Get the lowdown on the U’s next opponents: Aldershot Town.

The Opposition

Based in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, just outside Surrey, Aldershot Town are located just 40 miles from Sutton and thus makes it one of the U’s more local games this season.

The Shots host Steve Morison’s side in their penultimate home game of the campaign, and will be looking to finish off the season strongly before setting their sights on the Isuzu FA Trophy Final next month.

Tommy Widdrington’s side currently sit 15th in the Vanarama National League table, and with safety looking to be secure, are set to seal a mid-table finish that will see them embark on their 12th successive campaign in the fifth tier, following relegation from League Two in 2013.

The Shots did face plenty of turnaround last summer, having notably lost top scorer Lorent Tolaj to Port Vale, along with longer-serving players Ryan Glover and Tommy Willard who were joined in the departure lounge by stalwarts throughout last season in Kwame Thomas, Cian Harries and Stuart O’Keefe, though the former has since returned on loan. Widdrington has since built a side with plenty of experience though, with veteran striker James Henry certainly bringing the average age of the squad up, but nonetheless has added some much-needed quality in the final third with 13 goals this season. He has been joined by top scorer Josh Barrett and FA Trophy Semi-Final match-winner Jack Barham, along with the likes of Cameron Hargreaves, Ryan Jones and Tyler Frost in adding goals throughout the team, and has been crucial to the Shots’ league position given only two other teams in the entire division – bottom two placed sides AFC Fylde and Ebbsfleet United – have conceded more goals.

Consequently, Aldershot have enjoyed up and down spells of form during the campaign, but have largely enjoyed a good start to 2025, kicking off the year with a seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions, before losing just three of their next 12. The Shots also notably beat rivals Woking in the FA Trophy Semi-Final at the start of the month to set up an inaugural trip to Wembley, where they will face National League North side Spennymoor Town.

However, they have since responded with defeats to Boston United and a whopping 7-2 thumping from promotion hopefuls York City, meaning they will now be looking for a reaction.

Recent Form

York City 7-2 Aldershot Town

Aldershot Town 1-2 Boston United

Aldershot Town 2-1 Woking

Aldershot Town 2-0 AFC Fylde

Rochdale AFC 4-0 Aldershot Town

Wealdstone 1-3 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, before continuing to re-establish the Shots in the fifth tier and is set to end the season with another mid-table finish, as well as a maiden trip to Wembley in the Isuzu FA Trophy Final.

One to Watch

Josh Barrett

Republic of Ireland youth international Josh Barrett has impressed for the Shots during his first full season at the EBB Stadium, and is currently their top scorer with 14 goals.

Born in Oxford, Barrett began his career in the Reading academy and signed his first professional deal towards the end of 2015, before making his senior debut the following year and going on to play ten times for the Royals.

The midfielder went on to spend five years in Reading’s first team and included time on loan at Coventry City and Aldershot, before departing the Madejski Stadium permanently in order to move to Bristol Rovers, but he failed to have the desired impact for the Gas and dropped into non-league ahead of the 2021/22 campaign.

Three years at King’s Lynn Town saw him appear almost 100 times, and following Linnets manager Tommy Widdrington’s move to Aldershot, saw Barrett follow his boss to the EBB Stadium midway through the 2023/24 campaign.

He has since impressed during his time in Hampshire, and is set to end his first full season with the Shots as one of their highest scorers, with the midfielder currently on a team-high 14 goals.

Last Time We Met

Cameron Hargreaves struck at the death to steal a point away from the grasp of Sutton United, ensuring the points were shared on New Year’s Day.

Ashley Nadesan’s second goal in as many games gave the U’s the lead after 23 minutes when he calmly curled the ball beyond Marcus Dewhurst in the Aldershot goal, with chances for Ryan Jones and Josh Barrett seeing Aldershot Town go close to a leveller shortly before the break.

In search of a second goal, the U’s produced a number of opportunities for Lewis Simper, Jack Wadham and Will Davies which all went begging, and an injury to goalkeeper Jack Sims late on proved to be a turning point, with Matt Kerbey coming on for his senior debut with a few minutes left.

However, Sutton ultimately fell short in the end when Hargreaves struck with moments to go to rescue a point for the Shots.

Head-to-Head

Sutton United 1-1 Aldershot Town (01/01/2025)

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)

Aldershot Town 2-2 Sutton United (24/10/2017)

Aldershot Town 2-0 Sutton United (18/03/2017)

Sutton United 2-0 Aldershot Town (26/11/2016)

Played for Both

Jamie Collins

Former Sutton captain is perhaps best known for his stint at Gander Green Lane, but the defender had also spent a season at Aldershot prior to a five-year spell in South London.

Originally a scholar at Watford, Collins moved to Havant & Waterlooville after four years at Vicarage Road and enjoyed a hugely successful stint with The Hawks, becoming a first team regular and being rewarded with the captaincy for the 2007/08 season, in which he contributed to a memorable run in the FA Cup that saw them knock out Football League sides Notts County and Swansea City to earn a fourth round tie away at Liverpool, in which they twice took the lead before eventually losing 5–2.

Four years in Hampshire preceded spells at Hampton & Richmond Borough and Newport County, becoming a key player with the latter as the Exiles won the Conference South title with a record 103 points, before returning to Hampshire with a move to Aldershot in 2011.

He would spend a few months at the EBB Stadium but departed for Forest Green Rovers in January 2012, where he remained until at the end of the following campaign, mutually terminating his contract in order to facilitate a move to Eastleigh. Two years with the Spitfires saw him appear more than 50 times, prior to a move to Sutton in 2015. He quickly became a crucial part of the team under Paul Doswell, making 243 appearances and being named club captain ahead of the 2015/16 campaign, in which he ended the campaign by lifting the Conference South title. Perhaps his most notable contribution during his Sutton career was his goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup Fourth Round, which proved to be the winner that set up a famous Fifth Round tie with Arsenal.

After five years at Sutton, Collins opted to hang up his boots in 2020 to serve as a coach under Matt Gray, and was part of the management team that guided Sutton to the National League title and promotion to the Football League for the first time in the club’s 123-year history.

Collins later stepped down from his role the following summer, and briefly came out of retirement to return to Havant in a player-coach role that saw him reunite with Doswell, before becoming the club’s manager for a seven-month stint in 2023.

Photo Credit: Andrew Collins