SOME Aldershot players are still adjusting to the step up in level that is life in League Two.
 
But one player who has looked at home as soon as he entered the Football League fray is Scott Davies.
 
The 20-year-old midfielder, who had been sidelined by an achilles operation, came off the bench against Bradford in August and scored a piledriver of a late winner on his League debut.
 
He has scarcely looked back since, scoring four more times — three from the penalty spot — including another winner from the edge of the area against Gillingham.
 
Davies is on a season-long loan at Aldershot from Championship side Reading, just as he was last season.
 
Davies’ goals from midfield were a feature of the Conference-winning campaign — including THAT goal away to Torquay in March — but his goals tally was still fewer than the games he missed through suspension. Considering he hit the net eleven times, that was some achievement, on the back of three straight red cards.
 
To be fair to Davies, the dismissals were more through petulance and mis-timed tackles than anything malicious and just one yellow card so far this season suggests that Davies has curbed the illdiscipline — but not at the expense of his eye for goal.
 
"I guess the penalties have helped," said Davies, speaking ahead of Wednesday’s match at Chesterfield. "I missed at Crawley last season trying to place one, so I’ve taken to striking them hard and it’s working. I guess if John Grant was playing more he might try and grab the ball for a penalty but I would argue my case. It would be up to The Gaffer [Gary Waddock] in the end."

Well, now we know the answer to that question. Davies, not Grant, who was on as a substitute, took a penalty at Chesterfield on Wednesday and promptly fired wide of the left post.
 
That miss means Davies has scored all his goals at The Rec this season, so a goal or two away from home would be very timely, given that The Shots are busy on their travels: first came the Chesterfield match, then a visit to Rochdale tomorrow (Saturday) and finally the marathon trip to Morecambe next Saturday.
 
That there is also a game at home to Port Vale, on Tuesday, means that this is a key period of the season for Davies and his team-mates.
 
"I thought we were a bit unlucky not to beat Brentford last week," said Davies. "We should have had a freekick before they were awarded their penalty.
 
"But we need to make sure that we don’t concede after we have taken the lead in games or just scored a goal." Prophetic words, given that the same problem reared its ugly head again against Chesterfield, just after Kirk Hudson had pulled Aldershot back into the game at 2-1.
 
"We have a busy period ahead of us and last Saturday showed that we can play solidly and do well. I reckon, after Bury, Brentford were the best team we’ve played this season.
 
"We’ve talked about being solid in training this week, the need to preserve what we have gained. I think a few of us young players have underestimated the value of getting a draw.
 
"We lost our heads at Macclesfield in the second half, for instance, and started to play as individuals, rather than as a solid team. It’s fair to say that we got a bit of stick in the dressing room after that, from Gary Waddock and Martin Kuhl."
 
Davies also blames himself for the injury-time defeat at Notts County last month.
 
"I gave the ball away in their half and they scored from the break. I apologised to everyone afterwards, I held my hand up."
 
But Davies’ positive contribution far outweighs the negatives and he was once again one of Aldershot’s outstanding players in the 1-1 draw with Brentford.
 
Waddock played the young Irishman in the middle and he and veteran Ricky Newman — who, at 38, is nearly twice Davies’ age — found an instant understanding.
 
"Ricky has a great head on him and helps control the game," said Davies. "He’s good to play with as he’s always talking and guiding young players like me. He also lets you know in no uncertain terms when you’ve done something wrong — but it’s always constructive."
 
Davies is increasingly being used in central midfield by Waddock, much to the player’s delight. But, with the likes of Ben Harding, Lewis Chalmers — not forgetting Newman and Scott Donnelly — in the squad, competition is fierce and Davies found himself moved out wide later in the game against Brentford, where he was less effective.
 
"As long as I’m on the pitch, I don’t really care where I play," said Davies. "Sometimes The Gaffer thinks I get more freedom out wide and more time on the ball to pick a pass."
 
Davies says he has little contact with Reading this season but was aware that scouts from the Championship side were watching both him and Brentford’s Alan Bennett, who is also on loan from Reading, last weekend.
 
"I’ll just crack on at Aldershot and see what happens," he said.
 
Reading manager Steve Coppell spoke to the News this week and urged Davies to make the most of his time at Aldershot.
 
"Scotty’s a good player but he’s only just getting back to his best after the summer’s operation," said Coppell. "I haven’t had the opportunity to watch him this season myself but our scouts have and it’s good to hear that he is playing regularly, for a successful team.
 
"It’s much better for everyone that Scotty is playing regular, first-team football, in a competitive division, rather than for the reserves at Reading. Reserves football doesn’t always function in the way it should do in England.
 
"But it’s really up to Scott. If he plays well he will get a good reputation and then he might go on to make an impact at Reading."
 
Coppell is not surprised that Davies’ disciplinary record has improved.
 
"At Reading we are a very disciplined club and we try and make sure our players reflect that. But it is not easy as an enthusiastic young man playing in the midfield. Sometimes young players need time and experience to see their role in a team, to see where you fit in and how to play."
 
Davies admits, rather like another flame-haired, free-scoring midfielder — Paul Scholes — that tackling is not the strongest part of his game.
 
"But you have to do it in midfield and this season I’ve had just the one yellow card. I’ll keep going as I have done so far this season," he said.

Despite that penalty miss on Wednesday, more goals are likely, too. "Both Marvin Morgan and John Grant keep telling me that they will catch me up in the goal scoring charts. But we shall see about that," added Davies.