MALDON and Tiptree boss Wayne Brown says their FA Cup first-round tie against League Two side Morecambe is a great test for his players.

The Jammers will be hoping to book their place in the second round proper of the competition for the second successive season when they play host to the Shrimps at Park Drive, on Sunday (kick-off 12.45pm).

The tie will be played behind closed doors due to the Covid-19 pandemic but will be screened live on BBC and BT digital platforms.

Brown said: “It’s a little bit of reward for the lads really – they’ve done well all season.

“For them to do as well as they have, going into this game unbeaten having played 12 games is a real great achievement for the group.

“I’m pleased that we’ve got league opposition so that they can test themselves against full-time professionals who do it for a living which some of my lads are still aspiring to do.

“It will definitely show them the levels and the quality that they need to get to, to try and achieve that.

“It’s a crying shame that there are no fans allowed because I think they would have generated a really good atmosphere, just like we did against Newport last year.

“But I totally understand and accept why that is the case and people’s health is paramount.

“It’s on the box which is really good exposure for the lads both individually and as a collective group.

“We saw last year exposure at both Leyton Orient and against Newport that the lads’ profiles rose and they are wanted by bigger and better clubs, which was proved last year in the fact that we find ourselves with only three lads that were with us last year.

“They’ve gone on to bigger and better things on the strength of that exposure and doing well as an individual and as a group.

“It helps them get to where they want to get to.”

Maldon take on a Morecambe side who lie ninth in League Two, having won five, drawn two and lost four of their opening 11 games.

The Shrimps are managed by experienced former Plymouth Argyle boss, Derek Adams.

“You want to try and pick the bones out of strengths and weaknesses of the opposition which we’ve obviously been doing over recent days and leading into the training sessions,” added Brown.

“You want to do well as an individual against someone who has done well like Derek.

“He’s done great and had a really good career in the managerial environment.

“Like everything else, you just want to do your best against whoever you come up against.

“It’s not the first time this season that we’ve found ourselves playing against a team who are playing higher up in the pyramid than we are.

“You just hope that the lads embrace it and meet the challenge head on and don’t come away from what we do because if we worry too much about them, it becomes a phase of play where you’re just defending constantly and that’s something we’ll try desperately not to become involved in.

“It’s important that the lads go out there and express themselves and try and take the game to them and treat it like any other game we’ve treated this season and get a positive result, on the day.”