After picking up a point at the EBB Stadium against Chesterfield FC last weekend, Aldershot Town return to National League action away to league leaders Barrow A.F.C. on Saturday.
Top of the league Barrow are the hosts for our next game in the league as they look to carry on with their recent impressive form with a 4-0 away victory against Maidenhead United last time out.
Henry Port previews the action;
Shots Squad:
Forward Lewis Walker could have a more prominent role this Saturday, having played around 20 minutes in last week’s draw with Chesterfield FC. Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong has been nursing slight concussion this week and after a rest last Saturday against Chesterfield, he will be desperate to be back involved for first-team action this weekend.
Otherwise, Manager Danny Searle has a full squad to pick from apart from long-term absentee George Fowler.
Opposition:
Name: Barrow A.F.C.
Nickname: The Bluebirds
Manager: Ian Evatt
Stadium: Holker Street (Capacity: 5,045)
Current National League position: 1st
Brief History:
Barrow were founded on 16 July 1901 at the old Drill Hall (later the Palais) in the Strand and played initially at the Strawberry Ground, before moving to Ainslie Street and then on to Little Park, Roose. Fast forward to the 2010s and on 1 May 2014, it was announced that members of the club had voted in favour to allow Dallas businessman Paul Casson to complete a takeover of the club. Barrow were crowned champions of the Conference North in the 2014/15 season with a 2–3 win away at Lowestoft on the final day of the season. The owner, Paul Casson, has targeted promotion in Barrow’s first season back in the top flight of non-league football. In one of his last acts as chairman, Casson appointed current manager Ian Evatt on 15 June 2018, having guided them to a steady 10th position last season in their first season back in the National League.
The Gaffer:
37-year-old Ian Evatt took the reins at Barrow at the beginning of the 2018-19 season, following the departure of Adrian Pennock. Evatt, a central defender in his playing days, made more than 500 career appearances, 204 of them for Blackpool. His only other previous managerial role was a brief one, taking on the Caretaker-Manager role at Chesterfield in April 2018. He was unable to prevent their inevitable relegation from the Football League.
Barrow Playing Squad:
Evatt has retained a number of his players that had signed in the summer transfer window with a number of these players hitting the ground running for the Bluebirds. Striker Scott Quigley is currently second in the National League top scorer charts, showing that he’ll be a real danger man for Danny Searle’s Aldershot to keep a close eye on during the game this Saturday.
Referee:
Saturday’s referee is Joseph Johnson. Nicholas Hawksby and Robert Waitwright will be his assistants and the fourth official is Matthew Young.
Commentary:
BBC Surrey Sports Rob Worrall and a special guest will be covering the game live on Saturday afternoon. Tune in to the BBC Sport website (or the BBC Sport App) from 2:50pm for full match commentary. To interact with the commentary team, tweet @RobShot66.
