A look back.....

I love architecture.

Travelling to visit friends just outside of Nimes, in the south of France, is an uplifting experience. And closer to home who could not be inspired by the Royal Crescent in Bath or the stunning form of the Hoover Building on the A40, Western Avenue?

At its best architecture can inspire for centuries….a backdrop that gives a timeless comfort blanket to our world.

At its worst it can deliver the Docklands….or Cardiff Bay.

2007 arrived with Aldershot Town surprisingly still in touch with the Conference play-off challengers; and following hard fought victories over Haverhill Town, Chelmsford City and Basingstoke Town, a third round FA Cup trip to Blackpool was eagerly awaited.

Sadly the play-off challenge turned out to be a cruel mirage, and the season ended dismally.

Oh, and Blackpool? The end of the road…..

But at least 2007 can be remembered for the realisation of the inevitable demise of two leaders. Yes, after a period of increasing ineptitude Brown went and Brown ascended.

Without doubt the departure of ‘Saint’ Terry Brown (manager), from Aldershot Town, was completed, in this win only world, with a sensitivity rarely displayed by football clubs.

And so on Tuesday March 27th 2007 Terry Brown took control of his last game, and at 2200hrs he was sent on his way with the applause of the Eastbank ringing in his ears. And their innocent adulation? Impressing an image clearly in his mind, I guess forever.

As one Brown fell so another ascended to realise a lifetime ambition….‘Prime Minister we have floods. I think the inflatable will be better than the Range Rover.’ But then someone hid the paddles and his tenancy agreement at Number 10 looks just a tad vulnerable.

Aldershot Town’s 2007/08 campaign kicked off at Kidderminster, and for many supporters the prospects were wrapped up in hope rather than expectation.

Gary who? Our new manager Gary Waddock was no more than a photo taken from a website.

Added to which the back room staff that had taken Aldershot from the high point of the Britannia Stadium play-off final to the lows of…..no I can’t bring myself to list them…..were pretty much still in place.

And with a squad of players that contained many familiar faces together with the return of Ben Harding….a young man who had failed so disappointingly under the previous regime.....not too many supporters were openly confident of a play-off challenge.

Yes, it was a season that started with thoughts turning to development and building towards 2008/09.

But it has been the form of Harding that has set the barometer for our progress this season. He has been a joy to watch. His performances have lit up our campaign with a style, fluency and demeanour that have been not only the product of his attitude, but most importantly he has quite clearly been nurtured by the coaching staff.

And the exuberance, confidence and vibrancy of the whole squad more than outweighs the occasional impetuous act.

So satisfying, therefore, to see a management team that understand that planning and preparation takes place between games and not after we have gone one or two nil down! Added to which post match recovery strategies must embrace all, and not simply those in need of a gentle touch from the physio.

Yes, following the New Year’s Day defeat of Woking, Aldershot Town sit proudly at the top of the Blue Square Premier. Four points clear of Torquay United.

And with that my thoughts have turned back to 2005. Perhaps the coldest of away trips. Carlisle United, Tuesday 28th December ‘05. After the game, and just a few wee nips taken in a very fine Carlisle hotel, I wrote that Aldershot had failed to come to terms with the demands of full time football.

Today I am pleased to record that those concerns are now dismissed…..for which Gary, Martin and all of the coaching staff should be congratulated.


And off the field, as we prepare for the long awaited return to the Football League, a new commercial realism is radiating from the boardroom.

But caution…..

The Chairman wrote in his recent programme notes that, ‘if they (new ideas) are successful then we will be quids in. The club will make money and move forward with money jingling in its pocket…..’

Manchester United has achieved this simple objective better than all others…..but I do like the Recreation Ground.

Aldershot came back to life in 1992 because for many, its power was defined by something greater than anything that money could achieve, or indeed destroy. Our Club was recreated by the genuine passion that flows through the veins of us all. A passion that is not fed by prawn sandwiches and lubricated by cheap wine.....

In most walks of life progress is fuelled by money. But it is the successful management of progress that will determine the legacy.

Give me the Royal Crescent , Bath any day before a Lego house in Essex.