ANGELSANGELSV ALDERSHOT TOWN • SATURDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER, 2020 • 15:00PRE-SEASON FRIENDLY • SPECIAL ONLINE MATCH PROGRAMME

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Good afternoon everyone and a big welcome to Aldershot Town from the National League who are our visitors for the Angels last pre-season friendly. I thank Danny Searle for accepting our invitation to come over and play us here in what will be a really good test. Whilst The Shots may have only finished in 18th position last season, the signings they have made during the summer will have given everyone in The National League notice of their intent to try and push on to higher things. Please read Matt Davison’s preview of our visitors further on in the programme and you will get a feel for their potential quality.

Here, we have continued to work extremely hard in pre-season with not only the friendlies, most of which unfortunately have had to be behind closed doors, but also a series of very intensive training sessions. The matches themselves have provided a good range of opposition from Step 5 right up to EFL and U23 Premier League. Everyone wants to win a game of football including me, but I don’t get too hung up on the results themselves, it’s all about looking at players, experimentation, and getting back to full fitness. That said the score lines have more or less gone with league status and four successive victories against Isthmian Premier opposition were perhaps put into sharp focus with the visit of Bromley last Saturday.

The Ravens provided us with a lesson in pacey incisive football and a 3-1 half time score line in their favour was a very fair reflection of the balance of play. We improved in the 2nd half and they made a number of changes but another early strike for them meant we ended with a three-goal deficit. In pre-season you can learn as much in defeat as victory and all of those lessons we will be taking forward.

We often find in football when one door closes another opens, sometimes quite quickly. The excellent Christ Tiehi advised us that he had decided after very careful consideration that at least in the immediate future he would not be returning to the club with his priorities lying at the moment in Paris particularly after the birth of his baby son. It was a blow, I will admit, but a decision I can completely understand – family has to come first.

And then not much more than 24 hours later that other door opens with the arrival back into the club of the equally excellent D’Sean Theobalds who has decided to pledge his immediate future with us. If I’m honest I don’t think many of us, myself included, expected to see him back following what seemed like a dream move to top flight football in Poland. Events however conspired against D’Sean with the manager’s position changing quite soon after his arrival and then the onset of Coronavirus meant that he was never really able to establish himself. He is a very level headed guy who I know will simply look upon the whole thing as one of life’s experiences and will have no lasting regrets at how it turned out. I am of course delighted to have D’Sean back with us.

Just two days ago I signed 19-year-old Javaun Splatt who has completed a two-year scholarship at Derby County’s Academy and has played for their U18s and U23s. Some of you will have seen him playing for us at Margate a couple of weeks ago and I believe he will give us different options up front.

I’m writing these notes just yesterday and I guess we are still getting over the devastating news that supporters at elite clubs of which we are one will not now be allowed back into stadiums for 1st team games from the beginning of October as had been expected. Despite the National League seeming to indicate at one stage that they would not start competition until fans were allowed back in that position seems to be changing with the suggestion that some form of Government money may be forthcoming to help clubs.

The position is further complicated, if that were possible, by National South clubs being required to enter the FA Cup on 3rd October (we have been drawn away to Farnborough) which of course quite rightly triggers payments to players but what happens after that is still very unclear.

I am grateful to Board members who attended training the other evening to support me in explaining this extraordinary position to our players. I ask you to please stay in touch with the club through the various communications channels so that everyone can keep up to date with events as they happen.

Steve

STEVE McKIMMSTEVE McKIMM

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For both sides’ last pre-season friendly we welcome Aldershot Town, our visitors from the National League, who will be looking to do better than their last trip to Kent, a 3-0 defeat at Dartford eleven days ago.

The Shots’ last pre-season game was on Tuesday, a 2-1 defeat at Slough, new signing Toby Edser scored Aldershot’s goal after the home side had taken a 2-0 lead.

Aldershot manager Danny Searle is preparing for his second season in charge at the Recreation Ground. Searle took over in May 2019 after the departure of Gary Waddock, whose second spell ended after two years at the club.

Searle has been busy in the transfer market in the summer, most notably the capture of former Leeds and Fulham man Ross McCormack. The Scotsman, now 34, has also played Championship football with Cardiff, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest, and has moved for combined fees of nearly £25 million in his career.

On signing for the club, McCormack told the club website: “It wasn’t a hard decision, now is the right time to come back and get going again in England. Having spoken to Tanns (Craig Tanner), the gaffer, the staff and the lads here I felt like it’s the right place to do it.”

Another new addition to the Shots cause this season is Toby Edser. The central midfielder started his career at Charlton, joined Nottingham Forest and had loan spells at Woking and Port Vale.

Frenchman Killian Colombie is another new boy at the Recreation Ground. He can play right-back or as a winger on both sides. He played youth football for Paris Saint Germain and AS Montigny le Bretonneux, but then got the chance to study and play football in the United States where his last club was Sporting Kansas.

Onto the players who were a part of Aldershot’s campaign last season and are still wearing the club’s colours, in goal is former Dover man Mitch Walker. Mitch is spending his second season at the club after making nearly 300 appearances for the Crabble based club.

In their defensive line are the options of Lewis Kinsella, a former Colchester United player who initially joined the Shots on loan for a month, Jack Sendles-White, a former Northern Ireland youth international who has also featured in the Scottish Premiership and joined the club from Torquay, Kodi Lyons-Foster, who joined the club from Searle’s former club Braintree after having initially played for the club in 2017, George Fowler, who made his loan move from Ipswich permanent in 2018, and Alex Finney, who played in Kent for Maidstone having also been on the books of Leyton Orient, Bolton and QPR.

In midfield, James Rowe has played for Tranmere, and won the National League with Cheltenham, Josh Rees had a spell with Gillingham after moving to Priestfield from Bromley, and Alfy Whittingham is the son of former Portsmouth striker Guy, and until a year ago was at Hungerford Town.

Wide options for Searle include Chike Kandi, Joel Nouble, who

OUR VISITORSOUR VISITORS

ROSS MCCORMACKROSS MCCORMACK

TOBY EDSERTOBY EDSER

MITCH WALKERMITCH WALKER

JOEL NOUBLEJOEL NOUBLE

“THE SHOTS”“THE SHOTS”FACTFILE

Founded: 1992Ground: Recreation GroundChairman: Shahid AzeemManager: Danny Searle

HONOURS1 x Football Conference1 x Conference Lge Cup

1 x Isthmian League1 x Isthmian Div One

1 x Isthmian Div Three5 x Hampshire Senior Cup

RECORDSMost appearances:

Jason Chewins (489)

Most goals:Mark Butler (155)

Record attendance:7500 v Brighton & HA

(2000)

Most goals v Tonbridge: 3 players (1 each)

FORMLast 5 Games:

14/3 AFC Fylde a L0-110/3 Notts County a L1-37/3 Dagenham & R H L0-125/2 Boreham Wd H W3-222/2 Maidenhead a W2-1

Last 5 Seasons:2019/20 Nat Lge 18th2018/19 Nat Lge 21st2017/18 Nat Lge 5th2016/17 Nat Lge 5th2015/16 Nat Lge 15th

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briefly agreed terms with Tonbridge but left without playing a game, stood out against us for Haringey in the 2019 play-offs, and featured against us in our last competitive game for Concord, and Craig Tanner, who has come down south from Motherwell.

And up front for the Shots are Harrison Panayiotou, a St Kitts and Nevis international who joined from Aittitos Spata in Greece, and Mo Bettamer, a Libyan under 20 international, who has played for Barnet and Braintree.

Aldershot were initially going to be one of the Angels’ National League South opponents last year, only for Gateshead to be demoted and the Shots given a reprieve. They made the most of that reprieve by finishing 18th on points per game in the National League and are due to start their seventh consecutive season at Step One against Hartlepool

next Saturday.

Aldershot, in their various guises, have often had a troubled journey. A Football League side until 1992, they went out of business during the 1991/92 season. Aldershot Town was formed, entered the pyramid at Isthmian League Division Three (five levels lower) and completed the return of league football for the town when they went up in 2008, their fifth promotion in ten years. This run came to an end in 2013 when they went into administration and were relegated.

Finally competitive matches against Aldershot have been few and far between. We have met twice in the FA Cup, drawing 0-0 in the first round proper in 1951-52, losing the replay 3-2 with Johnny Jordan and Ken Suttle on target for Tonbridge and Flint, Macauley and Billington netting for the Shots.

Matt Davison

ALDERSHOT TOWNALDERSHOT TOWNALDERSHOT 3FLINT, BILLINGTON (PEN), MACAULEY

TONBRIDGE 2JORDAN, SUTTLE ATTENDANCE 5013

WEDNESDAY 28 NOVEMBER 1951 • FA CUP FIRST ROUND REPLAY

ALDERSHOT TONBRIDGE1 JOE HOUSTON 1 TED HANKEY2 JACK WHITE 2 EDDIE FLEMING3 ARTHUR JEFFERSON 3 SID BELL4 PHIL GORMLEY 4 ALEC ROSS5 CHARLIE BILLINGTON 5 HORACE WOODWARD6 JIMMY MACAULEY 6 RON GAWLER7 CHARLIE MORTIMORE 7 LES STEVENS8 NORMAN MENZIES 8 JOHNNY JORDAN9 ROBERT RAINE 9 RON HIGGINS10 BILLY DURKIN 10 PETER MULHERON11 KEN FLINT 11 KEN SUTTLE

THE LAST TIME WE MET

HEAD TO HEAD

TONBRIDGE - 0ALDERSHOT - 1

DRAWS - 1

2020/21 FRIENDLIES Res F A Att Goalscorers

1 Sat 08 Aug Loxwood a W 6 0 na Akrofi (p), Turner, trialist, Bray 2, Da Costa

2 Mon 08 Aug Sutton Common Rovers a L 1 2 na Williams 77

3 Sat 15 Aug AFC WIMBLEDON H L 0 3 na

4 Tue 18 Aug CRYSTAL PALACE U23 H L 0 3 na

5 Sat 22 Aug Lewes a W 4 1 na Turner 41, Akrofi 65 83(p), Beere 90

6 Sat 29 Aug Carshalton Athletic a W 2 1 250 Greenhalgh 21, Parter 86

7 Sat 05 Sep KINGSTONIAN H W 2 1 na Williams 43, Greenhalgh 89

8 Sat 12 Sep Margate a W 4 1 176 Greenhalgh 42, Parkinson 49, Williams 66 85

9 Sat 19 Sep BROMLEY H L 1 4 na Miles 44

10 Sat 26 Sep ALDERSHOT TOWN H

FA Cup begins on Saturday 3 October away to Farnborough.See Page 7 for League Fixtures.

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MATCH ACTION: BROMLEYMATCH ACTION: BROMLEYPhotos courtesy of Wes Filtness

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2020/21 VANARAMA SOUTH

1 Tue 06 Oct Billericay Town a

2 Sat 10 Oct HUNGERFORD TOWN H

3 Sat 17 Oct Oxford City a

4 Sat 24 Oct BRAINTREE TOWN H

5 Sat 07 Nov CHIPPENHAM TOWN H

6 Mon 09 Nov Chelmsford City a

7 Sat 14 Nov Dorking Wanderers a

8 Tue 17 Nov EASTBOURNE BOROUGH H

9 Sat 21 Nov Ebbsfleet United a

10 Sat 28 Nov HEMEL HEMPSTEAD TOWN H

11 Tue 01 Dec CONCORD RANGERS H

12 Sat 12 Dec St Albans City a

13 Sat 26 Dec MAIDSTONE UNITED H

14 Mon 28 Dec Dartford a

15 Sat 02 Jan Maidstone United a

16 Sat 09 Jan BATH CITY H

17 Sat 16 Jan Welling United a

18 Sat 23 Jan HAMPTON & RICHMOND B H

19 Sat 30 Jan Dulwich Hamlet a

20 Sat 06 Feb HAVANT & WATERLOOVILLE H

21 Tue 09 Feb Concord Rangers a

22 Sat 13 Feb ST ALBANS CITY H

23 Sat 20 Feb Hemel Hempstead Town a

24 Sat 27 Feb EBBSFLEET UNITED H

25 Sat 06 Mar Slough Town a

26 Sat 13 Mar DARTFORD H

27 Tue 16 Mar BILLERICAY TOWN H

28 Sat 20 Mar Hungerford Town a

29 Sat 27 Mar OXFORD CITY H

30 Fri 02 Apr Braintree Town a

31 Sat 10 Apr CHELMSFORD CITY H

32 Tue 13 Apr Eastbourne Borough a

33 Sat 17 Apr Chippenham Town a

34 Sat 24 Apr DORKING WANDERERS H

35 Sat 01 May Havant & Waterlooville a

36 Mon 03 May DULWICH HAMLET H

37 Sat 08 May WELLING UNITED H

38 Sat 15 May Bath City a

39 Sat 22 May SLOUGH TOWN H

40 Sat 29 May Hampton & Richmond Boro a

FIXTURESFIXTURES

TONBRIDGE ANGELS ALDERSHOT TOWNRYAN BOTLEY RYAN HALL

JONATHAN HENLY MITCH WALKER

TED MCDONALD MOHAMED BETTAMER

ALEX AKROFI KILLIAN COLOMBIE

TOM BEERE TOBY EDSER

RIAN BRAY ALEX FINNEY

KRISTIAN CAMPBELL GEORGE FOWLER

KHALE DA COSTA RYAN HALL

JAMES FOLKES CHIKE KANDI

BEN GREENHALGH LEWIS KINSELLA

ARTHUR LEE KODI LYONS-FOSTER

NED LEWIS ROSS MCCORMACK

SONNY MILES REECE MILLER

TOM PARKINSON JOEL NOUBLE

JACK PARTER HARRY PANAYIOTOU

JAVAUN SPLATT JOSH REES

D’SEAN THEOBALDS JAMES ROWE

JOE TURNER JAMES SENDLES-WHITE

JASON WILLIAMS BEN SHROLL

LUCA WOODHOUSE CRAIG TANNER

ALFY WHITTINGHAM

REECE WYLIE

Manager: STEVE McKIMM Assistant: BARRY MOORE Physio: MELVIN SLIGHT

Manager: DANNY SEARLEAssistant: ANWAR UDDINPhysio: GEORGES BERTHONNEAU

Referee : Assistant 1 : Assistant 2 : Fourth Official :

SATURDAY, 26 SEPTEMBER, 2020 • TONBRIDGE ANGELS V ALDERSHOT TOWN

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