2011 Prediction League; Game 27 Aldershot Town (away)

Div3North · 18-01-2012, 00:46

Aldershot Town

V

Accrington Stanley

2011 Prediction League – Game 27; v Aldershot (away)

Dean Holdsworth. Saturday last.

"……. it's what we need at the moment - a fresh face to put the ball in the net." Non-traditional way of scoring, Dean; most players use their feet ………

“We need forwards” Holdsworth – now at the 12 month point of his managership of the Shots, so presumably at risk of a vote of confidence and then the bullet at any time soon

– said recently; he then let two forwards and a midfielder go out on loan – strikers Reece Connolly (19) and Bradley Bubb (23) to Farnborough and BSS side Eastleigh respectively, and midfielder Adam Mekki (20) to Basingstoke Town. Also out – permanently – have gone two of the summer signings; ex Dagger Graeme Montgomery, who played under Holdsworth at Newport, was released (and also joined Eastleigh), and 27 year-old midfielder Anthony Pulis, son of Stoke boss Tony, departed, having been signed from Southampton in August and having played only 8 times. Actually, with all the clubs that he’s played for on contract or on loan – now 7 or 8 - he’s never made more than 13 appearances anywhere …..

Loan signings haven’t fared much better at the EBB under Aldershot’s (apparent) revolving door policy either; of the 6 who signed, mostly until early January, Mansfield winger Adam Smith (26), Crawley’s 25 year old midfielder/defender Jamie Day (who never even got a game), and midfielder Scott Davies (23), ex QPR Portuguese forward Bruno Andrade (18), and Burton striker Greg Pearson (26) have already left again – Pearson to join Crewe, for whom he scored the last minute winner

(from 4 yards out

) at Oxford on Saturday, having met his new team mates on the bus going to the match

(which picked him up at the Services); the sixth loan signing – Luton’s midfielder Charlie Henry (aged 24, who also played for Holdsworth at Newport) - is still there, but that may be because his loan doesn’t end until Sunday!

They signed former Northampton and Notts Forest (Scottish-born) centre half Chris Doig (30); recently he’s been on his travels, playing for Central Coast Mariners in Oz, and for Pelita Jaya in Karawang, Indonesia (“Over ‘ere Son, on me ‘ead”!

); the most recent batch of loan signings (don’t surrender the lease on your flats, lads, ‘cos you’ll likely be back before the season ends …) include MK Dons forward Charlie Collins, Hull defender Sonny Bradley, ex West Ham trainee and Oxford defender Josh Payne, and Rotherham and former Tractorboys defender Troy Brown; the first two are 20, the other two 21 …… They may be a tad short on experience down in Hampshire………

They’ve lost Michael Rankine for at least a month with ligament damage picked up in the recent Gills game, and Danny Hylton – who got both their goals at Fortress Crown earlier in the season – hasn’t scored since winning Player of the Month last October (poisoned chalice time ………

)

They’ve done well enough in the Cups; out of the Carling to Man U 3-0 in Round 4, and the FA Cup to Sheff Wed 1-0 in Round 2, having seen off the Mighty Maidstone in a First Round replay, both defeats at home. In truth, their home form isn’t very clever – in the League (which is our present concern) they’ve won 4, drawn 2 and lost 6, scoring just 10 goals in 12 games while conceding 12. Overall their League record is P25 W8 D3 L14 F24 A34 for 27 points and 17th place – ahead of the managerless Pirates (which of us couldn’t have correctly predicted Paul Buckle’s departure?

) on goal difference, and above Bradford and Barnet by one point. Worse than that, if you take out any Cup games, they’ve scored a grand total of two goals in their last 9 League games

(of which they’ve won just one - 1-0 at home to Shrewsbury - and drawn one - 0-0 at home to Plymouth) - the other seven having been defeats (Cheltenham (a), Swindon (a) and Rotherham (a) by 2-0, Gillingham (also away) by 1-0, Port Vale at Burslem by 4-0, and Oxford (3-0) and Gillingham (2-1) at home), and having managed just one goal in their last seven matches

. Even more worserer than that, they haven’t scored at all in their last 5, home or away ………..

10 goals scored in the various Cup competitions, and 24 in the League; they’ve conceded 43 in all (9 + 34). Leading goalscorers are 22 year-old striker Danny Hylton (a product of their Youth team) with 12, midfielder Luke Gutteridge (29) - ex Torquay, Cambridge Utd, Southend, Leyton Orient, Colchester and Northampton (with over 300 games under his belt) - with 6, the injured Michael Rankine (27), Doncaster-born - ex Rushden and York, plus various other non-league sides - with 5, and winger Jermaine McGlashan (23), who joined the club in summer 2010 after playing for a sequence of non-league clubs, with 4; three other players have made the scoresheet, plus two additional contributions to the cause by way of own goals ………

We lost our first three League games against them, but haven’t lost since

; we won the second meeting in season 2, managed 2 draws last season (0-0 at home and 1-1 away, Rory Boulding (now at Livingston FC) getting the goal) and won the most recent game between us on 1st October, when we were twice behind, but drew level through Sean Hessey and Danny Coid, and nicked the winner with a fine Charlie Barnett strike with 2 minutes left on the clock

. P7 W2 D2 L3 F8 A11; not t’riffic, but getting better ………….

As always the deadline for entries is scheduled kick-off time, which is 3pm on Saturday 21st January. They can’t score for toffee

, we’re at the beginning of our second long undefeated run (aren’t we!

); we’ve won 3 of our last 4 away

, they’ve lost 7 of 9 overall

; bodes well ……Yes? ……….. No? ……….. The title’s still there to be won – almost anyone (excluding Wynonie, DaveinGermany or me

) could still climb the table to success …………..

Good luck to eveyone ………… and thanks for playing!