Aldershot Town manager Tommy Widdrington post-Yeovil Town

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00:00Tommy, 2-1 win against Yeovil and a good performance, a pleasing way to wrap up the league campaign today.

00:05Yeah, I thought we showed ingredients that we may have lacked in a couple of recent negative results and performances.

00:12So that's great. A conversation I've had with the core group early in the week.

00:17After a humbling at the Champions, I thought the lads responded really well.

00:21They showed real bravery, not just in tackling and putting their head into things and stuff,

00:26but showing it and receiving and using the ball on a very difficult surface this afternoon.

00:31So, yeah, we're delighted to sign off with a win.

00:34It's always nice to do that because it's the last thing your home fans will remember.

00:38And for us to win the game, I wouldn't say it was comfortable, but it was certainly, you know,

00:43I always felt we were going to win the game once we went 2-0 up and I'm pleased the lads saw it out.

00:48Yeah, I mean, as you say, massive game at Wembley on Sunday, but important today, you know, to take care of business.

00:53And as you say, for the home fans as well, it's...

00:56Million per cent. Million per cent. This is our bread and butter.

00:58It was our last league game. And I say it all the time, you know, we take one game at a time.

01:02We literally do. Now, whilst we're aware of spending them up, but they haven't played for two weeks anyway.

01:06So, you know, we couldn't do any more work on them than we already have since we drew them out.

01:11And our focus has been fully on trying to win the game against Yorval.

01:13They were above us in the league, now we're above them.

01:15And there ain't no games to play. So, mission's accomplished.

01:19You know, we're only, I think, 10 or 12 points behind where we were this time last year.

01:23But there's been a lot happening in that time. A lot have gone out the door that you don't ideally want to go, but they're gone.

01:28And a lot have come in the door that we had really high hopes for and haven't been able to play enough of the games, to be honest.

01:33So, we've had a real turnaround mid-season, particularly in the back line.

01:37And I think the young lads there deserve a massive pat in the back.

01:40But so do the lads in front of them because they've shown real maturity.

01:43And they're only 24, 25, 26 in there as well.

01:46So, look, our league season can be put on a back burner now.

01:49We're going to prep for next season in that respect.

01:52And we can fully focus on the big day out.

01:55Yeah, finished 16th.

01:57You've had some good runs over the season, some challenges you've had to overcome.

02:01A young group, you know, sort of plenty to build on there.

02:04Yeah, I mean, look, I always work on reactions to positive and negative things for us as a group and staff and a team.

02:11And we've never gone more than three games in this spin losing.

02:14And that's in two years, not just this season.

02:16And unfortunately for us, this time it was right at the end of the campaign.

02:20But people are not, they mightn't believe me because I can say it after the event.

02:23I knew when we'd filed here and we went to 53 points that that would mathematically keep us in the division.

02:27Now, it didn't work out that way mathematically until a couple of weeks ago, I think.

02:31But I was very confident that we weren't not going to take zero points in them last five or six games.

02:36So to get it done like we did last season, we flirted with the playoffs again this season.

02:42But we just couldn't manage to get over the line.

02:44But in fairness to the group, they've shown me reaction after reaction.

02:48We've had a couple of humblings this season, which is never nice for anybody, but not too many at home.

02:53And again, that's something that you have to build the foundations of your season on.

02:57And our home form in general, including the cup runs, have been really kind to us.

03:01Yeah, and you wanted a performance and a win to finish off the league today and you got that.

03:05I'm assuming at half-time at 1-0, you were pretty happy and sort of wanted more in the second half?

03:08Yeah, I think we had the tools on the pitch from the beginning to get ourselves ahead, which we did.

03:13It was a really good start of the second half for us.

03:15Some people will remind me often when I listen to their commentaries in the game

03:20that we're very vulnerable from half-time to about 55, 60 minutes.

03:24But it was us that scored this time, so that was a pleasing thing.

03:26But yeah, fairness to Yorville, they didn't come here with their feet up or on the beach.

03:34Mark had them at it and they went and they got stronger and bigger and more experienced as the game went on.

03:39And they threw it all at us.

03:40In fairness, the save Marks has made at the end is a really good save.

03:44But the defensive heading and blocking and work ethic to stop the ball,

03:50either going in our box or certainly going in our goal, is what good teams are made of.

03:54We're a young group at the back there and they deserve a good pat on the back.

03:57They've taken a little bit of criticism, but every one of them have played a part in where we are today

04:04and where we'll be stood next Sunday around about this time.

04:07And obviously you'd have wanted a clean bill of health for Sunday.

04:10I mean, the only one with Cam Harvey who's had to come up with that portion?

04:13There's a massive crash down the back of his Achilles.

04:17It looks like someone just took a bite out of him, to be honest with you.

04:20So whether the lad meant it or not, it's one of them things.

04:23We've got to patch him.

04:24But one thing, listen, if I was a betting man and I had any money

04:28on whether Cameron will do everything possible to be available for that game next Sunday,

04:34I would put every penny I have on it.

04:36So I've got no issues with how he'll react to that.

04:38He was disappointed, you can see, when he comes off the pitch.

04:41But he's a proper team lad.

04:42Listen, there's no wonder he's voted the player's player of the year.

04:46I mean, I think it took the fans a little longer to see what he brought.

04:48But he compliments Theo, he compliments Dejan, he compliments Josh Barrett.

04:52He's a completely not a team player.

04:54For the life of me, I don't understand why he isn't playing at a higher level.

04:58And obviously, presumably, a usual day off tomorrow.

05:00And how does the rest of the build-up to Sunday look?

05:01Yeah, it's a little bit different because tomorrow, in effect,

05:04would be a Tuesday and a game, if we had a game on a Saturday.

05:06So the lads will be off tomorrow.

05:08We'll be in on Wednesday, off on Thursday.

05:11Then we'll have a two-day training into the Sunday.

05:13So we'll train Friday and Saturday before going up to London

05:16and having a night's rest before the big game.

05:19And hopefully they can sleep because, you know, that's part of it.

05:23The best rest you can have is sleep.

05:25And it's a difficult thing when you've got a big thing on your mind.

05:28I must imagine the lads before the walk-in semi-final here were, you know,

05:32it was built up to a massive game.

05:34Of course, this is going to be built up to an even bigger game.

05:36But it's how we treat it.

05:37And we'll be treating it with the prep exactly how we've treated every other game.

05:41Yeah, presumably, it's kind of, it's that balancing act of acknowledging it's a big game,

05:45but treating it as normal, you know, so it doesn't become too big.

05:48Listen, you've got to enjoy these days because I've been in football a long,

05:53well, since I was 16 years old and I'm, what am I now?

05:56Too many, too many is what I am.

05:59But there are not many of these days come around, you know.

06:01I've been lucky to be involved in three games at Wembley and at Cardiff.

06:06But some lads might never get this opportunity again.

06:09And we've got a lad here who's 31, captain of the club, and never been there.

06:14So it's likely to be his, you know, unless we go again next year.

06:17But, you know, at the end of the day, you can't say how big it is

06:21because it's every kid's dream to play at Wembley when you're out.

06:24But very quickly, when I got into football,

06:27I realised I was going to be in the coaching and managing.

06:30And the other side of football, you never think about it.

06:34So for me, you know, it'll be a huge game for me and my staff.

06:38Hope we'll enjoy it.

06:39And Wembley's a place for winners.

06:41So we want to come back.

06:42You know, we've got there.

06:42Why go there and not try and win it?

06:44And the lads who obviously haven't experienced the enormity of playing.

06:47Presumably you'll obviously tap in your experience, you know,

06:50in terms of managing that, you know.

06:53Well, at the end of the day, Tom, there's two goals at either end.

06:57Probably the similar dimensions to our pitch.

06:59But the surface will be a lot better.

07:00So I expect us to use and handle the ball a little better

07:02than we have done of late at home.

07:04And that's not a knock on anybody at the club.

07:06It's just the way it is.

07:06The pitch has been difficult.

07:08It's the second half of the season.

07:09But they should enjoy it.

07:11But they'll enjoy it by playing well and preparing well.

07:13And I know, I trust my backroom staff.

07:16We prepare as best we can.

07:18Travelling up Saturday the day before the game,

07:19have a chance to go round Wembley on Saturday?

07:21Yeah, you can.

07:21You can choose to go or not.

07:23And I think it's because so many of us haven't been.

07:25I don't think some of them have been to watch your game,

07:27never been there, you know, to play.

07:29So I think it'd be nice to go and have a look.

07:32Have a look at where you're going to get changed.

07:33Have a look at the pitch.

07:35But it'll be a different number when we walk in there

07:37and we've got almost 20,000 shots fans

07:40on one end of the pitch in the red and blue.

07:42And I'm looking forward to that myself.

07:44I mean, yeah, the 20,000 nearly sold.

07:46I mean, it's amazing.

07:47Hopefully some of those will come back in August as well.

07:49I mean, that's the only thing that brings people out

07:52to watch more football is decent football.

07:54And you can't get any more decent football in a cup final.

07:58And we're in one.

07:58So, like I said, they've come out.

08:01Listen, if one in ten of them extra thousands of people

08:04that are coming to watch us,

08:05if they just come and see us a couple of times

08:07at the beginning of next season,

08:08just suck it and see.

08:10Have a look at us at home.

08:11Because this has been a really good place for us

08:12in terms of performance and results.

08:15The two years I've been here,

08:16and we don't intend to change that if we can help it.

08:18And a hundred years of football in Aldershot,

08:20it's the first time it's historic for generations, isn't it?

08:23Yeah, I mean, listen, people forget what I say

08:26and forget what I do,

08:27but they'll not forget how they feel about going to Wembley.

08:30People of all ages, you know,

08:31from toddlers to grandparents and great-grandparents

08:34and people who've passed on.

08:35There'll be people emotional at Wembley

08:38because of the people who aren't there to enjoy it.

08:40But, you know, the people who have passed on

08:43will be looking over us, I hope.

08:45And I hope we have a great day.

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