Shrewsbury Town face FA Cup long haul

However, Town should fancy their chances of progressing into the third round of the competition with the Cumbrian side currently second bottom of League Two.

The tie is due to be played on the weekend of December 4.

The clash means Cotterill’s men will tackle three away games games in a week, with a League One clash at high-flyers Wigan Athletic to come on the Tuesday before the trip to Doncaster the following Saturday.

The tie brings back memories of Town’s last visit to Brunton Park in February 2015, where Micky Mellon’s League Two promotion-chasers staged a remarkable last-minute turnaround through James Collins and Mickey Demetriou to win 2-1.

Carlisle qualified for round two by seeing off plucky non-league Horsham 2-0 thanks to two second-half goals on Saturday.

The Blues are managed by experienced former Bristol City and Crystal Palace caretaker Keith Millen, 55, who was appointed last month following the sacking of Chris Beech.

Carlisle are down in 23rd in the fourth tier, clear of basement boys Scunthorpe by a solitary point after winning just two of 15 league contests this season.

Millen said of the tie: "You always want a home tie in any cup competition and I'm pleased for our fans that we have another one to look forward to.

"Shrewsbury are a League One side and we have to be respectful of that, but they'll know that they'll be in for a game when they come up here.

"It's a club and a team I know a little bit about, and they have some good players who will be disappointed with their current league position.

"I also know Steve Cotterill well, he was at Bristol City, and he's a good manager. We were all thinking about him when he was really ill with Covid, and it's good that he appears to be through that now.

"Aaron Wilbraham is another I'm looking forward to catching up with again. I worked with him at Palace, he's another good man, and he's Steve's assistant now.

"They'll bring their team here to win, but that's the same for us. It doesn't matter how well you know someone once the whistle goes, it's about doing what you need to do to progress.”

The clubs have met in the FA Cup just once before, though the tie in February of the 1965/66 season took three attempts before Shrewsbury won a 4-3 thriller following two draws.

Saturday’s win over Stratford - where Carlisle-born Ryan Bowman twice netted - means Town have not exited the competition in the first round since 2013.

Meanwhile, AFC Telford United's postponed home clash against Guiseley has been re-arranged for Tuesday, November 30 (7.45pm).

The original fixture was cancelled due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the Lions’ camp last month.