Aldershot Town 2-1 Woking - FA Trophy Semi-Final - Saturday 5th April 2025 (Match Day Thread)

[brian bloomfield]

Marcus there are worse things that can happen in this world. I understand where your coming from and have some of those same feelings.
However I'm going to Wembley and hope you will to.

[Fuggletim]

I can well see a time in the near future when this game will be played without away fans present.

I can’t see that. If crowd issues are a concern, what about the Glasgow, Liverpool and Southampton/Portsmouth Derbies to name a few? They are not exactly polite and restrained affairs either.

Reading Marcus’s post all I will say is that cheating is endemic. You have only to look at Ronaldo to see a great player, but also as much a great cheat. Whether Widdrington cheated or not (and I don’t condone cheating) he isn’t the first and will not be the last by a long, long way.

I would contend that the seemed dislike of Widdrington is not a lot different to that of Andy Needham in the late 1970s, but there wasn’t the social media to keep the negativity going at the level it is.

[beechcroft]

The only person who really knows if he intended to hit Theo is Beautyman. The only person who knows if what contact there was really hurt is Theo. The referee saw what he saw and deemed it to be a red card offence.

It doesn't tarnish it for me, nor do I feel any sympathy for Woking. You can look down the years at games involving us and ask questions and see what answer you get;

Were Woking assisting us with an appeal when Stokes was seemingly wrongly sent off Vs them last season and missed the West Brom game?

Did Hednesford offer to replay the 2nd leg of our Trophy semi final against them after Adam Miller was wrongly sent off?

And nobody knows for sure how any of those decisions would have affected those games, or subsequent games.

The Woking management and fans lose a lot of credibility in their claims when they start questioning the two penalties that we were awarded. Clear penalties both.

As for the scenes at the end, I do sympathise there with Woking, because actually I heard many of our long standing fans say that their enjoyment was spoilt by those invading the pitch (even once full time was confirmed). Especially as it denied those that were able to remain in the stands the opportunity to see the players do a lap of honour and the fans the chance to sing/clap their appreciation. What makes it all the more disappointing is that most who ran on went straight towards goading the Woking fans, rather than to celebrate with our players in front of the north stand. I'd imagine most that did are not regulars, probably not even regulars at what many of those that are would call "big games", for example beating Braintree when Gary Waddock was in charge to qualify for the playoffs.

I was absolutely overcome at the end of the game as you know Jason, but it does tarnish it for me knowing that the day we finally got to Wembley we did it by cheating. I am seriously questioning whether I want to go and seriously questioning whether I'm even an Aldershot fan anymore.

Lower / non-league football is brilliant. The players get to play the part of heroes, but really they are normal people and completely grounded. There's a real feeling that they and the fans are part of the same group or community, that we are all together in a way that doesn't happen in the Premier League where even the young squad players are millionaires.

When one of our players isn't a hero; when he doesn't get in the team on merit but plays anyway; when he deliberately cheats by pretending to be hurt; when his relationship with the fans is so bad that he runs over to curse at them - it breaks the spell, it ruins the story. For me anyway. I was so happy on Saturday because Theo had proved me wrong and played really well and his emotion at the end was evident. Then we all see what he did. Aldershot have had crap players before, even really crap players, but never such an unlikeable player.

Theo went down cos he got hit, just like most players have done and still will do.!
I don't blame Theo at all,the blame is firmly on the so called Woeking player who raised his arm and or elbow and aimed it at Theo who was definitely caught,The ref saw it and rightly sent him off. If the player had not done this then non of this would have happened!
100% down to the Woeking player !!
Not a Theo fan, but we'll done for what every Woeking player would have done !

[Jason]

The only person who really knows if he intended to hit Theo is Beautyman. The only person who knows if what contact there was really hurt is Theo. The referee saw what he saw and deemed it to be a red card offence.

It doesn't tarnish it for me, nor do I feel any sympathy for Woking. You can look down the years at games involving us and ask questions and see what answer you get;

Were Woking assisting us with an appeal when Stokes was seemingly wrongly sent off Vs them last season and missed the West Brom game?

Did Hednesford offer to replay the 2nd leg of our Trophy semi final against them after Adam Miller was wrongly sent off?

And nobody knows for sure how any of those decisions would have affected those games, or subsequent games.

The Woking management and fans lose a lot of credibility in their claims when they start questioning the two penalties that we were awarded. Clear penalties both.

As for the scenes at the end, I do sympathise there with Woking, because actually I heard many of our long standing fans say that their enjoyment was spoilt by those invading the pitch (even once full time was confirmed). Especially as it denied those that were able to remain in the stands the opportunity to see the players do a lap of honour and the fans the chance to sing/clap their appreciation. What makes it all the more disappointing is that most who ran on went straight towards goading the Woking fans, rather than to celebrate with our players in front of the north stand. I'd imagine most that did are not regulars, probably not even regulars at what many of those that are would call "big games", for example beating Braintree when Gary Waddock was in charge to qualify for the playoffs.

I was absolutely overcome at the end of the game as you know Jason, but it does tarnish it for me knowing that the day we finally got to Wembley we did it by cheating. I am seriously questioning whether I want to go and seriously questioning whether I'm even an Aldershot fan anymore.

Lower / non-league football is brilliant. The players get to play the part of heroes, but really they are normal people and completely grounded. There's a real feeling that they and the fans are part of the same group or community, that we are all together in a way that doesn't happen in the Premier League where even the young squad players are millionaires.

When one of our players isn't a hero; when he doesn't get in the team on merit but plays anyway; when he deliberately cheats by pretending to be hurt; when his relationship with the fans is so bad that he runs over to curse at them - it breaks the spell, it ruins the story. For me anyway. I was so happy on Saturday because Theo had proved me wrong and played really well and his emotion at the end was evident. Then we all see what he did. Aldershot have had crap players before, even really crap players, but never such an unlikeable player.

Marcus, I do hope you will go to Wembley. As is often said, the fans are the club and no one player is bigger than the club. Even with your distaste of Theo, don't let it ruin your opportunity.

I am as big a critic of Theo as anyone else. He did play ok on Saturday, but as I have stated previously he is nowhere near the standard in general and isn't here on merit. I do find that very frustrating and it takes some gloss off of Tommy's achievements with us, because sometimes I find myself questioning what else we could have achieved had we not wasted some of our budget both on wages and on a fee.

However, even with the red card being rescinded, that doesn't necessarily mean that Theo cheated. He may genuinely have taken a "bump" and often in that situation a player would be told to go down, even if not trying to cheat, but to stop the corner from being taken until they get themselves together. I am not saying this is what happened, I don't know, only Theo knows that.

I still don't think you can say that's the reason we got to Wembley, just like Hednesford didn't only get to Villa Park because Adam Miller was sent off.

[Aldershot]

BBC Radio Surrey Commentary - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S262MvSudPI

[chimpster99]

Credit to Kingfield Ender for once again taking the time to come on this board and be the voice of reason from the Woking side.

For me Theo got hit by Beautyman (a clear red from the ref's perspective) and went down as a result, but immediately realised he was ok and chose to stay down to force the ref's hand. The grinning, though funny to a certain section of the public, was a bit dim and sets him up as a target. I wouldn't be at all suprrised if he suffers 'a bit of knock' late in the game v Sutton next Friday. Daddy won't want to put his chances of a Wembley appearance at risk.

It's unfortunate that the incident will result in him being seen as a bit of a legend by some fans, and probably getting a new contract without much criticism. Credit to him for his recent improved form, but overall he's not up to NL standard and has been embarrassingly poor for much of this season.

[Old Bob]

I would also like to see 5 minute off pitch medical assessment for players who stay on the ground for more than a specified amount of time. That would stop the play acting at a stroke.

Bad idea. As I have said on here before, beware simplistic "solutions" that almost always have unintended consequences.

The very obvious consequence of this idea is that players who actually were unfit to play on would try to continue, so as to avoid disadvantaging their team. This could have serious effects for them.

[Fuggletim]

Saw an interesting bit of refereeing in Scotland about 30 x years ago. Heart of Midlothian were playing Atletico Madrid and every challenge, however insignificant, left one of their players writhing in “agony.”

The Referee just got fed up and started just letting the “injured” player to lay there until they decided it was time to get up and just played on.

[Aldershot]

I Went Pitchside at Non Leagues Fiercest Rivalry
YouTube User: HiccupEU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMZcMvNRd8c

[beechcroft]

I Went Pitchside at Non Leagues Fiercest Rivalry
YouTube User: HiccupEU
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BMZcMvNRd8c

This was posted a few days ago.

[sgibbs]

Highlights :- https://www.theshots.co.uk/shots-tv/mat ... fa-trophy/

Great commentary especially when the match finished and Steve Gibbs was heard to be in tears and Rob Worrall said to Steve "Pull yourself together man".

Was that not Steve having a word with himself?

Sorry, have only just seen this. Can (unfortunately) confirm that it was me trying to give myself a talking to.

[Brianb]

The red card being rescinded says it all, Theo cheated and spoilt the game for me. Don't want him his dad or the chairman at our club. Shahid has had enough time to make improvements and we need someone else to come in if we are to progress.

[CH]

The lack of another camera angle has certainly aided Woking and Beautyman. I'm not saying Theo didn't go down easy, but Harry's arm was 100% up and across Theo, which is a bit silly. I honestly think he's tried to shrug Theo away, as a lot of players do, but left himself open to the refs interpretation.

I have no issue with it being rescinded but Woking were hardly cheated out of it by a bent ref. He saw what he saw and acted on it in the moment. If Beautyman had kept his arm down, we wouldn't have anything to discuss

[brian bloomfield]

The red card being rescinded says it all, Theo cheated and spoilt the game for me. Don't want him his dad or the chairman at our club. Shahid has had enough time to make improvements and we need someone else to come in if we are to progress.

Join the extremely short queue of people willing to take the club on and just make sure you have at least £3,000,000 to wrestle control, pay off debts and invest in the club to kick on. And then another 500k the following season etc etc. ad nauseam.

[Harlow Massive]

The red card being rescinded says it all, Theo cheated and spoilt the game for me. Don't want him his dad or the chairman at our club. Shahid has had enough time to make improvements and we need someone else to come in if we are to progress.

Join the extremely short queue of people willing to take the club on and just make sure you have at least £3,000,000 to wrestle control, pay off debts and invest in the club to kick on. And then another 500k the following season etc etc. ad nauseam.

Brian, are you responding to yourself???