In their final away visit of the league season, Aldershot Town travel to Vanarama National League leaders Barnet on Saturday. The hosts, needing just one point to mathematically secure promotion as champions, will be doing their utmost to get over the line on home soil.
Founded in 1888, ‘the Bees’ are the eldest London-based club in this season’s National League, and having claimed three titles since the league’s inception in 1979, they are already the most frequent champions in fifth-tier history, along with Macclesfield Town.
Barnet are one of a select few clubs in the division who have reached as high as the second-tier in years gone by, and have some incredibly notable former alumnus, including Albert Adomah, Kevin Lisbie and perhaps most bizarrely, former Champions League winner Edgar Davids as player-manager.
With 96 points from 44 games, an Aldershot Town victory could not only prevent a title celebration, but also the chance for Barnet to become centurions for the first time in the side’s history.
RECENT FORM
It has been a so-so April for the Bees thus far, who would have wrapped up the title much earlier were it not for seven points dropped from a possible nine in the three matches leading up to Easter.
- 21/04/25 – Sutton United 1-3 Barnet
- 18/04/25 – Barnet 1-1 Eastleigh
- 12/04/25 – Barnet 1-1 Wealdstone
- 05/04/25 – Braintree Town 2-1 Barnet
- 29/03/25 – Barnet 3-1 Gateshead
The Hive has been nothing short of a fortress this term. Barnet are the only side in this season’s National League yet to taste home defeat, and one of just three sides in England’s top-five divisions, along with Burnley and Birmingham, whose promotions have already been confirmed.
This being the Londoners’ final home fixture of the season, Aldershot Town have the opportunity to truly spoil the party, along with the completion of an impressive undefeated home campaign.
IN THE DUGOUT
One man whose pursuit of reaching the Football League has been particularly arduous is Irishman Dean Brennan, who has been plying his trade in the fifth-tier, or below, for over twenty years as player and manager.
Following unsuccessful spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Luton Town in the early 2000s, the Dublin-born gaffer enjoyed a meandering yet often fruitful career across various levels of non-league football, playing for 16 clubs in just ten years including Stevenage Borough, AFC Wimbledon and Hemel Hempstead Town before retiring in 2012.
It was with the latter that he received his first break in management, the Hertfordshire side then competing in the Southern Premier (Tier 7). His impact with the side was immediate, and after an agonising penalty shoot-out defeat in the play-off final in 2012-13, the Tudors romped to the title the following year, with 102 points and a division record 128 goals scored, giving Brennan a reputation for pragmatic yet breathlessly attacking football that remains to this day.
After ensuring sixth-tier stability with Hemel, Brennan endured short and problematic stints at Billericay and Kingstonian towards the end of the decade, before joining Wealdstone in May 2019, a move that proved much more harmonious for all parties as he lead the Stones to the National League South title, which was awarded on a PPG basis due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Brennan joined nearby Barnet in 2021, tasked with returning the club to the fourth-tier. Following a somewhat pedestrian start, his current results speak for themselves, as he appears to be on the precipice of gaining the incredibly rare accolade of having earned titles at steps three, two and one of non-league.
FORMER SHOTS
Rhys Browne – The Antigua and Barbuda international played 41 times for the Shots across the 2015-16, scoring seven times.
Ryan Glover – Playing for the club between 2022 and 2024, Glover just managed to squeeze over the threshold of a 100 appearances for the club. The Somerset-born midfielder left to join his current side in August 2024, and has since been imperative to their promotion charge.
Idris Kanu – Signed on an amateur contract following his departure from the academy West Ham United in 2016, Kanu impressed immensely during his 33 appearances for the Shots before moving to League One Peterborough United the following summer. The wide-man has been with the Bees since 2022.
Myles Kenlock – The Lambeth-born left-back played just ten times for the Shots in 2023. Following a noteworthy stint with Ebbsfleet United, Kenlock has become a regular feature in this Barnet side.
TICKET INFO
Away tickets for this fixture have now sold out, thankyou for your incredible and continuous support!
IF YOU CAN’T MAKE IT
Live updates will be available from our social media platforms X (@OfficialShots), Instagram (@aldershottownfcofficial), and Facebook. After the game, highlights will be available on our YouTube channel.
The game can be streamed to overseas viewers via DAZN’s National League TV coverage. Click HERE to purchase a match pass.
There will be live commentary of the game provided by BBC Radio Surrey – listen online HERE
