Following a brilliant 3-0 win over fierce rivals Woking on Boxing Day, Aldershot Town return to National League action this afternoon at Huish Park. Darren Sarll’s struggling Yeovil side will want to improve their recent record of one win in five against a Shots side who will be full of confidence.
In association with LV BET, Kirshon Wilkins previews the game:
Shots Squad:
Lewis Kinsella continues his rehabilitation from his MCL injury, whilst Craig Tanner and Ross McCormack remain side-lined for the foreseeable future. Jermaine Anderson’s wonderful performance on Saturday will add to the selection headache that Shots Manager Danny Searle will have for the trip to Somerset.
Opposition:
Name: Yeovil Town
Founded: 1895
Nickname: The Glovers
Opposition Manager: Darren Sarll
Stadium: Huish Park
2019/20 National League Final Position: 4th (lost 2-0 to Barnet in the play-offs)
Current Position: 22nd
The Gaffer:
The Hitchin-born 37-year-old boasts a strong reputation for developing young talent and he has a wealth of experience, coaching for 15 years with the likes of Brentford, Rotherham United and Stevenage. He began his career in football as a midfielder in non-league football.
Sarll spent the majority of his coaching career at Broadhall Way, Stevenage and he progressed to be the club’s first-team manager in the years of 2016-2018, guiding Boro to a 10th place finish in his first season. He is also known for developing youth players such as Ben Wilmot and Ben Kennedy with the former leaving for Watford for an undisclosed club-record fee.
Sarll was then appointed as the Glover’s new manager in June 2019 following their relegation from League Two in the previous campaign under Gary Johnson (now manager of Torquay United). Since then, he has been tasked with rebuilding the team and taking them back to League Two. Sarll came close last season through the play-offs but North London outfit Barnet beat them.
Departed:
13 players have left Huish Park to move onto pastures new. Myles Hippolyte (Scunthorpe United), Craig Alcock (Harlow), Marc Richards (St. Ives Town), Gold Omotayo (Halifax Town), Tom Bradbury (Halifax Town), Ryan Seager (Hungerford), Tom Whelan (Chesterfield), Morgan Williams (Coventry City), Stuart Nelson (Crawley Town) and Liam O’Brien (Stratford Town) found new clubs. Nestor Shako (released) and Devon Arnold (released) remain without a club whilst Darren Behcet (retired) has quit professional football.
Retained:
11 players have been retained from the play-offs season with Carl Dickinson, Lee Collins, Luke Wilkinson, Matthew Worthington, Lawson D’ath, Gabriel Rogers, Albi Skendi, Alex John, Charlie Lee, Rhys Murphy and Courtney Duffus staying at Huish Park.
Arrived:
16 players have joined the Glovers this season. Jimmy Smith (Crawley Town), Gabriel Osho (Luton Town), Josh Neufville (Luton), Matt Warburton (Northampton), Ryan Burke (Birmingham City u23s), Adam Smith (Forest Green), Daniel Leadbitter (Newport County), Tom Knowles (Cambridge United), Alex Bradley (Lincoln City), Jack Clarke (Aston Villa u23s), and Emmanuel Sonupe (Stevenage) have all joined from English Football League teams. Joe Quigley (Dagenham & Redbridge), Harry Palmer (Ebbsfleet United), Josh Staunton (Halifax Town) join from National League sides whilst Chris Dagnall (Ashton United) joins from a Northern Premier League Premier Division side. Former Aldershot Town loanee Max Hunt has joined on loan from Carlisle United and could be in contention to start.
Form:
Yeovil are a completely different side to last season. Last season, they came close to returning to League Two but they have been struggling this season, sitting second-bottom of the National League. One win, five draws and six losses isn’t good enough for Sarll’s side and they will need a turnaround fast to avoid relegation scares.
Referee:
Today’s referee is Alan Dale with his assistants Tom Bowkett and Sean Rothwell and the fourth official officiating the game is Robert Cockle.
Match Coverage:
The match will be streamed and available HERE. Coverage starts at 2:45pm with kick-off at 3pm today.