FA Cup glory beckons for south's clubs

A record attendence of more than 27 thousand is expected to watch Brighton host Arsenal at the Amex tomorrow - 500 extra seats have been added - they went on sale this morning and were snapped up in 40 minutes.

Victory over Newcastle sent Brighton through to the fourth round - and the tie against the Gunners pits boss Gus Poyet against Arsene Wenger for the first time in his career.

The last time the Albion sent Newcastle United out of the FA Cup at this stage - was in 1983, and they went all the way to a Wembley final against Manchester United. The romantics at the Amex can't help but wonder if history is about to repeat itself.

The romance of the cup isn't lost either on Reading boss Brian McDermott - the Royals have a habit of finding strength after Christmas - and cup runs have coincided with improved league form.

Tomorrow's match against Sheffield United also provides an opportunity for a show of support to ex Royals and Blades defender Chris Armstrong, forced to retire at the age of 28 following a batlle with MS. Fans will rise in support of Chris - for the third minute of the match.

League Two Aldershot travel to Championship Middlesbrough bouyed by the return from suspension of Danny Hylton - his hattrick saw off Rotherham in the third round. Middlesbrough boss Tony Mowbray has a squad littered with walking wounded and knows the Shots pose a real threat.