3 players impressed me today and they were all new youngsters on the block! In this blog I will go into detail on the three young players and talk about what part they may have to play in the future.
Adam Mekki:
As you can see from some of my previous blogs I am quite a big fan of Adam Mekki! For a young guy he has already shown himself to be a big talent. He is quick but bulky and likes a challenge! He has already shown his class with some goals and assist and I think he has a lot to offer in the future! Read my previous blog on Mekki for more details on the youngster!
Reece Connoly:
Reece is still raw but I think he could easily become a regular next season. A loan spell at Farnbourough has really boosted his strength. Today was the first time I had seen Reece play and I was really impressed! His work rate was excellent and his cross for Vincenti's chance was brilliant! He seems quick and although he is not the tallest of people he still won balls in the air! Once he scores his first goal he will gain even more confidence and I really hope to see him make a few more appearances this year! Strikers are needed at Aldershot at the moment so I am sure Reece will get his chance!
Jordan Roberts:
Jordan made his Shots debut today and I was really impressed. Playing out on the wing he had pace and made some decent runs off the ball! With the ball he was superb. First time crosses into the box is something Aldershot need to do more of and I think Roberts will be really good at providing those. He clearly didn't lack confidence for example he took the Shots corners and free kicks today! He had a decent effort go just over the bar today and I really hope he gets some more opportunities in the first team this year to proove himself!
Aldershot have some really bright talent for the future. I hope to see these 3 young players get a decent run in the first team and who knows, these 3 may be the stars of Aldershot's future!
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Aldershot vs Dagenham and Redbridge match report!
Today was a very special day for me! I was sat in the press box for today's game against Dagenham and Redbridge. I got to meet key members of the press as well as Shots players Ben Herd and Anthony Straker which was brilliant! A HUGE thanks to Total Soccer Magazine and Graham Brookland for such a brilliant day!
Jordon Roberts was making his debut for the Shots and they played in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Hylton playing in the hole and Risser up front. Dagenham took control at the beginning of the game and if it wasn't for a key tackle from Ben Herd in the box Dagenham would surely have gone one up. Played then switched to the other end as Roberts nearly scored on his debut after Danny Hylton held the ball up well. In the 8th minute Mekki had a fierce volley blocked in the area and shortly after that Roberts again came close again from a free kick after Hylton had been bundled over.
Aldershot's tactic today was to take short corners and I have to say unfortunately that they didnt pay off. The ball never reached the box that often and they didnt look dangerous. The game all went a bit quite after that until the 27th minute when Aldershot really should have scored. Danny Hylton again, who I felt played much better today than in recent weeks, held the ball up well and played in Risser but the Namibian failed to get any kind of contact on the ball and then chance went begging. Jordon Roberts continued to impress up and down the wing in the first half and he, like Adam Mekki, definitely looks like one for the future! In the 39th minute it was Adam Mekki who found Ben Herd out wide. Ben bombed forward from right back and crossed into the box and Vincenti headed just over. The score remained 0-0 for the rest of the first half.
In the second half it was Dagenham's turn to dominate. Right from the whistle they attacked and in the 51st minute it took a brilliant save from Jamie Young to keep the score at 0-0. Then in the 57th minute Aldershot somehow failed to convert. Ben Herd had whipped in a free kick and in a goal line scramble Risser, Vincenti and Hylton all had stabs at the ball before Risser ultimately smashed over the bar. Then in the 59th minute Dagenham got what they deserved. The marking from Aldershot was poor at the corner and Doe had a free header which he took well. 1-0 Dagenham. Th goal was deserved. Dagenham had had a good spell but he should not have been allowed to have a free header. In the 66th minute Dean Holdsworth made 2 changes. Guy Madjo, who I was surprised didn't start, and youngster Reece Connoly came on for Wilko Risser and Jordon Roberts who had made a good impression. Madjo was immediately involved in the game, his flicked header arrived at Danny Hylton's feet but his cross was poor. In the 75th minute Hylton made way for Mark Mosesly and this was to be a key substitution! In the 84th minute Vincenti missed a sitter. Reece Connoly did really well down the right hand side and put a fantastic ball acrosss the box but the sliding Vincenti could only shoot straight at the keeper, resulting in a corner instead of a goal. Then the Shots finnaly scored. It look as though the chance had gone after the corner was headed away but Mosesly did really well. He beat at least 2 men before finding Mekki out wide who crossed superbly for Troy Brown to head home. The game finished 1-1 and I'm sure both sides were satisfied with a point.
Injury News:
The Shots squad is now down to the bare minimum after loan players were recalled by their clubs and injuries. Alex Rodman and Michael Rankine are both out with long term injuries and Ross Worner will not be back in goal until next season. Josh Payne is also currently sidelined with an injury and Troy Brown limped off at the end of todays match, a worrying sign for the shots.
Jordon Roberts was making his debut for the Shots and they played in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Hylton playing in the hole and Risser up front. Dagenham took control at the beginning of the game and if it wasn't for a key tackle from Ben Herd in the box Dagenham would surely have gone one up. Played then switched to the other end as Roberts nearly scored on his debut after Danny Hylton held the ball up well. In the 8th minute Mekki had a fierce volley blocked in the area and shortly after that Roberts again came close again from a free kick after Hylton had been bundled over.
Aldershot's tactic today was to take short corners and I have to say unfortunately that they didnt pay off. The ball never reached the box that often and they didnt look dangerous. The game all went a bit quite after that until the 27th minute when Aldershot really should have scored. Danny Hylton again, who I felt played much better today than in recent weeks, held the ball up well and played in Risser but the Namibian failed to get any kind of contact on the ball and then chance went begging. Jordon Roberts continued to impress up and down the wing in the first half and he, like Adam Mekki, definitely looks like one for the future! In the 39th minute it was Adam Mekki who found Ben Herd out wide. Ben bombed forward from right back and crossed into the box and Vincenti headed just over. The score remained 0-0 for the rest of the first half.
In the second half it was Dagenham's turn to dominate. Right from the whistle they attacked and in the 51st minute it took a brilliant save from Jamie Young to keep the score at 0-0. Then in the 57th minute Aldershot somehow failed to convert. Ben Herd had whipped in a free kick and in a goal line scramble Risser, Vincenti and Hylton all had stabs at the ball before Risser ultimately smashed over the bar. Then in the 59th minute Dagenham got what they deserved. The marking from Aldershot was poor at the corner and Doe had a free header which he took well. 1-0 Dagenham. Th goal was deserved. Dagenham had had a good spell but he should not have been allowed to have a free header. In the 66th minute Dean Holdsworth made 2 changes. Guy Madjo, who I was surprised didn't start, and youngster Reece Connoly came on for Wilko Risser and Jordon Roberts who had made a good impression. Madjo was immediately involved in the game, his flicked header arrived at Danny Hylton's feet but his cross was poor. In the 75th minute Hylton made way for Mark Mosesly and this was to be a key substitution! In the 84th minute Vincenti missed a sitter. Reece Connoly did really well down the right hand side and put a fantastic ball acrosss the box but the sliding Vincenti could only shoot straight at the keeper, resulting in a corner instead of a goal. Then the Shots finnaly scored. It look as though the chance had gone after the corner was headed away but Mosesly did really well. He beat at least 2 men before finding Mekki out wide who crossed superbly for Troy Brown to head home. The game finished 1-1 and I'm sure both sides were satisfied with a point.
Injury News:
The Shots squad is now down to the bare minimum after loan players were recalled by their clubs and injuries. Alex Rodman and Michael Rankine are both out with long term injuries and Ross Worner will not be back in goal until next season. Josh Payne is also currently sidelined with an injury and Troy Brown limped off at the end of todays match, a worrying sign for the shots.
Wednesday, 14 March 2012
Adam Mekki injury
Last night Crawley played Aldershot Town. There intentions didn't look like playing football though, they looked like removing Adam Mekki from the game and unfortunately for Aldershot, they did. Mekki limped off injured and then took to twitter to blast Crawley, saying he had been hacked all game. He was devastated. He went for a scan today and he will get the results back tomorrow. If we do lose Adam Mekki it would be a massive blow as he has just come to form. We wish you luck Mekki!
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Aldershot news round up from Morecambe game to Northampton game.
There has been a lot of Aldershot news in the past week since the Morecambe game so I am going to talk you through what has been going on.
As mentioned in one of my previous blogs Josh Payne joined the club on a permanent deal from Oxford which is terrific. Please check one of my previous blog post for the full details in this deal!
Following Aldershot's win over Morecambe Anthony Straker and Guy Madjo both made league 2 team of the week which was a brilliant achievement.
The next bit of news wasn't so great. Ross Worner was ruled out for the rest of the season with a back injury. This is a big blow as Ross is a fine keeper and he had been putting in some great displays. Luckily Aldershot have a brilliant number 2 in Jamie Young and I am sure he will continue where Ross Worner set off.
Then 2 loan signings were secured. Sonny Bradley extended his stay with the Shots until April which is great as I have been very impressed with him. The second loan signing was young midfielder Michael Doughty. He joined on a months loan deal from QPR. He looks very talented and I hope he settles in well at Aldershot!
Finnaly Luke Gutteridge broke his "gentlemen's agreement" with Aldershot manager and started against his former club in Northampton's 3-1 win over Aldershot in which the tank that is Adebayo Akinfenwa scored 2 for Northampton. Ben Herd limped off injured in the match and the only positive from the game was that Danny Hylton managed to get himself on the score sheet again!
So, a mixed week for the Shots!
Follow me on twitter: @Westlea11
As mentioned in one of my previous blogs Josh Payne joined the club on a permanent deal from Oxford which is terrific. Please check one of my previous blog post for the full details in this deal!
Following Aldershot's win over Morecambe Anthony Straker and Guy Madjo both made league 2 team of the week which was a brilliant achievement.
The next bit of news wasn't so great. Ross Worner was ruled out for the rest of the season with a back injury. This is a big blow as Ross is a fine keeper and he had been putting in some great displays. Luckily Aldershot have a brilliant number 2 in Jamie Young and I am sure he will continue where Ross Worner set off.
Then 2 loan signings were secured. Sonny Bradley extended his stay with the Shots until April which is great as I have been very impressed with him. The second loan signing was young midfielder Michael Doughty. He joined on a months loan deal from QPR. He looks very talented and I hope he settles in well at Aldershot!
Finnaly Luke Gutteridge broke his "gentlemen's agreement" with Aldershot manager and started against his former club in Northampton's 3-1 win over Aldershot in which the tank that is Adebayo Akinfenwa scored 2 for Northampton. Ben Herd limped off injured in the match and the only positive from the game was that Danny Hylton managed to get himself on the score sheet again!
So, a mixed week for the Shots!
Follow me on twitter: @Westlea11
Friday, 9 March 2012
Bradley Bubb - The forgotten man.
At the beginning of this season Aldershot snapped up Bradley Bubb from non league neighbours Farnbourough Town. He had been scoring a hat load of goals for Farnbourough so it was no surprise when he moved up into the football league . However, we haven't seen much of Bubb in the football league and its all a mystery why.
Bubb became Dean Holdsworth's fifth signing of the summer when he signed for the Shots for an undisclosed free. With forwards Marvin Morgan, Damian Spencer, Tim Sills and Wade Small all leaving the club, a striker was needed so Bubb was snapped up. He was expected to shine but Aldershot fans have seen nothing from him this season, well, at least not Aldershot. This is mainly because Bubb has been shipped out on loan for the rest of the season and Aldershot fans are wondering if they will ever see him again.
Bubb made 9 appearances at the beginning of the season before joining Basingstoke Town on a short term loan deal. He scored a few goals for them and while away the Shots hit a patch where they just could not score. Bubb returned to the club and many Aldershot fans expected Bubb to return to the Aldershot team. However, what happened next was and still is a mystery.
Bradley was shipped out on loan to non league side Eastleigh for the rest of the year with no reason given. Rumours of a bust up with manager Dean Holdsworth started to circulate which bubb refused to neither confirm or deny on his official twitter account, saying he could not say anything about the issue but he should be back at Aldershot next season. Fans have constantly been tweeting Bradley Bubb telling him he sould return to the Shots but he simply told them he cannot. Dean Holdsworth has said nothing in the media about the issue either.
I hope to see Bradley Bubb in an Aldershot shirt next year. Aldershot are currently lacking strikers and if injuries strike there could be a real problem. I think Madjo and Bubb could also form a really good partnership. Bubb doesn't mind doing the dirty work and is physically very strong. He is scoring goals for fun at Eastleigh and I hope he can return to Aldershot next season and start banging in some goals for the Shots!
Bubb became Dean Holdsworth's fifth signing of the summer when he signed for the Shots for an undisclosed free. With forwards Marvin Morgan, Damian Spencer, Tim Sills and Wade Small all leaving the club, a striker was needed so Bubb was snapped up. He was expected to shine but Aldershot fans have seen nothing from him this season, well, at least not Aldershot. This is mainly because Bubb has been shipped out on loan for the rest of the season and Aldershot fans are wondering if they will ever see him again.
Bubb made 9 appearances at the beginning of the season before joining Basingstoke Town on a short term loan deal. He scored a few goals for them and while away the Shots hit a patch where they just could not score. Bubb returned to the club and many Aldershot fans expected Bubb to return to the Aldershot team. However, what happened next was and still is a mystery.
Bradley was shipped out on loan to non league side Eastleigh for the rest of the year with no reason given. Rumours of a bust up with manager Dean Holdsworth started to circulate which bubb refused to neither confirm or deny on his official twitter account, saying he could not say anything about the issue but he should be back at Aldershot next season. Fans have constantly been tweeting Bradley Bubb telling him he sould return to the Shots but he simply told them he cannot. Dean Holdsworth has said nothing in the media about the issue either.
I hope to see Bradley Bubb in an Aldershot shirt next year. Aldershot are currently lacking strikers and if injuries strike there could be a real problem. I think Madjo and Bubb could also form a really good partnership. Bubb doesn't mind doing the dirty work and is physically very strong. He is scoring goals for fun at Eastleigh and I hope he can return to Aldershot next season and start banging in some goals for the Shots!
Wednesday, 7 March 2012
Former Shots: Dean Hammond - Where is he now?
This is the start of a little series I am going to be writing about former Shots, some of which have gone on to bigger and better things and some which have flopped! The first player I am going to write about is Dean Hammond.
Dean Hammond was at Aldershot long before I began supporting them but he is probably in the best current situation of all former Shots players at the moment! Captain of Championship high flyers Southampton, Dean could easily be playing football in the premiership next season.
Dean was never a permanent Aldershot player. He joined the club on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion. Aged 20, he was being sent to non league Aldershot to gain some vital experience. Dean made his Aldershot debut in a 3-1 against Halifax, the first of 7 Aldershot appearances. A tough tackler, he received 2 yellow cards during his time with the Shots! Although he only made a handful of appearances the fans have fond memories of him.
As previously mentioned Dean now captains Southampton. He runs the midfield and is a natural leader. He has been one of the key players in Southampton's promotion charge.
If Big Dean does make the Premiership it would be an amazing achievement for a man who once made 7 appearances! I think I speak on behalf of the Aldershot fans when I say good luck Deano!
Dean Hammond was at Aldershot long before I began supporting them but he is probably in the best current situation of all former Shots players at the moment! Captain of Championship high flyers Southampton, Dean could easily be playing football in the premiership next season.
Dean was never a permanent Aldershot player. He joined the club on loan from Brighton and Hove Albion. Aged 20, he was being sent to non league Aldershot to gain some vital experience. Dean made his Aldershot debut in a 3-1 against Halifax, the first of 7 Aldershot appearances. A tough tackler, he received 2 yellow cards during his time with the Shots! Although he only made a handful of appearances the fans have fond memories of him.
As previously mentioned Dean now captains Southampton. He runs the midfield and is a natural leader. He has been one of the key players in Southampton's promotion charge.
If Big Dean does make the Premiership it would be an amazing achievement for a man who once made 7 appearances! I think I speak on behalf of the Aldershot fans when I say good luck Deano!
Tuesday, 6 March 2012
Josh Payne - Now a shot!
Yesterday I came home from school to the fantastic news that Josh Payne had signed a permanent deal with Aldershot Town. This really pleased me. I had been at the EBB Stadium on Saturday to watch the Shots battle to a 1-0 win over Morecambe and Josh Payne really stood out. He was one of the key men, he controlled the game. A real talent.
Why Oxford chose to allow Payne out on loan in the first place I do not know! Payne quite clearly has a lot of talent. His first touch is sensational and he has a great footballing brain. He picks the right passes, he knows when it is right to run with the ball and when he should pass, he knows when to hold the ball up and slow the play down and he seems to know where everyone is on the pitch! He is skillful and and it appears he can play anywhere across the midfield capably. He has a good shot too and he definitely tested the keeper in the Morecambe game!
The signing of Josh Payne clearly shows intent from the club and I am really impressed by the quality of signings recently made by Aldershot. Josh Payne and Guy Madjo have both made really big impressions and we also signed an international player in big Namibian Wilko Risser. The future looks bright for Aldershot and I firmly believe that the club can reach league 1 in the next 2 years!
Please follow me on twitter: @Westlea11
If you have anything you would like me to write about to do with Aldershot Town suggestions would be really welcome!
Also just to say I am going to be watching a game from the Aldershot press box as a journalist for the day!
Why Oxford chose to allow Payne out on loan in the first place I do not know! Payne quite clearly has a lot of talent. His first touch is sensational and he has a great footballing brain. He picks the right passes, he knows when it is right to run with the ball and when he should pass, he knows when to hold the ball up and slow the play down and he seems to know where everyone is on the pitch! He is skillful and and it appears he can play anywhere across the midfield capably. He has a good shot too and he definitely tested the keeper in the Morecambe game!
The signing of Josh Payne clearly shows intent from the club and I am really impressed by the quality of signings recently made by Aldershot. Josh Payne and Guy Madjo have both made really big impressions and we also signed an international player in big Namibian Wilko Risser. The future looks bright for Aldershot and I firmly believe that the club can reach league 1 in the next 2 years!
Please follow me on twitter: @Westlea11
If you have anything you would like me to write about to do with Aldershot Town suggestions would be really welcome!
Also just to say I am going to be watching a game from the Aldershot press box as a journalist for the day!
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