If forced to break down Aldershot Town’s remarkable season into the most simple terms, most Aldershot fans would attribute their side’s triumph to two people. Off the pitch: Gary Waddock, the manager. On the pitch: Nikki Bull, the goalkeeper.

Bull won both the supporters and the players’ player-of-the-year awards and a measure of his standing in the eyes of Aldershot is his romping victory in the News’ online player-of-the-season poll. Bull won 61% of the vote, with his nearest challenger, Ben Harding, way back on 24%.

It is no surprise; 21 of the Shots’ 31 league victories were by just the one-goal margin and Bull’s saves were the difference between three points and one — or even none — in many of those games. You can’t beat a bit of Bully and he, more than any individual on the pitch, has helped the Shots hit the bullseye of promotion to the Football League. He even dyed his hair red and blue to celebrate for the final home game of the season at the Recreation Ground. Now there’s a double top for you.

Stunning saves will live long in the memory, especially his late leap to the left at Exeter to deny Steve Basham a winner that would have prolonged Aldershot’s wait for promotion for another agonising few days.

But it is Bull’s prowess at one-on-one situations that has been most impressive. Time and time again he has put his body on the line to smother, block or simply put off an opponent who has pierced Aldershot’s all-too-often exposed defence. Bull has thwarted the attacking matadors of the Blue Square Premier.

Except in these duels, Bull has turned the tables completely. He may be named Bull but is actually the matador himself, the showman, an artist and an athlete, whose goalkeeping is agile and brave. It is the forwards who fail and fall, unable to beat off the raging Bull’s defence of the red, often ragged, Aldershot defence. Look at Forest Green’s Stuart Fleetwood. Rovers may have won 1-0 at the Rec in January but Bull won a personal battle with the prolific striker by a score approaching 10-0. Fleetwood barely scored another league goal all season.

Bull has formed heroics for Aldershot for six seasons now and knew that little would change under Gary Waddock. “Gary explained to me before the season started that, the way he wanted to play, we may get exposed and be a bit vulnerable at the back,” says Bull.

“So, I knew that was the way it was going to be and it certainly made for a really exciting season.”

Bull’s one-on-one prowess is such that it clearly comes from judgement, not luck. Here is an insight into how he reacts when an opponent bears down towards him.

“As the player approaches, I try to make out that I am further back than I am, which allows him to feel comfortable at taking another touch,” explains Bull. “I don’t want to allow the striker to make his mind up early — in a funny way I want to allow him to relax.

“But as soon as his head goes down to take that extra touch, I’m quickly moving forward, so that when he next looks up, I’m right there, on top of him.

“Then he panics and, nine times out of ten, he will just stick the ball at you. The ball just hits me, I’m in the way, and often that’s enough.

“I’m not sure that would work in the Championship or the Premiership, because forwards there are bright enough to dink it over you or go round you.”

But Bull has certainly been too good for most Conference opponents — as have his team-mates. Five of Bull’s six Rec years  have been in the Conference, so he is well-placed to analyse just why the Shots have bridged the gap to the Football League this season, after falling short, often agonisingly, in recent campaigns.

The appointment of Waddock, who coached Bull as a youth player at Queens Park Rangers, has obviously been key.

“Terry Brown was a fantastic manager and did wonders for Aldershot, but the one thing that let him down was that his background was all non-League, as a player, as a coach, as a manager.

“When we went full-time a few years ago, he found it hard to implement a definite professional structure. He was still a bit part-time in his nature, through no fault of his own.

“As soon as Gary got the job he phoned the boys up and arranged one-to-one meetings. People had to come to the training ground even before we were due back for pre-season. He has installed discipline and professionalism.

“He then called a meeting, before we had even done anything and he said this is the aim: promotion. Gary has the aura: when he talks, the players listen, and I could see the other boys really taking it in and believing what he was saying.”

Bull believes Waddock’s decision to keep Martin Kuhl at the club, as first team coach, was crucial. “The partnership he formed with Martin, in pre-season, laid the foundation for what we’ve achieved.

“A couple of weeks before we went back to training, I went to a Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice charity night and Gary and Martin were having a beer together and talking. All night they were tucked away and were talking football, football, football. It was a masterstroke from Gary, keeping Martin at the club, in a prominent role. There’s nothing Kuhly doesn’t know about non-League players. They tapped into each other and realised that they both needed each other.”

Waddock’s also brought a camaraderie back to the Aldershot squad, which had been broken up since the two play-off years. “When we had the likes of Tim Sills, Roscoe D’Sane, Aaron Mclean, Jon Challinor and Adam Miller, around the play-off seasons, we had that little buzz. We then lost that, that youthful desire to run through a brick wall.

“But Gary brought in Anthony Straker and Lewis Chalmers and brought back Ben Harding, who perhaps had the biggest point to prove. Gary brought back that camaraderie and the banter between the younger players.

“There’s been a brilliant team spirit this season and the gaffer has got it just right. Like in the play-off years, when we had the experience of Ray Warburton and Paul Buckle, we’ve had the likes of Ricky Newman and Ryan Williams. The mix is just right. Whatever we do next year, it’s important that we maintain that mix.”

While Bull sees similarities to the side that lost on penalties to Shrewsbury in that 2004 play-off final, there is one key difference: the Shots are now professional, rather than part-time. “This season we’ve scored so many late goals and in the last half hour of games we have really kicked on, due to the fitness. When we were part-time, those last 20 minutes often found us out,” says Bull.

The Shots made a fast start to the season — away from home especially —and have scarcely looked back since.

“Winning at Kidderminster on the first day was so important. They were being hotly tipped as dark horses but going there and winning reaffirmed the belief that Gary was right, we could win promotion,” said Bull.

“Forest Green was another key early away win. I made a couple of important saves, when we went down to ten men for nearly an hour [Anthony Straker was sent off]. You need little moments of adversity like that to get things you going and the team spirit showed that day was important.”

By early March, that spirit and belief had helped the Shots stay top of the table for several months — but Torquay United were breathing down their necks. With the Shots at home to Kidderminster at 3pm, Torquay had kicked off earlier and had the chance to close the gap to two points, at Grays. They lost.

“I took a massive gamble that day,” says Bull. “The gaffer had deliberately not told us the Torquay score but I knew they had lost and, with us away at Torquay two nights later, I decided to tell the boys. I just thought, do it. ‘Listen, plug your brains in, I promise you, Torquay have got beat at Grays. We’ve got a chance to go eight points clear,’ I said to them.

“We didn’t play that well and went a goal down but, typically, we came through and won it.

“And then we went to Torquay and won at the death, thanks to Scott Davies. We were so focused for that game, the club took us all away, including the injured boys. We were all together. And what a night that was.”

Talking of injuries, Bull has been performing his heroics in goal despite being hampered by a serious leg injury for the last two months of the season.

“I’ve got a massive hole in my quad, and it’s probably eventually going to end my career early. I should have had six to eight weeks off. It’s ruptured,” explains Bull. “I had food poisoning the night before the Crawley game too, on Easter Monday. I followed the coach and had to stop about six times on the way to be sick.

“But their club doctor gave me a tablet to stop me being sick, so I played and ended up having a good game. If I didn’t have the affinity with the club like I do it would have been easy to say I’m going back to bed. I think the supporters respect that. I will always give 100 per cent.”

Indeed, Bull says that it was his “dream” on signing for Aldershot to get in the Football League with the club. “But after the momentum of the two seasons when we reached the play-offs (2003-04 and 2004-05) I felt that the dream was disintegrating,” he says. And if it wasn’t for one man — Waddock — Bull would almost have left the club last summer.

“Gary was probably the only manager who could have been appointed to keep me at the club. Last summer, a number of clubs showed an interest in signing me but the gaffer came in and said to the board, even if you get a million quid for him, don’t sell him.

“On one hand I was delighted that Gary still felt really highly about me. On the other hand there were some good options and, prior to that conversation, I was under the understanding that the club would let me go for a nominal fee. The club then put a price on me that they were never going to sell me at.

“Part of me was really angry because I thought I’d shown Aldershot some good loyalty over the years. But also, when you’re under contract, you have to respect that you have to abide what the club says, even if there are options out there to double your money or play in the league.

“Besides, I knew what a vital job this was for Gary. I wasn’t going to make noises to get the move, I couldn’t do that to him. As it’s turned out, it’s been great that the club stopped me from going.”

There were even stronger rumours that Bull would leave in the January transfer window. Every clap from the keeper to the East Bank was seen as a farewell gesture and banners at games were thanking Bull for his service. Apparently, he had committed to Leyton Orient. Or was it Brighton & Hove Albion.

“I was never going to leave in January. Aldershot were top of the league, I was happy with the job that I was doing and I felt obliged to the club,” said Bull. “The gaffer had already sat me down and said ‘You could be the difference in us going up or not. We have a young team and we needed to keep it together.’

“Besides, whenever I’ve had a chance to move on, I’ve taken a step back and my heart has said to me ‘What would you feel like if you were somewhere else the day Aldershot went up. You should have been part of that’.”

Of course, Aldershot are now up and Bull has played one of the major parts towards achieving that success. So, is it a case of mission accomplished, time to move, especially as Bull is out of contract?

“That’s the main thing I’m weighing up now,” said Bull.  “When you take money and League football out of the equation, it’s just a matter of being at Aldershot or somewhere else.

“I’ve had a few conversations with family and the like and they say ‘If you leave now you’re going out on the ultimate high. You’re part of the team that’s taken Aldershot up, you’ve had a good season and won player of the year’.”

Bull’s wife Rebecca has just given birth to their first child, Darcy. “When you get married and have a kid you do have to be more responsible,” said Bull. “If other things out there are more attractive financially, then maybe I have to take them.”

If that sounds like Bull is moving on — and it is rumoured there is interest from League One clubs or higher — he had not gone anywhere when the News went to press this week and may yet be swayed by the news that other keys players, like Lewis Chalmers and Ben Harding, have committed to the Shots.

“My heart has always ruled my head when it comes to Aldershot,” admitted Bull. “I’ve had an initial contract offer from the club and I understand that Gary is the ultimate professional and wants things sorted.

“But I’m not going to be in any rush. I’ve been at the club six years and have just had a baby. I want to spend some time at home with my family and take in the season. A decision will be made out of what I feel is right for me and my family.”

So, it’s highly likely Bull will play in the Football League next season, but whether or not that’s Aldershot is up in the air. Or perhaps he’ll spring a surprise and move to Osasuna in Pamplona in northern Spain — it is the town famous for bulls running through the streets, after all. One thing is for sure: this raging bull is a Shots legend, whatever he decides.