Aldershot want to be 'on the right side' of cup upset

Tommy Widdrington took charge of Aldershot Town in April 2023

Aldershot Town boss Tommy Widdrington says he wants his team to "be on the right side" of an FA Cup upset this weekend when they face Bradford City.

The Hampshire-based side compete in the National League and, after 16 games, they sit 17th in the division.

The FA Cup is filled with fond memories for the Shots - last season they beat League Two side Swindon Town 7-4 in the first round.

They then went on a bit of a run in the competition, knocking out Stockport in the second round before getting a big tie away at Championship West Bromwich Albion, which they lost 4-1

"It's exciting and you can't not remember the highs that we had last season," Widdrington told BBC Sport.

"We understand the gulf between the two clubs in stature but ultimately that was probably the same last season when we faced Swindon.

"The FA Cup has this unbelievable, and uncanny, habit of throwing up upsets and last year we were fortunate enough to be on the right side of a couple - we want that again.

"We’re under no illusion that it’s a difficult task but we’re going there to compete."

Bradford City have had a decent start to the campaign, sitting seventh in League Two and eight points off the top spot.

The Bantams have a few injury worries going into this tie but have three wins from their past five matches, despite losing to Doncaster in their most recent outing.

"Bradford won’t take us lightly," Widdrington said.

"You can't dress up the fact that we are heavy underdogs but we want to be in the hat for the next round.

"Bradford are a huge club and their fans will come out in their thousands.

"Whatever the result is, just being here is a huge positive for us."

Saturday's match will be a repeat of the first round from the 2018-19 season, when the tie ended in a 1-1 draw.

The replay saw the Bantams eventually prevail 4-1 on penalties, after extra time, following another 1-1 stalemate.