Charlton’s first-team was busy losing 1-0 to Athletic Bilbao on Saturday afternoon, so Aldershot faced a mix of youth team and reserve players at The EBB Stadium.

Perhaps it wasn’t quite as strong an opposition as Shots manager Gary Waddock was hoping to face when the match was arranged, but it did allow his squad to secure a comfortable 2-0 victory, with Anthony Charles and John Grant on target, in their last pre-season match before the eagerly awaited return to Football League action.

While performances have been encouraging in pre-season, there have been few wins for Aldershot and this, the first at the Recreation Ground since it was re-named, will boost the confidence ahead of Saturday’s trip to Accrington Stanley.

With the warm-up matches out of the way, Waddock is already fully-focused on Accrington. Indeed, pre-season has been set aside, after serving it purpose.

“Yes we’ve won 2-0 today and we’ve created some chances against a young side and kept a clean sheet,” said Waddock. “But it only counts if we can do the same next Saturday at Accrington. That’s what we’re working towards, that’s when everything starts, that’s when we want a good performance and a good result.

“All in all I am pleased with everything in the course of pre-season but now we go to the real business. Pre-season is gone now, everything is channelled towards Accrington.”

Waddock, like many members of his squad, feels that he has a point to prove to the Football League and is chomping at the bit for the big kick-off.

“Any professional footballer is desperate to get out of pre-season,” said Waddock. “The boys are all looking forward to the League and the club going back into the League.

“All of us, including me, have had knockbacks in our careers and a few of the players want to prove a point, that they are capable of playing at that level.”

The likes of Dean Howell, Anthony Charles, Chris Blackburn, Ben Harding, Scott Donnelly and John Grant have all struggled to make an impact in the past in the Football League and are determined to set the record straight.

Waddock had no such problems as a player but, after a bright start, his stint as manager at Queens Park Rangers two years ago ended with shoddy treatment from the club – ‘my club’ as he has been heard to call QPR, after so many years there as a player and coach. His managerial stock was at a dangerous low.

“Things didn’t go according to plan for me at QPR as a manager, so I’ve got one or two points to prove.”

Waddock is not one to allow a personal ambition to become a distraction, however. Besides, he once (or twice) has said that he simply takes one game at a time — and that is now Accrington.

Waddock’s team selection against Charlton gave a few pointers as to which players are likely to start as Aldershot football makes its dream return to the Football League.

Injuries and suspensions mean that Waddock’s options are limited at the back, where Ben Starosta, Chris Blackburn, Anthony Charles and Dean Howell will surely start. Three of those four played against Charlton – and were scarcely troubled. Howell was rested, which was no surprise given that Anthony Straker is suspended at Accrington, leaving Howell as the only recognised specialist left back in the squad.

Howell will need to play well to keep his place; Straker, who has been impressive in the last two weeks of pre-season, had another good game against Charlton and must be very frustrated by his late sending-off on the last day of last season at Rushden & Diamonds.

Ben Harding and Scott Donnelly again shared the centre of the pitch against Charlton and their joint withdrawal with nearly 25 minutes to go was another signal that Waddock wanted to rest key men. Waddock’s preference for Donnelly over Lewis Chalmers as Harding’s partner was again justified and the two are expected to start at Accrington.

Harding appears to be adjusting to playing a slightly deeper role than he did alongside Chalmers, while Donnelly, not for the first time in pre-season, was Aldershot’s best player. A rasping drive against the outside of the left post in the first half was Donnelly’ s best moment but his passing and dribbling was excellent too and nor is he afraid to track back and put in a meaty tackle.

Chalmers is not one to take warming the bench lightly, however, and don’t forget that there is Scott Davies waiting in the wings too – competition in midfield is intense. At times Waddock will play more than two of his four midfield powerhouses — Harding, Donnelly and Davies can all play out wide — but, should he go with two wide players on Saturday, then Kirk Hudson and Louie Soares are likely to feature.

Aldershot’s most impressive player up front in the last fortnight has been Danny Hylton. On Saturday he produced another energetic and inventive display and was a constant nuisance for Charlton, just as he had been for Tottenham Hotspur’s reserves four days before. Whether or not he will play at Accrington is another matter. Marvin Morgan was rested with a virus but that, again, was probably just a precaution ahead of Accrington.
Last season’s leading-scorer, Grant, will probably start too but, while Grant scored on Saturday, Hylton looks the player in better touch. Waddock confirmed after the game that his two other strikers, Junior Mendes and Rob Elvins, should both by now be back in training after leg injuries.

Another player who insisted he will be training this week is Nikki Bull. The first-choice keeper was withdrawn from the starting XI against Charlton after a knee problem flared up during the pre-match warm-up.

“Nikki has a little problem with his knee,” said Waddock afterwards. “He felt it slightly in the warm-up and we didn’t want to take any risks at all. But he’ll be training next week.”

Bull said later that he picked the injury up in the friendly against Crystal Palace nearly three weeks ago. He is expected to go for a scan this week but the injury, at present, is not likely to rule him out of competitive action.

Bull’s replacement, Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, had very little to do against Charlton, even if he was beaten by a fine shot by substitute Lewis Perkins in the 66th minute, which crashed off the crossbar.

By then Aldershot had long since led 2-0. As early as the fourth minute Charles had nodded them ahead, after Harding had improvised superbly after a botched free-kick. Harding’s initial shot was poor but from the rebound he dinked a chipped pass to the far post and Charles’s downward header was perfectly-placed.

Grant, back after missing a couple of games with injury, scored a welcome goal on 37 minutes, capitalising on a poor backpass and cooly slotting the ball past Charlton’s keeper Michael MacIntyre.

Wadock used the second half to try out players in unfamiliar positions, as he has done in other friendlies. Starosta spent a spell on the right of midfield, for instance.

“The versatility is great,” said Waddock. “We don’t have the biggest squad and we have a few injuries so it’s good we do have a few players who can play in different roles.”

Aldershot should have gone on to win the game more comfortably and, for all the impressive play and cohesion in pre-season, one criticism has been a lack of killer-instinct in front of goal. That was most evident against Leyton Orient ten days ago, in a match dominated by Aldershot but lost 1-0.

The superior quality of the finishing is perhaps what Aldershot will notice most when they step up to a higher standard in League Two and it is a jump they too must make.
Waddock, however, was simply happy to see last season’s leading scorer on target on Saturday. “It was good for Granty to get 90 minutes under his belt and hit the back of the net too. That will boost his confidence.”

The squad were getting in some extra shooting practice  yesterday (Monday) too. Clay pigeon shooting.

“Hopefully no one will get injured there or we’ll have a few problems,” joked Waddock. “It should be a good team-bonding exercise and  a bit of fun. We will enjoy a day’s rest and then we will be fully focused from there on in on the Accrington game.”

Waddock still needs to decide whether or not to offer trialist right back Jomo Faal-Thomas a  contract. Elsewhere in defence, Waddock said that last season’s captain Rhys Day may return to training this week but fellow centre half Dave Winfield requires an operation on his ankle injury. 

“But hopefully we will travel up to Accrington on Friday with almost a full squad,” added Waddock.

Aldershot Town v Charlton Athletic: Jaimez-Ruiz, Starosta, Straker, Blackburn, Charles, Harding (Newman 67), Soares, Donnelly (Chalmers 67), Grant, Hylton (Faal-Thomas 62), Hudson. Sub not used: Milletti.