Former finalist Keith Millen says Carlisle United have to match the “energy and enthusiasm” of non-league visitors Horsham in tomorrow’s FA Cup tie.

The new Blues boss is hoping to steer his side safely into the second round.

But to do so he says they must respect their Isthmian League visitors and be aware of how they will approach things at Brunton Park.

United are desperately hoping for a positive afternoon in the cup after weeks of League Two struggle.

Millen, who helped Crystal Palace reach the 2016 final in his No2 role, said: “I’ve had so many experiences of being the underdog and the favourite in the FA Cup.

“It is a different mindset. I won’t go into details of the way we’re going to play, but you have to earn the right – so you have to match what they’re going to offer.

“That will be lots of energy and enthusiasm. We’ve got to make sure we match that and then hopefully as the game goes on, because of where you are as players, you can take control of the game and then we’ve got to take our chances.

“First of all we’ve got to deal with what they do, and get our way of playing [going], which is new to the group. It won’t be perfect – hopefully it will be but I doubt it – but if I see signs of what we’re trying to achieve during the game, hopefully that’s enough to win it and put us through to the next round.”

United are second bottom of League Two while their Sussex opponents are similarly placed three divisions below them.

In the cup’s previous round, though, Horsham claimed the scalp of National League side Woking, who are only 12 places below the Blues in the pyramid.

Millen said such a result proves why league form can often be disregarded when it comes to the cup.

“I know that area of the country quite well, and for them to beat Woking in the last round is a big scalp,” the Blues manager said.

“Sometimes, with clubs at that level, for them to get to this round in the FA Cup is definitely a distraction, because it’s a huge achievement for the club financially and for the players.

“I can understand why they maybe had a dip in the league, because once they beat Woking, this [game] will have been on their minds since that day. It’s difficult to take their minds off it.

“But league form goes out of the window on Saturday. They’ll be a different team coming here. They’ve earned the right to be here and we have to be so respectful of that.

“I’ll make sure we’re ready. We’ve watched them, we managed to get videos, two match reports…we’ve done as much study on them as I would for a league game and the players have to show the same respect.”

Millen wants his team to play with more confidence at the end of his first full week in charge.

He said: “I’ll be looking for us to dominate possession more, create more chances and sustain our attacks better.

“It’s something we’ve talked about in training. I’ve tried to give the players a little bit more of an identity to what we’re doing and they’re responded well to that.

“I’ve looked at the squad and the team a little more in depth and I have more of an understanding of what they’re about.

“I’ve looked a lot at the front players because I’ve got to try to get the attacking part of the team working well, and that’s an area I think we need to concentrate on, even though we do obviously need to constantly work at keeping clean sheets.

“I’ve had a good bit of time to assess things and hopefully come up with a way of playing that’s effective and gets the best out of them.”

Millen’s own experience of the FA Cup includes his assistant manager role when Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace reached the final against Manchester United in 2016, losing 2-1 after taking the lead through Jason Puncheon.

On the prospect of some respite from the Blues' recent league struggles, he said: “You could say there’s less pressure because it’s away from the league situation, so it can be seen as a distraction away from that. Hopefully we can use that as a positive.

“But, for me, it doesn’t matter who we’re playing – it’s the FA Cup. You want to win because of what it is.

“I’ve been lucky enough to go a long way and even get to a final, so I know what’s it like to win these games and see excitement come from it.

“Hopefully there’ll be less tension in the players, but they’ve got to understand what a great opportunity it is for us to get some momentum going.

“It’s got to come from somewhere, so why not this weekend? Hopefully we perform well, get a result, and that will put us in a much better frame of mind.

“Nobody likes to go on without winning, it affects everyone, the players, the staff, the fans – there’s a cloud around football clubs when you’re not winning games. We’ve got to try to lift that.”

Victory would see United will claim £22,629 in prize money and a place in the second round draw, which is held on Monday night on ITV4 at around 9.45pm, following the televised Dagenham v Salford game.