Non-league football is a challenging financial arena in which to run a football club. Unfortunately, unlike further up the football pyramid, where clubs are showered with big money from sponsorship deals, clubs often teeter on the edge of the abyss when it comes to money.
Some clubs fight a losing battle and end up having to dissolve. However, they often reform and rise from the ashes to make an impact on the non-league game once again. One of those clubs is Aldershot. This is their story.
The original club
Aldershot first had a professional football club in 1926, when sports journalist Jack White persuaded the local council that a club was needed in the town.
In 1927, Aldershot Town FC made their debut in the Southern League. They finished a creditable seventh place in their league bow.
By 1932, Town had won the Southern League title and was elected to the football league after Thames turned down the invitation for re-election to the league. Prior to the 1932/33 campaign, the club changed their name to just Aldershot.
Aldershot struggled in the Third Division South, even finishing bottom of the table in season 1936/37. However, they successfully reapplied for their place in the division and consolidated over the following few seasons.
After a restructuring of the football league in 1958, Aldershot found themselves in the newly formed Football League Fourth Division for the 1958/58 campaign.
The team struggled in their debut season in the Fourth Division, finishing 22nd place in the table. Once again, they had to apply to be re-elected to the league, and once again, their application was successful.
In season 1972/73, Aldershot made history by winning their first promotion in 41 years. The club won promotion to the Third Division by finishing above Newport County on goal difference.
Ups and downs in the Third Division
The following season brought an eighth-place finish in the Third Division, which was the highest ever in the club’s history.
The campaign had fans dreaming of playing Second Division football and facing giant clubs who had fallen on hard times in the 1970s, like Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Nottingham Forest, Chelsea and Newcastle United, who all had endured at least one campaign in the second tier in the decade.
However, unfortunately for the Hampshire club, they were more likely to return to the Fourth Division than move up the pyramid.
In fact, they finished in 20th place in the Third Division in season 1974/75 and only beat the drop courtesy of goal difference. They were not so lucky the following campaign, as they succumbed to relegation back to the fourth tier.
However, Aldershot was not in the fourth tier for long, as in season 1977/78, the Shots once again returned to the Third Division. They returned to the third tier as a stronger team.
In fact, for a few seasons, the Shots were strong candidates for promotion to the second tier. Brentford, Watford and Swansea all narrowly beat the Shots to promotion to the Second Division, with the latter two clubs playing top-level football soon afterwards.
They endured a series of disappointments when it came to challenging for promotion. It got even worse in season 1981/82 when they suffered relegation back to the Fourth Division.
In season 1986/87, Aldershot once again won promotion to the Third Division. They took part in the first-ever play-offs, beating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 over two legs to go up.
Once again, they didn’t last long in the third tier, as in season 1988/89, Aldershot finished bottom of the table and suffered relegation to the fourth tier.
Unfortunately for the club, that is when their financial issues hit hard. The club limped on for a few years and started the 1991/92 season, but by March, the club had gone bust and was expelled from the Football League. They were the first football league club to go out of business in 30 years, with Accrington Stanley being the previous one in 1962.
The beginnings of a new club
After their club went out of business in 1992, a group of fans formed Aldershot Town. The fans chose a crest of a phoenix rising from the flames, symbolising the rebirth of the club.
Town had to start all over again from the Isthmian League Division Three. Despite their lowly status, Aldershot received excellent support from fans who wanted to support the club’s resurgence.
In fact, their attendance averaged around 2000 spectators, while other clubs at the same level averaged around 100. The team gave those fans something to cheer about, too, as by the 1997/1998 season, Aldershot had won the Isthmian League First Division title.
In season 2001/2002, Aldershot won promotion back to the fifth level of the English game. The promotion meant that Town had been promoted four times in 11 years.
Aldershot instantly became promotion contenders and, in the same season, made it to the FA Cup second round for the first time. However, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Colchester United.
In May 2004, the club’s owners decided to restore Aldershot to its professional status, another step in their quest for redemption.
In their first two seasons back in the fifth tier, Town missed out on promotion despite making the play-offs twice. In 2006, they made it to the third round of the FA Cup, this time suffering a 4-2 defeat by Blackpool.
In season 2007/08, the Shots won the Conference Premier title under Gary Waddock to seal a return to the Football League for the first time since reforming in 1992.
Aldershot stayed in League Two for five seasons, even making the promotion play-offs in season 2009/10. However, in season 2012/13, the club suffered relegation back to the fifth tier.
More financial issues and struggling to survive
Even worse, the Shots were in financial difficulties after a major shareholder suffered a stroke that affected not only his personal finances but also the clubs.
On 2nd May 2013, Aldershot entered administration, as the club had debts of £ 1 million. Unlike in 1992, though, Aldershot was rescued from going out of business in August. A consortium led by the club’s former chairman, Shahid Azeem, took control of the Shots.
Town has spent much of their time since struggling to stave off the threat of relegation to the sixth tier. They finished in the relegation zone in 2019 but were not relegated, as the league relegated Gateshead due to financial issues.
Since that season, Aldershot has been struggling near the depths of the National League table. However, in season 2023/24, the Shots gave everybody associated with the club a touch of hope, as the team finished eighth place in the table.
The campaign has been a spot of light on the pitch in otherwise dark times in the last decade. However, where they are now is a far cry from the misery of going out of business, and there is still optimism that Aldershot Town can return to the Football League in the near future.
nonleaguefanatic
