Youth team boss Tony Philliskirk is under no illusions that tomorrow’s FA Youth Cup second round tie against Romulus will be a tough test for his side.
Athletic were handed an away tie against Romulus after beating Bury 2-0 in the first round of the competition.
Speaking ahead of the game, Philliskirk said: “I’ve watched Romulus beat Notts County a couple of times now and credit to them, they deserved to win.
“I don’t think Notts County performed to the best of their ability on the night, and I’m sure they won’t mind me saying that, but fair play to Romulus.
“They have a lot of big, strong and athletic lads in their side so we are under no illusions that it is a real tough game.
“It’s a potential banana skin for us because if we go there and win, everyone says we should beat them, so they have nothing to lose.
"If we are not mentally prepared right and tactically right then it’s going to be a difficult night. The game is going to be played on 3G which is something we don’t play or train on.
“We need to make sure we are prepared, I’ve had the analysts watching them on the DVD, we have highlighted their strengths and weaknesses.
“We have mentioned the importance to the players of getting our noses in front.
“Notts County missed some early chances and then Romulus took the lead, once they scored, you could see their confidence rise and Notts County’s drop so the first goal in our game could be vital.
“It’s going to be a tough game for us but we are prepared ahead of tomorrow’s game.”