Thanks for Aldershot supporter (or is that fan? 😉) Steve for taking part this week.
Thanks for Aldershot supporter (or is that fan? 😉) Steve for taking part this week.
Who do you support?
Aldershot Town
How long have you supported them?
Since 1970, though the first game I can really remember is the home game against Bristol Rovers in 1971. We lost 3-2 in front of 20,000+. Rovers went on to storm the league that year.
Last season’s league finish?
Bottom of League Two. Went down without a fight. Shameful.
What do you think of your manager?
I wasn’t happy when he was appointed last year, as he has a reputation of being a bit of a long ball man, but this year we haven’t seen much of that, though ironically, we could have done with being a little more direct in some games this year. He has had to operate with a very limited budget this term and has had to use a lot of young loan players from other clubs. Generally been ok, but I would have liked to see us save money and give a couple of our youngsters a go.
How has your season gone so far in comparison to your pre-season expectations/hopes?
With all that went on in the summer with the administration, lack of signings until the last minute and appeals for money, I wasn’t expecting anything. Just staying in this division will have to be seen as success given the 10 point deduction we started with.
Is it correct that the Directors involved in putting you in administration ended up being the ‘new’ Directors in the new company?
No, the Director who put us into administration is no longer on the board, but still comes to games. It is a very long and complicated story that I won’t go into here, but I genuinely believe he did what he did for the good of the club. The previous Chairman had lost the plot and was taking the club in a direction we didn’t need to go. The three Directors who are now in charge were all on the board last year, but were powerless to stop the former Chairman due to his majority shareholding. They are doing a decent job for now with very limited resources so I for one am prepared to give them the benefit of the doubt for now.
You seem to have been very inconsistent this season, starting slowly, picking up, before tailing off again?
We did start well, we have a young squad and it was all a bit of an adrenaline rush with picking up points quickly and getting rid of the -10 sooner than many thought. We then picked up several injuries to key players, Mark Molesley in particular, and lost a few games and the youngsters lost a bit of confidence.
Away form has been a worry, we haven’t shown the ability to dig in and grind results out (Luke Imp comment – apart from against us!). Home form has been the polar opposite, where we have been very good.
Top five predictions?
Luton have won this division now. Playoffs for me will be Cambridge, Grimsby, Alfreton and Barnet.
Bottom four predictions?
Hyde have obviously gone. Tamworth look a poor side for the other two, who knows? Dartford have hit a run of form, Southport and Chester have both got in decent managers and we are not winning games. I also think that Hereford will get sucked in. Our next five games are crucial as they are all against team in and around us and we need to start winning games soon.
Thoughts on Lincoln City?
One of my favourite away days. I’ve always enjoyed going to Lincoln, it seems a nice place and the fans we have spoken to are always decent. I was disappointed to find no Lincolnshire pork sausage rolls in the social club at the ground when we visited this year! I was gutted for you when we sent you down a couple of years back and we lost one of our best days out. I’m glad we have it back, though not in the way I would have liked.
I was surprised to see you struggle, but I am friends with one of your ex-players and after hearing some of the shenanigans that went on under David Holdsworth I’m not surprised. He seems even worse than his idiot brother if that’s possible.
Score prediction?
Depends if we start well, and the condition of the pitch. If we start quickly we will win. If we don’t who knows? Our last two home league games have ended 2-2, so that seems like a sensible prediction.
