First of all I would like to introduce myself and say thanks to everyone, as i've been a lurker around here and the posts on this board have helped me do countless DIY projects.

Unfortunately now I have a problem at hand and would like some advice!

We ordered a 33 x 21 inch stainless steel sink to replace our old one.The problem is, our old sink is 33x22 and somehow overlooked the length part until it showed up.

I measured the length of the countertop opening and it's exactly 21 inches. Now I know that we can drop the sink in without an issue as it will still fit in the hole, but i'm afraid it might be too heavy if it's only the width part of the structure holding it? Also, i'm afraid water my be able to slip through the front edge as well.

So I was wondering if I create a one inch long shim/spacer and drill it into the inside of the counter to reduce the length to 20 and have it support the sink, or would this be a bad idea? It's a formica countertop. I think this would solve the problem of spreading out the weight evenly among all sides of the sink. I'm not sure about the water leakage problem. I would seal everything up with silicone either way. attached is a diagram of the problem if i didnt make myself clear.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.