Aldershot Town FC

Holdsworth struggling to Cobble together a side

By Jon Couch
December 20, 2012

ALDERSHOT Town boss Dean Holdsworth has been handed a pre-Christmas headache ahead of Saturday’s trip to Northampton Town (ko 2pm).

Holdsworth has no fewer than three first-team regulars suspended for the clash at Sixfields – while Ben Herd’s absence leaves the boss without a captain and a recognised right back.

Herd will miss the next three matches over the Christmas period after being sent off in stoppage time against Rochdale on Saturday.

And he will be joined in the stands by fellow defender Troy Brown and in-form Peter Vincenti who both picked up their fifth bookings of the season in the 4-2 victory.

“We are going to need some heroes on Saturday.” boss Holdsworth admitted. “I’ve got one or two options at right back, but losing Ben is a real blow.

“With him, Troy, Peter and Josh Payne, I’ve lost four players in a week so we are going to really have to dig deep.

“That said, we’ve only lost two out of the last 11 [games] at the moment and we’ve already shown that we have the spirit in the squad to see us through when the chips are down.”

Holdsworth is expected to either draft Aaron Morris or Michael Hector into the right-back slot with Rob Sinclair or Doug Bergqvist standing by for a rare start.

The good news for Holdsworth is that Northampton also have problems with big target man Adebayo Akinfenwa, who destroyed the Shots in a 3-1 win at Sixfields last season, also suspended for accumulating five bookings.

Former Shots Ben Harding, Anthony Charles and possibly even Luke Guttridge could face their old club.

Meanwhile, Aldershot will face League Two rivals Rotherham United at home in the third round of the FA Cup after Steve Evans’ Millers shocked League One Notts County 3-0 away in their second-round replay on Tuesday night.

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