John Grant in action
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Football: Grant is the Bees Knees
By Charlie OliverDecember 23, 2009
Aldershot Town 4 Barnet 0
ON the second day of Christmas, Aldershot gave their fans three points, courtesy of four goals, in doing so lifting the side up to fifth in the table; not bad for a side thrashed 6-1 at mid-table Burton Albion in their last outing.
Kevin Dillon's side have now won four of their last five League Two matches and here, at last, they delivered a sparkling performance at home, to send a raucous Rec crowd home happy. Dillon, ever the pragmatist, was no doubt delighted by the clean sheet, so soon after the Burton debacle, but he must have been satisfied too with the clinical attacking that Barnet were ripped apart in the second half.
“There seemed to be quite an adverse reaction to that Burton game,” said Gary Owers, Dillon’s assistant. “But we have now won four games out of five and the players are in terrific form. We looked very fit and stronger the longer the game went on. Credit to the players – and the manager, for the impact he has made since coming here.
“We didn’t see the Burton result coming but we have moved on and dealt with it. It is well and truly in the past. We build on being tight at the back and we have got back to that. We have had a great day.”
Granted, Barnet are no great shakes, to put it kindly, especially on the road, but this was, once John Grant had bundled them ahead, an excellent display from the Shots, with two glorious finishes in the second half into the bargain.
Grant scored one of those too, curling home the decisive second goal with the aplomb of the confident Conference striker Aldershot fans once knew so well. That these were Grant’s only goals of 2009 at the Rec says it all about his year but he remains popular with most Aldershot fans and has now scored three goals in two games. Marvin Morgan, who is injured, will struggle to get back into the team if Grant is finally proving that he can score consistently in the Football League.
The only disappointment for Grant was that he had been substituted by the time Adam Hinshelwood was pushed over in the area, with 13 minutes remaining. Grant, deprived of a hat-trick chance, watched from the bench as Scott Donnelly scored from the spot.
In between Grant and Donnelly’s goals, the outstanding Andy Sandell had curled home an exquisite freekick.
Stuart Pearce would have been proud of that powerful, swerving shot and Sandell is fast becoming Aldershot's very own 'psycho'. His commitment at left-back blunted the threat of the jewel in Barnet's crown, Albert Adomah. Ben Herd, on the other flank, also did well to subdue the lively Jannick Bolasie.
Inside, Dillon had restored Lewis Chalmers to midfield. He, on his 100th appearance for the Shots, was their best player in a scrappy opening half an hour, in which the Bees were the stronger side, if more due to their combative approach than any impressive football.
But they had a weak link in left-back Kenny Gillet and the Shots' Marlon Jackson exposed it. Gillet was very fortunate not to concede an early penalty for a blatant handball and then, in the 36th minute, Jackson's turn and sprint were far too quick for him.
Grant - or possibly Barnet defender Ismail Yakubu - bundled the ball into the net. Grant quickly accepted his team-mates’ acclaim and he was a man transformed after that fillip of finally scoring again at home. His last home goal was as long ago as November 2008.
Only a poor refereeing decision denied Grant a clear run on goal before the break and then, into the second half, he cut inside from the left and curled a low shot around Jake Cole and into the corner. An incisive passing move involving Hinshelwood, recalled in place of the suspended Anthony Charles, Jackson and Louie Soares had set up Grant, to prove that Aldershot can build from the back under Dillon.
“The first goal was a great centre forward’s goal and the second was a cool finish,” said Owers. “John held the ball up well and closed their defenders down, too, and he was the catalyst for our performance.”
While Grant took deserved plaudits, it was teenager Jackson's pace that so unsettled Barnet and he also helped earn the freekick that Sandell bent home, in the 65th minute.
“Marlon did very, very well today,” said Owers. “It was apparent early on today that he could run past the fullback at will. He kept doing that. He has added to our team and it’s good that we have him for another month on loan from Bristol City.”
Twelve minutes later, it became a rout, after a clear push on Hinshelwood. Donnelly stroked home the penalty for his eighth league goal of the season.
It could have been more; substitute Ben Harding forced a good save from Cole and Danny Hylton, also introduced late on, missed one good chance and then hit the post with a much harder one.
Far tougher opponents than Barnet are due at the Rec early in 2010 but this was an emphatic victory that is encouraging for the challenges ahead. A home record of seven wins and three draws from 11 matches is highly impressive; if Aldershot can maintain such home comforts in the second half of the season then 2010 will be an exciting year.
“We want to be playing our football in the top seven,” said Owers. “That is where we should be aiming.”
Aldershot are already there – now, unlike the second half of last season, they must prove that they can stay.
Aldershot Town: Jaimez-Ruiz, Herd, Sandell, Blackburn, Hinshelwood, Chalmers (Harding 68), Soares (Bozanic 72), Donnelly, Grant (Hylton 75), Jackson, Straker. Not used: Masters, Winfield, Casey, Connolly.
Barnet: Cole, Devera, Gillet, Hughes, Yakubu, Adomah (Jarrett 60), O’Flynn (McAllister 65), Bolasie, Tabiri (Sinclair 70), Furlong, Butcher. Not used: Carpenter, Deverdics, Leach, Deen.
THE Shots’ League Two match away to Hereford United was postponed on Monday morning, due to a frozen pitch at Edgar Street.
Results later in the day pushed Dillon’s men down to sixth in the table.
With the home match to Bradford called off by snow before Christmas and no game on Saturday (January 2) – the game at Accrington Stanley was postponed when Stanley progressed to the FA Cup 3rd Round – Aldershot will have played just one game, against Barnet, between the defeat at Burton on December 12 and the visit of leaders Rochdale on January 9 (all five of the teams above the Shots in the table are yet to visit the Rec this season). So much for a busy festive football calendar.
The Bradford game will now be played at the Rec on Tuesday January 12, while the game at Accrington has been re-arranged for Tuesday January 26. No new date has yet been set for the game at Hereford.
January 4 2010
ALDERSHOT fans feared that erstwhile manager Gary Waddock would come shopping from League One strugglers Wycombe Wanderers in the January transfer window – but if Adam Hinshelwood proves to be his only purchase, they will be content enough.
Granted, Hinshelwood was the club captain and put in some excellent performances at the back for the Shots, after being snapped up by Waddock in the summer, following his release from Brighton & Hove Albion.
But the centre-back, who turns 26 this week, also struggled with injury. He has a history of knee problems and niggles ensured that he only started 15 games for Aldershot and limped off in four. He suffered the same fate on his debut for Wycombe last Saturday, in their defeat to Norwich.
Hinshelwood’s last match for Aldershot was a satisfying one, the 4-0 defeat of Barnet on Boxing Day. But he had only returned to the team in place of the suspended Anthony Charles – and Kevin Dillon made it clear that he did not regard Hinshelwood as a first-choice pick, while Charles and Chris Blackburn the established pair.
“Due to the strength that we have in central defence I could not guarantee Adam a starting place,” said Dillon.
"Since I have been at the club he has been terrific. He was unfortunate to sustain an injury and lose his place and I wish Adam all the best. It’s a good move for both parties.
“It has freed up Dave Winfield a bit, too. He was a bit down when I didn’t pick him against Barnet but he’s a good young player and now he knows he’s next in line.”
Hinshelwood said he leaves Aldershot with fond memories and added: “I hope that they can go on and get promoted. But this is a good opportunity for me and it is a real challenge to try to help keep Wycombe in League One."
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