Paradoxically, adversity became the prime motivation behind the fans' support and despite having to watch a team playing five divisions below the Football League, gates at the Recreation ground increased.
Promotion was gained at the first attempt and history records that in Aldershot Town's first season an amazing 6,000 people attended a Hampshire Senior Cup tie against neighbours Farnborough Town.
Last Saturday's attendance of 2,389 is par for home games this season. Those fans saw Town return briefly to the top of the Blue Square Premier when in almost identical circumstances to the corresponding fixture last season, a goal in the last minute of added time saw Halifax Town leave Hampshire pointless.
In September 2006, Darren Barnard's outstanding strike from outside the area broke the visitors' hearts and 13 months later, Aldershot's one fluent move of the game ended with Jonny Dixon firing home from 12 yards.
Both teams were missing influential players up front; even so it took promotion challengers Aldershot 83 minutes to register a shot on target, while Halifax, struggling in 18th place and beset by off-the-field problems, were the better side.
The result was harsh on the Shaymen, who had survived a 51st-minute penalty miss by Aldershot captain Rhys Day, and then had to contend with the subsequent dismissal of defender Jake Wright, leaving the West Yorkshire side with ten men for the third away game in succession.
However, bare statistics and a lesser standard of football will not unduly concern supporters of Aldershot Town, who after the demise of Aldershot FC 15 years ago, have shown unconditional support for their successor.
Ten years to the day after the last Football League fixture at Cardiff City, Aldershot appointed the popular Terry Brown as manager and it was he who oversaw the club's return to full-time professional status. During his five years in charge, Brown led the Shots to the Conference play-offs in successive seasons, losing in the final to Shrewsbury in a penalty shootout in 2004, and in the semi-final to Carlisle, again on penalties.
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"There will be times during the season when you can't play the football you'd like to," Waddock said afterwards. "We didn't play well today but good sides grind out results, and I spoke to the lads only a few weeks ago about the fact that it's a 95-minute game now. I really don't mind when the goal comes, first minute or last."
Judging by their joyous reaction to Dixon's late winner, Aldershot fans would tend to agree.
Reporter: Ricky George
Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/