Aldershot Town host Wycombe Wanderers at the EBB Stadium on Tuesday evening and will again face strong Football League opposition.
Supporters are reminded that the game kicks off at 7.30pm, not 7.45pm. Admission is £10 for adults and £5 for concessions.
Gareth Ainsworth is expected to bring close to a full squad to play a Shots side managed by his Chairboys predecessor, Gary Waddock. Wanderers finished 13th in SkyBet League Two last season and Ainsworth has set about adding quality to his attacking options during the summer.
The highest profile arrival has been the striker known as The Beast, Adebayo Akinfenwa, from AFC Wimbledon, augmented by Boston United’s England C international Dayle Southwell, former Gillingham and Southend United winger Myles Weston, and Paris Cowan-Hall, who returns to Adams Park on loan from Millwall.
The experienced core of Ainsworth’s squad has remained, with midfielders Matt Bloomfield, Garry Thompson, Sam Wood and Marcus Bean, plus striker Paul Hayes, boasting a combined career total of over 2500 appearances between them.
Former QPR youngster Michael Harriman and Sido Jombati will compete for the right-back spot, with Joe Jacobson likely to be first-choice left-back, and Aaron Pierre and Anthony Stewart the centre-halves.
The midfield is completed by former Watford players Stephen McGinn and Luke O’Nien, Danny Rowe, ex Barrow, and Answorth’s latest signing, Nick Freeman, who has joined from Histon following a trial.
One position Ainsworth is yet to fill in in goal, and he is likely to again field a triallist against The Shots.
Pierre is likely to miss out due to injury, but Wood and Hayes may return to the squad following pre-season knocks.
“I was pleased with the fitness against MK Dons, and the organisation as well,” explained Gary, “and we’ve now got to take that into Tuesday night’s game. They’re a good outfit and it will be another test for us. Gaz (Ainsworth) has assembled a very good squad, and he’s added very well this summer.
“We used a formation on Saturday that we may look at again tomorrow,” he continued, on the 4-3-3 which deployed Callum Reynolds as a very effective defensive midfielder. “We need to build on what we did on Saturday if we are to be consistent during the early part of the season. It’s once again about fitness, but we’re also looking to continue some of the good work that we did on Saturday.”
“There’s a lot of pople there that I still know, and players that I worked with,” admitted Gary of the Chairboys. “Gaz and Dobbo (Richard Dobson, Assistant Manager) are good friends of mine and it will be lovely to see them. They’ve done a fantastic job, and I’ll wish them well after tomorrow night’s game.”
