Barry Smith has urged his team to end the season with a victory which he would dedicate to all Aldershot Town fans.
“We want to win the last game of the season,” stressed Barry, who will take charge of The Shots for the final time at Hayes Lane after his decision on Monday to not renew his Shots contract. “We want to reward those fans who have travelled far and wide to give us their backing. We’ve had terrific away support throughout the season and hopefully we can send them away with three points.”
Is it also a chance for the players to show their respect for the gaffer? “I don’t think that comes into it – we just want to get three points,” he re-asserts. “The boys have worked very hard throughout the season. I do think they’ve let us down a wee bit in the last couple of games, and we’ve told them that, but they’ve got an opportunity to thank the fans, and that’s the most important thing.”
It’s a criticism, says Barry, which the squad have recognised and taken on the chin. “They know that they can do better. We haven’t performed in the last couple of home games, but I don’t want that to take away from some great performances during the season.”
Ross Lafayette’s loan from Eastleigh expired last weekend, but The Shots still travel to Bromley with a squad of 17. “Everybody that’s fit will travel – that’s the small squad that we’ve run with throughout the majority of the season.”
Bromley have endured their own faltering end to the season, with just one win in their final eight games, although Barry admits: “They have players capable of hurting you if you allow them to, but we’ve got to focus on what we can do. We know if we play to the standards that we’ve set, we should be looking to take three points.”
Kick-off at Hayes Lane is 5.30pm – click here for ticket details, including advance booking for fans requiring transfer to the main stand.
