Jarrow will hope to cause an FA Vase upset this weekend.

Kennie Malia wants his Jarrow players to use Saturday’s FA Vase second qualifying round tie against Marske United as a test for their promotion credentials.

Last season’s run to the first round proper of the competition earned Malia’s men a bye in the first qualifying round and they will now kickstart their involvement in this season’s Vase with a home tie against the Division One Seasiders this weekend.

Jarrow celebrate after scoring in their big win at Northern League Division Two rivals Seaton Carew (photo Kieran Gough) | Kieran Gough

placeholder image — Jarrow celebrate after scoring in their big win at Northern League Division Two rivals Seaton Carew (photo Kieran Gough) | Kieran Gough

After narrowly missing out on promotion into the Northern League’s top tier over the last two seasons, Jarrow have their sights firmly set on making it third-time lucky this season and they have made a positive start by embarking on a 12-game unbeaten run.

However, the meeting with Marske will be the first time they have met higher-level opposition this season and Malia believes the tie will provide him with a ‘good indicator’ of how his side compare to a Division One outfit.

He told The Gazette: “It doesn’t matter who we play, we always believe we can win a game, even if it is a team from a division above us. We will always think we can cause them trouble but we know it’s going to be a big challenge. However, it’s a challenge that we will be ready for and we think we can get over the line. We want to be where they are and we want promotion this season to get into their level and have games like this every week. That means this will be a good test for us and a good indicator of where we are at in terms of their level.”

Your next football read: Former Sunderland and Rangers winger left 'emotional' by South Shields FC debut