Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town FC, who come from the North Hampshire town thirty seven miles south west of London, were formed in 1992 out of the ashes of the old Aldershot FC club.

The original club had been formed in 1926 as Aldershot Town, joining the Southern League the following year and moving into the Recreation Ground. In 1929-30 the side lifted the league title after becoming Eastern Section champions and then defeating Western Section winners Bath City.

In 1932 “Town” was dropped from the club name as they replaced Thames FC to become members of Football League Division Three South. The Shots remained there until league re-organisation in 1958 when they were placed in Division Four.

A record crowd of 19,138 packed into the Recreation Ground for an FA Cup tie with Carlisle United in 1970, before the team went on to win promotion in 1972-73 thanks to a fourth place finish. However, the step up proved to be tough as the club went back down in 1975-76.

A couple of near misses on promotion followed before the end of the 70’s before Aldershot had a few seasons of struggle until Len Walker was appointed as manager in June 1985. After a shaky start he built a side that reached the first ever season of the playoffs in 1986-87.

Bolton Wanderers were defeated in the semi-finals before the Shots shocked a large Molineux crowd by defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 on aggregate over two games. The club returned to the bottom division after finishing in last place in 1988-89.

The former badge of Aldershot FC

Financial difficulties hit the club from the late 80's and on the 31st July 1990, Aldershot were wound up in the High Court as the Official Receiver condemned them as "financially insolvent" with debts of £495,000. 

This was lifted after nineteen year old Spencer Trethewy paid £200,000 to save the club and to allow them to retain their place in the League. However, it soon became clear that Trethewy didn't have the finances he claimed and was dismissed. In later years his shady dealings would catch up with him when he served a two year prison sentence for fraud and deception.

The club continued but more and more debts were accrued before they finally went out of business on the 25th March 1992 meaning all their results for that season were expunged.

Before long supporters had rallied and formed the new club Aldershot Town who were given a place in the Isthmian League Third Division the following season. They won the title in their first season and gained a further promotion. They had a few years wait before Town reached the Isthmian League Premier Division.

Terry Brown came in as boss and led the team to the Football Conference in 2003. 'The Shots' reached the playoff final only to go down to Shrewsbury Town who returned to the Football League. 

They continued to perform at the top end of the table before Brown moved on to AFC Wimbledon while Gary Waddock replaced him. In his first season the team won the title and reached the Football League for the 2008-09 season.

Waddock moved on as did his successor Kevin Dillon before successful Newport County manager Dean Holdsworth took over the reigns in January 2011. Unfortunately Holdsworth's reign was not a good one and he departed in February 2013 with Andy Scott taking over. The team continued to struggle and were relegated back to the Conference at the end of the 2012-13 season.

Off the pitch was just as grim as the club battled for survival with chronic financial worries. Town entered administration a few days after relegation, before a consortium headed by former chairman Shahid Azeem took control.

Scott remained at the helm until January 2015 when he was replaced by Barry Smith who lasted a year before Waddock returned for a second spell in charge of the team. The Shots reached the play-offs in 2016-17 but went out in the semi-finals to Tranmere Rovers.

The play-offs were extended for the 2017-18 season. Aldershot went out at the first stage to Ebbsfleet United before suffering relegation in 2018-19 with Waddock leaving the club. Danny Searle was appointed as the new manager.

The club were given an unexpected boost when they were reprieved from relegation as Gateshead were demoted because of financial irregularities instead. Town were in eighteenth place when the 2019-20 season ended early owing to the outbreak of Coronavirus.

The Shots ended the 2020-21 campaign two thirds down the table as manager Searle signed a contract extension. He was replaced by Mark Moseley in September 2021 in a season that saw the side finish one place above the relegation places.

Ross McNeilly was appointed as manager in December 2022, lasting until the following April when Tommy Widdrington took up the post. The goals of Lorent Tolaj in 2023-24 took the side to within a place of the playoffs as well as a run to the third round of the FA Cup.

Aldershot Town FC will compete in the National League in the 2024-25 season.

My visits

Aldershot Town 1 Bradford City 0 (Tuesday 18th January 2011) Football League Two (att: 2,160)

It was early shift time for me at work so I scoured the fixtures for a new ground not too far away. I set off a bit earlier as I fancied a couple of pints pre match, but found myself on the 4.55 out of Waterloo and in Aldershot before 6pm.

I had checked out the location of the Recreation Ground before I set off, and was given a further clue as the train went right beside the ground before stopping at Aldershot station. Indeed, I could even see a bit of the pitch from the platform.

My next job was to find a pub. I'd read reviews of The Crimea Inn and that seemed to fit the bill being close to the ground and serving guest ales. After a bit of a wander trying to locate the said pub I was soon inside the warm and busy alehouse. 

I thought it was extremely busy even considering the upcoming match over the road, especially as no-one was wearing any obvious signs of being football fans. Most were in black and it quickly dawned on me what was going on. I'd entered a wake!

The only area free was near the roaring fire and my pint of sublime Hogsback TEA hit the spot, but I decided to bail out after the one. It just didn't seem right. Instead I wandered across the road and waited for the turnstiles to open.

I paid £17 to stand on the East Bank and set about taking some photos and generally finding my bearings. The Recreation Ground really was like nowhere I'd been before. It was formerly in a public park and entry to all sections was from the High Road. 

To get inside the correct section of the ground you had to enter through a designated gate and receive a ticket to allow entry and the stand entrance. Inside, the near end was just a walkway with a control room and several high advertising banners to stop any stray shots leaving the ground.

On the right stood the seated South Stand over the middle third of the pitch, with open standing either side. The North Stand opposite had seats apart from a block at either end which was terracing. The far East Bank was a large standing area with what seemed like an absurd amount of empty segregation separating home and away fans.

The North Stand was built into a natural slope with a hotchpotch of facilities behind including a garden shed like club shop and catering vans. The main administration block with corporate facilities and the changing rooms were a separate brick building behind the stand which still adorned the name 'Aldershot Football Club'.

I walked back round under the South Stand where a steward welcomed me and opened the door into the Phoenix Bar. Every steward I came across all evening were welcoming and polite, which a lot of other clubs and their employees could do well to learn from. 

The bar had a section of seats and a large standing area with shelves and tables galore. Beer, and there was a chance of two real ales, albeit on smoothflow was served in glasses. It put the facilities though more plentiful at modern stadiums to shame.

After a couple of pints of Speckled Hen I took my place on the East Bank before kick off. As the teams came out the new Shots manager, Dean Holdsworth came and waved to the supporters. I popped out to try the catering. This was the one let down. The cheap quality of the burgers did not justify the price.

The East Bank was a throwback in terms of viewing. The rear section had an old barrel 'Belfast' roof with stanchions holding it up. The newer section at the front also had stanchions at the front of the stand. Choosing a clear view was not easy but with a smallish crowd and plentiful crush barriers, it was comfortable. 

The younger more vocal Shots fans created a good noise and they had a great selection of banners to match. Give me this any time instead of a numbered seat with a clear view, but a guaranteed cold the next day and little or no atmosphere.

The visiting Bantams started slowly, with the gigantic centre back Luke Oliver looking like an adult in a schoolboy game. The Shots were more direct aiming plenty of high balls into the area looking for nod downs, whereas Peter Taylor had got the Bradford team trying to play more football on the deck, with the emphasis on trying. 

In mitigation, the pitch was slippy after lots of rain in the days leading up to the game. It was like a snooker table compared to when I started going to games, but the pampered modern player expects more.

Town took the lead when a shot from Anthony Charles beat Jon McLaughlin at the near post while Jermaine McGlashan continued to cause mayhem on the wing. At half time I decided to try my chances elsewhere in the ground to aid my rapid getaway. The stewards didn't seem too worried and I entered the far block of the North Stand without question.

I was in a section with older Shots fans who'd seen it all before and whose main hobby was berating the 'lino' in front of them. The second half was scrappy with plentiful errors from both sides. When the gate was announced there was a roar of laughter around me. 

I don't think they agreed and I must say I wouldn't like to think where they'd have fitted another 4,000 fans to take the crowd up to the grounds capacity. Included in the figure were 128 hardy souls from West Yorkshire. They did announce that figure by the way. The game wasn't so dull that I counted!

I weighed up the options as the game continued. I could miss the last ten minutes and catch a train home or have to wait twenty minutes after the match for the next one. The game wasn't brilliant and the cold was biting so I made a move. A poor freezing steward opened the main gate and asked how long was left as he shivered.

I caught the train in good time. I'd enjoyed my visit to a traditional ground even if the game wasn't the best. My evening was only spoiled by news of another Scarborough Athletic defeat, this time at Selby Town. Still, if The Shots could climb back, then so could my club.

Aldershot Town 1 Leyton Orient 2 (12^th March 2019) National League (att: 1,989)

It had been some time since my previous visit to the Recreation Ground, so I was up for it when my regular travelling pal Tony Foster suggested this intriguing match between promotion chasing Orient and the Shots who were in relegation bother.

We set off with plenty of time as my driver thought that the M25 could be snarled up. As it was, we made good time and arrived around 7pm and got a good parking spot for a swift getaway just up the road from the ground on High Street.

Admission was £18 for a place on the side terrace, with the bulky programme setting me back a further £3. As we were early, we went to the bar that I found on my previous call, where I enjoyed a Hogs Back Brewery real ale straight from the barrel.

Before I joined Tony on the terrace, I managed to gain access to other areas to top up my photos. He’d got a plumb spot for the pair of us. A good away following of 729 had travelled from East London to cheer on their table topping heroes.

It was the Shots who started the brighter of the sides. Adam McDonnell put in a good free kick where the dangerous forward Scott Rendell headed across goal to George Elokobi who saw his effort blocked by defender Josh Coulson.

Macauley Bonne took advantage of a defensive slip for the O’s but fired his shot across the goal of Jake Cole. Bernard Mensah wasted a decent opportunity for the hosts as his back post header from Regan Booty’s cross was directed straight at keeper Dean Brill.

Orient’s defence held firm before they took the lead on thirty four minutes when Coulson got a run to head home a corner from James Brophy. Two minutes later a virtual replica of the first goal including the same players made it 2-0. The Shots defence were culpable for poor marking and tracking.

The score remained at 2-0 at the interval, as I beat the queues to grab the pair of us a welcome hot drink on a cold evening. Shots again began the half in the ascendancy with McDonnell going close with a shot that fizzed across the goal.

The pressure gradually mounted as the game continued, with O’s looking satisfied to defend their lead. Eventually Aldershot got the break their play had deserved when Rendell was fouled in the box by Marvin Ekpetita. The striker picked himself up to score from the spot.

With around twenty minutes remaining Shots poured forward. Rendell came close to an equaliser when he put over a low McDonnell cross. Then Johnny Goddard found the head of Reece Grant. The ball looped to McDonnell put his effort just wide.

The match was reaching its conclusion when Matt McClure delivered an excellent cross for Grant, whose header was superbly turned onto the post by Brill before Ekpetita cleared the danger. Orient clung on until the final whistle, though Aldershot were a little unlucky with the result.

Sure enough, we were soon on our way and had a clear run of traffic. I was back at JJ Moons in Kingsbury for beers for just gone 11pm.

Aldershot Town 1 Eastleigh 3 (Tuesday 18^th May 2021) National League (att: 1,073)

Football was allowed limited crowds back following the lifting of some of the lockdown rules surrounding Coronavirus. When the Shots advertised online sales, I registered and purchased one with no hassle.

On the morning of the game, I was in a dilemma. I’d maybe jumped the gun. Ascot United, a club I’d yet to visit, were at home in a cup semi-final. The weather forecast convinced me to stick with my original plan on the train over the Hampshire border. I’m glad I did.

Unfortunately, The Crimea was full inside and out, so there was no chance of a libation. I settled for a Lucozade sport and packed of wine gums from the local shop. All was orderly gaining access to the ground.

There’s something comforting about a visit to the Rec. A relic of grounds of my youth. Unfortunately, there were no refreshments available inside, with the cosy bar under the South Stand also closed.

It did rain for much of the evening, but that was no problem to me under the roof on the North West Terrace where social distancing was adhered to impeccably. I got a decent match as the visiting Spitfires pushed towards the playoffs.

There wasn’t much in the contest in the early exchanges. Shots dallied and overplayed at times while Eastleigh were a bit more decisive. There were those knowing looks between regulars when home keeper Mitch Walker fumbled a simple cross before recovering.

He flapped at another cross. This time the ball was headed back by Tyrone Barnett for Alex Wynter to pounce and open the scoring just before the half hour mark. Harrison Panayiotou looked to have broken through for the hosts, but his run was halted by an excellent Pierce Bird challenge as he was about to shoot.

I enjoyed watching Joel Nouble, who I’d seen several times in the past in action for Haringey Borough, up front for Shots. He had something about him, even if he didn’t look totally synchronised at all times.

 While taking in the action out in the middle I also listened to the vital Chelsea v Leicester City game. After the break the Shots seemed to have more purpose. Manager Danny Searle had signed a contract extension before the game. He started to earn it.

Cheered on by the ultras on the East Bank, some pressure was applied. Aldershot deservedly levelled when Craig Tanner put in Panayiotou whose low shot went in across keeper Joe McDonnell. Tanner would do well to avoid a career as postie when his football days were over on the evidence of his delivery skills from set pieces.

The goal appeared to awaken the Spitfires. The game could have gone either way, but they gradually gained control after Nouble had gone on a lovely ungainly mazy run. With seventeen minutes remaining Joe Partington scored with a low thirty yard drive to give put visitors back in front.

The game was settled six minutes from time with a delightful goal. A Partington pass set Sam Smart away down the right wing. His early low cross was met with a superb near post finish from Joe Tomlinson.

There wasn’t enough time for a drink after the game, so I went for a little walk back to the station where I bumped into a fellow groundhopper from the Non-League Matters forum. We had a lovely chat on the ride back to the capital. Simple beautiful pleasures.

Indeed, that was an overwhelming feature of the evening aside from the match, which I enjoyed. Seeing good folk genuinely pleased to see each other in a domain where they will have no doubt been through much emotion as a collective over the years.

A good night indeed, even if it meant less than six hours kip before my early shift at work. Just a shame the excellent bar under the stand was closed, but you can’t have everything!