The Club were deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Shots fan Eamonn Smith.
Eamonn was a true Shots fanatic, travelling home and away to support the Shots and will be sorely missed by many connected to the club.
Eamonn can be seen on the left of this picture – in red – celebrating Mark Molesley’s vital winner on Easter Monday 2014 which secured our status in the National League in a fashion typical of Eamonn’s character and devotion to the Shots.
Outside of his commitment to following Aldershot, Eamonn was a member of the Aldershot FC Supporters’ Quiz Team in the late 80s/early 90s, and was an Assistant Referee on the Football League List from 2006-07 to/including 2010-11.
Below is a touching tribute to Eamonn from Club Co-Founder Graham Brookland:
“It is truly tragic to learn of the passing of Shots fanatic Eamonn Smith, aged just 59. Eamonn was a unique character. You always knew when he was in the vicinity. He always had an opinion or two on the Shots and it was never quiet. His passion for the club was relentless.”
“I first got to know Eamonn at the start of the 1982/83 season travelling to away matches throughout the country via the old Inter City trains organised by another long standing Shots fan Ian Read and the Supporters Club. Eamonn and his friends came from Woking. The group in those days was small but, boy, was it passionate. Scunthorpe, Halifax, Hartlepool, York, Rochdale … all the familiar names of the day. And Hull too. I’ll never forget Eamonn on the terraces at Boothferry Park. What a day that was! In those days there was a core of Shots supporters based in Woking . Some of those characters are still regulars today such as Eamonn’s close friends, Pete Gahegan and Chris Cook.”
I had huge admiration for Eamonn in later years when he took up the whistle. “I could do better than some of those officials”, he said. And he duly did so too progressing from grass roots football through to reaching the Football League as an Assistant Referee alongside officiating in the Isthmian League and many Shots fixtures too during my time as Secretary.”
“I remember when he was first appointed to referee one of our reserve Suburban League matches and I was a touch concerned. I needn’t have been. No question of any unconscious bias with Eamonn. He booked five of our players in the first half! I also recall that he refereed our FA Trophy encounter with Havant and Waterlooville in 2000. Eamonn would always have to ensure he kept his socks full length. Why? Because he had the Aldershot Town crest tattooed on his calf! To reach the level he did in the refereeing world was a magnificent achievement.”
“I also recall persuading then manager George Borg to attend the Woking Referees Society meeting as guest speaker where Eamonn was heavily involved in the organisation and thought George’s attendance alongside Stuart Cash would be insightful. George wasn’t having any of it at first but eventually agreed to attend and was pleased he did. It was another memorable evening too with plenty of opinions provided either way.”
“Sadly, Eamonn was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 after being rushed to hospital after suffering a night time seizure and not having any previous health issues. The diagnosis cut Eamonn’s refereeing career short but not his passion for the Shots. His Illness must have made it so hard in later years to accept and it is difficult to comprehend the effect it must have had on Eamonn. But he still travelled to watch his beloved Shots always finding a way to attend matches. His passing will have an effect on many Shots fans including Pete and Chris alongside Club Historian Pete Stanford who all visited Eamonn where he was being cared for during his final weeks. True friendships.”
“I will miss those passionate Shots conversations and debates with Eamonn. He was another who was part of the fabric of our club and taken far too soon.”
“An absolute legendary Aldershot character who will be so sadly missed.”
RIP Eamonn
