Retroshotsblog

A blog about Aldershot FC.

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Laurie Fishlock, who had the distinction of scoring the shots' first ever league goal (vs Southend in 1932). He was better known as a cricketer, playing in four test matches for England, which probably would have been more if not for injuries and World War 2.

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The back page from the Aldershot News 29/5/87 after the famous play-off win over Wolves to win promotion to the third division.

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Jack Rollin’s history of the first 49 years of the shots (published 1975). Surely due a reprint as copies currently go for 40-60 quid. 3/5 of the players on the front are called Jack or Jock.

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From the ‘It’s Funny - But it’s a Fact!’ section of the 1958 Roy of the Rovers annual.

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From the Roy of the Rovers Annual 1958, thus pre-dating the famous penalty spot re-painting incident of the 1970′s.

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The programme from what could be considered to be statistically the worst game in the history of the Football League. In 1991 the league briefly expanded to 93 teams (until the shots went bankrupt) and this game saw 92nd place Aldershot take on 93rd place Doncaster Rovers. Fittingly the game finished 0-0 with a thick fog enveloping the Rec during the second half. Standing in the East Bank I could barely see beyond the edge of the nearest penalty area and it was only after the game that I found out (via my North Stand residing Father) that the closest we came to a goal was when George Berry put the ball against his own crossbar.

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Bobby Howfield was an excellent striker for the shots in the 1960's, scoring 54 goals in 110 games. He also had a second 'football' career in Gridiron, spending seven years as a place kicker with Denver Broncos and New York Jets.

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Team sheets from the Shots v Southend game in 1970/71. The game finished 2-2 with Bennett and Howarth scoring for the shots. Our team sheet was evidently filled in by long-standing trainer John Anderson.

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Alan Gilzean is well known to fans of 60's football as the scorer of over 150 goals for Dundee as well as 94 for Spurs. What's less known is that as a 21 year old he spent a season on loan to the shots (this may have been connected to his national service?). He never played a first team game but in1958/9 he scored at least 19 goals for the 'A' team (up to 14/2/59, the date of the program I have). Strangely this didn't even make him top scorer as a player called Manzi (who I could find no record of) had scored 28 goals as the Shots sat on top of the league table, having scored 105 goals in 20 games.

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One of my favourite program covers. The return of Big Jack leading to Steve Melledew being fired out of a cannon might seem a bit harsh, but it effectively happened the following season, as despite being leading scorer in our promotion year, he was sold to Bury.