A "Shot" at Glory

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

This is my 2nd attempt at a story so hear goes...

I started off unemployed with past experience set to 'semi professional footballer'. First I applied for the vacant manager post at Aldershot Town. To my delight they accepted and I became the new manager of Aldershot. I hope you will follow my story as I aim to take this lower league club into the big time...

Aldershot Town - Overview

Year Founded: 1992

Status: Professional

League: Coca-Cola League 2

Rivals: Reading, Stevenage, Woking

Finances: Okay

Ground: The Recreation Ground

Capacity: 7100 (1800 seated)

Captain: Adam Hinshelwood

(In a Brighton shirt) aha

Media Prediction: 22nd

Transfers

It was clear when I looked at my squad that it needed significant bolstering if we were to challenge in League 2 this year. So I set about trying to bring in some new faces. With a transfer budget of just 20k, loan signings and free transfers are going to be the key.

I managed to bring in a whole host of players on loan from prem clubs;

Zoltan Harsanyi - Bolton - Attacking midfielder left, striker

Chris Smalling - Fulham - Centre back

Jonathan Obika - Spurs - Striker

Callum McManaman - Wigan - Striker

Victor Palsson - Liverpool - Defensive mid, centre mid

Emmanuel Frimprong - Arsenal - Defensive mid, centre mid


I was also able to bag a couple of permanent signings;

Pavol Suhaj - Unattached - Striker

Adam McGurk - Aston Villa - Free - Striker, attacking mid

View attachment 87980


I will post a pre - season summary later and some deatails about my squad.

Feel free to give your opinion on the start of my story.

 

[msems09]

good luck with your Aldershot story

 

[The Shots]

Really good luck.

 

[*James*]

I like to see these types of stories, where the emphasis is on the manager, to see how far he can go, rather than how far the team can go...

 

[Tommo43]

some good signings there mate

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

Pre Season Summary

Rushden 1-2 Aldershot: Charles, Grant (pen)

Nantwich 2-1 Aldershot: Lowndes (on trial)

Aldershot 0-3 Cardiff

Aldershot 1-0 Hartlepool: Donnelly

Aldershot 1-2 Southend: Herd

Aldershot 9-0 GH Academy: Hudson x2, Obika, Harsanyi x2, Soares, Grant, Smalling, OG

Telford 0-3 Aldershot: Suhaj, Harsanyi (pen), OG

Eastwood 0-7 Aldershot: McGurk, Grant, Obika x2, Charles x3.

A decent pre season with our form really picking up in the last few friendlies

The Team

Formation: 4-1-3-2

Goalkeeper: Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz

Decent keeper for this league, but by no means the best.

Right Back: Ben Herd

Left Back: Andy Sandell

Solid Fullbacks

Centre Back: Chris Smalling

Heart of the defence

Centre Back: Adam Hinshelwood

The Captain and a solid defender

Defensive Mid: Emmanuel Frimpong

Talented midfielder, who will provide the protection for the back four.

Attacking mid, Right: Kirk Hudson

Young winger, but far from being the best player in the side.

Attacking Mid, Left: Zoltan Harsanyi

Quality player at this level. The talisman of the team.

Attacking Mid, Centre: Adam McGurk

Young attacking mid signed from Villa. Can also play striker so has the abilty to score from midfield.

Striker: Jonathan Obika

Lethal Striker at this level, the man I will be relying on to score the goals

Striker: John Grant

A good pre season propells him into the starting XI

View attachment 88010

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

August Review - All league games unless stated

Aldershot 3-1 Darlington
Always good to start the season off with a win. A confident performance from the lads in a game we dominated from start to finish, as Darlington scored with their only shot on target. Goals for Smalling and Obika on their debuts and Hudson wrapping the game up.

Carling Cup 1st Round
Aldershot 1-2 Bristol City
We came so close to a major shock as we went into the break 1-0 up after a stunning strike from Harsanyi, but in the end Bristol were to strong for us.

Rochdale 0-1 Aldershot
A quite fortunate win as we were outplayed for most of the game. But if you don't take your chances you can get punished and a 74th min own goal gave us the 3 points.

Bournemouth 1-1 Aldershot
Unlucky not to get the win after McGurk gave us a 5th minute lead, but an equaliser 15 minutes later ensured the game ended all square

Aldershot 1-0 Accrington
An Omer Riza goal enough for the win today.

Grimsby 1-1 Aldershot
Dissapointing not to get the win, but after trailing for most of the game I guess I will take a draw. Harsanyi with the 80th minute qualiser.


A good month as Aldershot have proven the critics wrong as they lie in 2nd place at the end of August.

Ascroft scoops manager of the month award.
View attachment 88017

Accrington's player of the month: Zoltan Harsanyi
After a string of good performaces and chipping in with some vital goals, Zoltan is a worthy winner of our player of the month

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

September Review

Aldershot 1-3 Port Vale: Grant

Fisrt defeat in the league and a very dissapointing performance

Aldershot 3-1 Hereford

Back to winning ways. Harsanyi and Grant with two doing the business.

Crewe 1-4 Aldershot

Superb result, great attacking display. Obika put in a great perfromance scoring twice, Riza and Smalling doing the rest.

Aldershot 2-0 Cheltenham

Another win, the Aldershot bam wagon really on the move. Harsanyi with both goals.

Torquay 0-2 Aldershot

A fine away victory over potential promotion rivals as Torquay occupied 4th place in the league.


Another fine month as we remain 2nd, a point behind leaders Rotherham.

View attachment 88022

Aldershot's Player of the Month

Jonathan Obika
The clinical striker really picked his form up throughout September.

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

Is anyone actually following??
Or are my efforts going to waste :'(

 

[ben1250]

Nice start, some very good results included in this, Harsayi ripping league 2 apart ?

As a Shrewsbury fan i play league 2 save's pretty often and it's a difficult league to get out of automatic promotion wise but play off's always a possibility, Good luck sir

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

Nice start, some very good results included in this, Harsayi ripping league 2 apart ?

As a Shrewsbury fan i play league 2 save's pretty often and it's a difficult league to get out of automatic promotion wise but play off's always a possibility, Good luck sir

Thank you very much
And yes Harsanyi has been a superb signing

 

[The Shots]

2 words, well maybe 3. Paris Cowan-Hall! He is immense on my Aldershot game. I ended up buying him but he got sold when i got relegated from prem in 2014

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

2 words, well maybe 3. Paris Cowan-Hall! He is immense on my Aldershot game. I ended up buying him but he got sold when i got relegated from prem in 2014

Thanks mate. I'll take a look (H)

 

[JParker]

great love lower league teams stories
one i will follow

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

great love lower league teams stories
one i will follow

Thanks very much mate

 

[FmGodNo1]

gd start and i suggest getting someone to make u a sig to improvve it

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

gd start and i suggest getting someone to make u a sig to improvve it

Ok thanks, can you recomend someone who would make me one?

 

[JParker]

btw sorry if it seems i am being impatient but when is the next update?
can't wait for it

 

[Poppa_ChesterCityFC]

btw sorry if it seems i am being impatient but when is the next update?
can't wait for it

Don't worry about being impatient, im glad for your interest.
Erm it will probs be tomorrow, i've been playing a bit of FM of tonight but am too tired to update this story at the moment

 

[DHolley]

great story so far and looking forward to the update