Match Preview: Weymouth v Aldershot Town – Saturday 29th January 2022 – 15:00
It’s Saturday afternoon football at the Bob Lucas Stadium tomorrow as Weymouth take on former Terras boss Mark Molesley’s Aldershot Town in the Vanarama National League.
THE TERRAS
Following last Saturday’s point at Boreham Wood, Dagenham and Redbridge were the visitors to the Bob Lucas Stadium on Tuesday night. It was a very positive first half with the Terras creating lots of chances and took a deserved lead into the break when Sean Shields’ impeccable pass found Josh McQuoid in space who slotted past the Daggers goalkeeper. However, Dagenham found two second half goals through Walker and McCallum to take three points. Despite defeat, David Oldfield was pleased with the performance from his players including their workrate and execution of the game plan, but admitted lessons need to be learnt from the second half. With a big game against Aldershot approaching, there will be confidence that the Terras can come away with three points, building on the positive performances of late.
Here’s thoughts from the gaffer ahead of the game:
On preparations: “We have had a mixture of recovery and preparation for Saturday. We don’t see each other very often and have to try to achieve the balance of the two.
On Aldershot: “Aldershot are a strong improving team that will prove to be a big test. We have to make sure that we are ready to meet this test with our attitude to work. It’s an opportunity for us to try to progress forward. The crowd were fantastic for us during the week and we hope to join with them again.“
On team news: “We have players who will be missing but also players that we hope will return to the group. We continue to miss Robinson and others but need to pull together in a very important match.”
LAST SIX
TERRAS 1-2 DAG & RED
BOREHAM WOOD 1-1 TERRAS
DARTFORD 1-0 TERRAS
TERRAS 0-1 SOUTHEND UNITED
EASTLEIGH 3-2 TERRAS
HUNGERFORD TOWN 0-1 TERRAS (FA TROPHY)
Weymouth currently sit 21st in the table with 16 points from 23 games
THE SHOTS
Aldershot Town, managed by former Terras boss Mark Molesley have picked up seven wins from their 25 games played so far this season and sit 15th in the National League table, 11 points above the relegation zone. The Shots are unbeaten in their last four league matches, however they fell to defeat against Bromley in the FA Trophy Fourth Round earlier this month. An impressive performance against Chesterfield earned Aldershot a point last weekend, before picking up a point against Southend United on Tuesday evening at the EBB Stadium. Aldershot have picked up some impressive victories this season, including a 2-1 win over Grimsby in November and a 3-0 away win at Eastleigh, with other victories against Torquay and Woking recently too. Aldershot have strengthened this month with last season’s top scorer for the Shots, Harrison Panayiotou, returning to the club signing an 18-month deal.
Player To Watch: Ryan Glover
On loan from Bournemouth, Aldershot extended the midfielder’s loan this month until the end of the season, and in the Shots’ last game, Ryan scored against Southend. He will be one of a number of goal scoring threats on Saturday, with the Terras back line needing to replicate some of the defensive performances of late to keep them quiet.
LAST SIX
ALDERSHOT TOWN 1-1 SOUTHEND UNITED
CHESTERFIELD 0-0 ALDERSHOT TOWN
ALDERSHOT TOWN 0-2 BROMLEY (FA TROPHY)
ALDERSHOT TOWN 1-1 MAIDENHEAD UNITED
WOKING 2-3 ALDERSHOT TOWN
DAG & RED 1-1 ALDERSHOT TOWN
Aldershot Town currently sit 15th in the National League with 27 points from 25 games
@TerraStatman’s Facts of the Match
A shot in the arm
We have played Aldershot 16 times covering both incarnations of the club. Overall the record is W7 D4 L5 and for the new team only our tally is very even with a W4 D2 L4 tally. Our first three meetings against the current club were friendlies in 1995, 1996 & 2003. Our competitive games have all been in the Conference/National League, over two seasons from 2006 and then again last season and in this campaign. Last January, exactly one year and three days ago, we shocked today’s opponents with a clinical 2-0 win in Hampshire with a Dallas brace on a pitch bordered by piles of cleared snow. Three months later we fell to a 0-3 defeat at home but repeated our traveling heroics last October, repeating our 2-0 victory the previous year with a goal from Thommo followed up by a Josh Leslie-Smith credited “goal” that probably actually was scored off a defender’s midriff!
A shot at glory
However, it’s a famous pair of games against the former side that I’ll concentrate on today. Sadly these games are rarely mentioned now but I bet they would have been talked about for years at the time! It was 1949 and we were back at the top tier of non-league (then the Southern League) for the first time in many years following successive promotions. The scene was an FA Cup first round tie against Aldershot who were then in the Football League. We had already won five games in the cup to reach this point and 9,500 people crammed into The Rec to see the team show “extra polish and finesse” but despite taking the lead in the 3rd minute the Terras had to settle for a replay at the experienced league side after a see-saw 2-2 draw. All commentators had thought the chance for a cup upset had gone with the replay being away, especially as star player Haynes was now out injured with a swollen knee! However, the men in claret in blue made “a superb recovery after being two goals in arrears and with only nine fit men” to notch their first ever away win over a league side in the FA Cup! “At the end of the game Jubilant Weymouth supporters streamed across the pitch and carried Sammy McGowan shoulder high to the dressing room”. (Many years later Sammy would become the only Weymouth player to date to appear in two giant-killing sides). Our reward that season was ultimately a 3rd round trip to Manchester United and a proud 0-4 defeat!
The stellar list of known players who have turned out for both teams today is…far too long to list as there are around 50 names if you include the old and new Aldershot sides! A few notables & recent names are Myles Anderson, Barry Blankley, Callum Buckley, Steve Claridge, Nick Crittenden, Paul Compton, Ron Fogg, Ryan Glover, Josh McQuoid, Mark Molesley, Shamir Mullings, Dave Puckett, Fred Rowell, Alefe Santos, Trevor Senior, Josh Wakefield, Brett Williams.
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