Aldershot Town look to continue FA Cup magic in first West Brom meeting but face concern
Only once have Aldershot Town reached the FA Cup fourth round since the club was founded in 1992, following the folding of former club Aldershot.
That came over a decade ago, in 2012/13, where the Shots saw off Rotherham United – then a fellow League Two side – in round three. That led to a trip to Middlesbrough, which ended in a last-gasp 2-1 defeat.
Sunday sees the first meeting between Albion and any Aldershot side, with just shy of 5,000 away tickets flogged by the National League visitors, riding high in eighth in the fifth tier and among the play-off contenders. At the time of writing Albion had sold between 8,000-9,000 home tickets.
The visitors have been dealt a significant blow though, with 16-goal top scorer and attacking midfielder Josh Stokes, 19, serving a one-match ban for two yellow cards last time out against Woking, including one for a late simulation.
This season’s run under boss Tommy Widdrington has sparked wonderful memories for Shots fans. It started back in the fourth qualifying round in October, where part-timers Lewes were dispatched 4-1.
It set up a trip to League Two Swindon in round one, where a scarcely believable contest took place.
Aldershot, against the odds, raced into a 4-0 half-time lead and were remarkably 7-0 up by the hour at the County Ground. Swindon fought back to lose 7-4.
Then came another fourth tier opponent, Stockport, in round two. Sixteen-goal talisman Josh Stokes – linked to Sunderland and Ipswich among others – netted twice to force a replay, which the shots won 1-0 away late on through Oliver Scott.
Striker Lorent Tolaj, with 15 goals (five in four FA Cup ties), also poses Albion a threat. On-loan Portsmouth defender Haji Mnonga has been called to AFCON duty with Tanzania and is set to miss the tie.
