The Trust have recieved this form Aldershot supporters before our fixture there.

thats good of them. at the moment i think they have there own problems as a club and have something in common with us. at least they bring a decent number to the vic unlike some of the joke outfits a similar distance away do. probebly one of the few southern teams i have some time for.

An exceptional gesture for another clubs supporters to offer to commemorate young Riley. Proves yet again football holds us all together bi there are more important things in life.

Aye Aldershot, Defo one of the Brotherhood.

Strange town Aldershot. I always saw them as like a Southern version of Pools, albeit a younger club than Pools, one of the last clubs to get promoted from the old Div 4, won Jack shit like us, historically poorly supported, in a town that goes under the Radar and doesn't come across as affluent as the area it is located in.

Remember going to see them play at Hungerford Town in the mid 1990s, they had around 1000 fans in a crowd of 1500, the police presence was over the top, you'd have thought Millwall were in town. Remember thinking this is what it would be like at Pools, if we had to start over again in the Northern League etc, still time to find out

know they are not on the doorstep of aldershot but always feel it feels a proper game when we play them unlike fixtures against woking and maidenhead.

I still regard them as a fourth division outfit from my earlier years…a good old run of the mill club like us.

even if pools were never involved in it i still think one of the worst decisions since the end of the maximum wage was the relegation of two clubs into the mire of non league football for possibly having one bad season where everything that could go wrong for a club happened over a few months. i feel sorry for everyone of them who were regular visitors back in div.4 and have nothing but dislike for the vast majority of plastic clubs that replaced them.

The saddest demise.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2tFFib2IOw&t=65s

yes, and for a long period they were seen as bradfords number 1 club with a far better history than pools before they dropped out of the league. not the worst supported team in the league either and were never a music hall joke like accrington or pools once was.

It always makes me think what happened to all the gate money, cash only, the players would also be paid in cash. The gate money was next to nothing but the attendances were bigger, must have took ages to count it, how much went into the club coffers ?

In the 6 seasons (christ on a bike!) the Shots have been coming to the Vic in the NL they have always tried to keep the ball on the deck and play football. Probably why they're still stuck in this division - if you can't afford to do a Wrexham or York and sign a load of quality players, brute force like Sutton's promotion season is probably the best bet.

When we were in the Northern League most attendances at away games were well over 1000 for clubs that usually got 150 or something.
Only West Auckland and Norton took the piss by hiking prices on the day, all other clubs were just glad of the extra revenue from around 1000 travelling fans most weeks.
Never saw any heavy handed policing, even at the top of the table clashes v Spenny.
In general it was all good fun.

"In general it was all good fun"

Just like my visits to Feethams

On a plastic pitch - that's what we need as that's what we train on. Just like Harrogate before them and Bromley last season. It's a no brainer for me!

Cost around a million pounds to lay then the maintenance costs, rather see the money spent on players.

thats the initial cost and what maintainance do they need. a ten year lifespan on top plus the revenue that these clubs bring in. try hiring one, they are over double the cost of a grass council pitch but plenty do it and there is a waiting list for even the sunday league kids teams to hire them. there usefulness is in their title, all weather. possibly its the easiest way pools will get back in the league. lay one in the summer and get promotion in the first season to rip it all up again.

No matter the playing surface you need players, how many teams in the NL have an artificial pitch and are pushing for promotion ?

Maybe not this season Jamie - but I've given you three examples in recent times of teams who would have been nowhere near the EFL without one. Harrogate, Sutton, Bromley- it can't be a coincidence.

then there is the advantage you should get i home games if you recruit players who do not mind playing on artificial when some opponents players will be dreading the day of having to play on it.

Harrogate also have the advantage of a very rich owner who didn't mind subsidising the playing side.

The way it’s going with these hobby clubs is,we’ll end up with clubs in Div 1 with home fan attendances of 2,000.
They’ve got the money and fans are irrelevant.

Exactly you're in their heads before a ball has even been kicked- almost worth a goal start every home game

I used to live near Aldershot and cut my teeth watching them play in the mid 70s, I was 14 then.

We used to get a bus in from the Surrey side and run the gauntlet of skins and bootboys to get to the match. Although we were home fans and only young we always ran the risk of getting duffed up because we were from out of town. They were violent times.

I loved the lower league grit of watching that team, later on we progressed to going up to London to watch the “top teams” but Aldershot always seemed more exciting and you were closer to the action and all that. We just felt more involved.

I always look for their results.

at least in the old days most clubs were at a level due to the number of fans they had. the reason pools and darlo were div,3 north and sunderland, newcastle and the borer played at a higher level. now even with the size of the vic we could reach the premier league backed by foreign riches.

You're not wrong Accy - look at Bournemouth - Dean Court only holds 10k and we played them for years. Only difference is that that part of the south coast is very affluent.

How are they affording to pay their players wages on those gates? So much for Financial Fair Play- makes a complete mockery of the system. They're just a mini Man City- shrouded in financial mystery!

Been rewarded for showing long term ambition.
Maybe Stockport n Wrexham join them.

The Pools in 2041/42 season.
Keep the Faith kids!

Game on.

You're not wrong Accy - look at Bournemouth - Dean Court only holds 10k and we played them for years. Only difference is that that part of the south coast is very affluent.

How are they affording to pay their players wages on those gates? So much for Financial Fair Play- makes a complete mockery of the system. They're just a mini Man City- shrouded in financial mystery! [/quote]
FFP is a complete load of bollocks. too easy to get around and its not in the interest of any club up there to rock the boat of another as the whole murky affair could be like a pack of cards falling in quick succession.

well thats buggered up a quiet sunday morning now.

FFS- another weekend ruined!

1 up

Confirmed OG