2008–09 Aldershot Town F.C. season explained

Club:	Aldershot Town
Season:	2008–09
Manager:	Gary Waddock
Mgrtitle:	Manager
League:	Football League Two
League Result:	15th
Cup1:	FA Cup
Cup1 Result:	Second round
Cup2:	League Cup
Cup2 Result:	First round
Cup3:	League Trophy
Cup3 Result:	First round
Cup4:	Hampshire Senior Cup
Cup4 Result:	Third round
League Topscorer:	Scott Davies (8)
Season Topscorer:	Scott Davies and Kirk Hudson (9)
Highest Attendance:	5,023 (18 October vs Brentford)
Lowest Attendance:	2,090 (10 March vs Shrewsbury Town)
Average Attendance:	3,232 (26 senior squad league and cup matches)
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Prevseason:	2007–08
Nextseason:	2009–10

The 2008–09 season of Aldershot Town Football Club was the 17th year of football played by the club and the first season in Football League Two, the highest level achieved by the club up to that time.

Team kit

The team kit for the 2008–09 season is produced by Carbrini Sportswear. The home shirt will be primarily Red with blue panels with the away shirt being yellow. On 6 December 2008 the blue third kit was launched.

Match results

Friendlies

Result !! Attendance !! class=unsortable

Scorers
		Away	Won 1–0	809	Pasquale Abiuso
		Home	Drew 2–2	1,954	Kirk Hudson, Marvin Morgan
		Home	Lost 3–4	1,436	John Grant (2), Marvin Morgan
		Away	Won 2–0	N/A	Marvin Morgan, Danny Hylton
		Away	Won 5–1	N/A	Marvin Morgan, Kirk Hudson(2), Junior Mendes, Scott Donnelly
		Home	Lost 0–1	950	-
		Home	Lost 1–3	1,830	Danny Hylton
		Home	Won 2–0	875	Anthony Charles, John Grant

Result !! Attendance !! class=unsortable

Scorers
		Away	Won 1–0	1,805	Scott Donnelly
		Home	Draw 1–1	4,564	Louis Soares
		Away	Lost 0–1	5,422	-
		Home	Won 3–2	3,805	Ben Harding, Marvin Morgan, Scott Davies
		Home	Won 2–1	3,460	Marvin Morgan, Louie Soares
		Away	Lost 1–3	6,462	John Grant
		Home	Won 2–1	4,198	Kirk Hudson, Scott Davies
		Away	Lost 1–2	6,033	Anthony Charles
		Home	Draw 3–3	3,621	Rob Elvins, Scott Davies, Danny Hylton
		Away	Lost 2–4	1,857	Kirk Hudson, Danny Hylton
		Home	Draw 1–1	5,023	Scott Davies (pen)
		Away	Lost 1–5	3,079	Kirk Hudson
		Away	Lost 1–3	2,750	Marvin Morgan
		Home	Won 1–0	3,049	Louis Soares
		Away	Lost 0–2	1,897	-
		Home	Won 1–0	3,784	John Grant
		Away	Won 1–0	1,693	Marvin Morgan
		Home	Won 2–0	2,625	Andy Sandell, Scott Davies
		Home	Won 3–2	3,915	Kirk Hudson (2), Danny Hylton
		Home	Draw 2–2	3,605	Scott Davies (2) (2 pens)
		Away	Won 3–0	2,729	Danny Hylton, Anthony Charles, Scott Davies
		Home	Lost 1–2	3,697	Kirk Hudson
		Home	Draw 1–1	3,108	Kirk Hudson
		Home	Draw 2–2	2,491	Ben Harding, Scott Davies
		Away	Lost 1–2	2,558	Scott Davies
		Away	Lost 0–3	5,111
		Home	Lost 2–4	3,018	Marvin Morgan, Scott Davies
		Away	Lost 2–3	4,840	Jake Robinson, Ben Harding
		Away	Draw 4–4	5,974	Andy Lindegaard, Dave Winfield, OG, Andy Sandell
		Home	Lost 0–2	2,872
		Home	Won 3–1	2,604	Kirk Hudson, Jake Robinson (2)
		Away	Lost 0–2	4,556
		Away	Lost 0–5	12,465
		Home	Draw 0–0	2,090
		Home	Won 2–1	3,098	Scott Davies, Kirk Hudson
		Away	Won 2–1	2,769	John Grant (2)
		Away	Lost 0–2	2,532
		Away	Lost 0–1	7,095
		Home	Draw 1–1	2,482	Jake Robinson
		Home	Lost 0–1	2,643
		Home	Draw 0–0	4,140
		Away	Lost 1–3	1,586	Danny Hylton
		Home	Draw 1–1	2,597	Lewis Chalmers
		Away	Lost 0–3	5,440
		Home	Draw 2–2	3,100	Kirk Hudson (2)
		Away	Won 2–0	3,910	John Grant, Scott Davies

League Two Table

!Round !! Date !! Opponent !! Venue !! Result !! Attendance !! Goalscorers

1st round	8 November 2008		Home	1–1	2,632	John Grant
1st round replay	18 November 2008		Away	Won 3–0	2,431 (174 away fans)	Kirk Hudson (2), Marvin Morgan
2nd round	29 November 2008		Away	Lost 0–3	6,159 (1,590 away fans)

This was Aldershot Town's first ever season playing in the Football League Cup.

• *Swindon Town won 7–6 on penalties.

The Hampshire Senior Cup squad from Aldershot Town was composed of reserve team players.

!Round !! Date !! Opponent !! Result !! Attendance !! Scorers

2nd round	7 October 2008		Won 3–2	N/A	John Grant, Marvin Morgan (2)
3rd round	9 December 2008		Lost 1–2	285	Adam Mekki

Events

This is a list of the significant events to occur at the club during the 2008–09 season, presented in chronological order. This list does not include match results, which are in the results section.

May 2008

• 13 May: Aldershot Town's first signing since winning promotion to the Football League is Dean Howell from Conference National side Rushden & Diamonds.
• 15 May: Gary Waddock signs 25-year-old defender Chris Blackburn from Football League One side Swindon Town.
• 19 May: Aldershot Town's third signing since promotion is Woking F.C. striker Marvin Morgan.
• 27 May: Goalkeeper Nikki Bull signed a new two-year deal to stay with the club. However this was a surprise to many as it came just four days after the Chairman John McGinty released an official statement informing supporters of his departure after six years with the club. The Shots also confirmed on the official website that Captain Rhys Day had signed a one-year contract with the club and that Junior Mendes was committing until the end of the year (2008).

June 2008

• 13 June: Aldershot Town are drawn against Coventry City in the Carling Cup first round draw.
• 16 June: The fixtures for the Football League Two season are released. The Shots will travel to Accrington Stanley on the opening day of the season. It will be exactly five years to the weekend when the two sides were paired together in the opening Conference season of 2003/2004.
• 24 June: Manager Gary Waddock and Coach Martin Kuhl both sign new three-year deals with the club.
• 25 June: Joel Grant joins Crewe Alexandra for a fee of £130,000, a club record sale.

July 2008

• 15 July: It is announced that Jim Joyce has left Yeovil Town Football Club to join the Shots to take over from Sue Bowen as Club Physio.
• 23 July: The Shots sign 21-year-old Sheffield United Academy product Ben Starosta on a one-month loan deal, with a view to securing a permanent deal. They also boosted their squad by securing the services of Scott Davies on a second season-long loan from Reading FC.

November 2008

• 18 November: Godalming Town defeated Aldershot Town XI 3–0 in a testimonial held for Paul 'Paddy' Hampshire who is battling against the incurable motor neuron disease and proceeds from the game were shared out between the Hampshire family's chosen charities; Woking Hospice and the M.N.D. charity.
• 29 November: Nikki Bull makes his 300th appearance for the Shots in the FA Cup defeat at Millwall Football Club.

December 2008

• 6 December: New third kit launched.
• 13 December: Following an 11.30am pitch inspection Aldershot's League Two fixture against Rotherham United at the Don Valley Stadium was called off because of a waterlogged pitch.
• 18 December: The 9th Annual ATFC Christmas Carol Service was conducted by Chaplain, Rev Mike Pusey at Holy Trinity Church, Aldershot with players in attendance.
• 22 December: Football League clubs voted to introduce a 'Home Grown Players' rule, as proposed by The Football League Board, at a specially arranged EGM of clubs at Derby County. The new rule will come into effect from the beginning of next season. The 'Home Grown Players' rule will require at least four players from clubs' sixteen man matchday squads to be registered domestically, for a minimum of three seasons, prior to their 21st birthday.
• 28 December: Dagenham & Redbridge become the first side to beat Aldershot at the Recreation Ground in the Football League and snap an eleven-month unbeaten streak that lasted 20 league games. The previous home league defeat came back in January 2008 when Forest Green Rovers won 1–0.

January 2009

• 2 January: Andy Sandell joins in a permanent move following a successful loan spell from Salisbury City while Shots defender Dave Winfield moves in the opposite direction on a month-long loan deal.
• 3 January: Aldershot's home league game against Notts County was postponed at 1.20pm when referee Chris Sarginson deemed the pitch unplayable.

February 2009

• 2 February: Dave Winfield returns to Aldershot after a loan spell with Salisbury City. The club also sign goalkeeper Alex McCarthy and defender Andy Lindegaard on one-month loan deals.

March 2009

• 27 March: Stevenage Borough sign Aldershot striker Junior Mendes on loan until the end of the season.

April 2009

• 21 April: Aldershot Town announce they will release Rhys Day, Rob Elvins and Junior Mendes at the end of the season.

Head To Head

!Team!!Miles [One Way]!!Home Result!!Fans Brought!!Away Result!!Fans Took!!Points Gained

Accrington Stanley	250	3–1	81	1–0	606	6
Barnet	56	1–1	327	3–0	728	4
Bournemouth	77	1–1	1047	0–2	611	1
Bradford City	229	3–2	647	0–5	294	3
Brentford	36	1–1	1066	0–3	894	1
Bury	232	3–3	354	1–2	225	1
Chester City	231	2–2	226	1–0	286	4
Chesterfield	173	1–1	225	1–5	222	1
Dagenham & Redbridge	70	1–2	173	1–3	291	0
Darlington	272	2–1	296	0–2	250*	3
Exeter City	145	1–0	785	2–3	332	3
Gillingham	75	2–1	960	4–4	399	4
Grimsby Town	244	2–2	343	0–1	340	1
Lincoln City	177	2–0	209	2–0	359	6
Luton Town	58	2–1	783	1–3	810	3
Macclesfield Town	204	1–1	131	2–4	353	1
Morecambe	266	0–2	80	0–2	204	0
Notts County	150	2–2	171	1–2	511	1
Port Vale	181	1–0	242	0–0	128	4
Rochdale	237	2–4	292	1–3	256	0
Rotherham United	187	0–1	250	2–1	81	3
Shrewsbury Town	178	0–0	218	0–1	381	1
Wycombe Wanderers	45	3–2	842	0–3	600*	3

• *Approximate figure, exact attendances are not known.

Goalscorers

• All Competitions

!Name!!League!!FA Cup!!League Cup!!Football League Trophy!!Hampshire Senior Cup!!Total

Scott Davies	8	-	-	1	-	9
Kirk Hudson	7	2	-	-	-	9
Marvin Morgan	3	1	1	-	2	7
Danny Hylton	4	-	-	-	-	4
John Grant	2	1	-	-	1	4
Louis Soares	3	-	-	-	-	3
Anthony Charles	2	-	-	-	-	2
Rob Elvins	1	-	-	1	-	2
Scott Donnelly	1	-	-	-	-	1
Ben Harding	1	-	-	-	-	1

External links

• Official Website