After a rare midweek away from action, County are back this weekend as we welcome bogey side Aldershot Town to Edgeley Park in another big game in the National League promotion chase.
Our win against Yeovil last Saturday in front of the BT Cameras briefly moved County back into the top three, but a Tuesday night out of action (we were originally scheduled to play Macclesfield Town this week) meant the National League table shifted round once again.
Victory for Hartlepool against Solihull Moors saw them leapfrog County in the table, but there was to be some consolation down in Devon, as leaders Torquay were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Wealdstone, leaving them 10 points clear of County, but having played three games more.
For Aldershot, they haven’t played in 10 days due to Chesterfield, their opponents in both the National League and FA Trophy, having to isolate after a positive Covid test. Their last league game saw them beat struggling Barnet 2-1, a result that leaves them 13th in the table, five points shy of a play-off place.
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Our Opponents:
Despite finishing 21st in the National League during the 2018/19 season, initially confirming relegation to the sixth tier for the first time since 2003, Aldershot were handed a Summer reprieve when Gateshead entered administration and were relegated in their place instead.
Having retained their place in the National League by the slenderest of margins, incoming manager and former Chelsea academy coach Danny Searle was tasked with ensuring no such external intervention would be needed the following season.
Despite a slow start to the campaign, with just one win in their first seven games, wins at Edgeley Park and against Wrexham in September saw them begin to slowly find their feet in the division.
From October through to January, the side really began to gather momentum as they lost just four times in 18 league games, winning seven of them, to carry them away from the drop zone and further towards safety.
Despite losing their final three games before the season’s postponement, the Shots finished the season in 16th place, 12 points behind County and the play-off places but, crucially, five points above the bottom three, making it mission accomplished for the Hampshire side.
It was a Summer of high turnover amongst the playing squad for Aldershot, who were dealt a heavy blow by the loss of star midfielder Ethan Chislett, after the 22-year-old moved to Wimbledon after a year at the Club.
A lot of their recruitment in recent months has focussed on adding firepower to the squad, with as many as five strikers coming in over the course of the season. Amongst them was the high-profile signing of former Leeds and Fulham hit-man Ross McCormack, but injury has limited the Scotland international to just 30 minutes of action so far this season.
Despite those additions up front, it’s a man who was here last season who’s been doing the business for them, with Libya international Mohamed Bettamer their top scorer so far this campaign with six National League goals. The striker also scored against County last season in a 2-1 win at the EBB stadium.
The biggest problem for them so far this season has been a lack of consistency. Only twice this season have the Hampshire side managed back-to-back victories, with impressive wins against Notts County and Altrincham contrasted with defeats to struggling Weymouth and Woking.
With four wins from their last six games in all competitions and a healthy nine points separating them from the relegation zone, The Shots will be coming into this one looking up the table rather than down, confident of closing that five point gap between themselves and the play-offs over the coming weeks and months.
Match Stats:
- County have lost just once in our last eight games in the National League, but will be looking for back-to-back home wins in the National League for the first time since October (2-1 v FC Halifax and 3-0 v Dover).
- This will be our fifth meeting with Aldershot Town since their formation as a phoenix Club, and we are looking for our first win against them, with one draw and three defeats in our four previous meetings.
- Alex Reid’s winner against Yeovil was his fourth in six National League games in 2021, making him the joint third highest scorer in the league, alongside John Rooney, with nine goals.
We’d like to thank tomorrow’s Match Sponsor, Uber Eats, for their fantastic support.
In association with LV Bet.
