The Shots are back........

After 86 mins of a pulsating game Scott Davies hit a shot that had ‘winner’ stamped all over it. Aldershot Town’s third goal was indeed one that would have graced any great stage.

The home supporters stood as one, their minds exploding with the intensity of excitement. The travelling 647 from Bradford silent, their minds imploding with the pain of, ‘from Premiership to defeat by ‘tin-pot’ Aldershot in 8 years’.


And then the final whistle – the Bradford players drifted from the field of play, heads bowed, well beaten and showing their age. Aldershot – as one in the centre circle, young and ‘on fire’ ready for more.

Despite twelve months of planning and ‘training’ the next two weeks were certainly going to be a challenge.

It was May 1992, my wife, nine year old son and I stood with our toes in the Irish Sea at St Bees Head, Cumbria. Ahead of us about 200 miles of the ‘Coast to Coast’ walk.

I can still remember the feeling of unease as I looked up and beyond the coastal hills, to the mountains of the Lake District and Pennines. They would cast a long shadow over the next seven days. And then, the North York Moors…… Robin Hood’s Bay seemed a lifetime away.

Of course we had put the necessary amount of work into our preparations for the walk. The Dorset and Pembrokeshire Coastal Paths were easy and Snowdon, by three different routes, had been a breeze at Easter. And we had accommodation booked and low level escape routes planned……But this was different, and no amount of ‘pre-season training’ could have prepared us for the moment.

The first few days were tough. The weather was great but the power of the Lakes made each day such a severe challenge.

Then as we sat in triumph on top of Kidsty Pike, at 2560ft the highest point on the walk (unless you take the Helvellyn detour), the challenge came clearly into focus. It wasn’t 13 days, 200 miles and a serious test of our mental and physical ability. It was on that afternoon no more than a couple of hours and then a few pints. And the next day, 15 miles and a few more pints. The goal of Robin Hood’s Bay, clear and welcoming. A goal that was not to be suffocated by the tedium of the Vale of Mowbray or the desolation of the North York Moors.



No, it was quite simple, we would enjoy the walk in the knowledge that we were fit and prepared for the test that each day would bring.

Walking around the headland to Robin Hood’s Bay brought our goal into sight. The ribbon of little houses clinging to the steep cliffs like limpets exposed at low tide. By the time my wife and I arrived at the slipway by the side of the Bay Hotel, to dip our toes in the North Sea, Malcolm was already up to his waist……..


The feeling of satisfaction…..perhaps the same emotions as the ones we all experienced when we secured a point at Exeter, and with it promotion back to the Football League.

After 86 mins it wasn’t just the winning goal that Scott Davies scored. The moment encapsulated all of last season’s joy. It was a reprise of the power and pace. The ability to play for 90 mins and always look like scoring one goal more than the opposition. The intensity of desire and the exuberance of youth.

Aldershot beat Bradford City 3v2 because they believed that they could……

It was no good my brother telling me ‘don’t worry’ as I returned from Shrewsbury, the previous week, without any focus for the season. It was about as good as telling a child not to worry the night before the A Level results are due out, and they need 5 A’s to secure a place at Oxford.

But on Saturday I was reminded of the power, energy and enthusiasm of youth – Aldershot Town never to be beaten. The view from Kidsty Pike was great.

The Shots are back and we can go up…….

Darlington at home next Saturday.

90 mins….3pts and ignore the rest.