Aldershot Town F.C.
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Aldershot Town Football Club was founded in the spring of 1992 just after the closure of debt-ridden fourth division club Aldershot F.C., who had been founded in 1926 and had been league members since 1932. The old club had folded on the 25th March 1992, becoming only the second club to resign from the Football League mid-season.
Like the old club, the new Aldershot football club played its home games at the Recreation Ground in Aldershot town centre, joining the Ryman (Isthmian) League Division Three for the 1992-93 season. At the end of 1997-98 won promotion to the Premier Division of the league and, just two years later, they finished runners-up to Dagenham & Redbridge in the Premier Division.
Having just missed out on a place in the Nationwide Conference, they finally achieved this success as Ryman Premier Division champions at the end of the 2002-03 season, winning the league by 13 points from Canvey Island.
In 2003-04 Aldershot Town qualified for the Conference National promotion playoffs but lost on penalties to Shrewsbury Town in the final after a 1-1 draw. The following year, now a full-time club as of 1st July 2004 they lost in the semi-final to Carlisle United after another penalty shoot-out in a dramatic game. Carlisle were 2-0 up after 20 minutes after Aldershot had won the first leg thanks to a flukey cross-shot from Nick Crittenden. However, a last minute goal from Jamie Slabber took it to extra-time, during which both sides hit the crossbar. But despite being 3-1 up in the shootout, Aldershot somehow managed to lose. Carlisle were promoted in the end, beating Stevenage Borough 1-0 in the final at Stoke. However the team performed disappointingly in the 2005-06 season and finished 13th, curiously in the new club's 13th season and with a goal difference in the Conference National of -13.
History
- 1992 - New Aldershot Town club formed
- 1992-93 - Joined Ryman League Division Three. Ryman League Division Three Champions; promoted to Division Two
- 1993-94 - Promoted to Division One
- 1994-95 - Missed promotion to Premier Division on goal difference
- 1997-98 - Ryman League Division One Champions; promoted to Premier Division
- 1999-00 - Ryman League runner-up
- 2002-03 - Ryman League Champions; promoted to Conference
- 2003-04 - F.A. Trophy semi-finalists, 5th in Conference National, losing finalists in Conference play-offs
- 2004-05 - 4th in Conference National; losing semi-finalists in Conference play-offs
- Best league position: 4th in Conference National (level 5), 2004-2005
- Best FA Cup performance: 2nd round, 1999-2000
- Best FA Trophy performance: Semi-Final, 2003-2004
- Best FA Vase performance: Quarter Final, 1993-1994.
Aldershot have a few players who will always live long in the memory.
Jason Chewins holds the record for most number of appearances for the club. A committed left-back, he remained loyal to the club until 2004 since its inception in 1992.
Nikki Bull is the current goal-keeper, and an excellent one at that. Many observers believe he wouldn't look out of place two leagues higher than what he currently is now.
Mark Butler was simply a legend and a goal machine for the Shots. He scored 155 goals in 303 games between 1992 and 1998.
Roscoe D'Sane was meant to be the heir to his throne - especially when he scored over 20 goals in his debut Conference season. The Shots fans really took to him since he had arrived on a free transer from bitter rivals Woking! Sadly, a succession of knee injuries curtailed his Shots career after they went full-time, and he can now be found at Wealdstone.
Season-by-season record
| Season | Division | Position | Significant Events |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aldershot Town formed and placed into Isthmian Division Three | |||
| 1992-93 | Isthmian League Division Three | 1 | Champions, Promoted |
| 1993-94 | Isthmian League Division Two | 3 | Promoted |
| 1994-95 | Isthmian League Division One | 4 | |
| 1995-96 | Isthmian League Division One | 5 | |
| 1996-97 | Isthmian League Division One | 7 | |
| 1997-98 | Isthmian League Division One | 1 | Champions, Promoted |
| 1998-99 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 7 | |
| 1999-00 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 2 | Runners-up. FA Cup Second Round |
| 2000-01 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 4 | FA Cup First Round |
| 2001-02 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 3 | FA Cup First Round |
| 2002-03 | Isthmian League Premier Division | 1 | Champions. Promoted to Conference |
| 2003-04 | Conference | 5 | FA Cup Second Round, FA Trophy Semi-finals |
| 2004-05 | Conference National | 4 | FA Cup Second Round |
| 2005-06 | Conference National | 13 | FA Cup Second Round |
Source: [Aldershot Town] at the Football Club History Database
Staff
Chairman: Karl Prentice
Manager: Terry Brown
Assistant Manager: Martin Kuhl
External links
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