AN injury-time equaliser for Aldershot would have been very harsh on Cambridge United but that is how Saturday's entertaining cup clash at the Abbey Stadium should have finished.

Instead, Joel Grant’s astonishing late miss means that there will be no replay at the Recreation Ground: Gary Waddock’s Shots are out of the FA Cup.

With Cambridge drawn at home to Weymouth in the second round, a clear path has emerged to the lucrative third round draw, so Saturday’s defeat has certainly cost Aldershot financially and possibly denied Shots fans considerable excitement.

But it’s not the end of the world. Extra games can burden a promotion-chasing squad, as Cambridge, currently three places behind the table-topping Shots in Blue Square Premier, may yet find out.

Just ask Ricky Newman and Scott Davies. The defender hobbled off in the first half with a back injury, while Davies was given a straight red card in injury-time for petulantly throwing the ball at Cambridge winger Courtney Pitt.

Davies’ moment of madness came seconds after Grant’s miss and compounded the Shots’ misery. Grant, just six yards out, had time, space and most of the goal to aim at after good work by his namesake, substitute John Grant, but somehow placed the ball wide of the right post.

To be fair to Grant, he had often been Aldershot’s best attacking outlet during the game and he at least justified Waddock’s decision to stick with the starting XI that had won so comfortably in the league at Weymouth eight days before. Elsewhere, however, the Shots lacked the attacking verve they had shown at Weymouth.

Ben Harding and Davies worked hard in midfield but failed to dominate and while Cambridge spread the ball with ease, the Shots could not release their wide men.

Fullbacks Rob Gier and Anthony Straker were too busy defending to bomb forward and probably the most exciting moment of the day for Louie Soares was when the tannoy announcer pronounced his name as ‘Suarez’ in the pre-match reading of the teams.

Sadly Soares was unable to live up to his South American billing and rather than play beautiful football he was more Betty Suarez — aka Ugly Betty — having to concentrate on mundane defensive duties.

Lewis Chalmers, back from a one-match suspension, was left on the bench by Waddock but impressed as a substitute. In retrospect perhaps Waddock should have brought back Chalmers and not played two wingers, but it’s hard to change a winning team.

Despite being on the back foot for most of the game, Aldershot carried a threat on the break throughout and took the lead through another clinical finish from Jonny Dixon on 31 minutes, his fourth goal in five games.

Cambridge, busy complaining after former Chelsea player Rob Wolleaston had been booked for diving in the box following a tussle with Newman, were caught napping by Rob Elvins’ flick.

Dixon was through straight down the middle and expertly threaded the ball just wide of Cambridge ‘keeper Danny Potter, who had made a surprisingly quick return form injury, and into the far corner.

Perhaps Cambridge’s defence was still adjusting to the loss of captain Mark Albrighton ten minutes before, after he had collided with team-mate Mark Peters.

More significant for the Shots was the loss of Newman on the stroke of half-time. While substitute Anthony Charles did little wrong, Aldershot were less assured at the back in the second half, in Newman’s absence.

But Cambridge, despite falling behind, had already dominated the tie when Newman was still fit and Jimmy Quinn’s side fully deserved their win.

On this showing Cambridge look a genuine threat to Aldershot’s ambitions to get back into the league. It may have been a cup match but the U’s will be formidable opponents when they come to the Recreation Ground in the league in February.

That the U’s had 13 shots on target and Aldershot had just three is a fair reflection of the game. Jimmy Quinn’s side also hit the cross bar in the first half and were it not for a string of outstanding saves from Nikki Bull, the Shots might easily have lost heavily.

It was cruel on Bull that his error of judgement led to Cambridge’s late winner, scored by veteran striker Leo Fortune-West in the 85th minute, soon after arriving as a substitute.

Bull came for a free-kick from Stephen Reed, the former Shot loanee, but missed the ball in a melee of players and Fortune-West’s tapped effort had just enough pace to beat the desperate lunge of Charles.

More culpable than Bull – or indeed Joel Grant for that matter – was left back Straker, who dallied on the ball in the 61st minute and allowed Cambridge back into the game to equalise 1-1.

Darryl Knights, on loan from Yeovil Town, crossed and Lee Boylan, who all afternoon had looked more lively than the U’s’ leading scorer, Scott Rendell, another player who has played for Aldershot on loan, headed neatly into the corner from close range, with the rest of the Shots’ defence caught out of position by Straker’s error.

Considering Bull had already had to make fine saves from Wolleaston, Boylan, Michael Morrison and Reid, that Knights had hit the bar and Cambridge had had two penalty appeals turned down, the Shots could not argue that it wasn’t a deserved equaliser.

But Aldershot had shown some nice interplay early in the second half and the home support was just beginning to get restless when Straker made his mistake.

At 1-1 both sides enjoyed chances to win the game. Bull made a double save from Rendell while John Grant ballooned over after fine play by Chalmers and Dixon.

Pitt forced another fingertip save from Bull in the 80th minute and then Chalmers almost slipped in Dixon but Cambridge ‘keeper Potter was quick to smother the danger.

Four minutes later came, as far as the Shots were concerned, Fortune-West’s unfortunate intervention. The burly striker reacted quickest after Bull had flapped and missed and the Abbey erupted.

Worse was to follow for the Shots: first Joel Grant’s glaring miss and then Davies’ stupidity. Seconds after Davies’ dismissal came the final whistle.

The Shots were flat out - flat as the Fenland that extends north of Cambridge and out of the FA Cup.

Aldershot: Bull, Gier, Straker, Day, Newman (Charles 44), Davies, Harding, Soares (Chalmers 69), Joel Grant, Dixon, Elvins (John Grant 62).

For more on the defeat, including comments from Gary Waddock, see Tuesday's Aldershot Mail.