The History of Aldershot Team FC
As this season's FA Cup started again, one game stood out from the rest. This was Aldershot Town vs Swindon Town. Aldershot was the underdog in this game, but they were able to win this game 7-4. Many people may not know who Aldershot Town this article is, so it will take you through the club's history and some key players to watch out for.
On March 25th, 1992, Aldershot FC became the first Football League team to fold during the season since Accrington Stanley in 1962. From the ashes came phoenix club Aldershot Town, formed on April 22nd, 1992, and managed by ex-Aldershot FC centre back Steve Wignall. The team is based in Hampshire and currently competes in the national league. From 1992 to today, Aldershot Town has risen from the third division in the Isthmian League to the national league. The honors of the club include conference champions in level 5 07/08, Isthmian league winners’ level 6 02/03, Isthmian league division one winner’s level 7 97/98 and Isthmian league division three winners in 92/93. They also won the conference league cup winners 07/08 and the Hampshire Senior cup 5 times.
In the first two seasons for the new Aldershot town, they managed back-to-back promotions, and it was only in the third season that they missed out on their third promotion in a row when Teve Wignall departed. From the start of their inaugural season, Aldershot Town went 20 months (35 games) before suffering their first-ever home league defeat – to Banstead Athletic in April 1994. Fast forward a number of years, a home victory over Accrington Stanley in the conference league, Aldershot Town remained in the play-off positions for the entire 2003-04 season as well as winning the Isthmian League Charity Shield (for a second time) and reaching the FA Trophy semi-finals, where they lost to eventual winners Hednesford Town. Further disappointment followed, when the Shots were beaten on penalties by Shrewsbury Town (after a 1-1 draw) in the play-off final at Stoke City’s Britannia Stadium. That summer, one era ended as another began: record appearance-maker Jason Chewins left the club having worn the red and blue of Aldershot on 489 occasions. Meanwhile, the club went full-time.
In 2007, Aldershot won the Conference Premier title by drawing 1-1 on an emotional night in Exeter; they finished the 2007-08 season with an 18-match unbeaten run and two divisional records: 31 wins and 101 points. A “double” was achieved as a 3-3 extra time draw against Rushden and Diamonds at the Recreation Ground, followed by a win in the shoot-out to claim the Setanta Shield.
Sixteen years after they were founded, Aldershot Town made it to League 2, and they also set a club record fee for selling a player for £130,000 was received from Crewe Alexandra for winger Joel Grant in the summer of 2008.
In the first season in league two, the club finished 13th in the league, which is a good finish in their first season. However, the following season was not as successful, as they did not finish higher. They gained nationwide attention in 2011-12 when FA Premier League giants Manchester United visited the EBB Stadium for a League Cup fourth-round tie; 7044 fans saw the Red Devils win 3-0 in front of the Sky Sports cameras. However, everything started to go wrong in 2011-12 when Aldershot finished 20th in the league, ending their time in League 2.
On May 2nd, 2013, just five days after their relegation from League 2, Aldershot Town officially entered administration with reported debts of £1.4 million. Following a period of uncertainty over the club’s survival, which led to the departure of the majority of the playing staff and numerous redundancies behind the scenes, the club exited administration under the auspices of a CVA on July 30th, with a consortium led by former chairman Shahid Azeem taking ownership of the club on August 1st. They start the season with a 10-point deduction as a punishment. The Shots stayed in the league by getting some needed points near the end of the season. On July 31st, 2014, Aldershot Town announced that they had paid off all of their debts, which enabled them to exit the auspices of the CVA after just 12 months – a massive two years ahead of the required date! The icing on the cake came with the news that the club had made “a modest profit” in the first year of trading under the new owners.
Currently the club has stayed in the national league over the past few seasons with mixed results. The current manager is named Tommy Widdrington. The following day after his resignation from King's Lynn Town, Widdrington was announced as the new manager of National League strugglers Aldershot Town. Aldershot ended the 2022–23 campaign in 18th-place, five points above the relegation zone. On November 3rd, 2023, Widdrington signed new terms with Aldershot with the club in seventh place in the National League. The following day, his side won 7–4 at Swindon Town in the first round of the FA Cup, becoming the first non-League team to score seven goals past a Football League side in the competition.
Some players to watch are Josh Stokes and Captain Stuart O’Keele.
Josh Stokes is a player who is up and coming and a player to watch out for over this season and the season to come. He is only 19 and plays on the wing. He only signs with the shots this season from AFC Sudbury but has a big future. So far this season, he has scored 9 goals in the league and scored one of the goals In the FA Cup game against Swindon.
Captain Stuart O’Keele is important to Aldershot; he brings a wealth of experience as he has played in all 4 English professional leagues, including two seasons in the premier league with Crystal Palace, where he played 36 times. He signed for the shot in July 2023 and was made club caption following his time at Gillingham where he made over 130 appearances and was Club Captain.
Aldershot has a rich history which is continuing to grow, and soon, we may see them back in League 2 as they continue to push the club forward.