WHO ARE THE SHOTS PLAYING?
The Shots return to the EBB to take on Halifax at 17:20 on Saturday. Halifax are currently sat 15th in the National League, having won 2 of their opening 8. Otherwise known as “The Shaymen”, Halifax have been in the National League since the 2013/14 season.
HOW DID THEY DO LAST SEASON?
Halifax ended the season in fourth, 10 points off Stockport in first, entering the National League playoffs at the Quarter-finals stage. However, Halifax were unable to see off Chesterfield at the first hurdle, and their season ended in there.
Halifax made it to the second round of the FA Cup after beating Maidenhead 7-4 in the first round, before falling 2-0 to Kidderminster to end their impressive run. They were defeated in the fifth Round of the FA Trophy, losing to Notts County 2-1.
HOW DID WE GET ON AGAINST THEM LAST SEASON?
Billy Waters 27th minute strike for Halifax in the first meeting between the sides in September was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for the visitors. The return fixture saw Shots walk away with a point, with Mikael Ndjoli’s 86th minute goal securing a point on the road to survival last season.
WHOS THEIR GAFFER?
Halifax gaffer Chris Millington has been in charge of the club since Pete Wild departed at the end of last summer. He had previously worked as Assistant Manager for Wild since 19/20, and took over after The Shaymen’s former manager left for Barrow. Millington has worked with Wild throughout his career, assisting him at Oldham and following him to Halifax before finally being given a shot to take charge a team.
HALIFAX SQUAD UPDATE:
There are no notable absentees from the Halifax squad, so a full strength 11 can be expected.
Goalkeeper Sam Johnson and Left-back Jack Senior have played the most minutes in the squad so far this season, and without injury or suspension will be expected to start again this weekend. Of the new additions, Emmanuel Dieseruvwe – signed from Tranmere – has played the most minutes, starting all eight games this season. Former Stockport trio Jordan Keane, Sam Minihan and Jamie Stott have all featured regularly. Rob Harker – signed from Burnley’s u21s – has also chipped in with seven appearances so far.
Halifax’s impressive season last year saw them lose a flurry of talent to the Football League. Billy Waters and Tyrell Warren followed Millington to Barrow. Niall Maher and Kieran Green also left for League Two with Grimsby Town. Tom Bradbury and Jay Benn went to League One with Cheltenham and Lincoln City.
ANY EX-SHOTS?
There are no ex-Shots in the Halifax squad at present, and there are also no former Halifax players in the Shots team.
TICKET INFO:
Halifax is the first of the fixtures in which a new ticket system will be trialled. As the fixture is tomorrow, and fans purchasing tickets have passed the early bird ticket prices. Tickets will be available to buy on the day of the game from the club shop with cash or card or by card for the East Bank from turnstile eight.
Tickets can be bought online HERE, and are priced as follows:
- Adult: £20
- Senior (over 65): £16
- Military personnel: £16
- Disabled: £16
- Young person (18-20): £16
- Junior (11-17): £7
- Under 11: FREE
HOW TO FOLLOW THE MATCH:
Aldershot v Halifax has been selected for TV coverage on BT Sport, and will be shown on BT Sport 1, with coverage starting at 5pm.
As always, live updates will be posted on Shots official Twitter @OfficialShots, and you can catch up with highlights of the game on the Aldershot YouTube channel HERE after the final whistle has gone.
There will be live BBC Surrey Sport online commentary of the game with Rob Worrall and a guest summariser.
