Aldershot Town Aims for FA Cup Upset Against Bradford City

Tommy Widdrington, who assumed leadership of Aldershot Town in April 2023, has expressed his desire for his squad to “be on the right side” of a potential FA Cup upset during their upcoming match against Bradford City this weekend. The team, based in Hampshire, currently participates in the National League, where they occupy 17th position after 16 fixtures. The FA Cup holds significant positive recollections for Aldershot, often referred to as the Shots. In the previous season, they secured a 7-4 victory over League Two team Swindon Town in the first round. Their campaign continued with progress through the competition, including a win against Stockport in the second round, leading to a notable away fixture against Championship club West Bromwich Albion, which concluded in a 4-1 defeat. Widdrington conveyed to BBC Sport, “It’s exciting and you can’t not remember the highs that we had last season.” He acknowledged the disparity between the two clubs, stating, “We understand the gulf between the two clubs in stature but ultimately that was probably the same last season when we faced Swindon.” He further remarked on the nature of the tournament: “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.” Despite the challenge, he affirmed his team’s intent: “We’re under no illusion that it’s a difficult task but we’re going there to compete.” Bradford City has commenced their season respectably, currently positioned seventh in League Two, trailing the top spot by eight points. The Bantams are contending with some injury concerns ahead of this fixture, yet they have secured three victories in their last five games, notwithstanding a recent defeat to Doncaster. Widdrington commented, “Bradford won’t take us lightly.” He acknowledged his team’s position, stating, “You can’t dress up the fact that we are heavy underdogs but we want to be in the hat for the next round.” He also recognized the stature of their opponents: “Bradford are a huge club and their fans will come out in their thousands.” Concluding, he added, “Whatever the result is, just being here is a huge positive for us.” The upcoming Saturday fixture will echo a first-round encounter from the 2018-19 season, which initially concluded in a 1-1 draw. The subsequent replay also resulted in a 1-1 stalemate after extra time, with the Bantams ultimately securing victory 4-1 in a penalty shootout.