Assignment Two, Article Two

Many articles and broadcasts about the promotion of Aldershot Town have been announcing that, after winning the Blue Square Premier Championship, the club is ‘returning’ to the football league after 16 years. This is not strictly true.

The original Aldershot FC was formed in 1926 and was accepted into the Football League in 1932.

There have been many ups and downs for the club over its history.

Aldershot FC won its first ever promotion from Division Four in 1973 and went on to finish eighth in Division Three in the following season. This proved to be the highest ever position that the club has reached.

In 1979 the Shots were a matter of seconds away from reaching the FA Cup Quarter finals in front of 12,000 spectators. They were 2-1 up at the Recreation Ground against Shrewsbury Town going in to injury time but the West Midlands side equalised just before the final whistle. The Shrews then went on to win the replay.

Aldershot FC always maintained reasonable attendances in the league despite being one of the smallest towns in the Football League. The location of military base in Aldershot did help contribute to Aldershot FC’s attendances.

The record attendance at the Recreation Ground was in January 1970 when the Shots played Carlisle United in an FA Cup fourth round replay. The attendance that night was an impressive 19,138.

In the very next season the club achieved its highest ever attendance at a league game, when the visit of Manchester United attracted 18,509 to the Rec. In the same season The Shots also travelled to Anfield to play Liverpool in the FA Cup in front of 45,500 fans.

The fate of Aldershot FC was sealed towards the end of the 1991/92 season. The players had agreed to play unpaid and the fans united in a desperate attempt to save the Hampshire side. However, on 20 March 1992 Aldershot FC played its last ever Football League match away at Cardiff City. The club was wound up in the High Court five days later.

Aldershot Town Football Club was formed from the ashes of Aldershot FC on Wednesday 22 April 1992 with over 600 Aldershot fans attended the public meeting at the Royal Aldershot Officers Club.

At a second public meeting on June 16th 1992 it was announced that Aldershot Town had been accepted into the Diadora Isthmian League Division 3, five divisions below the Football League.

On Saturday 22 August 1992, Aldershot Town played its first ever match. Even though the Shots went 2-0 down early in the game at the Rec, they came back to beat Clapton 4-2 with forwards Mark Butler and Steve Stairs each scoring two goals.

The Shots went on to win the league by 18 points and remained unbeaten at home all season. Aldershot won a second successive promotion the very next season and reached the quarter finals of the FA Vase.

Aldershot eventually won promotion to the Nationwide Conference in 2003. The Shots went on to reach the play-offs in both the 2003/04 and 2004/05 seasons all they missed out on promotion on both theses occasions.

The Blue Square Premier trophy will be presented to Aldershot Town at the all-ticket home game against Weymouth on Tuesday evening.