OF all the Aldershot players, a return to the Football League would possibly mean the most to goalkeeper Nikki Bull.

Bull is only 26, so it’s not as if he ever played in the Football League for the old Aldershot, but he has still been at Aldershot Town for more than a third of its 16-year history.

He appreciates more than any other player just how wonderful a return to the League would be for so many people — and the town itself — if Gary Waddock’s Shots can finish the job over the next few weeks.

Bull, who arrived at the Recreation Ground in the summer of 2002, has long been a fans’ favourite — and the feeling is mutual.

"The fans have just been unbelievable this season," said Bull, speaking on Wednesday. "But they’ve been like that from the off, not just this year. At times in the past they have had every right to have a moan but they kept on coming.

"It would just be massive if we do go up. I’ve been with the club since the Ryman Premier days and I do feel that I’ve been on a journey.

"There are so many people who have dedicated their lives to the rebuilding of this club. Whether it’s financially or through voluntary work, people have made Aldershot Town their life’s priority."

Bull is calm but cautious ahead of the final push. Assuming Torquay United take maximum points from their remaining eight games, the Shots still need 11 points from the seven games that they have left, to ensure that Aldershot once again boasts a Football League club.

"We are in a bit of an all-to-lose situation," said Bull. "A lot of people away from the club are saying that we are already champions. But we are not.

"We haven’t got enough points yet and the tough matches Droylsden and Stafford gave us last week showed that there are no free points to be had in this league.

"That said, I don’t expect Torquay to win all their games. They have some tough fixtures, as do we. I think both of us will drop points before the end of the season."

Bull believes that Salisbury City will be tricky opponents at the Rec on Saturday.

"They have had a great first season in the division and are at the stage of the season where they can’t go up or down. Sometimes that can allow teams to relax and play with a greater freedom, while everyone expects us to get the three points. But all we can do is keep doing what we’ve been doing."

Bull has had a busy time behind the Aldershot defence this season. They may be runaway leaders but their attacking style of play ensures that the opposition always have chances to score. Bull has kept just 11 clean sheets in the Blue Square Premier but would still probably win a player-of-the-season poll. After all, Aldershot have won 19 league matches by just the odd goal — and saves from Bull have often been the deciding factor come the final whistle.

"I’d like to think I’ve been consistent throughout my time at Aldershot and that every season I’ve won more points for the club than I’ve lost.

"It was clear as soon as the gaffer [Waddock] took over that we were going to play attacking football and that we would not be the tightest of teams at the back.

"I think we have some very good individual defenders but the way we play means that they cannot always be good together. Teams will get chances against us and it gives me the chance to make crucial saves.

"As we are such a good counter-attacking team and quick on the break, it suits us when teams attack us. When sides have come to the Rec and sat back in front of us, like Kidderminster did recently, we struggle a little to break them down. We’re at our best with some grass behind for us to attack into."

For all his recent excellence, Bull is carrying an injury and is having to limit his training.

"I have a thigh problem and have been nursing it for a while. I don’t train every day and often just work in the gym. Last week was difficult, playing on Thursday and Saturday. I took a good few pain-killers.

"But it’s such a good time for the club and I certainly don’t want to miss any of it."

Bull plays a vital role in the squad off the pitch, as well as on it. He and manager Waddock go back a long way, as Waddock was his coach in the Queens Park Rangers youth team, before Bull arrived at Aldershot. They have kept in touch ever since and there is clearly a trust and mutual respect between the two.

"I think you need a link between the manager and his players, and the gaffer is happy for me to fulfil that role. He asks me how the guys are, if I think the lads are tired, or what they might need.

"And when some of the younger lads have not felt too comfortable approaching the club or the gaffer about something, then I can help. I helped a few of the young lads negotiate their new contracts."

Bull himself is out of contract in the summer and continues to be linked with a move away from the Recreation Ground, even if Aldershot do go up.

"The club have made it very clear since Christmas that they want to keep me. I think it’s right that the club has sorted out some of the young boys’ contracts, like Kirk Hudson and Danny Hylton, as they are key to the future.

"I’m one of a few older players who will be out of contract. Right now we are all just getting our heads down and working on this season. In the summer we can sit down and see where we are going."

Bull has nothing but praise for Waddock. "Last season was a real anti-climax and, with Terry Brown leaving, there were bound to be changes.

"The gaffer has played a trump card in bringing in some young players and in pre-season I noticed something special. The whole squad was already fighting in the same direction.

"The gaffer is such a professional. His attention to detail is spot on and he’s knows how to man-manage, whether a player needs an arm around him or a kick up the backside and stern words.

"If a player is left out of the squad, the gaffer makes sure they know long before anyone else. He treats players as he would like to be treated himself and that breeds respect.

"There are players here who now cross the white of the pitch really believing in themselves. You can see how Dave Winfield has started to believe in himself more and more. And Ben Harding is a totally different player to the one we had on loan last season.

"Martin Kuhl was probably disappointed he didn’t get the manager’s job permanently - the longer the selection process went on, the more it looked like he might be given the job permanently - but it’s funny how it’s worked out. Martin’s a great coach and the gaffer lets him get on with that, while he can watch and analyse. I think theirs is a perfect partnership."

The same can be said of Aldershot and Bull: his safe hands have probably been more significant than any feet or head as the Shots seek to get their hands on the title. And get back to where they belong.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail