Aldershot Town are the first visitors to the VBS Community Stadium in 2025, making the short trip from North-East Hampshire on New Year’s Day.

The Opposition

A run of indifferent form has seen the Shots drop to 18th in the Vanarama National League table, and they will be keen to start the new year on a high that could spark a rise away from the drop zone.

Under the stewardship of Tommy Widdrington, Aldershot had seemingly been set to embark on a rare promotion push since being relegated from League Two back in 2013 with an eighth place finish in the fifth tier exactly ten years later, which was their highest league finish since 2018.

Indeed, aside from two fifth place finishes in 2016/17 and 2017/18, Aldershot have largely battled at the wrong end of the table, over the last ten years, and were even saved from a season in the sixth tier due to Gateshead entering administration. However, the arrival of Widdrington saw an unbeaten end to the 2022/23 campaign, and they continued their form into the following season, and finished two points outside the play-off places with a draw against Dagenham & Redbridge on the final day of the season.

Their form throughout the season would lead to the high-profile exit of top scorer Lorent Tolaj who left for Port Vale, while longer-serving players Ryan Glover and Tommy Willard joined Tolaj in the departure lounge, along with stalwarts throughout the season in Kwame Thomas, Cian Harries and Stuart O’Keefe. This saw a whole host of reinforcements arrive in the summer, with the pick of the bunch being top scorer James Henry who joined off the park of a seven-year stint in the EFL with Oxford United.

He would be joined in attack by promising winger Kai Corbett who arrived from Peterborough United and Ryan Jones, while the bulk of the recruitment took place at the back, with Widdrington looking to plug the gaps of a defence that conceding 83 goals last time out. The likes of Marcus Dewhurst arriving in goal from Wealdstone, and is the line of a defence that includes captain Aaron Jones, Christian Maghoma, Dan Ellison and Oliver Scott.

Recent Form

Aldershot Town 2-2 Woking

Forest Green Rovers 1-1 Aldershot Town

Solihull Moors 2-1 Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town 3-1 Wealdstone

Aldershot Town 2-1 Southampton Academy

Dagenham & Redbridge 3-2 Aldershot Town

The Manager

Tommy Widdrington

Former midfielder Tommy Widdrington has been in the Aldershot hotseat since early 2023, and has overseen an improved run of form at the EBB Stadium.

Widdrington turned out for Southampton, Wigan Athletic, Grimsby Town, Port Vale, Hartlepool United, Macclesfield Town and Salisbury City as a player, with a 20-year playing career coming to an end in 2010. He would take over at Salisbury for his first coaching role and won the Conference National Manager of the Month award in April 2010, before leaving the club after they were expelled from the Conference National due to them entering administration.

A brief spell as assistant manager at Southend United preceded a move to Hemel Hempstead Town as manager in October 2011, before joining Eastbourne Borough midway through the same season. He would guide the club away from the drop zone in his first season before respectable mid-table finishes followed over the next few campaigns, and later moved higher up the pyramid with backroom roles at Coventry City and Bristol Rovers, taking on the role of Head of Recruitment at both. He would later twice become caretaker manager at the latter in both 2020 and 2021, before departing the Memorial Stadium in December 2021.

Returning to management, Widdrington would take over at King’s Lynn Town shortly after leaving Bristol Rovers, and would be tasked with guiding the club out of the National League drop zone. While this would prove to be unsuccessful, an impressive start to life back in the sixth tier saw Widdrington named Manager of the Month for August. The Linnet’s form would attract interest from National League clubs, and he would join Aldershot Town in April 2023 with King’s Lynn sat second in the National League North.

The 53-year old would guide the Shots away from the relegation zone with an unbeaten end to the 2022/23 campaign, and ended the following season in eighth place, a vast improvement thanks to Widdrington’s impact.

Widdrington will be unable to take charge on Wednesday after being taken ill at the end of November, and we wish him a speedy recovery.

One to Watch

James Henry

Veteran midfielder James Henry has been something of a revelation for the Shots following his arrival in the summer, netting nine goals in just 13 starts this season.

A Reading academy graduate, Henry spent time out on loan at Nottingham Forest, AFC Bournemouth, Norwich City and Millwall, joining the latter on a permanent deal in 2010. He would go on to appear over 150 times for the Lions, helping them establish themselves as a second tier side once more after achieving promotion from League One the previous season. Henry contributed an impressive 15 assists along with five goals to achieve a respectable ninth place finish in their first campaign back in the Championship, helped by current U’s boss Steve Morison top scoring with 17 goals in all competitions.

A successful five-year stint at The Den would come to an end in 2014 with a loan spell at Wolverhampton Wanderers later being made permanent and was part of the Wolves team that won the League One title with a record points tally and remained a regular member of the team over the following two seasons. He would make over 100 appearances during his time at Molineux, and later joined Bolton Wanderers on loan.

After departing Wolves permanently, Henry opted to return to League One with a move to Oxford United, and enjoyed a hugely successful spell at the Kassam Stadium. He would top score for the club in his first two seasons with 11 and 15 respectively, before a tally of 14 in 2019/20 was bettered only by Matty Taylor. Henry would make 260 appearances for the club and included his 600th career appearance during 2023/24. He would end the same campaign with promotion to the Championship, contributing to a successful play-off campaign under Des Buckingham, and would be the cherry on top of a fruitful seven years at Oxford.

The 35-year old would them drop into the National League with a move to Aldershot, and having ended the opening month of the season as the league’s top scorer with five goals, he was named Player of the Month for August.

Last Time We Met

Sutton remained hot on the heels of National League leaders Torquay United after beating Aldershot Town 3-1.

With the Gulls brushing aside Eastleigh, Sutton stayed one point behind as the automatic promotion race continued.

Sutton looked like they had a comfortable afternoon ahead of them against the mid-table Shots when Donovan Wilson volleyed them in front in the eighth minute with his third goal in four games.

But the visitors rallied and Ricky Miller levelled from close range in the 23rd minute, only for Louis John to strike on the stroke of half-time.

Sutton sealed the win after 73 minutes through Millwall loanee Isaac Olaofe, who converted his 11th goal of the season from close range.

Relive the victory here.

Head-to-Head

Sutton United 3-1 Aldershot Town (01/05/2021)

Aldershot Town 1-2 Sutton United (06/10/2020)

Aldershot Town 1-1 Sutton United (26/08/2019)

Sutton United 2-1 Aldershot Town (29/12/2018)

Aldershot Town 2-1 Sutton United (27/08/2018)

Sutton United 2-1 Aldershot Town (28/04/2018)

Played for Both

Jayden Harris

Midfielder Jayden Harris joined Sutton in the summer and enjoyed a positive start to the season before an Achilles injury brought his campaign to a premature close. He had previously turned out for Wednesday’s opponents Aldershot Town, where he had experienced his first taste of regular first team football.

A product of the Fulham academy, Harris had spent 12 years at Craven Cottage when he opted to depart in search of senior football, having previously only spent a brief time on loan at Woking. He would join Aldershot in 2021 and turned out 33 times during the 2021/22 season, helping the Shots avoid relegation.

He later found first team opportunities more limited following a managerial change and subsequently joined Hampton & Richmond Borough on loan, before departing the EBB Stadium ahead of the 2022/23 season. A brief spell in League Two with Carlisle United preceded a loan move to Eastleigh last season, before returning to the South East permanently with a move to Sutton last summer.