TOMMY’S GOT SHOTS HITTING RIGHT NOTES
IT’S a little more than 12 hours since Tommy Widdrington walked back through his front door after getting home from Aldershot Town’s FA Cup triumph and he’s back on the road.
“It’s our annual Christmas Carol service in a local church,” the Shots boss tells The NLP.
Will he be in fine voice? “I’ll try but my voice is a bit croaky after last night as I was getting a little anxious towards the end of the game,” he laughs.
The fans who made the long trip to Stockport County on Wednesday night were likely a little hoarse the next day too.
Olly Scott’s 88th-minute winner fired the Hampshire outfit into the FA Cup third round proper for the first time since 2012-13 and only the third time in club history.
“The ball goes in the box, there were seven challenges – and we win every one,” Widdrington says of the scrambled goal. “And that tells you that, in the 88th minute, my lads weren’t happy just to see the game out and draw.
“I didn’t even know who had scored at the time but I watched the game back this morning and he caught it really well – he needed to.
“We’ve scored a lot of late goals this season. A few times we’ve been behind when we’ve needed them, thankfully on this occasion one goal was enough.
“The goalscorer, rightly, gets a bit more of the adulation but everyone who played is a credit to themselves. I asked them to be the best version of themselves that they could be. I knew we’d need to be that to be in the game, never mind win the game.”
A trip to Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion awaits on January 7.
For now it’s back to the National League, where the Shots find themselves in the play-off race, ahead of a busy schedule that includes back-to-back games over Christmas with fierce rivals Woking.
Widdington, who left
King’s Lynn Town in April to take over at Aldershot before guiding them to safety, can feel the spirit building.
“One thing I work by – and it doesn’t just me players but the staff and employees of the football club – is we need a collective intention,” Widdrington says. “The fans, the volunteers, the people paid to work on matchday through to the players and my other support staff, we are all rowing in the same direction.
“That was something that maybe before I came to the club wasn’t the case. I made it crystal clear if they’re not rowing in the same direction then they can go. That’s why there was a big squad change in the summer. I think it needed it. We needed younger, more hunger, more ambition.
Ability
“All I’ve done is give people an opportunity, a platform. They’ve all got pedigree as young and development footballers, but they’ve never been able to hold down a position in a first team at a very, very good level of the game.
“This is still a very good level. But most of my lads have had experiences at very good academies and development groups above this.The technical ability and the fitness, that’s fine. It’s just owning the first team shirt. Most of them are showing me they are responsible enough to do that.”
Attacking midfielder Josh Stokes, signed from AFC Sudbury in the summer, and Swiss striker Lorent Tolaj are generating much of the chatter among fans and scouts.
“They’re getting a lot of plaudits because of their numbers,” Widdrington says. “Their basic numbers are fantastic.
“But I will say, there are a lot of lads at my place where, if people looked a little closer, they would understand why I, firstly, gave them the opportunity but, secondly, I’m not that surprised they’ve gelled well together.
“Probably people don’t realise – they remember me from Non-League situations as a manager who shouts and bawls from the side of the pitch – I’ve spent about 15 years in recruitment at a lot of levels.
“A lot of the players I’ve got now who are 26, 27, I was watching when they were 16. Some of them were U21 internationals. I’ve been to the south of France to watch Cian Harries, can you believe, when I was at Coventry. Kwame Thomas I sold from Coventry.
“We’ve met again at Aldershot, strangely enough, but long may it continue that it keeps clicking.”
Widdrington discusses how different the top tier of Non-League – a term he admits he doesn’t like, while offering apologies to this paper’s name – from his time at Salisbury more than 13 years ago where he pulled in results despite off-field issues. But is he a different type of boss now?
“Without a shadow of a doubt,” Widdrington says. “I believe in being open to change. You asked is there much difference between managing this league and back in the day when I was at Salisbury. I’d say every one of my players now could
will be usual out as next December Sunday, also on 24 and Sunday, December 31
handle themselves the next level up. They’d have to find the right team but, as our group have shown in the last two rounds, we’ve gone toe-to-toe with Swindon and Stockport County.
Sacrifices
“I know they were big games for our lads and they’re going to get up for it but, no disrespect to either team, we didn’t look out of place against them.”
The challenge now is to continue working hard to maintain their place in the promotion conversation. Nights like Wednesday are reward for the sacrifices that need to be made.
“It’s the payback where you do the hard yards for this,” Widdrington says. “Although we’ve won three rounds in the FA Cup, we’ve not celebrated any of them because there’s been a game fairly quick after all of them. And the two away wins have been exactly that – we had to drive home!
“When it’s all settled and done, it would be great to put a night on at the club and show the games to the fans who couldn’t get there.
“They will have seen the goals but we could certainly enjoy the moment over something to eat and a nice glass of wine.”
And maybe a song.