After two wins on the bounce against top-half opposition, Aldershot Town host Hereford FC at the EBB Stadium on Saturday in the Buildbase FA Trophy looking to progress to the semi-finals. Hereford will be looking to cause an upset with their National League North season becoming null and void recently.
Kirshon Wilkins previews the game:
Shots Squad:
Lewis Kinsella, Craig Tanner and Ross McCormack are all progressing well from their long-term lay-offs, whilst both Alex Finney (hamstring) and George Fowler (knee) are doubtful. Giles Phillips made his return to Aldershot Town on loan from Wycombe Wanderers against Maidenhead United and is in contention to start on Saturday. Killian Colombie is suspended after receiving two yellow cards against Maidenhead whilst Ben Shroll could start after his excellent man of the match display against Wrexham AFC.
Opposition:
Name: Hereford FC
Founded: 2014 (As a phoenix club for Hereford United)
Nickname: The Bulls
Opposition Manager: Josh Gowling
Stadium: Edgar Street
2019/20 National League Final Position: 16th (Based on Points Per Game system after the suspension of the league in March 2020)
Current Position: 12th (The National League North for this season has been declared null and void)
The Gaffer:
The Coventry-born 37-year-old is a professional footballer who is also working in management. Gowling has a strong career playing for the likes of West Brom, Norwegian side Herfolge, AFC Bournemouth, Grimsby Town and Kidderminster Harriers.
Gowling plays in defence and his last club before Hereford was Alfreton Town on loan from Torquay United. The English centre-half is famous for his time at Grimsby when he scored on his debut and helped Grimsby gain promotion to the football league after a six-year absence with a 3-1 win over Forest Green Rovers in the 2016 National League play-off final.
Gowling signed for National League North side Hereford on 7 December 2018. On 21 January 2020, Gowling was announced as interim manager, following the departure of Russell Slade.
Departed:
Eight players have left Edgar Street to move onto pastures new. Those released include Jordan Cullinane-Liburd (Brackley Town), Kieran Thomas (Weston-Super-Mare), Jason Pope (Bath City), Tommy O’Sullivan (Gloucester City), Rowan Liburd (Billericay Town), Brad Ash (Chippenham Town), Martin Riley (Stourbridge FC) and Rhys Davies (Aberystwyth Town).
Retained:
Eight players have been retained from their campaign last season. Brandon Hall, Lenell John-Lewis, Tom Owen-Evans, Jared Hodgkiss, Ben Pollock, Kyle Finn, Toby Raison and Demetri Brown have all been retained by the Bulls.
Arrived:
12 new players have joined the Bulls this season. Added to the list are new signings Dan Jones (Cambridge United), Jamie Grimes (Ebbsfleet United), Samir Nabi (Kidderminster), Chris Camwell (Coventry City), Dylan Jones (Trialist), James McQuilkin (AFC Telford United), and Yan Klukowski (Hungerford Town). Luke Haines (Swindon Town) and Callum Rowe (Aston Villa) are on loan. Paul White, Richard Whittingham and Kennedy Digie were signed without a club.
Form:
Before the National League North season went null and void, Hereford’s form was up and down throughout the season. Hereford were mid-table but their run to the quarter-finals can not be ignored. The Bulls have not conceded a goal yet in the FA Trophy and Aldershot Town will have to do well to be the first team to breach their defence.
Referee:
Tomorrow’s referee is Tom Reeves with his assistants Christopher Myatt and Nicholas Dunn and the fourth official officiating the game is Michael Ryan.
Match Coverage:
The match will be ‘live streamed’ and available for £11.99 via ‘Shots TV Live’ and include: a pre-match show with Presenter Mark Butler. The guests are former Shots player Scott Rendell and former manager Terry Brown. The show will start at 1:30pm and it also includes a digital match programme. You can get through to our streaming service HERE. BBC Radio Surrey Sport will also have live commentary of the game with Rob Worrall and Steve Gibbs.
