Eastleigh v Shrewsbury: Hosts dream of FA Cup upset

Eastleigh boss Matt Gray reckons his team have what it takes to stun Shrewsbury in the FA Cup.

The National League club host Town on Saturday, in a first round tie their manager has described as “very winnable” as he targets a run in the competition.

Eastleigh have a solid FA Cup pedigree having twice reached the third round, most recently three seasons ago when they took Newport County to a replay.

And though they sit 17th in the table, just one defeat at their Silverlake Stadium home since August means Gray is heading toward the match in confident mood.

The former Sutton United boss told the Daily Echo: “This tournament means so much to us. It’s so good from grassroots football up to the pinnacle of the game.

“I’ve managed to have some great runs in the various cups.

"It would be great to have that taste of the third round. I just barely missed out on that with Sutton. But we know that Shrewsbury won’t be seeing this as an easy game with our home form.

“With the togetherness and camaraderie we have here, we know we have the qualities to make anything happen.”

Gray was appointed Eastleigh boss in May and the long-term aim is repeating the feat he managed at Sutton, by leading them into the Football League.

But for the moment the only focus is on the Cup and he added: “With the luck of the draw in the next round, we could then get a huge opponent in round three, who knows? That would be a massive boost for this club.

“It will be a tight game on Saturday. We’re giving them respect, but we know that this is a very winnable game. Now we need to make it happen.”