Aldershot Echoes - Part 1 - League Applications

Aldershot's Football League Applications

Part 2

Success!

All those connected with the Shots could have become demoralised by another close failure with their 1931 Football League election application. Certainly a lean season followed on the pitch in 1931/32 season. The reigning champions of London Combination Division 2 slipped to 6th and in the Southern League only 3 games were won whilst less than a goal a game scored. Worryingly, neighbours Guildford City were in the ascendancy having finished 3rd in the Southern League, higher than Aldershot for the first time. Could the local balance of power be shifting?

The stakes were raised for the non-league applicants when for the first time a club tendered their resignation from Division 3 South. Thames (they had dropped "Association" from their name) had suffered a wretched two seasons since election in 1930. West Ham United, playing just two miles away, were an established Division 1 side, and league new-boys Thames just could not attract supporters to their matches. Thames' home ground was the cavernous West Ham Stadium in Custom House, East London. What few supporters they did attract were scattered around a venue that could attract 60,000 for speedway meetings and was of similar proportions to the White City Stadium.

In their first league season Thames finished 20th one place above the re-election zone. They drew an average attendance of 2,315, which was the lowest average in the Football League. The home win over Luton Town in December was watched by a measly 469 spectators, this remains the lowest attendance for a scheduled Football League Saturday fixture to this day.

Prior to the start of their second season in Division 3 South the "Dockers" were already having doubts about their ability to continue. In a troubled economic climate little of the club's share capital had been taken up, and supporters club membership was far short of the planned level. Thames commenced the 1931/32 season with the visit of Exeter City, a goalless draw watched by a record 8,275 attendance. Even this figure must have been a meagre spread amongst the vast white concrete stadium. Thames start to the season was hardly encouraging, their first win came in the fifth match, 3-0 against Gillingham. Four defeats followed then four draws.

The rot really set in from November, beginning with a 7-0 drubbing at Norwich, the previous season's bottom club. This was this beginning of a disastrous run of 16 defeats in 17 matches; Thames slumped to the foot of the table and stayed there, ending the season 5 points adrift of Gillingham. Thames' average attendance of 2,623 was again the Football League's lowest. After just 4 years competing with established, successful neighbours Thames announced they would not apply for re-election to Division 3 South, and were disbanding altogether.

In Division 3 North another club had suffered from the cumulative effects of the Depression, falling gates and rising debts. Wigan Borough, who played at Springfield Park latterly home to Wigan Athletic, resigned from the League in October 1931. Merthyr Town offered to take over Wigan's fixtures, just 12 of 42 having been played. The League rejected this, unwilling to readmit a club that had suffered its own financial struggles before being voted out 16 months earlier.

After their first season in Division 3 South Mansfield Town requested a switch to the Northern section. The League approved this, although Mansfield would switch southwards 5 seasons later. The move meant 3 places were available into Division 3 South with Gillingham the only member club seeking re-election.

The five league aspirants were Aldershot Town; neighbours Guildford City who had finished six places higher than the Shots in the Southern League Eastern Division and given a good account of themselves in the FA Cup, narrowly losing to Division 3 South Champions Fulham; and from the Southern League Western Division the out-of-favour Merthyr Town, recently demoted Newport County and Llanelli, who had finished 8th, 6th and 4th respectively. Llanelli had applied previously in the same seasons as Aldershot but gathered a total of 4 votes in 3 attempts compared to the Shots 38.

It was 4th time lucky for Aldershot Town as they took the 3rd Football League place: -

1932 Election Results

VOTES

Gillingham 41

Newport County 36

Aldershot Town 35

Llanelli 25

Guildford City 8

Merthyr Town 2

Guildford City must have been disappointed to lose out to their local rivals, and to lose their derby matches! The League would not vote on another Guildford application for 28 years. Llanelli applied again the season after collecting 20 votes, 6 short of re-elected Newport County, before fading into Welsh League obscurity. Merthyr Town made one further pre-war application in 1933 attracting a single vote.

This had potentially been Aldershot Town's last chance to gain league membership. As England recovered from the depression the financial health of Football League clubs improved. The clubs seeking re-election were more varied in the remainder of the decade, and polled well from their contemporaries. Only Gillingham, replaced by Ipswich Town in 1938, were demoted from either Third Division in this period. Aldershot Town dropped the "Town" suffix and as Aldershot FC readied themselves for the Football League. After four close attempts they hoped to avoid fighting an election campaign to maintain their position…

With grateful thanks to Martin Gooday for generously giving his permission to reproduce this series.