WHO ARE THE SHOTS PLAYING?
A historic FA Cup run continues on Sunday as the Shots travel to the Hawthorns to take on Championship side West Brom. Full name West Bromwich Albion, the Baggies were founded in 1878, 146 years ago. Aldershot will be travelling to their nearly 27,000 capacity stadium of the Hawthorns, where almost 5,000 Shots will be in the Smethwick End.
The Baggies have been in the Championship since their relegation from the Premier League in 2020/21, where they finished 19th after 38 games.
HOW DID WE GET HERE?
The Shots reached the FA Cup first round for the first time in five years after a rampant 4-1 victory over Lewes in the fourth qualifying round, in a game where Lorent Tolaj scored a hat trick and Aaron Jones was also on the scoresheet.
One of the most historic games in Shots history followed away at League Two side Swindon, as a seven goal display in which Jack Barham, Josh Stokes, Lorent Tolaj and Cian Harries all scored in a 7-4 victory in an eleven goal thriller, which went down in history for the Shots.
Onto the second round and onto League Two leaders Stockport County. It was a mountain for the Shots but Tommy Widdrington kept climbing, and Josh Stokes announced himself to the world with a brace to send Stockport to a replay. A tough encounter was won by Aldershot via the replay as Olly Scott scored a late winner to send the Shots to the Hawthorns.
23/24 SO FAR:
The Baggies are currently 5th in the Championship and are pushing for a return to the Premier League. They have 42 points from 26 games, with two wins, two losses and a draw in their last five games, and are coming into this fixture off the back of a 1-0 loss to Swansea.
FA CUP HISTORY:
West Brom have reached the FA Cup final 10 times, and have won the trophy five times. Their maiden wins came in the early stages of the tournament in 1888 and 1892, later winning three more FA Cups in 1931, 1954 and most recently in 1958.
Last season, National League side Chesterfield almost pulled off a huge upset but were denied late by Brandon Thomas-Asante who sent the game to a replay: A replay which was won 4-0 by the Baggies before defeat to Bristol City in the fourth round.
WEST BROM HONOURS:
The Baggies have won the English title once in 1919-20 and have been runners up twice. As well as being five time FA Cup winners, They also won the Carabao Cup in 1966, although at that time it was called the Football League Cup. West Brom have also been in and out of the Premier League all throughout their history, most recently in 2020/21.
IN THE DUGOUT:
Currently in the dugout for West Brom is Carlos Corberan. The 40-year-old started life as a goalkeeper for Valencia, but decided to step into the dugout at the age of 23 after his playing career never really took off. He started off with Doxa and Ermis in Cyprus, but his first ventures in England saw him take on a youth role at Leeds before joining Huddersfield’s first team. After Huddersfield Corberan moved to Greece with Olympiacos, and joined the Baggies in October 2022. He took over with West Brom second bottom of the Championship, steadying the ship and guiding the side back to a place of stability, where they have been able to push for the Premier League once again.
TICKETS:
Tickets for the clash are now off sale, but there will be a fantastic following of Shots fans at the Hawthorns.
No ticket sales will be made on the day of the game to Shots supporters.
You MUST have a physical paper ticket to gain entry on the day of the game.
The Club Shop/Ticket Office will NOT be open over the weekend and therefore the phonelines will also not be in operation.
Any uncollected tickets will be left at the East Turnstile of the Hawthorns for collection on the day of the game.
Thank you for your continued support of the Shots!
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT:
The clash has been selected for extended highlights by the BBC, so will be available to watch if you can’t watch the game.
Live updates will be available from our social media platforms Twitter (@OfficialShots), Instagram (@aldershottownfcofficial), and Facebook. After the game, highlights will be available on our YouTube channel.
BBC Radio Surrey will be providing live commentary of the match. You can also find their coverage online via BBC Sounds but due to FA Cup regulations, this will be UK only.
