Red tape has ruled new signing Jermaine Darlington out of AFC Wimbledon's FA Cup tie at Exeter City on Saturday.

Boss Dave Anderson had hoped to give the 32-year-old defender his debut in Tuesday night's London Senior Cup tie against Dulwich Hamlet - which the Dons lost 3-2.

He said: "I would have given Jermaine a place on the bench on Saturday if he had come through the Dulwich match, but it wasn't to be.

"He only registered on Saturday and it turned out players need to be registered for seven days before playing in the London Senior Cup."

Darlington, signed by Terry Burton for Wimbledon at the start of the 2001-02 season, has also played for QPR, Watford and Cardiff since starting his career under Anderson's tutelage at Aylesbury.

"He is a great player. I know I could trust him to play anywhere in midfield and defence," said Anderson.

Striker Richard Butler is out of Saturday's tie with a groin injury and he is due to visit a specialist this week.

Antony Howard should be fit despite a groin strain, but Lewis Cook is cup-tied.

Anderson admits this match will be extra-special for the Dons as they look to reach the first round proper of the FA Cup for the first time since the breakaway club was formed.

Dons have sold out their allocation of seats and more than 600 of the 1,000 terrace tickets on offer have been snapped up, with many more expected to go by the end of the week.

"I have already had more media interest than for any other game we have played and there is even talk of it being covered on Match of the Day," revealed Anderson.

"It isn't the first time I have experienced this kind of thing with this football club, but this all feels a little bit different."

"This is an unusual game because we are the underdogs.

"It will be an upset if we win and I like that. After all, this club made its name with an FA Cup upset."

The no-nonsense Ulsterman guided his side into the second qualifying round of the FA Trophy with a 2-1 victory at home to Dunstable Town, thanks to goals from Paul Barnes and Roscoe D'Sane.

On Tuesday, Wayne Finnie and Steve Tyson gave a makeshift Dons side a 2-0 lead over Dulwich, but Chris Dickson's brace levelled the scores by the break and Kenny Beaney sealed it for the visitors in the second half.

Meanwhile, one Dons player is guaranteed a place at the FA Cup final - whether it ends up being held at Wembley or Cardiff.

Byron Bubb's stunning volley against Evesham Town in the last round led to him being voted as the player of the round after he clinched 51 per cent of supporters' vote on the FA website.

The prize is a VIP trip to the final and Bubb said: "I grew up in Wembley and still live about five minutes from the stadium so, as you can imagine, I am the talk of the estate right now," he said.

"If I hadn't won this prize I would have tried to get my hands on a ticket. Fingers crossed it is ready in time."