Bees Are Bouncing, But Will Shots Now Find Their Range?

It looked to be an early season relegation six-pointer before Barnet did the unthinkable in midweek.

They left Stockport County as coupon-busting winners - but they lost reliable Joe Widdowson to a nasty looking injury as they were doing it.

What Aldershot Town fans would give for such a head-turning result right now.

It hasn’t been the start new manager Mark Molesley wanted, and while the Bees were swarming on Stockport, the Shots were firing blanks in a dreadful home defeat to Weymouth.

Four back-to-back losses leaves the club only above Dover Athletic with November a matter of hours away.

While teams knew they could rest easy with Covid complications meaning no relegation last season, it is not the same this time around.

So this battle for points is of real significance - and with winter edging ever closer, they need to keep the light shining.

Interim boss Dean Brennan was thrilled with his players and called for a repeat performance.

“We’ve had a lot of dark days, we need to show togetherness and determination - and we need to show how we’re going to grow,” he told the club’s video player.

“I’m delighted for our fans and our club - we showed so much character and that’s exactly what they gave us. We fought, we bit, we scrapped and we played a bit of football ourselves.

“We had such a young side and I’m proud, but I’m also emotional after Joe’s injury. I’m devastated for him.

“I’m going to keep saying the word proud - but we now need to show more of what we did on Tuesday.

“We’re live on BT and we need to get our feet firmly back on the floor. Mark is a good manager and there’s no doubt Aldershot will improve. We’re excited.”

Aldershot’s manager hopes his counterpart is on the money.

He told Shots TV on Tuesday night it’s down to them to show they can start climbing the table.

“We’re really disappointed with Tuesday night after two positive performances against Stockport County and Bromley,” he said.

“We were looking to step on and we’re conceding sloppy goals at the minute, we’re shooting ourselves in the foot.

“In games against teams around us, we have to be bigger and braver.

“There was tension all over the pitch. We’ve got to show more quality and clarity in what we’re doing.

“I think we have to ignore the outside noise and create our own out on the pitch - we’ve got to give the fans something to respond to.

“The players are working hard, but at the moment we’re not working smart.

“There’s no hiding place now. We need to stand up and be counted, and only we can turn things around.”