Aldershot Town boss Gary Waddock will be bracing himself for a rough ride when he takes his Blue Square Premier leaders the relatively short journey to Hayes on Saturday afternoon as The Shots FA Trophy campaign finally gets underway.
Waddock expects United will employ the direct approach in their bid to seal The Shots fate and insists that his players must be up for the fight. Speaking to the clubs official website he said, "Hayes are young and enthusiastic and this is a hurdle we have to overcome. We are treating this as a very important game, no different to a league game and we are going there to try to win the tie."
It's the first time that the two clubs will meet under their present guise - Hayes and Yeading United having formed in May 2007 and The Shots will be keen to improve on last seasons First Round exit when they were comprehensivly brushed aside by lower league opposition in the form of AFC Wimbledon, however any thought of an easy ride will be brushed aside as coach Martin Kuhl promises that the club have prepared for the fixture in a professional manner. He said, "We are there to be shot down but we want to keep the momentum going. We have a good squad of players who are looking forward to their matches at the moment. We just need to continue taking care of ourselves."
With speculation mounting surrounding the imminent departure of Shots highly rated keeper Nikki Bull rife, Mikhael Jaime-Ruiz could find himself features between the sticks, while new signing Nathan Koo-Boothe could be set for his debut in The Shots defence. Ryan Scott and Ryan Williams continue to recover from there long term injuries but Waddock is otherwise able to select from his full squad.
Shots from: Bull, Jaime-Ruiz, Smith, Koo-Boothe, Straker, Newman, Day, Charles, Soares, Chalmers, John Grant, Elvins, Dixon, Hylton, Davies, Hudson, Winfield, Harding, Gier, Milletti, Huggins, Joel Grant and Simmonds.
H&Y from: Davies, Peacock, Preddie, Saroya, Allen-Page, P Collins, Scrivens, Beasant, Hendry, Perkins, L Collins, Barima, Price, Little, Edgerley, Mulley, Mapes, Marwa, Arthur, Botham, Knight, Scott, Martin and Palmer.
League Table(s):
Pld | Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | Points | Pos | |
Shots | 22 | 17 | 1 | 4 | 48 | 27 | 52 | 1st |
H&Y | 19 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 30 | 25 | 11th |
Top Scorers:
Shots - John Grant - 14
H&Y - Palmer - 10
Shot Through:
There are two players in the Hayes & Yeading United line-up who have connections to The Shots, although neither can be described as "regulars" during their time in North Hampshire. Both players are midfielders and supporters may recall Steve Perkins as the more familiar name of the pair. He was at the Recreation Ground between February and August 2003 before moving to Dagenham & Redbridge. Pacy 26-year old Michael Barima is the other player, however there is no appearance details available for either player.
Form Guide (last six games played):
Won | Drew | Lost | For | Against | |
Shots | 6 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 6 |
H&Y | 3 | 1 | 2 | 13 | 10 |
Sequence Statistics:
Shots | Won last two away games. Won last six games. |
H&Y | Three home games since last defeat. |
Head To Head:
There have been no previous meetings between the two sides since forming as Hayes and Yeading United although the club have faced Hayes twice in the 2002/03 season, when they recorded a 1-0 victory at the Recreation Ground and lost by the same score-line at Church Road in Ryman Premier League fixtures.
Record Shots win: Not applicable.
Record H&Y win: Not applicable.
Last Time We Met:
Not applicable.
Radio/TV coverage:
BBC SCR will have updates from the match brought to you by Gavin Dennison.
Shots supporters can keep up to date with other exiled supporters in the Phoenix Chat room and subscribers to the Shots Online will receive match day news updates as they happen via the SMS service.
Directions:
The ground is easy to reach from both the M25 and the M4. Copy and paste the postcode into the AA route finder (below.)
Postcode: UB3 2LE
http://www.theaa.com/travelwatch/planner_main.jsp?database=B
Parking:
There is limited parking at the ground, which is available at £1 per car.
Official Shots Supporters Travel:
No Supporters coach is being run to this match due to the lack of interest. Please seriously consider supporting this facility as often as possible in the future as it provides a vital mode of transport for many fellow supporters who otherwise can not make games if there are not enough bookings.
Nearest Train Station:
Hayes & Harlington. Church Road is about 1 mile away. Turn right outside the station and walk through the shopping area to the end of the part pedestrianised section. Turn left into Botwell Lane. Just after the swimming pool, turn right at roundabout into Church Road and the ground is 500 yards on the left.
Bus:
There is no information available with regards to getting a bus to the stadium.
How Much:
Adults - £10 seated, £9 terrace. Senior Citizens - £6 seated, £5 terrace. Students - £6 seated, £5 terrace. Under 12's (with adult) - £2 seated, £1 - terrace.
Allocation:
The capacity of Church Road is 4730. There is no news on the away supporters allocation however the match is not all ticket, pay at the turnstiles on the day.
Pubs:
There is no news as to the availability of the Social Club at the ground.
Click on the link below for local pub information.
http://www.beerintheevening.com/pubs/results.shtml?l=Hayes
Betting:
Shots win - 4/6.
Draw - 5/2.
H&Y win - 10/3.
Odds from Blue Square Betting.
For The Record:
If the tie is drawn no extra time will be played. The replay will be at the Recreation Ground on Tuesday 18 December 2007, kick off 7.45pm. The winners of the tie will receive £4000 in prize money. The final of the FA Trophy will be played at Wembley.
Stray Shots prediction:
Gary Waddock has already signalled his intention ahead of the match be telling the official website, "We are treating this as a very important game, no different to a league game and we are going there to try to win the tie" so we should expect a far better battle than last seasons home defeat against AFC Wimbledon. H&Y aren't in the best of form, but will be expected to raise their game, however The Shots should do just enough to see themselves in the next round and earn some much needed funds. Shots win.
Opposition websites:
Official website http://www.hyufc.net/
Un-official website http://www.hayesfc.org/
Messageboard http://www.hayesfc.org/HNY2.htm