Brentford’s run in this season’s FA Cup proved shot-lived as they crashed out of this first round replay after losing 1-0 to Aldershot Town at the EBB Stadium on Tuesday night.

The Bees were second best all night to their League Two opponents and after paid the ultimate price early on when their re-configured central defensive partnership of Leon Legge and Stephen Wright was torn apart when Wade Small raced beyond both to score the only goal of the tie.

A frustrated Bees’ boss Andy Scott bemoaned his side’s slow start: “We lost the game because we didn’t start it properly. First half, there was a complete lack of quality in the final third and we gave the ball away seven times on the trot without them working for it.”

Scott made four changes to the side that lost so disappointingly to MK Dons in the league on Saturday with Legge, Michael Spillane, Toumani Diagouraga and Sam Saunders all coming into the team.

Brentford had an early chance after a Saunders run was broken up and Robbie Simpson reacted quickest to pick up the ball and fire a shot wide of the left hand post.

However, Aldershot took what proved to be a decisive lead when an early through ball from Glen Little was latched onto by Small who simply outpaced the Bees’ defence and coolly slid the ball under Richard Lee after just eight minutes.

Lee saved his side from falling two behind when he raced off his line to gather another low pass through the heart of the defence and a fraction ahead of the electric Small.

Brentford continued to live dangerously when Ben Herd took the ball to the byline and flashed a cross across goal that was missed by attackers and defenders alike.

A rare spell of Bees pressure ended with Craig Woodman’s cross from the left being controlled by Charlie MacDonald, whose shot was smothered by Shots’ keeper Jamie Young.

Three minutes into the second half MacDonald did well to win the ball in the six yard box and right on the byline, before cutting it back to Simpson, whose shot cannoned off the near post and across the face of goal.

Midway through the half Brentford’s best chance of the half came after a disputed free kick was awarded on the edge of the ‘D’ and Sam Saunders curled the ball over the wall, but also inches wide of the left hand post.

Substitute Myles Weston came close to equalising when he switched wings and then cut into the centre, from where his low 25 yard shot was just wide of the right hand post, but in truth Brentford never looked like drawing level on a disappointing night in Hampshire.

Brentford: Lee; Spillane, Legge, Wright, Woodman; Saunders (sub Forster 82), Diagouraga, O’Connor, Wood (sub Weston h/t); MacDonald, Simpson

Subs: Royce, Bush, Bean, Hunt, Hudson

Attendance: 3627 (549 Bees)

Man of the Match: Richard Lee