Sport

Waddock on the attack as he stands by his players

By Charlie Oliver
October 16, 2008

IT’S derby day at The Rec on Saturday.

Well, as close as there is to such a thing in League Two, with high-flying Brentford the visitors, from 30 miles or so to the north-east of Aldershot.

The Shots are unbeaten at home in League Two and, indeed, have lost just once at home in league competition since August 2007.

Brentford are third in League Two and have not lost in the league since the opening day, when they were beaten 1-0 at Bury.

So, the scene is set for two powerful sides to do battle, in front of what is expected to be close to a capacity crowd.

Aldershot manager Gary Waddock is certainly looking forward to the test.

“You cannot ask for a better game than playing a big club like Brentford, in front of a big crowd,” he said.

Waddock has watched Brentford twice in the last ten days, first at Luton in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy and then at Notts County in Monday night’s 1-1 League Two draw.

That game was live on television but Waddock still made the trip up to Nottingham.

“I didn’t just sit in my living room and watch the game,” he said. “You can see so much more — everything — when you are live at a game.

“I know Brentford well and they are a good side, who have made a good start. We know they are going to be a handful — but so are we.”

Waddock’s side has been criticised in some quarters after recent games, in which a cavalier approach has seen seven goals conceded in a 3-3 draw with Bury — The Shots came from 3-0 down to preserve their home record — and last Saturday’s 4-2 defeat at Macclesfield, where four goals were shipped in the second half.

But the manager is not for changing and insisted that he will not compromise his attacking philosophy. Moreover, he is adamant that his squad is good enough to cope with life in League Two and that the players have earned the right to learn their trade in the Football League, after winning promotion from the Conference last season.

It’s not as if The Shots are doing badly, either. Tenth place and 14 points from ten games is a more than encouraging return to the Football League.

“We were all bitterly disappointed with what happened at Macclesfield but we won’t dwell on that, just as we never dwell on victories,” said Waddock.

“We will bounce back. There is no case of panic stations or anything like that. Everyone seems to think that we are going through a period of disappointment but I don’t see a major problem.

“We lose at the death at Notts County, pick up a fantastic point against Bury and then lose at Macclesfield and there’s doom and gloom. I’m not sure about that at all.”

Waddock admits that ‘it would be nice’ to win a game 1-0 and keep a clean sheet but points out that Aldershot’s title triumph last season was hardly built on a mean defence.

“We live dangerously at times, that’s the way we play. And that means we score late goals and let them in too. We certainly do need to tighten up in one or two areas but there is no need for drastic changes.

“We have a really good group of players but many of them are learning at this level. They need a little bit of time to adjust to stepping up a level and we have been punished at times. But these players have earned the right to be at this level.”

That is not to say that Waddock won’t be considering changes for Brentford.

At the back, however, his hands are largely tied. Rhys Day and Dave Winfield are out and neither Junior Osborne nor Anthony Straker were fit enough to play for the Reserves in Tuesday afternoon’s 2-0 defeat at home to Southampton.

If Osborne is fit by Saturday, then he will come in at right back but, otherwise, Louie Soares will probably have to remain out of position.

Ricky Newman may possibly come in to central defence against his former club; his ageing legs may not be a match for Anthony Charles and Chris Blackburn, but his experience and leadership qualities are strong. Blackburn has, before he joined Aldershot, played as a right back, so that is another possible change.

Waddock has demanded more leadership on the pitch from his players but says that it is not something that will change overnight.

“You can’t work on leadership too much, it’s within the person and we’ve just got to coax it out of them, if possible,” he said.

“It can be very hard with young players but we want them to give information on the field of play. It comes with experience.

“It’s the same with adapting to situations within games. In this last three-game period, the players will be learning. Three games without a win has rarely happened to this squad and when you lose a couple of games, you learn.

“Martin Kuhl and I will learn a lot about our players this week by seeing how they are reacting to this run of games.”

In midfield, Ben Harding is struggling to reach the heights of last season but Scott Donnelly, a possible replacement, had a quiet game in the Reserves’ match against Southampton. Moreover, Harding's in-swinging delivery from wide on the right remains one of Aldershot's key parts to their set-piece armoury, even if he is lacking fluency in open play.

Up front, Waddock must decide who to pair from five fit strikers.

Danny Hylton, with two goals from his first two Football League starts, will surely get the nod but Rob Elvins, who was quiet at Macclesfield, cannot be so sure about his role.

John Grant, Marvin Morgan and Junior Mendes all played against Southampton. While Grant played well with Hylton last season, Morgan and Mendes, who was lively out wide on the left, were the more impressive two for the Reserves.

Waddock may yet give Elvins another start, if he believes players deserve a run in the team.

“It’s a case of me making my mind up,” said Waddock. “I have to pick a side that I feel will go out there and win the game.

“After the guys played up front for the Reserves, I know that, whoever gets the call on Saturday, are ready and match fit.

“Some players will have a run in the side, others will have a shorter period. It depends on how they do.”

As for Brentford, they are expected to be unchanged from the 1-1 draw at County, in which they faded after taking the lead and might easily have seen their unbeaten run ended.

While Aldershot have conceded 18 goals in ten games, Brentford have let in just four, with Alan Bennett, on loan from Reading and Jamie Wilson, on loan from Bristol City, the cornerstones.

Charlie MacDonald is a hard-working centre-forward, well-known to Aldershot fans from his days at Gravesend, while Glenn Poole is a danger down the left.

John Halls is one of Brentford’s most talented players and a danger as an attacking right back. But County’s Miles Weston showed on Monday that his defensive qualities can be exposed by pace.

Overall, Andy Scott’s side have won two, drawn two and lost one away from home and have just three goals to their credit.

So, their cautious approach is likely to be in stark contrast to Aldershot’s.

“I want us to be a hard-working side but I also want the players to play with a smile on their faces. I want them to relax and enjoy their football,” said Waddock.

“The players have to be able to enjoy football and express themselves. We’ve leaked one or two goals recently but we’ve done that for 14 months.

“We know what we are about and we don't have the players to change. I didn’t want a boring team, that just sits deep. I want an attacking side, who entertain, and give the crowd something to shout about — and they have done that and will continue to do so.”

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