Aldershot Town 2-0 AFC Fylde - Tuesday 1st April 2025 (Match Night Thread)

[Les Briley]

It's only a game of football. We don't need to give anyone a "reason" for not attending, thanks.

Correct.

With regards to the game, a great win and justification for the team selection which admittedly made me nervous when I first saw it. Well done Tommy and team.

I may be out of line with other's' opinion, but I don't think the win justified the awful team selection. In my view, winning the lottery does not justify buying a ticket, it just means you got hugely lucky. This is why I have never bought a lottery ticket in my life.

.....winning the lottery doesn't justify buying a ticket ?, that one needs some explanation

[beechcroft]

Correct.

With regards to the game, a great win and justification for the team selection which admittedly made me nervous when I first saw it. Well done Tommy and team.

I may be out of line with other's' opinion, but I don't think the win justified the awful team selection. In my view, winning the lottery does not justify buying a ticket, it just means you got hugely lucky. This is why I have never bought a lottery ticket in my life.

.....winning the lottery doesn't justify buying a ticket ?, that one needs some explanation

I thought the same Les, that one flew over my head faster than the red arrows !!

[MickeyP]

Correct.

With regards to the game, a great win and justification for the team selection which admittedly made me nervous when I first saw it. Well done Tommy and team.

I may be out of line with other's' opinion, but I don't think the win justified the awful team selection. In my view, winning the lottery does not justify buying a ticket, it just means you got hugely lucky. This is why I have never bought a lottery ticket in my life.

.....winning the lottery doesn't justify buying a ticket ?, that one needs some explanation

Please no

[Peter macdonald]

Sadly 6600 x miles away and I couldn’t get a Cheap Day Return.

I think you have a valid reason but a lot of others haven’t

What makes that reason valid?

Obviously because he was 6600 miles away, not difficult to understand Tony

[Red-n-Blue]

Just for comparison, I wonder if we saw similar drops when Truss trashed the economy and put up mortgage rates by hundreds of pounds a month etc?

I'm no fan of the previous Government, or Liz Truss for that matter, but the Labour trope that she 'crashed the economy' has been roundly debunked by most credible economists. In short, she didn't.

Considering how many times Labour politicians have lied, both before the election and since, only a fool would blindly believe anything they say.

[Peter macdonald]

Sadly 6600 x miles away and I couldn’t get a Cheap Day Return.

I think you have a valid reason but a lot of others haven’t

It's only a game of football. We don't need to give anyone a "reason" for not attending, thanks.

Calm down, just saying Tim had a very good reason as a lot of other people but you do have others who can’t be bothered basically, even I can’t once or twice a season

[redblueuptoyou]

Just for comparison, I wonder if we saw similar drops when Truss trashed the economy and put up mortgage rates by hundreds of pounds a month etc?

I'm no fan of the previous Government, or Liz Truss for that matter, but the Labour trope that she 'crashed the economy' has been roundly debunked by most credible economists. In short, she didn't.

Considering how many times Labour politicians have lied, both before the election and since, only a fool would blindly believe anything they say.

My mortgage and the sharp increases in prices after would say differently. Plus plenty of economists also said she and Kwarteng did (not defending the current lot as they’re hardly covering themselves in glory and appear to have lied just as much as them all over the previous 13 years).

Back to the match now. Great finish from Josh!

[supershots]

I think you have a valid reason but a lot of others haven’t

What makes that reason valid?

Obviously because he was 6600 miles away, not difficult to understand Tony

Who is this Tony you keep on about?

[Old Bob]

Correct.

With regards to the game, a great win and justification for the team selection which admittedly made me nervous when I first saw it. Well done Tommy and team.

I may be out of line with other's' opinion, but I don't think the win justified the awful team selection. In my view, winning the lottery does not justify buying a ticket, it just means you got hugely lucky. This is why I have never bought a lottery ticket in my life.

.....winning the lottery doesn't justify buying a ticket ?, that one needs some explanation

Poorly worded on my part, Les. What I meant was the mere chance of winning the lottery does not (in my view) justify buying a ticket simply because the odds against are astronomical.
As a side comment, I have to admit that I am not much motivated by money. As long as I have enough for necessities like beer and football, I am content. So I find the lottery unattractive anyway. I seriously doubt that winning a vast sum ever made anyone truly happy.

[Old Bob]

Just for comparison, I wonder if we saw similar drops when Truss trashed the economy and put up mortgage rates by hundreds of pounds a month etc?

I'm no fan of the previous Government, or Liz Truss for that matter, but the Labour trope that she 'crashed the economy' has been roundly debunked by most credible economists. In short, she didn't.

Considering how many times Labour politicians have lied, both before the election and since, only a fool would blindly believe anything they say.

Can you point us to the sources where these credible economists say this?

While on the subject of credibility, your last sentence lacks much of it. Many politicians lie, a few don't. What differentiates the two is their personal integrity, not what party they belong to. Sorry if this doesn't accord with your political prejudices.

And yes, it was a cracking second goal from Josh

[Old Bob]

You are entitled to your view Bob but for me it was the right decision to make 5 changes. All of the players who started last night that didn't start at Rochdale - Ellison, Widdrington, Mullins, Corbett and Thomas - had good games and fully justified their inclusion. Football is a squad game these days and the fringe players need to be given opportunities to stake their claims.

Tommy may not have said it publicly but it was obvious that his priority is the FA Trophy with the glory and financial benefits that go with it. Aldershot are probably (and were before last night) safe from relegation, so it was important to rotate the squad. Yes, we could have lost and it took a while to get to grips with Fylde's attacking formation but the team weathered the early storm and got the goals to win the game. Marcus Dewhurst made a couple of good saves, as he has been doing all season, but that's why he is our keeper. Last night enhanced the claims of a few players too.

Why not enjoy the win and look forward to next Saturday instead of criticising the manager for something that didn't happen?

I did enjoy the win, Alan. Of course, I did. I especially enjoyed Levi's vastly improved second half performance after a very shaky start. His goal line clearance after Marcus was beaten was great and salvaged two points for us.

I was criticising the manager for something that did happen, namely making five changes. Or if you prefer, not taking one game at a time. I reckon if you look back at the history of games where the manager makes five changes ... and justifies it as "squad rotation" or "fielding a side good enough to win" ... a very high proportion of them result in losses. I just don’t think we should have made last night's game such a hostage to fortune.

[Charles Dickens]

You are entitled to your view Bob but for me it was the right decision to make 5 changes. All of the players who started last night that didn't start at Rochdale - Ellison, Widdrington, Mullins, Corbett and Thomas - had good games and fully justified their inclusion. Football is a squad game these days and the fringe players need to be given opportunities to stake their claims.

Tommy may not have said it publicly but it was obvious that his priority is the FA Trophy with the glory and financial benefits that go with it. Aldershot are probably (and were before last night) safe from relegation, so it was important to rotate the squad. Yes, we could have lost and it took a while to get to grips with Fylde's attacking formation but the team weathered the early storm and got the goals to win the game. Marcus Dewhurst made a couple of good saves, as he has been doing all season, but that's why he is our keeper. Last night enhanced the claims of a few players too.

Why not enjoy the win and look forward to next Saturday instead of criticising the manager for something that didn't happen?

I did enjoy the win, Alan. Of course, I did. I especially enjoyed Levi's vastly improved second half performance after a very shaky start. His goal line clearance after Marcus was beaten was great and salvaged two points for us.

I was criticising the manager for something that did happen, namely making five changes. Or if you prefer, not taking one game at a time. I reckon if you look back at the history of games where the manager makes five changes ... and justifies it as "squad rotation" or "fielding a side good enough to win" ... a very high proportion of them result in losses. I just don’t think we should have made last night's game such a hostage to fortune.

OB can you not just accept that the manager made the right decisions, thank goodness.I went home happy, so should you.

COYGS

[Josh]

You are entitled to your view Bob but for me it was the right decision to make 5 changes. All of the players who started last night that didn't start at Rochdale - Ellison, Widdrington, Mullins, Corbett and Thomas - had good games and fully justified their inclusion. Football is a squad game these days and the fringe players need to be given opportunities to stake their claims.

Tommy may not have said it publicly but it was obvious that his priority is the FA Trophy with the glory and financial benefits that go with it. Aldershot are probably (and were before last night) safe from relegation, so it was important to rotate the squad. Yes, we could have lost and it took a while to get to grips with Fylde's attacking formation but the team weathered the early storm and got the goals to win the game. Marcus Dewhurst made a couple of good saves, as he has been doing all season, but that's why he is our keeper. Last night enhanced the claims of a few players too.

Why not enjoy the win and look forward to next Saturday instead of criticising the manager for something that didn't happen?

I did enjoy the win, Alan. Of course, I did. I especially enjoyed Levi's vastly improved second half performance after a very shaky start. His goal line clearance after Marcus was beaten was great and salvaged two points for us.

I was criticising the manager for something that did happen, namely making five changes. Or if you prefer, not taking one game at a time. I reckon if you look back at the history of games where the manager makes five changes ... and justifies it as "squad rotation" or "fielding a side good enough to win" ... a very high proportion of them result in losses. I just don’t think we should have made last night's game such a hostage to fortune.

OB can you not just accept that the manager made the right decisions, thank goodness.I went home happy, so should you.

COYGS

Not sure the manager made the right decisions in regards to winning last night's match but possibly it gives us more chance of beating Woking if they feel fresher.

We were clinical by taking 2 out of 3 chances and Dewhurst was superb in goal.

Hopefully come Saturday 2.30 it will be a brilliant week.

[Alex]

I did enjoy the win, Alan. Of course, I did. I especially enjoyed Levi's vastly improved second half performance after a very shaky start. His goal line clearance after Marcus was beaten was great and salvaged two points for us.

I was criticising the manager for something that did happen, namely making five changes. Or if you prefer, not taking one game at a time. I reckon if you look back at the history of games where the manager makes five changes ... and justifies it as "squad rotation" or "fielding a side good enough to win" ... a very high proportion of them result in losses. I just don’t think we should have made last night's game such a hostage to fortune.

OB can you not just accept that the manager made the right decisions, thank goodness.I went home happy, so should you.

COYGS

We were clinical by taking 2 out of 3 chances and Dewhurst was superb in goal

We also played quite well after the first 10-15 minutes of each half!

[Old Bob]

You are entitled to your view Bob but for me it was the right decision to make 5 changes. All of the players who started last night that didn't start at Rochdale - Ellison, Widdrington, Mullins, Corbett and Thomas - had good games and fully justified their inclusion. Football is a squad game these days and the fringe players need to be given opportunities to stake their claims.

Tommy may not have said it publicly but it was obvious that his priority is the FA Trophy with the glory and financial benefits that go with it. Aldershot are probably (and were before last night) safe from relegation, so it was important to rotate the squad. Yes, we could have lost and it took a while to get to grips with Fylde's attacking formation but the team weathered the early storm and got the goals to win the game. Marcus Dewhurst made a couple of good saves, as he has been doing all season, but that's why he is our keeper. Last night enhanced the claims of a few players too.

Why not enjoy the win and look forward to next Saturday instead of criticising the manager for something that didn't happen?

I did enjoy the win, Alan. Of course, I did. I especially enjoyed Levi's vastly improved second half performance after a very shaky start. His goal line clearance after Marcus was beaten was great and salvaged two points for us.

I was criticising the manager for something that did happen, namely making five changes. Or if you prefer, not taking one game at a time. I reckon if you look back at the history of games where the manager makes five changes ... and justifies it as "squad rotation" or "fielding a side good enough to win" ... a very high proportion of them result in losses. I just don’t think we should have made last night's game such a hostage to fortune.

OB can you not just accept that the manager made the right decisions, thank goodness.I went home happy, so should you.

COYGS

But Chas, as I said to AlanB, I did go home happy. (Very happy, as we are now virtually certain to avoid any hint of relegation.) My point is that it could easily have been otherwise, and that is why I don't think TW made the right decision.

Like the entire rest of humanity, I am not blessed with hindsight. So I am not especially impressed with bad decisions that just happen to turn out right by good fortune.

I understand that others may think it was not so much good fortune as astute management. I find it hard to agree. I think I can spot good fortune when I see it ... our goalkeeper playing a blinder, Levi performing a miracle clearance, Fylde's forwards missing enough gilt-edged chances to win 2 or 3 matches, an exceptionally good referee who refused to be conned by Tyler Roberts' dive in the penalty area.