My top 50 memories from 50 years of following the Shots

"Memory is a child walking along a seashore. You never can tell what small pebble it will pick up and store away among its treasured things." Pierce Harris, Atlanta Journal

And Aldous Huxley wrote that every man's memory is his private literature.

My ‘top 50’ list of Aldershot football memories has been extracted from the many thousands of ‘pebbles’ picked up and stored away over the last 50 years.

For me they all fashion vivid images and so starting at number 50, here they are……



50 – Aldershot 8 v Barrow 2, November 30th 1963

Tony Priscott scored four but I left the Recreation Ground feeling so sorry for the handful of Barrow fans who had made the long trip south. The weather was dismal….the suffocating blanket of mist barely penetrated by our floodlights….the Barrow defence pathetic…….

49 – Aldershot 3 v Tunbridge Wells 1 (FA Cup R1), November 4th 1961

The ground was lit up by brilliant sunshine after the morning’s rain and George Norris scored with a diving header right in front of me at the High Street end.

48 – Basingstoke Town 2 v Aldershot Town 0, December 26th 1996

And just about every game that we were required to play at The Camrose, Basingstoke as we climbed our way back to the Football League…..invariably cold, always miserable, but what an incentive to restore League football to the Recreation Ground.

The memory of former England International Neil Webb wearing a Shots shirt, tentatively ‘running around’ on a frozen pitch lives on…..like me, he just didn’t want to be there…..

47 – Brentford 2 v Aldershot 3, October 19th 1970

Jack Howarth scored three in a thrilling game at Griffin Park. I missed the game as I was playing football against Leicestershire that same evening….now if I had a pound for every time my brother said, ‘Brentford, Jack Howarth hat-trick, what a game’.

46 – York City 2 v Aldershot 2, October 17th 1987

After the play-off success the previous season it was typically disappointing to sit with my 5-year-old son in an empty ‘away stand’…..yes ‘Shots on the road’ were often hard to spot pre-1992.

45 – Aldershot 6 v Cambridge Utd 0, April 13th 1974

Aldershot and Cambridge were both promoted to Division 3 (League 1) the previous season…..then after a poor start to the ‘73/4 campaign Aldershot blazed their way up the League by scoring 47 goals at the Rec. Hapless Cambridge were relegated and the Shots finished 8th - their highest ever Football League position.

And the goal scorers that day…..Bell (2), Joslyn and Howarth (3)

44 – Southend Utd 10 v Aldershot 1 (Associate Members Cup -Leyland Daf Trophy), November 6th 1990

Sheffield, Brown, Cooper, Wignall, Flowers, Henry, Randell, Whitlock, Williams, Stewart, Banton, Puckett…..’hang your heads in shame’.


43 – Oxford Utd 2 v Aldershot Town 3, September 15th 2007

A brilliant game to match the late summer sunshine. Aldershot Town bursting with invention and energy. Oxford pedestrian and predictable during a first half that saw the Shots go in 2v0 to the good.

Aldershot manager, Gary Waddock got the half-time team talk wrong and fortunes suddenly changed.

Oxford came out for the second half with more pace and soon got the game back to 2v2.

But the match was won by Aldershot. A team that was not prepared to give Oxford the satisfaction of one point, let alone three.

The effort and combined purpose was too much for Oxford. The winning goal coming from a corner….and for the first time we started to talk about promotion back to the League.

42 - Aldershot 1 v Peterborough Utd 1, October 15th 1960

My first game at the Recreation Ground

"I remember getting to Aldershot quite early. The streets around the ground were full with supporters. Most of them were wearing blue and white hats with scarves wrapped tightly around their necks (‘Posh’ fans). The crowd was about 12500, certainly a lot more than I was used to 'down the (Cove) Green'! I held on to my Dad’s coat not wanting to get separated from him in this big and new world.

Peterborough United, in their first League season brought about 6000 fans to the game and they were clearly not going to just watch the game and say no more than, ‘good shot, well done’. No, the noise was deafening as we queued up at the historic turnstiles.

Steam trains rumbled over the bridge, just behind the ground, covering the High Street in a blanket of sulphurous smoke. The carriages packed with even more supporters on their way to the game.

We entered the stadium, I let go of Dad’s coat and ran up the steps leading through the gardens to the ground. And there it was. The majestic form of the South Stand, and in the distance the East Bank full of visiting and home fans, bursting with colour. Then away to my left, the calm and serenity of the North Bank.

I stood with Dad behind the goal at the High Street End, gripping the fencing and shaking with the excitement of the occasion."

- A Shot from Wales, 50 years ago today – (first published 15th Oct 2010)


41 – Aldershot Town 4 v Clapton 2 (Diadora League Division 3), August 22nd 1992

Just a few months after going bust, 1493 fans watched Aldershot come back from the dead.

And later that season the Shots attracted just under 6000 spectators for a Hampshire Senior Cup game with Conference neighbours, Farnborough – more than watched Wimbledon play Everton in the same week!

40 – Blackburn Rovers hammered…..

Blackburn Rovers 1 v Aldershot 2, April 24th 1974
Aldershot 4 v Blackburn Rovers 0, April 27th 1974

Aldershot’s first season in Division 3 came to a spectacular climax with the ‘double demolition’ of Blackburn Rovers within the space of four days.

And just over 20 years later Blackburn were to be crowned Premier League Champions as the Shots entertained Bognor Regis Town, Dorking, Basingstoke…..in the Isthmian First Division.

39 – Aldershot 3 v Sunderland 2, February 27th 1988

A crowd of 6042 saw the Shots put Sunderland well and truly in their place for 90 minutes. The Roker Park giants went on to be crowned Division 3 Champions (currently League 1), 9 points clear of Brighton.

38 – Dartford 3 v Aldershot 1 (FA Cup R1), – November 16th 1968

Oh dear!.…beaten by a non-League side in the Cup and a sad addition to our list of post-war failures – King’s Lynn 1959, Hereford Utd 1956, Peterborough Utd 1953, Buxton 1951……Worcester City 1983, Burton Albion 1984, Sutton Utd 1987 and Enfield 1991.

37 – Aldershot 0 v Sheffield Utd 6, August 1st 1970

A crowd of 9504 turned up at the Recreation Ground for a Watney Cup match……..we were rubbish that day.

36 – Aldershot 0 v Lincoln City 3, March 14th 1992

1473 ‘relatives sat at the side of the bed’ as our beloved Club slipped away…….and just a few days later Aldershot FC was dead.

35 - Carlisle Utd 1 v Aldershot Town 1, December 28th (Tues) 2005

Our second season in the ‘Conference’ and for Christmas we were given a present of the longest away trip imaginable……..

And it was cold, very, very cold.

Just a handful of Shots supporters were foolhardy enough to leave the comfort of their homes far behind simply to stand like Adelie Penguins on the Petteril End ‘ice flow’. And there too stood dear old Jim Robinson protected from the ‘cruel winter’s wind’ by no more than a flimsy jacket, his gloves left safe on the coach – parked up at the Rugby Club.

I watched the game, glowing from the heat generated by my new ‘Antarctic mitts’…….sorry Jim, but my guilt felt nice and warm.

34 – Aldershot Town 6 v Hendon 2, April 26th 2003

With the Rymans Premier League title won at Canvey Island a few days earlier, Aldershot celebrated promotion to the ‘national conference’ in some style……and 'keeper Nikki Bull scored from the penalty spot in front of the East Bank.

33 – Cardiff City 2 v Aldershot 0, March 20th 1992

Aldershot FC’s last game in the League…… just a few days later we were officially BUST.

The Football League statement that followed the High Court decision was short and to the point….'The liquidator called in to supervise the winding-up order of Aldershot confirmed to the League that no offers had been received for the Club. It is with deep regret that the League is left with little alternative but to announce that Aldershot’s membership is terminated with immediate effect.'

32 – Carlisle Utd v Aldershot Town (Conference play-off semi-final second leg), May 6th (Fri) 2005

Ok, in the end we were so disappointingly beaten in a penalty shoot-out….and yes, the Carlisle fans were moronic…..and yes, it was a long and sad overnight trip back to Wales……but when Jammie Slabber scored in the last minute of normal time, to keep us in the tie, the explosion of joy and outpouring of emotion was as big as I have experienced in 50 years of following the Shots.

31 – April 22nd 1992, the Shots show signs of renewal

Terry Owens held a public meeting to seek support for the ‘proposed’ new Aldershot Town FC….the Shots were soon to be ‘alive and kicking’.

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.

30 – Aldershot 3 v Huddersfield Town 1 (FA Cup R3 replay), January 12th 1970

A crowd of 14332 watched Jimmy Melia destroy an excellent Huddersfield side on a typically heavy Recreation Ground……..

Melia stood on the goal line with the ball at his feet and teased the lumbering ‘Town’ defender…….waiting, waiting, waiting……the desperate lunge too late….too pathetic.

Yes, a simple back heel……that should do it.

29 – Liverpool 1 v Aldershot 0 (FA Cup R3), January 2nd 1971

If the game was hardly memorable, the trip there and back certainly was…the ‘special’ trains were late leaving Aldershot and ‘picking up’ at Woking….just outside of Crewe the ‘special’ took a ‘short cut’ along a mineral line…… the driver leaned out of his cab and asked a signalman, ‘Am I OK for Liverpool’.

The return train was freezing and we all enjoyed a game of Bingo with ‘DJ Ken’…….but how did Dennis Brown fail to score with the goal open in front of him!

28 - Reading 6 v Aldershot 2 (FA Cup R1), December 13th 1967

Dad said, ‘No, I’m not going to take you to Elm Park, son’. It’s funny how wise Dad’s can be…….

27 – Darlington v Aldershot Town (match postponed at 1230pm), January 16th 2010

"Unless you support Aldershot and live in Middlesbrough, Darlington will always be listed under ‘extreme’ when writing a book entitled ‘Shots on the Road’.

After a month of snow and ice leading to postponements and frustration, it was great to hear the optimism emanating from the Darlington Arena last week - ‘The game is definitely on.’

So at 0600hrs yesterday (16/1/10) I left a very sceptical wife tucked up in bed, safe from the storm force winds that had battered our house all night, and started the long journey north. Although for just a moment, as my car stirred from its mid-winter slumbers, I too started to doubt my sanity."


Fourteen hours later……and

"I think the game was always in doubt and it only took a fussy referee to leave me looking for somewhere to have lunch before returning home to face the inevitable, ‘I said you were mad’."

– A Shot from Wales (first published 17th January 2010)

26 – Swindon Town 7 v Aldershot 0 (FA Cup R3), January 8th 1983

After an easy 4v0 victory over Wimborne Town and then a superb 3v1 away win at Portsmouth, optimism was high as we pointed my brother’s new BMW in the direction of Swindon…..picking up a ‘Shots sceptic’ on the way….

’Well, I’ve never seen them play good football’, Dave offered as we pulled into a country pub just a few miles from the County Ground.

‘You’ll be pleasantly surprised by our energy and pace’, I confidently replied….

We had a great view of the game from our seats high up in the ‘old stand’…….we were bad, so very bad that day…..

25 - Aldershot Town 2 v Accrington Stanley 1, August 12th 2003

Our first game back in a national league was played out with me still in bed following a period in hospital.

The Met Police and Chertsey Town were of course necessary encounters as we fought our way back to the League….but Aldershot v Shrewsbury Town, Hereford Utd, Exeter City, Chester City…..now that sounded so much better.

24 –Tamworth 3 v Aldershot Town 3, October 18th 2003

After a long period of recovery I was ‘allowed’ to attend my first game of the 2003/04 season. A late equaliser secured a point for the Shots and England beat South Africa 25 v 6 in the ‘pool games’ of the Rugby World Cup…….

Aldershot went on to reach the play-off final and England were crowned Rugby World Champions.

23 – Bolton Wanderers 2 v Aldershot 2 (play-off semi-final), May 17th 1987

Play-offs were introduced in 1987 to add excitement to the end of season promotion race. Aldershot eased past Bolton in a tense affair at the crumbling Burnden Park….a first game for my four-year-old son.

22 - Aldershot Town 0 v Bristol Rovers 0 (FA Cup R1), November 17th 2001

Still 18 months away from getting back to a national league, this fixture was a perfect opportunity for Aldershot to grab the first round cup headlines……a big crowd, plenty of anticipation…..oh yes, and my brothers and I were where?

In Bristol of course….well Dyrham Park to be precise.

My sister had decided to get married on a Saturday during the football season with no more than, ‘Oh, have Aldershot got a game that day….’

She then seemed somewhat surprised by the radios in the church and in the photos and at the pre-reception drinks….

21 – Altrincham 5 v Aldershot Town 1, January 28th 2006

Moss Lane is one of my favourite grounds….in fact when the hospitality and genuine friendliness of the Club is added to the simple form of the ground then it could easily be the best……..

This was a bad result, of course…but then did I care after a couple of pints in the social club and a meat and potato pie with mushy peas on the terraces? No, not if I’m being honest….!

20 – Aldershot 1 v Swindon Town 2 (FA Cup R4), January 25th 1964

16000 fans packed into the Recreation Ground to see the Shots narrowly lose to high flying Swindon Town……..Mike Summerbee, Don Rogers, Ernie Hunt, Roger Smart and Bill Atkins were just too fast and too good.

19 – Aldershot 0 v Norwich City 4 (Milk Cup Rd 3), November 6th 1985

After a hard fought 0v0 draw with the Cup holders at Carrow Road nearly 10000 fans (four times the early season’s average) packed the Recreation Ground to see….well nothing really, as the ground was covered by an impenetrable fog and I reckon it was only the referee who saw the ball enter our net on four occasions…..

18 – Newport County 2 v Aldershot 3, September 18th 1971

After the excitement of playing Manchester Utd and Liverpool the previous year, it was inevitable that 1971/72 was to become no more than a pretty average season – the Shots finishing 17th and Newport 14th.

I drove down to the game with my brother and his girlfriend. We found our way to the ageing Somerton Park and then went in search of someone who could sell us some reserved seats. We spotted a man pushing a wheelbarrow. The barrow was full of turf.

‘I’m sure the turf will be used to cover up the speedway track that cuts across the corners of the hard and bumpy pitch’, I thought to myself as the four corner flags tucked securely under his arms came clearly into view. ‘Here is a man with much to do’, I mused.

‘Any chance of getting some tickets for the game’, I called out from the side of the pitch. ‘Give me a minute and I’ll be with you’, his reply was instant and courteous.

Five minutes later we were in his ‘cupboard’ – his desk was covered by ‘stuff’ and a mountain of box files reached up to the damp stained ceiling, no doubt holding the rotting tiles in place……

‘Give me your names’, he asked as he busily rummaged in the waste bin.

He found three old envelopes and carefully printed our names on the back. ‘Follow me’…….’where would you like to sit?’

‘Here will be fine’, I replied.

He pinned the envelopes to the wooden benches and went back to his pre-match task of laying turf….

At 2.50pm we returned to take up our reserved seats……….


17 – Aldershot 3 v Southend 0, March 25th 1978

In a season when Southend were promoted and Aldershot finished fifth…..another ‘play-off’ year (if only!)….. this game is remembered not for the Brodie and Dungworth (2) goals but for a mindless act that, typically for the seventies, was simply 'accommodated'…...

We entered the Rec at the Redan Hill end…..a queue had formed for the adult turnstile, so as my ‘big’ brother and I waited to enter the ground, our ‘little’ brother was already through the junior gate and heading down towards the South Stand.

From a distance it appeared to be no more than the usual scuffle between rival fans. But as we got closer we could see that it was our ‘little’ brother who was being attacked by a very large and ‘booted’ skinhead.

We quickened our pace and ran down the path through the gardens and in no time we were upon the ‘fan’…..the Southend thug was wrestled off our brother’s head and we dragged him across to a policeman, who had been standing, just watching the incident…..

’This idiot has been smashing our younger brother’, we advised, awaiting the call for assistance to remove the ‘animal’ from the Rec.

‘Jolly good, on your way son…..enjoy the game’…..the complacency no more than a portent to the tragic events that in the next decade would rip the heart out of so many lives.

The chronology is sadly well defined. A history dating back to the ‘60s when Mods and Rockers played out the First Leg at the seaside; Brighton or Southend or Great Yarmouth, with the return fixture at Stamford Bridge or the Den.

Then the ‘70s saw the emergence of organised hooligan groups (Firms). Burnley offered the Suicide Squad and West Ham the infamous, Inter City Crew.

But the events that unfolded before our television eyes at Heysel, on 29 May 1985 would be the tragic dynamic for change. 39 Juventus fans were crushed to death after Liverpool followers broke through a line of police. They ran toward the Juventus fans in a section containing both English and Italian supporters. The fence separating them collapsed. Fighting broke out. Fans fled. A wall collapsed……

English clubs were banned from European competitions until 1990.

The Popplewell Committee was set up as a consequence of a riot at Birmingham City when a young boy lost his life. The disturbance that followed was described by Justice Popplewell as more like ‘the Battle of Agincourt than a football match’.

Shortly thereafter the Bradford City Fire was added to the Popplewell brief. Despite not being hooligan related the terrible event was undoubtedly a direct result of the amateurish and disturbingly arrogant demeanour of football authorities across the UK at that time.

‘Football may not be able to continue in its present form much longer’.

When 96 innocent fans died in the tragic events of Hillsborough on April 15th 1989 the Government were forced into action.

The passing of the Football Spectators Act 1989 changed the landscape of our game….probably for ever.


16 - Shrewsbury Town 3 v Aldershot 1 (FA Cup R5 replay), February 26th 1979

Sadly my dear old friend Betty died last year. Perhaps not something that will stir the emotions of many Shots fans, but for me her death secured the importance of my own piece of her life.

Betty, who was born just two years after the outbreak of the Great War and then decorated for her work in the Fire Service during the Second, moved to East Anglia when her husband left the frenetic BBC newsroom in London for the tranquillity of regional television.

And her great passion…well other than red wine and golf…was to be immersed in an ocean of crafts - crochet, knitting, sewing, dress making, spinning and weaving. Somehow producing her most brilliant ‘stuff’ when she was gently drunk.

I didn’t really want the hat. Perhaps it didn’t quite fit my mid twenties ‘trendy’ image.

‘But then I suppose it will be warm. And it is an excellent replacement for the one I threw away ten years ago’, I thought to myself as I was presented with the ‘bobble hat’ just in time for the Shrewsbury Town Cup replay……

And it has been with me ever since………

15 – Aldershot Town 4 v Stevenage 0, September 12th 2006

"Joining the M4 at the Madejski, last night, and pointing the car towards Wales my mind was on fire with the emotion of the night. A night that hadn’t started that great.

After the long drive down from my office in Cardiff, the last thing I wanted to see was Edwards having a nice chat and sipping fruit cordial with Molesley in the Social Club, as our ‘boys’ were warming up. And Winfield to replace the brilliant Edwards was not a swap of choice….then Day was to report injured.

The trepidation mounted as we missed chance after chance……and then Barnard was just a tad too clever with the penalty…..…….but the noise and passion…..the power and pace of our forwards.

Somehow the goals just seemed inevitable……and how brilliant they all were. Different of course, but all contributing to a feeling that will last forever in the minds of all those present."

- A Shot from Wales (first published August 12th 2007)

14 – Hereford Utd v Aldershot Town (Nationwide Conference play-off semi-final, second leg), May 3rd 2004

After securing a hard fought 1v1 draw at the Recreation Ground the prospects for the second leg were not great……but a surprisingly organised show by the Shots led to a penalty shoot-out……and we won! (4v2 on penalties)

13 – Aldershot Town 1 v Weymouth 0, March 27th 2007

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, after five years in charge, Terry Brown took control of his last game, and at 2200hrs he was sent on his way with the applause of the East Bank ringing in his ears.


12 and 11 - The ‘first’ Division 4 play-off final (two legs), May 22nd 1987 and May 25th 1987

Aldershot 2 v Wolverhampton Wanderers 0
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 v Aldershot 1

Despite finishing 9 points behind Wolves and losing both League encounters Aldershot easily beat the ‘fallen giants’ at the Recreation Ground and never looked in any danger of losing the advantage just a couple of days later in front of 20000 fans at Molineux……play-offs are so unfair!


10 - ‘A fan for all seasons’ - James ‘Jimmy’ Robinson, July 16th 2009

I was privileged to have been invited to give the address at Jimmy’s funeral - held at Aldershot Crematorium on Thursday 16th July 2009.

For 62 seasons Jimmy gripped the railings in the North Stand following his team……….

"As I stood next to Jimmy at Exeter on April 15th 2008 I could clearly see that the restoration of League football to the Recreation Ground was achieved, not by the players and the management, but through the combined emotional power of people like Jimmy.

Promotion from the Blue Square Premier followed by a season back in the Football League for Aldershot Town, was shared with his many friends…….the long and hard fought battles, a personal triumph.

James Robinson was the personification of hope, friendship and strength."

– A Shot from Wales (first published July 7th 2010)

9 – Aldershot 2 v Aston Villa 1 (FA Cup R3 replay), January 8th 1964

We queued for what seemed hours when the mighty Villa visited the Recreation Ground in 1964. I watched the game from the terracing behind the seats in the North Stand, just about where the ‘corporates’ sit today.

And with the 2v1 victory the Shots secured a place in the record books - the first time that Aston Villa had been removed from the FA Cup by a team outside of the top flight.


8 - Aldershot 1 v Manchester Utd 3 (Football League Cup R2), September 9th 1970

The day United came to town and the only time that I have stood on the East Bank….

They say the crowd was 18509 but I reckon it was more. Richard Walden’s opening goal was scored at the ‘far end’, but who cared…we went mad, and the thousands of ‘travelling’ United fans fell silent.

In the end Charlton, Best and Law were just too good.

7 - Torquay United 1 v Aldershot Town 2, March 16th 2008

Probably the defining game in our ‘Conference’ winning season…..

The game was tense and frenetic. The crowd passionate but totally consumed by the public emotion.

Aldershot scored early on…..Torquay equalised in the second half. Then Scott Davies hit a superb volley in the last minute of injury time, to win the game.

The explosion of feelings in the ‘away’ end, powerful and beyond control.

The silence on three sides of the ground, no more than a shroud for the pain felt by 3500 Torquay supporters……

6 - Aldershot 2 v Shrewsbury Town 2 (FA Cup R5), February 20th 1979

An absolutely stunning John Dungworth second goal should have been enough to secure a quarter-final spot…… but then Malcolm Crosby gifted the Shrews a last minute equaliser. We were all on our feet shouting….'No, don’t pass it back to our ‘keeper….' 'No, it will slow down on the wet surface….' 'No, it’s bound to stop in a puddle….' It did.

The Quarter-Final draw for the FA Cup had us playing away to Wolverhampton Wanderers, but the replay at Gay Meadow was simply one game too many…..

5 - Exeter City 1 v Aldershot 1, April 12th 2008

After 16 years of combined effort and shared emotion the party to celebrate promotion back to the Football League was one to savour.

But the following day my world seemed just grey and flat. The Champagne laced with adrenalin served only to dull the brain, making any sensible thought a step too far.

'Did we really play in red shorts?', I enquired of my brother.

The night before no more than a footnote in the Times….’Aldershot Town promoted to the Football League’.

4 - Aldershot 1 v Crystal Palace 0, December 27th 1976

Malcolm Allison brought his swaggering south London ‘playboys’ to the Rec only to see them frustrated by our ageing ‘keeper, Tony Godfrey. Attack after attack was beaten off….save after brilliant save was made by Godfrey, who had been enjoying non-League retirement until Christmas.

And then a solitary Pat Morrissey goal was enough to send most of the 13997 fans home very, very happy……and left ‘Big Mal’s’ fedora looking just a tad crumpled.

3 - Shrewsbury Town v Aldershot Town (Nationwide Conference Play-off Final), May 16th 2004

My season had started in hospital and ended up at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke. It was a season that exposed the senses to the beauty of power and pace. A year when our young team developed a confidence through their own innocence.

And the play-off final? Simply an explosion of excitement dressed securely in a feeling of community pride.

We lost on penalties….Shrewsbury regained their League status and Aldershot would have to wait a bit longer to realise the ‘impossible dream’.

2 - Stockport County 1 v Aldershot 1, May 4th 1973

A Roger Joslyn goal and a brilliant save by Tony Godfrey secured the point that promoted Aldershot from the ‘basement’ to Division 3 for the first time in our history.

The all-night celebration with friends at Manchester University was joyfully followed the next day by Sunderland disposing of Leeds Utd in the FA Cup Final - courtesy of an Ian Porterfield goal and a save by Jim Montgomery that was almost equal to that made by ‘our Tone’, the night before……..


And at number 1……

Aldershot 1 v Reading 0 (FA Cup R2) January 16th 1967

Jack Howarth scores the greatest goal…..

I guess the 1966/7 season was like so many others…….excellent home form and pretty dismal ‘on the road’.

The final League Division 4 position - tenth.

Jack Howarth had joined the Shots at the beginning of the previous season, scoring his first goal in only his second outing - the first of 171 League and a further 25 Cup goals.

After disposing of Torquay United on November 26th, in the first round of the FA Cup, Aldershot were paired with arch rivals Reading in round two. The game was set for Saturday January 7th, but as the insert to the match day programme confirmed, ‘Thank you for purchasing this programme. As you will observe, it was prepared for the original fixture but cancelled because of the unfit state of the ground.’ – the game was finally set for Monday 16th.

And only two days before the ‘big’ encounter, Aldershot flattened Newport County 5v0, in a League game at the Rec. The Shots were in form and the pitch was left looking like the Severn Estuary at low tide.

My memories of the FA Cup game are incredibly vivid.

Even within the relative sanctuary of the North Stand the pressure from the crowd was intense. ‘Happy Jack’ – The Who, played with such a force that it shook the bolts free from every loudspeaker around the ground.

The floodlights tried their best to cut through the gloom that engulfed the Rec and the massive cheer, as the teams came out onto the pitch from the two tunnels in the South Stand, made me shudder with excitement.

And then the goal.

The greatest goal that I have ever experienced in all of my years watching Aldershot.

A goal, that like a fine wine improves with age. The images in my mind enhanced by a power far greater than that found in any modern day computer.

And with just a very tired newspaper photo of the moment when Jack released his thunderbolt to refresh my mind, the status of the goal can never be challenged.

Steve Curry wrote in the Daily Express the following day:

"Howarth was swept off the field at the finish by frenzied fans who had swung from the grandstand roof and climbed floodlight pylons to view this thriller……….

Ernie Yard mis-hit a pass and Peter Kearns whipped in to snap it up and send Howarth away.

Big, bustling Howarth smoothed in on goal and even the defiance of brave goalkeeper Arthur Wilkie could not keep this one out………………."



50 years of following the Shots….….Happy Days