Aldershot Town F.C.
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| Full name | Aldershot Town Football Club | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Shots | ||
| Founded | 1992 | ||
| Ground | Recreation Ground (Capacity: 7,100 (Seated 2,000)) |
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| Chairman | Kris Machala | ||
| Manager | Kevin Dillon | ||
| League | League Two | ||
| 2009–10 | League Two, 6th | ||
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Aldershot Town Football Club (pronounced /ˈɔːldərʃɒt ˈtaʊn/) is a Football League club based in Aldershot, Hampshire, England, founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden Fourth Division Aldershot F.C.. The latter, founded in 1926, had been a League member since 1932 and was a founder member of Division Four.
Aldershot Town play at The Recreation Ground in Aldershot and compete in Football League Two after winning promotion back to the Football League on 15 April 2008 by winning the Conference National.[1]
Contents |
History
Formation and The Isthmian Years
In March 1992, the town of Aldershot was without a football club after Aldershot F.C. became the first Football League team to fold during the football season since Accrington Stanley in 1962. Aldershot Town was born later the same year, and began life competing in the Isthmian League Division Three. Despite Aldershot Town playing five divisions lower than the Football League, the attendance for their first competitive fixture was higher than the old team's last home tie. Ten successive victories were recorded under the guidance of former player Steve Wignall and Aldershot won the championship by an 18-point margin.
A further promotion and an FA Vase quarter-final placing was achieved in the 1993–94 season. When Steve Wignall departed to take charge of Colchester United mid-way through the 1994–95 season, former Nottingham Forest winger Steve Wigley took over. The club finished the 1994–95 season with a run of six successive victories, but missed out on promotion by goal difference. After narrowly missing out during the next two seasons Wigley left in July 1997 to become Youth Development Officer at Nottingham Forest. He was replaced by George Borg. Attendances continued to rise during this period and the final fixture of the 1997–98 Isthmian League First Division championship-winning season, at home to Berkhamsted Town, attracted 4,289 people to the Recreation Ground - A league record. The success under Borg continued with an Isthmian League Cup, two Hampshire Senior Cups and a runners-up spot in the Isthmian League Premier Division.
The club's reserves were reinstated in 2000–01 and entered the Suburban League. The FA Cup in 2000–01 saw Aldershot take on league opposition at The Recreation Ground for the first time since reforming, when Brighton & Hove Albion visited for a 1st Round tie in November and a record attendance of 7,500 saw the league team win. In the following season's FA Cup the Shots held Bristol Rovers to a home draw in the First Round, but again missed out on the Second Round after losing the replay in Bristol.
George Borg resigned as manager in November 2001 after pressure from supporters and was replaced by Terry Brown. He won his first game in charge beating Newport IOW 1–0 in the Hampshire Senior Cup Semi Final Second Leg, taking The Shots on to win the final against Havant & Waterlooville. In Brown's first full season in charge he overhauled the squad, and by mid-November the Shots were top of the table, a position they did not relinquish for the remainder of the season, winning promotion to the Football Conference. The club also retained the Hampshire Senior Cup with a 2–1 win over Bashley.
Conference years
A crowd of 3,680 saw Aldershot's first game in the Conference, a 2–1 win over Accrington Stanley. The club went on to stay in the play-off positions in the league table for all but 3 days of the season. The Shots equalled their best ever run in the FA Cup, reaching the 2nd Round and losing 1–0 to Colchester United at Layer Road. The club reached their first FA Trophy semi-final, losing to eventual winners Hednesford Town and the average attendance for league matches at The Rec ended on a record high of 3,303.
A 1–1 draw against Tamworth on the last day of the season carried the Shots into the play-offs for a place in the Football League. Over two legs the Shots held their own against favourites Hereford United, drawing 1–1 at The Rec and 0–0 at Edgar Street. Extra time finished without any further score and the tie was concluded on penalties with the Shots winning 4-2. The Conference Playoff Final against Shrewsbury Town finished 1–1 after extra time. Shrewsbury returned to the league with a 3–0 win in the penalty shoot-out.
In May 2004 the club officers made the decision to convert Aldershot Town to full-time professional status from the following July. In 2004–05 the Shots once again equalled their best ever run in the FA Cup as they reached the 2nd Round proper, where they lost 5–1 to Hartlepool United. After a slow start in the league, Aldershot improved their form and reached the play-offs after beating Scarborough in the last game of the season. The Shots won the first leg against Carlisle United 1–0 at home, but lost the away leg 2–1, giving a 2– aggregate score. Extra time could not separate the sides and the tie went to penalties , with Carlsle winning the shootout.
The next two seasons were less successful for the Shots. 2005–06 saw Aldershot's team suffer numerous injuries, and they struggled to 13th in the table. The team made it to the 2nd round of the FA Cup, losing 1–0 at home to Scunthorpe United. The next season was equally disappointing, with the side never really getting close enough to the aim of finishing in the playoff positions. The club eventually made it to 9th in the reformed 24 club Conference National, finishing 13 points off the playoffs. Terry Brown resigned, citing the poor health of his wife as the primary reason, although his position may have been untenable with regards to the season's performance. Martin Kuhl took over as caretaker manager. They made it to the Third round of the FA Cup for the first time, losing 4–2 at Bloomfield Road to Blackpool
Promotion to the Football League
In May 2007 Gary Waddock was appointed the new manager, with Martin Kuhl reverting to his coaching position. The Shots started the season strongly, losing few games before the turn of the year. Jonny Dixon was sold to Brighton and Hove Albion in the January Transfer window for a club record £56,000[2]. The Shots finished top of the Conference National with a record 101 points, and were promoted to the Football League, for the first time since the club was reformed[3] ending the season on an 18-match undefeated run.
The Shots also made it to the Conference League Cup Final after a 4–3 penalty shoot out victory over near neighbours Woking in the semi-final. The final, played at the Recreation Ground on the 3rd of April, was against Rushden & Diamonds. With the scores 1–1 at full time, then 3–3 after extra time, Aldershot won 4–3 on penalties.[4]
Football League
Sixteen years afer the demise of Aldershot F.C., the town of Aldershot had a Football League team again. The club retained many of the 2007–08 promotion winning team, and added several signings, both permanent and on loan. Gary Waddock and Martin Kuhl also committed their futures to the club by signing new three-year contracts.[5] Joel Grant was sold to Crewe Alexandra for £130,000, a club record.[6] On the opening day of the 2008-09 season, Aldershot Town won their first league game on their return to the Football League at Accrington Stanley 1-0.[7] This was followed four days later by the club's first ever Football League Cup game, against Coventry City at the Ricoh Arena, which the Shots lost 3-1. The Shots finished fifteenth in League Two in their first season in the Football League.
Two months into the 2009–10 season, manager Gary Waddock and assistant Martin Kuhl accepted offers to join Wycombe Wanderers. Jason Dodd was appointed as Caretaker Manager, assisted by Paul Williams[8] before Kevin Dillon, the former first-team coach of Reading F.C., was appointed as Waddock's permanent successor in November 2009.[9] Two days later Dillon appointed Gary Owers as his assistant manager.[10] Under the new management team Aldershot finished the season in sixth place,[11] qualifying them for the play-offs,[12] where they lost 3–0 on aggregate to Rotherham United.[13]
Stadium
Aldershot Town play their home games at The Recreation Ground, which has a capacity of 7,100. The stadium was previously the home of Aldershot F.C.
Players
Current squad
- Correct as of 22 July 2010.
Note: Flags indicate national team as has been defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Notable players
For all Aldershot Town F.C. players with a Wikipedia article see Category:Aldershot Town F.C. players.
Players of the season
| Season | Player |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | Mark Butler |
| 1993-94 | Keith Baker and Steve Harris |
| 1994-95 | Stuart Udal |
| 1995-96 | Danny Holmes |
| 1996-97 | Jimmy Sugrue |
| 1997-98 | Otis Hutchings |
| 1998-99 | Jason Chewins |
| 1999-00 | Ollie Adedji |
| 2000-01 | Mark Bentley |
| 2001-02 | Jason Chewins |
| 2002-03 | Nikki Bull |
| 2003-04 | Ray Warburton |
| 2004-05 | Steve Watson |
| 2005-06 | Nikki Bull |
| 2006-07 | John Grant |
| 2007-08 | Nikki Bull |
| 2008-09 | Anthony Charles |
| 2009-10 | Ben Herd |
Managers
| Name | Nat | From | To | Games Managed | Games Won | Games Drawn | Games Lost | Win percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steve Wignall |  |
23/05/1992 | 12/01/1995 | 146 | 97 | 24 | 25 | 66.43% |
| Paul Shrubb(c) | |
13/01/1995 | 25/01/1995 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 100.00% |
| Steve Wigley | |
26/01/1995 | 30/07/1997 | 135 | 72 | 25 | 38 | 53.33% |
| Andy Meyer(c), Mark Butler(c) & Joe Roach(c) | |
01/08/1997 | 17/09/1997 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 37.50% |
| George Borg | |
18/09/1997 | 31/01/2002 | 261 | 147 | 50 | 64 | 56.32% |
| Stuart Cash(c) | |
01/02/2002 | 19/03/2002 | 14 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 64.28% |
| Terry Brown | |
20/03/2002 | 27/03/2007 | 284 | 145 | 52 | 87 | 51.05% |
| Martin Kuhl(c) | |
28/03/2007 | 16/05/2007 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 45.45% |
| Gary Waddock |  |
17/05/2007 | 13/10/2009 | 128 | 64 | 27 | 37 | 50.00% |
| Jason Dodd(c) | |
14/10/2009 | 08/11/2009 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 25.00% |
| Kevin Dillon | |
09/11/2009 | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 38.89% |
- (c) = Caretaker Managers
- Up to and including, Accrington Stanley (a), 7 August 2010
Honours
- Conference National:
- Winners: 2007-08
- Conference National Play-Offs:
- Runners up: 2003-04
- Conference League Cup:
- Winners: 2007-08
- Isthmian League Premier Division:
- Winners: 2002-03
- Isthmian League Division One:
- Winners: 1997-98
- Isthmian League Division Three:
- Winners: 1992-93
- Hampshire Senior Cup:
- Winners (5): 1998-99, 1999-2000, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2006-07
Records
Appearances and goals
Jason Chewins holds the record for the most number of appearances for the club, playing 489 times between August 1994 and May 2004. This led to the left-back being the first and, to date, only player to receive a testimonial match, which was played against Portsmouth in July 2004.
Before Chewins, the record was held by Mark Butler, who joined the club at its inception in 1992. Butler played 303 times between August 1992 and May 1998, also holding the all-time goal scoring record by netting 155 times, a record he still currently holds. Former goalkeeper Nikki Bull made his 300th appearance for the Shots in November 2008 and eventually made 313 appearances before moving to Brentford in July 2009. Two others have played more than 200 times for the club, Stuart Udal, whose brother Shaun was an England international cricketer, played 236 times for the club. Winger Jimmy Sugrue has also reached the landmark.
Gary Abbott is, apart from Butler, the only Shots player to have ever scored over 100 goals for the club. Over the course of three seasons, between August 1998 and May 2001, he scored 120 goals.
Most appearances
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- Up to and including, Accrington Stanley (a), 7 August 2010
Most goals
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- Up to and including, Rotherham United (a), 19 May 2010
Transfers
Record Purchase
- Marvin Morgan from Woking for an undisclosed fee (but a club record)[14] in May 2008. The previous highest fee paid for a player was the £20,000 paid to Woking for Grant Payne in November 1999.
Record Sale
- Joel Grant to Crewe Alexandra for £130,000 June 2008.[6]
Best performances
- FA Cup
- Third Round, 2006-2007
- Football League Cup
- First round, 2008-09 & 2009-10
- Football League Trophy
- Second round, 2009-10
- FA Trophy
- Semi-finalists, 2003-04 & 2007-08
- Conference League Cup
- Winners, 2007-08
- FA Vase
- Quarter-finalists, 1993-94
- Hampshire Senior Cup
- Winners, 1998–99, 1999–2000, 2001–02, 2002–03 & 2006–07
Season-by-season record
| Season | Division | Position | Significant Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldershot Town formed and accepted into Isthmian League Third Division | |||
| 1992-93 | Isthmian League Third Division | 1 | Promoted as Champions |
| 1993-94 | Isthmian League Second Division | 3 | Promoted, FA Vase Quarter-Final |
| 1994-95 | Isthmian League First Division | 4 | FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round |
| 1995-96 | Isthmian League First Division | 5 | FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round |
| 1996-97 | Isthmian League First Division | 7 | FA Cup 2nd Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round |
| 1997-98 | Isthmian League First Division | 1 | Promoted as Champions, FA Cup 1st Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 3rd Qualifying Round |
| 1998-99 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 7 | FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, FA Trophy 4th Round, Hampshire Senior Cup Winners |
| 1999-00 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 2 | FA Cup 2nd Round, FA Trophy 4th Round, Hampshire Senior Cup Winners |
| 2000-01 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 4 | FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy 3rd Round |
| 2001-02 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 3 | FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy 3rd Round, Hampshire Senior Cup Winners |
| 2002-03 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 1 | Promoted as Champions, FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round, Hampshire Senior Cup Winners |
| 2003-04 | Football Conference | 5 | FA Cup 2nd Round, FA Trophy Semi-Final, Conference Play Off Final |
| 2004-05 | Conference National | 4 | FA Cup 2nd Round, Football League Trophy 1st Round, Conference Play Off Semi-Final |
| 2005-06 | Conference National | 13 | FA Cup 2nd Round, Football League Trophy 1st Round |
| 2006-07 | Conference National | 9 | FA Cup 3rd Round, Hampshire Senior Cup Winners |
| 2007-08 | Conference National | 1 | Promoted as Champions, FA Cup 1st Round, FA Trophy Semi-Final, Conference League Cup Winners |
| 2008-09 | Football League Two | 15 | FA Cup 2nd Round, League Cup 1st Round, Football League Trophy 1st Round, |
| 2009-10 | Football League Two | 6 | FA Cup 2nd Round, League Cup 1st Round, Football League Trophy 2nd Round, League Two Play Offs |
Football Kits
Aldershot Town's home kit is red with blue and white trim. The club have always played in a predominantly red kit with blue features, including stripes and quarters.
Kit supplier
In June 2008, Aldershot Town signed a three year kit deal with Carbrini Sportswear.
Kit manufacturers and sponsors
| Years | Manufacturers | Sponsor |
| 1992–93 | Ribero | Pam’s Florist |
| 1993–94 | Fiva | Datrontech |
| 1994–95 | ||
| 1995–96 | ||
| 1996–97 | ||
| 1997–98 | ICIS | |
| 1998–99 | Charters Peugeot | |
| 1999–00 | ||
| 2000–01 | ||
| 2001–02 | ||
| 2002–03 | Hi-Speed | |
| 2003–04 | ||
| 2004–05 | Errea | Charters Peugeot |
| 2005–06 | ||
| 2006–07 | EBB Paper | |
| 2007–08 | ezylet.co.uk | |
| 2008–09 | Carbrini Sportswear.[15] | EBB Paper[16] |
| 2009–10 | ||
| 2010–11 | Xfor Security[17] | |
| 2011-12 | ||
| 2012-13 |
Previous kits
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Further details and images of previous kits can be found at the Historical Football Kit website.[18]
Famous Fans
- Arthur English (President of Aldershot F.C. at time of bankruptcy; one of the original Aldershot Town F.C. investors and designer of the new club's phoenix logo)
- Jack Rollin (Editor of the Sky Sports Football Yearbook)
- Shaun Udal
Rivals
Aldershot's rivals are Rushmoor neighbours Farnborough Town and Woking. Fixtures against these sides attract larger than average crowds, including 5,961 for a Hampshire Senior Cup semi final and a league record 5,518 in an Isthmian League Premier Division match against Farnborough and 6,870 for an FA Cup 1st round match against Woking.
The Original Aldershot were rivals with Reading until their demise in 1992. However since then no significant rivalry with the new club Aldershot Town has been created. The only meeting between the two clubs was in a friendly in 2001. Despite the game being relatively low key, trouble broke out between rival supporters resulting in several arrests.
Other teams which may be considered rivals include Basingstoke, Bournemouth, Brentford, Barnet and Wycombe.
See also
Yokohama FC a replacement football club, which also has a phoenix as its badge.
Wellington Phoenix F.C. also features a rising phoenix in the club badge.
References
- ↑ "Rise of the Phoenix". BBC Sport. 2008-04-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aldershot/7337126.stm. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
- ↑ "Brighton complete deal for Dixon". BBC Sport. 2008-01-31. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/b/brighton/7217266.stm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ↑ "Exeter 1-1 Aldershot". BBC Sport. 2008-04-15. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/7344140.stm. Retrieved 2008-04-15.
- ↑ "Aldershot Town win Setanta Shield". BBC Sport. 2008-04-04. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_conf/6903365.stm. Retrieved 2008-04-04.
- ↑ "Waddock signs new Aldershot deal". BBC Sport. 2008-06-24. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aldershot/7471799.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-24.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 "Crewe sign Aldershot winger Grant". BBC Sport. 2008-06-25. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/c/crewe_alexandra/7473894.stm. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
- ↑ "Accrington Stanley 0-1 Aldershot Town". www.theshots.co.uk. http://www.theshots.co.uk/newspage.ink?nid=30107&newstype=m&matchid=8254. Retrieved 2008-08-09.
- ↑ "Dodd named Shots caretaker boss". BBC Sport. 2009-10-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aldershot/8308014.stm. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
- ↑ "Dillon named as Aldershot manager". BBC Sport. 2009-11-09. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/a/aldershot/8348697.stm. Retrieved 2009-11-09.
- ↑ "Assistant Manager Named". www.theshots.co.uk. 11 November 2009. http://www.theshots.co.uk/NewsPage.ink?nid=31914. Retrieved 11 November 2009.
- ↑ "League Tables". The Football League. http://www.football-league.co.uk/page/DivisionalLeagueTable/0,,10794~200926,00.html. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Aldershot 3 - 1 Lincoln City". BBC Sport. 2010-05-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/8630051.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Rotherham 2 - 0 Aldershot (agg 3 - 0)". BBC Sport. 2010-05-19. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_div_3/8682172.stm. Retrieved 2010-05-21.
- ↑ "Playing Squad 2008/2009 – Marvin Morgan". www.theshots.co.uk. http://www.theshots.co.uk/PlayerDisplay.ink?skip=15&season=2008/2009&Playertype=P.
- ↑ "Kit Announcement". www.theshots.co.uk. http://www.theshots.co.uk/newspage.ink?nid=29962&newstype=n&matchid=. Retrieved 2008-06-23.
- ↑ "Statement From Aldershot Town Football Club". www.theshots.co.uk. http://www.theshots.co.uk/NewsPage.ink?nid=30007. Retrieved 2008-07-08.
- ↑ "New Sponsors Confirmed". www.theshots.co.uk. http://www.theshots.co.uk/NewsPage.ink?nid=32794. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ↑ "Aldershot Town - Kit History". www.historicalkits.co.uk. http://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Aldershot_Town/aldershot-town.html.
External links
| Preceded by Dagenham & Redbridge |
Conference National Champions 2007–08 |
Succeeded by Burton Albion |
| Preceded by Woking |
Conference League Cup Winners 2007–08 |
Succeeded by AFC Telford |
| Preceded by Gravesend & Northfleet |
Isthmian League Premier Division Champions 2002–03 |
Succeeded by Canvey Island |
| Preceded by Chesham United |
Isthmian League First Division Champions 1997–98 |
Succeeded by Canvey Island |
| Preceded by Edgware Town |
Isthmian League Third Division Champions 1992–93 |
Succeeded by Bracknell Town |
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