Nicky Shorey has a point to prove

Nicky Shorey heads into FA Cup action tomorrow determined to take out his Albion frustration on familiar foes.

The Baggies full-back will return to former club Reading looking to help his current employers reach the fourth round and gain revenge for last season's fifth-round replay defeat by the Royals.

But Shorey has a personal point to prove after again finding himself stuck on the sidelines despite swapping Villa for The Hawthorns this summer.

The 29-year-old remained diplomatic when discussing his omission from the Baggies side in favour of Slovakia international Marek Cech in recent weeks.

But the former England international made clear his frustration after leaving Villa Park with the intention of putting his substitute bench frustrations behind him.

"The club wanted to sign a left-back," he said. "They had two left-backs at the time but it says it all that they wanted to sign a left-back.

"Obviously it's been frustrating. I was at Villa before and had the same there so I am getting used to it now. But you just have to get your head down and keep working hard.

"I'm not going to go into things. Things like that stay behind closed doors and that is for me and the manager to talk about. But I am disappointed not to be in the team.

"All I can do is try to enjoy it when I do get the chance. It was nice to come on at Fulham and I enjoyed it even though we lost. It was nice to be out there playing."

Shorey is set to start at the Madejski Stadium after Cech picked up a shin injury in Tuesday's 3-0 Premier League loss at Craven Cottage.

And the ex-Villa defender insisted his exile from the starting line-up has not destroyed his belief.

"It knocks you a little bit but it hasn't knocked my confidence in myself," he said. "I am confident in my ability that I should be playing."

Tomorrow will be an emotional occasion for Shorey, who spent seven years as a Reading player and made almost 300 appearances, helping the club climb from the third tier of English football into the Premier League.

But he left for Villa Park in 2008 after announcing earlier in that year that he intended to move on.

And he admitted he is uncertain about the reaction he will get from the home supporters after his departure coincided with the Royals' relegation from the top flight.

"It will be nice to go back to Reading because I have such good memories there," said Shorey, whose father Steve is still chief scout at the Madejski Stadium.

"I haven't been back before. I played against them but it was at the City Ground for Nottingham Forest.

"A lot of people will be at the game that I know so that will be exciting. Hopefully the reaction will be good.

"Probably the way it ended, with me saying I wanted to go and us going down, might mean they hold it against me.

"I was as gutted as them but I still feel I owe them something for that. You never know, maybe it will happen in the future."

Shorey insists the FA Cup remains important to him despite the competition's stature suffering in recent years.

"It hasn't lost its gloss for me. I love the FA Cup," he added.

"It's a different atmosphere from the league games and even from the Carling Cup games.

"It is a great atmosphere and I have always enjoyed it."