16/4/2008

Sport

Aldershot promoted to the Football League

EXETER is a city of saints — and on Tuesday night a new saint was anointed in the city. Saint Gary.

The Cathedral Church of Saint Peter is steeped in history and Exeter St David’s railway station was designed by none other than Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

But on Tuesday night at St James’ Park, home to Exeter City, Gary Waddock and his Aldershot team made history.

Aldershot football is back where it belongs: in the Football League. Sixteen years after league status died with the old Aldershot FC, Waddock, backed to the hilt by players, the board and backroom staff alike, has taken Aldershot Town to the Promised Land and Aldershot football back to its spiritual home. Come next season the Shots will once again be members of the celestial body that is the ‘92 Club’, which makes up the Football League.

Non-league football has been a very happy hunting ground for the Shots and fond memories abound but now they move on to bigger and — hopefully — better things. Those fans who watched the old club in the Football League know that Aldershot football is back where it ought to be.

So, it’s goodbye to Farsley Celtic and Droylsden and hello to the likes of Brentford and Luton Town.

Torquay United, hoping that Aldershot would suffer a collapse as dramatic as Devon Loch’s infamous stumble in the 1956 Grand National, did all they could, winning 1-0 at home to Northwich Victoria. That meant, for the Shots to win the title and promotion on the night, they had to gain a draw or better 20 miles to the east.

And it was more a case of Devon unlock than Devon Loch, as Scott Donnelly’s first half equaliser ensured that Waddock and the Shots have the keys to League Two.

Stiff challenges lie ahead — many of them in the north — and Waddock will certainly not allow himself or his squad to rest on their laurels. But for now they can enjoy the moment and bask in a magnificent achievement.

“It is absolutely fantastic,” said Waddock after the game, in a rare moment when he wasn’t embracing his players and dancing on the terrace with the ecstatic Aldershot hordes who had made the trip to the south-west.

“But work never stops. We will enjoy the moment and then get busy planning for the future.”

Bookmakers Victor Chandler are already looking ahead to next season and are quoting odds as low as 4-1 for Aldershot to win back-to-back promotions. So, expectations are high.

But, to most Aldershot fans, even this promotion appeared highly unlikely when Waddock was installed as manager last May, replacing Terry Brown.

The Shots had finished ninth and 13th in the Conference in the last two seasons under Brown, after reaching the play-off final and semi-final respectively in seasons 2003-04 and 04-05, and a year of consolidation and no more was expected under Waddock.

One man thought differently, however: Waddock. This triumph has not come as a surprise to him.

“Yes, I had an inkling we could do this when I joined the club,” said Waddock. “From day one Martin Kuhl and I wanted promotion. We have all worked extremely hard to get here and it’s just fantastic.”

The Waddock factor should not be underestimated and it’s impossible to speak to a member of the Aldershot squad without hearing praise for Waddock’s man-management skills and Kuhl’s coaching and motivational expertise.

“The Waddock/Kuhl partnership will go to the very top of the game,” said goalkeeper Nikki Bull, amid the champagne and celebrations.

“The Gaffer [Waddock] came in and sat back and assessed and let Martin get on with the coaching. He worked out our strengths, weaknesses and the players’ characters, and pieced it all together.

“The Gaffer has an aura about him. The players would run through a brick wall for him.”

This was the first game that Aldershot’s destiny was in their own hands. Forget Torquay, their result was irrelevant provided the Shots finished their own job. Typically, they did it, as Waddock’s side almost always does. Normally, the goal is three points but, just this once, only needing the one point, Waddock’s men did the job all the same.

As usual, too, it was a close shave. Aldershot rarely make viewing easy for the fans and as the second half wore on, Waddock’s men sat deeper as they edged closer towards the final whistle.

Exeter, desperate for three points to boost their bid for a play-offs spot, poured forward, especially after the introduction of Wayne Carlisle on the right, but the Shots’ defence stood firm.

Anthony Charles was outstanding and Ricky Newman, who kept his place in the absence of injured and ill captain Rhys Day, used all his experience to marshal the backline.

The dramatic circumstances of the game ensured that it was captivating viewing but only a handful of key moments were of consequence for the Shots.

First, against the run of play, after Aldershot, especially Kirk Hudson, who was preferred to Joel Grant, had made a bright start, Adam Stansfield burst on to Matthew Gill’s astute pass and swept the home side into a 39th minute lead.

As so often this season, Waddock’s side raised their game as circumstances dictated and, vitally, were on level terms before the break.

John Grant held the ball up well and his square pass was perfectly placed for Donnelly to shoot on target. Veteran goalkeeper Andy Marriott should have saved what was no more than a firm shot but mistimed his dive and helped the ball into the net. Cue bedlam on the away terrace and a far more buoyant away dressing room at half-time than it might have been.

It was Donnelly’s first league goal for the Shots — on his first start. “It was just nice to start,” he said afterwards. “But fantas-tic to get the goal. I haven’t been here in the first team long but I feel I’ve played my part tonight.”

Donnelly’s set-piece expert-ise troubled Exeter all night and Hudson, Louie Soares and Charles all missed good chances that would have eased the Shots’ nerves in the second half. But it was the other end that mattered: if Bull could keep a second-half clean sheet, then the Shots were up.

Bull made a superb save from Dean Moxey’s flying header on the hour and the rebound ricocheted inches wide off Newman.

Deep into the last ten minutes, Exeter were adamant that Bull had fouled Stansfield in the area but referee Sarginson waved play on and Aldershot fans breathed again.

But no Aldershot game appears to pass without a Bull wonder save and his superb, one-handed dive to pull back Steve Basham’s 87th-minute header from behind him was a microcosm of Aldershot’s title and promotion triumph: the outfield players have laid the foundations but it’s Bull’s hands that have helped most towards building a total close to 100 points.

Afterwards, Bull was typically modest. “Saves are instinctive, you don’t really think about saves until you’ve actually made them. Besides, this has all been about the squad. We win and lose as a squad.”

And they celebrate as a squad too — along with the management, fans, the backroom staff and the directors. For an hour after the final whistle St James’ Park became a little corner of Aldershot. And the last words are best left to the fans. Altogether now: “Going up to the Football League...”

Aldershot: Bull 8, Gier 7, Straker 6, Newman 7, Charles 8, Donnelly 7, Soares 6, Harding 8, John Grant, 7 Elvins 6, Hudson 7. Subs not used: Jaimez-Ruiz, Williams, Scott, Hylton, Joel Grant.

First printed in: Aldershot News and Mail