West Bromwich Albion 4-1 Aldershot Town: Daryl Dike scores on return from injury

Daryl Dike marked his long-awaited comeback from injury with a goal as West Brom swept National League Aldershot Town aside to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup.

The USA international, who missed almost nine months after surgery on his Achilles tendon, netted the Baggies' third at The Hawthorns as they went 3-0 up after 27 minutes.

Nathaniel Chalobah and Jovan Malcolm had scored early on for the Championship side who made eight changes to their starting XI.

Winger Tom Fellows rounded off the win late on, capping an impressive display with his first senior goal, before Ollie Bray grabbed a last-minute consolation for The Shots.

Albion, famously eliminated from the competition by Aldershot's near neighbours Woking in 1991, were also given a scare by non-league Chesterfield in last year's third round - but they never looked in danger of slipping up on this occasion.

Chalobah fired the Baggies into an early lead with his first goal for the club, a sweet strike into the top corner and Malcolm pounced on a defensive lapse to make it 2-0 with a low finish.

Dike displayed some signs of rust on his return to action, heading two opportunities off target - but the 23-year-old gobbled up the next one to come his way, slamming in from close range after the visitors failed to clear a corner.

Daryl Dike had been out for almost nine months with an Achilles injury

There might have been a second goal for Dike before he was withdrawn at the interval, unleashing a low drive that Shots goalkeeper Jordi van Stappershoef did well to turn around the post.

Aldershot enjoyed a good spell after the restart and Lorent Tolaj - who had scored twice in their remarkable 7-4 first-round victory at Swindon - unleashed a ferocious effort that forced home keeper Josh Griffiths into action.

At the other end, the non-league side initially avoided further damage, although a Caleb Taylor header flew fractionally wide and 19-year-old midfielder Fenton Heard, who was handed a full debut, drilled just over the bar.

Pipa and substitute Layton Love squandered chances to add their names to the scoresheet before Fellows netted Albion's fourth, cutting inside to fire a left-foot finish in off the far post.

Bray gave the travelling fans something tangible to cheer, though, making it 4-1 with the final kick of the game.

West Brom head coach Carlos Corberan told BBC Radio WM:

"I am especially pleased with the mentality the players who play in the league have put in today to help the team compete well and at the same time to lead the young players by example.

"It's always important for them to see that, if they work hard, they have the possibility to do something for the first team. Fenton (Heard) was very sharp, helping the team to attack a lot and the minutes for Harry (Whitwell) were good minutes too.

"For me it has been a massive step for Dike, the goal helps his level of confidence but I don't need the goal to know he's going to be an important player for us.

"The way he celebrated a goal says a lot about how much a player is suffering when he is not fit and out of the team."

Aldershot manager Tommy Widdrington told BBC Radio Surrey:

"The overriding emotion is pride. I'm proud of the group and proud of our club - the way the nearly 5,000 Shots fans behind the goal acted has been fantastic and it's been a great day for the club.

"To score a goal here is tantamount to a little bit of a sweet victory for me. While we didn't win the game, it was his (Ollie Bray's) day and that's what the FA Cup does, perennially.

"We're up against a top, top Championship club which could easily be in the Premier League. This is the arena I want my players to experience and now they have, I want them to want it again and again.

"We helped them with two of the goals, but I'm really pleased that the lads steadied themselves and kept them out for the last 20-odd mins of the first half and near enough the whole 45 in the second."