightly different answer (compared to previous years), I want both.

“We had both last season, near enough, so let’s do it again.

“But it’s never a given in the cup, you’ll see some upsets this weekend. We upset a few teams last season, but if you don’t play well, you get knocked out by teams a lot lower than you.

“I’ll be picking the strongest team I can because, with the rewards you can get, everybody realises it’s a huge benefactor for the club.

“The club is a lot more important than me and the players because it will be around for a long time after us.”

Grimsby go into the match sitting 18th in League Two, eight points behind seventh-placed County.

Michael Jolley’s Mariners have seen their last two league fixtures postponed, but Flynn doesn’t think their enforced lay-off will have any bearing on proceedings today and knows the hosts are going to be a real threat.

“It’s a long journey and they’ve got some really good players, so it’s going to be a tough one,” he said. “We’d have preferred it at home, but we’ve been to Grimsby before and won, and we’ll be trying to do it again.

“It doesn’t mean anything that they haven’t played. They’ve been on a poor run, we’ve lost two games, but we’ve only lost three all season and we’re in a good position.

“If we go there and play the best we can, we’ll win the game, and that’s not arrogance, that’s confidence in my players.

“If we don’t then it’s going to be a tough afternoon and we’ll probably come back out of the cup.

“I know a few of their players and they can beat anybody in the league on their day, especially in Grimsby.”