County travel to the EBB stadium on Good Friday, a ground where we have never won, to take on Aldershot as we bid extend our unbeaten run to six games as we close in on the top three.
Paddy Madden’s second-half equaliser against Hartlepool on Saturday kept us in touch at the top of the table, as we inched a step closer to third place Torquay following their defeat away at Dagenham & Redbridge.
We remain 13 points behind leaders Sutton with 13 games remaining as they came from 2-0 down to draw at Halifax, whilst fifth place Wrexham now sit just one point behind us after their win against Bromley.
Meanwhile, despite falling to a third defeat in four games on Saturday after losing 1-0 at nine-man Solihull Moors, Aldershot bounced back in some style on Tuesday night with a 1-0 win against promotion-chasing Notts County at Meadow Lane, to move up to 15th in the National League.
Since we last met:
When we first met the Shots this season back in February it was just four games in to Simon Rusk’s tenure as County boss, as a missed penalty from John Rooney two minutes from time at Edgeley Park meant the points were shared in a hard-fought 0-0 draw.
That result saw us remain in fourth place, a point away from the top three and nine behind the leaders Torquay, whilst a point for Aldershot lifted them above Halifax and into the top half of the table, four points from a play-off place.
Defeat at home to Solihull Moors in their next game was a set-back for the Hampshire side, but three successive wins against Wrexham, Maidenhead and Altrincham reignited their unlikely play-off charge, closing the gap on the top seven to just three points.
A run of one point from their subsequent four games, including three 1-0 defeats, have dampened those promotion dreams somewhat, but that 1-0 win at Notts County on Tuesday night, secured thanks to an early penalty from Harry Panayiotou, has shown once again that they can prove stern opposition for any side in the National League.
They have been helped in recent weeks by the form of star man Josh Rees. The former Bromley and Gillingham midfielder recently notched up his ninth goal of the season with a brace against Boreham Wood, and has six goals in his last nine appearances for the Club.
Match Stats:
- County have never won away at Aldershot, playing there 26 times since the 1950s and winning none, losing 2-1 there last season.
- This will be the 54th meeting between ourselves and Aldershot, including before and after their reformation of Aldershot Town. In those meetings, we have just 13 wins, compared to Aldershot’s 24.
- Avoiding defeat in this game would equal County’s longest unbeaten league run of the season (six games).
- Over the last league five games, County have the best record in the National League with eleven points.
In association with LV Bet.
