Aldershot 0-0 U's: Fog draws in
Tuesday 12th February 2008 - Aldershot 0-0 U's: Fog draws in
Eighties fever is alive and well at the moment with the opening of 'Ashes To Ashes' on BBC1. On the evidence of Tuesday night, it seems Aldershot are eager to jump on the bandwagon with the Back-To-The-80s Theme Park vibe of their quaint old Recreation Ground.
Roll up, roll up! Enjoy the close attentions of the local constabulary at every turn! Queue for half an hour to get through one turnstile! Reel at the most disgusting toilet facilities known to man! Sing along to the home fans' renditions of old favourites like 'Bricks At The Station'! I kept looking around, expecting to see Gene Hunt barnstorm in and start banging a few heads together, but 'twas not to be. You'd have though the PA would have joined in, though, by playing some Adam & The Ants, or Ultravox, or Haircut One Hundred, or Joe Dolce. Ok, maybe not Joe Dolce...
The events preceding Tuesday night's delayed kickoff at the Rec are already well recorded. It seems incredible that after over a thousand U's fans turned up there last year, that anyone could imagine that one turnstile at the end of a winding yomp through a park would be even remotely adequate to process what would be probably Aldershot's highest away following of the season. And after long, loud protests, bolstering that single turnstile by having someone stand with a bucket at an open gate, charging people the wrong amount and able to accept only exact change only, is hardly the response of a fully-prepared, well-oiled machine. Much less, that of a football club with pretensions to Football League status.
And we haven't even started on the six filthy, uncleaned, inadequately lit portaloos stationed right next to the food outlet. In fact, let's not, I'm starting to feel queasy again...
It was a shame that all these shenanigans should detract from what was the cracking prospect of two of the best sides in the BSP locking horns in front of two sets of loud, lively supporters. The acoustics of the roof at the 'singing' end of the ground lent themselves perfectly to the amber hordes' superb bouncing and chanting and the banter between them and the home supporters, separated only by a fenced-off no man's land occupied by twitching law-enforcers.
United's last visit to these parts will linger long in amber memories, as a four-figure away following roared their heroes on to a momentous 1-0 victory that to all intents and purposes banished the spectre of relegation. Since then there have been radical changes at both clubs, with only three Shots and five U's players surviving from the starting line-ups back then.
There is no denying that Gary Waddock has done a tremendous job at Aldershot, knitting together a brand new side which plays flowing passing football that has won 22 out of 30 league games this season, drawing only one, and after losing their first two home matches, their Rec record since then read twelve wins and one defeat. But the U's haven't done so badly themselves this time around, thanks, and the BSP's meanest defence looked forward to its third test of the season from a team which had so far managed only a draw and a defeat at the Abbey in league and Cup.
Kickoff was delayed by around ten minutes to allow the away supporters to file through the hosts' shambolic turnstile arrangements, and the atmosphere was more charged than Pete Doherty on a clear night which was rapidly turning freezing cold with just the merest hint of mist in the evening air.
United had been forced to make one change from the line-up which defeated Stevenage on Saturday, Ben Farrell left out as a precaution after his blow to the head and replaced by Scott Rendell, Mark Beesley dropping deeper into the hole. The Shots sold second-leading scorer Jonny Dixon to Brighton during the transfer window, leaving fifteen-goal John Grant still leading the attack, accompanied this time by Rob Elvins, while former U Rob Gier lined up at right-back.
Danny Potter remained United captain in the absence of Messrs Brown and Albrighton, the latter still nonetheless on the bench, and his opposing number Nikki Bull skippered the hosts in what was probably a first for two keepers in the same match.
First serious action came on 2 when Dan Gleeson was felled by an atrocious tackle from Anthony Charles, albeit more clumsy than malicious. His yellow card was fully deserved, and the U's wing-back required several minutes' treatment before limping gingerly back into the fray like a dog who has just been spayed.
Neither skipper saw much of the ball in the early exchanges as the two sides felt each other out. The Shots played their familiar short inter-passing game, looking to send players away down the channels between the United back men, but the U's stood firm, well marshalled by the inspirational Mark Peters. There was little to be seen of United as an attacking force, however, as move after move broke down less than ten yards into the Aldershot half, the men in white seeming to have forgotten their passing boots.
The hosts continued to search for that final telling ball in the last third while United tried to get beyond halfway, but with red shirts closing them down energetically all over the park, the visitors' front three were starved of any service. Thus far, deadlock, although the U's seemed to be shading it chant-wise as half of the far end bounced merrily like a gang of amber-shirted Zebedees.
United finally created themselves an opening on 22 when Bull made a rare mistake in attempting to see the ball out of play in the right channel, Rendell nipped ahead of him to the byline and he turned and knocked it back to Lee McEvilly; but the big target man had a charging Dave Winfield in his way, and he screwed his shot wide of the open goal. Chance.
Six minutes later Gleeson was booked for a foul on John Grant which was in truth no worse than several previous uncarded challenges, and a minute later there was disbelief from both United players and supporters when ref Phillips penalised Courtney Pitt for an innocuous jump and dive by Kirk Hudson just outside the D. Hudson took the free-kick himself, but blazed hopelessly over to much amber merriment.
The U's finally gained their first corner on the half hour but Winfield nodded Pitt's inswinger clear. A needless yellow card followed on 35 for McEvilly for complaining about an offside decision, and three minutes later Peters joined him in the book for knocking Elvins over. Potter collected Joel Grant's ensuing free-kick in his usual commanding style.
Next good United chance came on 41 when some neat interplay saw Pitt send Rob Wolleaston through down the left channel, and his low cross fizzed across the six-yard box, but somehow the inrushing Rendell and the outrushing Bull both missed it. It was the last opportunity of a hard-fought 45 which had been exciting, thanks greatly to the fans, without offering a great deal of goalmouth action.
Part two was, like the 926th series of 'Last Of The Summer Wine,' more of the same, only with less incontinence. The hosts' insistent intricate probing finally bore fruit on 56 when Elvins beat the offside trap to break down the left channel with several colleagues sprinting up in support, but he chose to shoot wide of the near post instead of squaring it.
Up the other end Pitt crossed to Beesley two minutes later and his low scudder was stopped by Bull. Back came the Shots and Gier crossed for Elvins to nod wide, then the latter was subbed for Scott Davies on 61.
The hosts' best effort to date came on 64, Hudson hammering a howitzer from 25 yards out which Potter did tremendously well to turn around the post at full stretch. From the ensuing corner the ball eventually fell to John Grant in a crowded box, but his goalbound prod lacked power and was easily smothered by the United skipper.
Two minutes later Pitt gave the ball away cheaply out on the left, Hudson broke clear and he squared to John Grant, unmarked in the middle. The Shots hotshot steadied himself and shot low and deliberately... straight into the diving Potter's arms. Big letoff from the hosts' top scorer.
Wolleaston sent a hopeful fizzer into Bull's hands a minute later before Lee Boylan was introduced in place of McEvilly, who had been foraging for scraps all night. Still the contest looked like a stick of rock with '0-0' written all the way through it.
Boylan was a lively and industrious introduction and he came so close to breaking to deadlock on 79. Paul Carden touched a free-kick to Michael Morrison 35 yards out and it was difficult to tell whether his lash towards goal was a shot or a through ball, but Boylan latched onto it in the box on the volley and United's old nemesis Bull flung himself low to his left to make a fine stop.
The visitors' second substitution followed, Stephen Reed coming on for Beesley and going wide left with Pitt replacing the latter in the centre. Next minute the contest took an unexpected twist: Wolleaston aimed a ball down the right for Rendell to run onto, and in a moment of madness Charles stuck out an arm and deflected it off for a throw. Blatant handball; second yellow; off. The only surprising aspect of the incident was the vehemence with which Charles and his team-mates protested his innocence. He was as guilty as Dawn French with an empty Chocolate Orange wrapper.
Former U's trialist Rhys Day was introduced at the back in place of Joel Grant on 83 as the amber hordes scented blood. Both teams continued to press for a winner, and a spell of United pressure on 85 culminated in a Reed shot from the edge of the area which was too close to Bull.
The hosts responded with a couple of corners, and from the second one Wolleaston galloped clear down the right, finally crossing from the byline, but only Boylan was in the middle and he could not leap high enough to connect. Rendell arrived late but blasted wide.
Ten-man Aldershot still would not settle for a point. They broke down the right and Hudson cut inside but flashed his shot into the side netting. Four minutes added time was indicated and a terrible header by Carden sent the Shots away again, Grant bearing down on Potter but seeing his shot blocked by the U's glovesman then gathered before it could squirm away.
United almost had the last word as Carden pounced upon a half-clearance by Day and whizzed a shot just wide; he claimed a deflection, the man in black judged otherwise. Then a breathless contest finally came to an end, the contestants having fought each other to a standstill.
It had not been a vintage performance by the U's but they had played as well as they had been allowed to by a team which is not six points clear at the top by accident. The defence had stood firm, but they had been found wanting creatively, something which needs to be remedied at one of their bogey grounds, The Shay, on Saturday. Aldershot look uncatchable - but three of the next four opponents are Stevenage, Exeter and Torquay. And with only Burton of the top seven winning, everything is a long way from being decided just yet.
In the circumstances a draw was a fair and acceptable result. And we had finished the game, unlike City and Histon who it turned out had had home games abandoned due to thick fog. That must have inconvenienced, ooh, dozens of people...
Statto Corner
United have now been involved in three 0-0 draws this season. This is in contrast to the previous two seasons, when they were involved in only one goalless match per term: at St Albans in 2006-07 and at Gravesend in 2005-06.
In all their Football League history, the lowest number of goalless draws in a United season was also one, at home to Peterborough in 2000-01. Go back to earlier non-League days, however, and you soon start to find seasons with no 0-0s at all: 1963-64 was the last one, then 1952-53, then three consecutive seasons from 1948-49 to 1950-51; in fact, the then-Abbey United were not involved in a 0-0 between 17th April 1948 and 22nd September 1951.
Goals were even more plentiful in the pre-war years. In fact, the U's participated in only six 0-0s in all of the 1930s and just four in the 1920s.
The highest number of goalless games in a league season is seven, accomplished twice: in 1981-82 and in United's last Football League season (for now), 2004-05. John Ruddy was the goalkeeper in all of the latter term's draws, while the only other defender to play in all seven was Andy Duncan, who started six and came on as a sub in the other.
The 1981-82 side hit its mean streak in the second half of the season, enjoying its first 0-0 on 23rd January and extending the run to three consecutive 0-0s with draws at Charlton and Barnsley and at home to Crystal Palace. The four games thereafter finished 1-0, 1-0, 0-1 and 0-0 as the U's strove to become the first binary football team. Three United defensive legends appeared in all seven goalless matches: Lindsay â??Wolfie' Smith, Steve Fallon and Jamie Murray, father of Histon's current goal machine, Antonio. Richard Key was keeper in five of the games, Malcolm Webster in the other two.
In 1977-78 United were involved in six league 0-0s and two in the League Cup, both with Brighton in the days of two-legged early rounds. The Seagulls eventually won 3-1 in a replay. One of the Abbey's best-ever central defensive partnerships played in all eight: Dave Stringer and Steve Fallon. Webster appeared behind them in seven of the games, Roger Hansbury in the other.
Player Ratings
Potter 8. Not at his busiest but made several marvellous point-saving saves.
Morrison 7. Never less than thoroughly competent.
Peters 9. " You'll never beat..." indeed.
Hatswell 8. Classy and assured again.
Gleeson 7. Did well to recover from Charles' early clattering and let nobody down.
Carden 7. Mostly splendid, just needs to cut out the occasional howler; although with the sheer number of passes he completes, there is bound to be the odd duffer.
Wolleaston 6. Mostly subdued and played an uncharacteristic number of sloppy passes.
Pitt 6. Double-marked for much of the time down the left and was unable to produce his mercurial best.
Beesley 6. At times almost too clever for his team-mates, he is still settling in but played his part.
Rendell 6. Ran tirelessly but his supply line was disappointingly dry.
McEvilly 6. Showed a few flashes of his bulldozing best but like Rendell was hamstrung by a lack of decent service.
Boylan 7. Livewire substitute appearance and almost snatched a winner.
Reed 6. Settled in solidly for the last ten minutes.
Match Summary
United put on their collective gritty, hard-to-beat hat to grind out a deserved point against impressive Aldershot to show they can match any team in this league on their day. Now they need to resume beating them, starting on Saturday.
Man of the Match
Mark Peters. It is uncanny how a player with no pace to speak of can consistently appear in the right place at the right time when called upon, and big Rhino was all but omnipresent tonight. It's either great experience or a handheld teleport device.
Ref Watch
Phillips 4. Not quite as bad as some might make out, he was mainly just irritating with his frequent whistling for the most trivial of free-kicks and inconsistent booking criteria, but he got the two yellows for Charles just about right. We've seen worse, but we've seen a whole lot better too. His terrified-to-make-a-decision linesman on the United side, however, was utterly dismal.
Non-League Player's Name of the Week
Wimborne Town's Paul Roast, who should surely be a Premier League player with a name like that.
Soundtrack of the Day
Dropkick Murphys 'The Thick Skin Of Defiance'
The MP3 Files
Mark Peters lends an ear to the Recreation Ground sounds. "I still remember the words of my old drama teacher at Flint Secondary Modern, Mr Silio-Gogogoch, as he stood in front of us in striped blazer, ballet pumps and pink feather boa: 'Be original, boys! Don't feel you have to conform! Innovate!' He left the school suddenly soon after, bound for San Francisco, I believe, but those words still have a resonance for me today.
"Unfortunately the music selector at Aldershot seemed to be unfamiliar with such sentiments, and instead aired a selection straight from 'The Greatest Anthems... Ever!!' or some such clichéd nonsense. There they all were: Dario G, 'Don't Stop Me Now,' 'Right Here Right Now.' 'Eye Of The Tiger' and that one where the singer sounds like she's being strangled, 'Search For The Hero.' Grisly stuff. They also managed an airing for the Shadows' 'Apache' because, I believe, the home fans like to do their own version. Not much for us visitors, like! Hwyl!" MP3 Verdict: 1/10.
Andrew Bennett
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