Dorking Wanderers v Aldershot Town
Vanarama National League Saturday 28th October 3pm KO Dorking return to Meadowbank this weekend, hosting 7th placed Aldershot as they look to end a recently barren run of form on home turf, Marc White’s side without a win at home since mid-September.
Wanderers vastly contrasting away form was given a serious test at promotion chasing Bromley in the week, a performance which White described as “brilliant” ultimately concluded in heartbreaking fashion, as Corey Whitely’s strike with 95 minutes on the clock snatched all three points for The Ravens. Confessing after the defeat that Andy Woodman’s side “were always going to be difficult to break down”, White gleefully watched his side start the match on the front foot and take the lead no less than six minutes in, Tom Blair the beneficiary of a wayward back pass from Josh Passley, as he raced through and slotted his third goal in Wanderers colours underneath Grant Smith. However, the Wanderers lead was short-lived, with a quarter of an hour played the hosts found themselves back on level terms after Deji Elewere powerfully met Bromley’s first corner of the day, heading home and leaving Harrison Male with no chance. A resolute Wanderers performance followed, defending well and limiting the hosts to few chances and keeping the ball well when in possession, post-match, White stated that his side “executed the game plan well” and deemed the display “worthy of at least a point”. With shades of Rochdale’s smash and grab visit to Meadowbank last month (in which Blair incidentally also opened the scoring), Whitely’s long range effort with seconds to play submitted the travelling Dorking side to a familiar unjust feeling, as they again appear to fall victim to an imbalance of performance and result. Looking ahead to Saturday, The Shots travel across from Hampshire on the back of three straight wins in the league, resulting in them assuming their position in the play-off places. In front of what is expected to be a sell-out Meadowbank crowd, Wanderers will be looking to regain some confidence after four straight defeats in all competitions, and may take solace in Aldershot boasting the second-worst defensive record in the top half of the table.
Team News In what seems to be an ever-revolving injury list, Tom Blair is the latest Wanderer to face a spell on the sidelines following his injury on Tuesday night, the winger had to receive treatment and was eventually replaced for Bobby Joe-Taylor, following a foul which Marc White deemed to be worthy of a red card. Blair is set to face 2-3 weeks out of action. Other repercussions from the midweek fixture include George Francomb picking up a knock and likely to miss out this weekend, whilst Josh Taylor certainly will do after collecting his fifth caution of the season and therefore earning a one-match ban. On a brighter note, Niall McManus and Barry Fuller were both given their first minutes after lengthy spells out against Bromley, a welcome return for the experienced duo who provide additional cover in a stretched Wanderers squad. Jason Prior missed out on Tuesday but is likely to be back in contention this weekend. Given the number of injuries and how currently stretched the squad is, ahead of this Saturday's fixture Jimmy Muitt has been recalled from his loan at Bognor Regis Town, and Academy striker Ollie Rawlins, joint top-scorer for the Wanderers B team this season and regular in the National League Academy and FA Youth Cup squad's, has also been called up to the first team squad.
Speaking live from training on Thursday afternoon, Marc White revealed that James McShane and Seb Bowerman are back in “light training” as their returns near, and the manager confirmed Alfie Rutherford is set to return from his loan at Bognor Regis Town next week.
Opposition Focus: The Shots Now in their 10th season in the National League, The Shots are on the hunt for a first play-off place finish since 2018; Tommy Widdrington’s side have begun the campaign in fine form following last seasons relegation scare. Incidentally, the club have only recorded two top half finishes in the division since their relegation from the Football League in 2013, but both have resulted in The Shots making the play-offs, losing out in the semi-finals on back-to-back occasions in 2017 and 2018. This unusual record may bode well for Widdrington and his men, as they head to Surrey in play-off form, remaining unbeaten in their last eight outings in all competitions, averaging two goals a game along the way. Among a host of incomings at The EBB over the summer, none have had a greater impact than their two top scorers this season. Wanderers will need to be watchful of midfielder Josh Stokes on Saturday, the 19-year-old is The Shots top scorer this campaign with eight goals, after arriving from Isthmian League North side AFC Sudbury in the summer. Continuing the trend of young, exciting talent, Aldershot recruited Brighton under-21 forward Lorent Tolaj in the summer, who has found the net seven times this campaign himself, two of which came in The Shots most recent win at home to Maidenhead United where Widdrington’s men came from two goals down to win 4-2. Last Time We Met The two sides meet again at Meadowbank on coincidentally the exact same game week as they did last year, where Aldershot, with Wanderers current Head Coach Ross McNeilly at the helm, made it three wins in a row with a comfortable 3-0 win in front of a large travelling Aldershot faithful. Inih Effiong opened the scoring ten minutes before halftime after getting on the end of Justin Amaluzor’s cross, before Tyler Cordner flicked home his side's second on the hour mark. Tommy Willard’s stoppage time goal compiled the misery for Marc White and his side, who at the time had only picked up one win from their previous five. Dom Bleackley Matchday Info Tickets
PLEASE NOTE THIS FIXTURE IS AN ALL TICKET MATCH! Tickets are priced at Adults £18, Cons £16, U18s £9 & U8s £5 and can only be purchased in advance online!
Our family ticket returns for 23/24 with two adults and two children able to watch the Wanderers take on The Shots for just £45!
Secure your tickets online below: https://dorkingwanderersfc.ktckts.com/event/g9/aldershot-town
Matchday Programme
The printed programme remains in play for 23/24, available at the merchandise and food outlets on Saturday priced at £3!
Join Us In The FanZone & THE BRAND NEW BAR @ THE BANK!
The FanZone will be open from 1pm on Saturday afternoon, as will be the brand new Bar @ The Bank! Join us for a drink and soak up the atmosphere before kick off!
Match Updates
Not able to to get to Meadowbank?
LIVE COMMENTARY: Tom Rogers has got you covered with live commentary of the game via Mixlr! Stayed tuned to our social media channels for more information.
LIVE UPDATES: We will be providing action and score updates throughout the evening via Twitter, give us a follow us @DorkingWDRS
Visiting Fans Information
All the info on getting to Meadowbank, where to grab a pre-match drink beforehand and much more... https://www.dorkingwanderers.com/visiting-supporters