Aldershot Town FC

Craig Reid missed from three yards out for Shots
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Dons defeat 'does not damage Shots survival bid'

By Jon Couch
March 18, 2013

OPTIMISTIC Andy Scott remains confident his struggling Aldershot Town side will beat the drop despite slipping back into the bottom two following Saturday's crushing home defeat to League Two rivals AFC Wimbledon.

A catastrophic error by stand-in left back Aaron Morris 18 minutes from time gift-wrapped a winner for Jack Midson, who coolly subjected the Shots to a potentially-damaging second home defeat in the space of four days.

They are now one of five teams gathered at the foot of the table on 40 points with just goal difference separating Scott's side from rock-bottom Accrington Stanley.

Next up is a daunting trip to title-chasing Port Vale on Saturday (March 23), but Scott remains confident his side can bounce back from a week to forget.

"It doesn't change anything, we still need a certain amount of points to stay up," Scott said.

"Just because Wimbledon, who are just above us, beat us, it doesn't change the fact that we've got to get the points, it's just another game less that we've got to get them in.

"We've got to concentrate on ourselves. If we get enough points we'll be out of the bottom two. We've got to stay strong as a group, we've shown we are capable of doing it.

"Everyone's down, of course, if people were coming in spinning cartwheels and happy at the fact that we've lost then we've got a big problem, but we haven't. Everyone knows we should've got something out of the game, but we'll come in Monday and be positive.

"We haven't got time to mope about and sulk, we've got to look towards Port Vale and the busy Easter period ahead."

Scott's mood was not helped either by striker Craig Reid, who spurned a golden opportunity to put the Shots in front in the first half but somehow missed with the goal at his mercy from three yards out.

"It was probably the chance of the season to be honest," the boss summed up. "How it didn't go in I just do not know."

Dons keeper John Sullivan did his best to delight the 1,191 visiting fans by twice denying Lionel Ainsworth either side of the break, first tipping an effort over the bar and then turning his shot from a tight angle on the right onto the outside of the post

But just when it looked like the Shots would seize control, disaster struck. Goalkeeper Jamie Young palmed away Wimbledon's only effort of the match, from Harry Pell, Morris' wretched clearance went straight to Kevin Saint-Luce, and the ball fell to Midson who beat Young with a delightful chip from 15 yards into the far corner.

"It was a typical game between two sides that didn't want to lose and a mistake was always going to be costly," Scott added.

"It's a nil-nil game, Jamie [Young] only had one shot to deal with but mistakes cost us at this level. It's an individual mistake that you can't legislate for and when you're up against it things like that really hurt you.

"Aaron's held his hand up, he's been fantastic for us, playing left-back, it's an unusual position for him."

ALDERSHOT: Young, Herd, A Morris, Forbes, Bradley, Risser (Cadogan 77), Rose, Hall, Ainsworth (Mekki 59), McCallum (Goulding 46), Reid. Subs: Lancashire, Vincenti, Mekki, Stanley, G Morris.

Ref: Paul Tierney. Att: 3,699 (1,191).

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