Aldershot Town FC

Ben Herd celebrates the winning penalty
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Holdsworth heaps praise on Shots second string

By Jon Couch
September 06, 2012

Exeter City 0-0 Aldershot Town (Aldershot win 4-3 on pens)

DEAN HOLDSWORTH heaped praise on match-winning goalkeeper Glenn Morris after his two penalty shoot-out saves steered the Shots into the second round of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.

Second string Morris, 28, who joined the club on a six-month deal from Portsmouth last month, made crucial saves from Exeter pair Jordan Moore-Taylor and Steve Tully after the match had ended goalless after 90 minutes.

Captain Ben Herd then stepped up to smash home the winning spot kick and restore much-needed confidence to a side left wounded by three straight league defeats.

“I’m delighted for Glenn Morris,” Holdsworth told the News & Mail. “Keeping Jamie Young out of harm’s way for Saturday was important to me and Glenn has trained very well and is keen to do well.

“We all had every faith in him. He’s a good young goalkeeper.”

And Holdsworth was delighted with the all-round display at St James’ Park on Tuesday night and hopes his side can take that into their next trip out west, to Bristol Rovers tomorrow.

“It was great to get back to winning ways and it’s given the players and the staff, who have all worked so hard over the last few weeks, a much-needed lift.

“It was another long distance and a tough game against good players, yet we played extremely well for long spells, passing the ball very well, especially in the first half.

“The lads needed a performance and a result and getting through to the next round is a big boost to the club, for financial reasons also.”

Aldershot’s best chance of winning the game in the regulation 90 minutes fell to centre defender Sonny Bradley in the closing stages but he could only direct his close-range effort straight at Exeter goalkeeper Artur Krysiak.

At the other end, Exeter did have the ball in the Aldershot net but Scot Bennett’s effort was disallowed for a foul on Troy Brown, while Morris did well to keep out an effort from Liam Sercombe.

However, the result came at a cost for the Shots, who saw Brown limp off with a calf strain after half an hour and he is rated at only 50/50 for the Bristol Rovers trip, along with left-back Anthony Tonkin, who picked up a slight knock in the 4-1 defeat at Fleetwood Town on Saturday.

Mark McGhee's Rovers, many people fancies for honours this season, have made a stuttering start to the new campaign with one draw and two defeats to show from their opening three matches, while also going down to a 3-0 home defeat by West Country rivals Yeovil in the JPT on Tuesday night.

But in strikers Matt Harrold, Eliot Richards and David Clarkson, Holdsworth is taking nothing for granted.

"They are suffering with a bit of confidence themselves a bit at the moment but they have some good players and this will be a tough game for us.

"But Tuesday night was a bit confidence boost for us and hopefully now it can start us off."

SHOTS: G Morris, Herd, Lancashire, Bradley, Anderson, A Morris, Brown (Rankine 30), Vincenti, Mekki (Branston 88), Roberts (Rodman 77), Reid. Not used: Young, Madjo,

Ref: B Malone. Att: 1,944 (71 A’shot).

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