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An entertaining encounter between 4th place Altrincham and 7th place Aldershot blesses our screens on Saturday, as the TNT Sports cameras come to Hampshire.
Aldershot currently sit 7th in the league, two points clear of Gateshead and Rochdale. Tommy Widdrington's side have far exceeded expectations thus far and continue to defy the odds.
Their games have certainly been entertaining, with games involving the Shots averaging 3.68 goals. On their day, Aldershot will believe they are capable of beating anyone, but inconsistency has halted their progress.
Aldershot are fresh off a surprise 0-5 home loss to AFC Fylde, so will be determined to bounce back. Aside from this result, the EBB Stadium has been a fortress for Widdrington's side, with the Shots picking up 29 points in 16 games, scoring 32 goals in the process.
Much off their success this season owes to their attack, with Lorent Tolaj (14), Joshua Stokes (13) and Jack Barham (11) forming arguably the most exciting attack in the league. However, their 62 goals conceded is the second most in the league, with only Oxford City conceding more. Their 7-4 victory at League 2 Swindon epitomised the quality and entertainment that Aldershot possess.
Altrincham are another team who have outperformed expectations. Phil Parkinson's side occupy fourth place and sit inside the playoffs by five points.
Alty have only lost once in their last six matches due to a late James Berry winner for runaway leaders Chesterfield. Wins against Rochdale (3-0), Solihull Moors (0-1), Eastleigh (4-0) and Barnet (3-2) have shown Altrincham's quality. The Robins will be looking for at least a draw in Hampshire to solidify their playoff place.
While Altrincham only have one player on double digit for goals, they have actually scored more goals than Saturday's hosts. Chris Conn-Clarke has been imperative to this run with 16 goals.
With 57 goals scored and 38 conceded, The Robins have seen 95 goals in their games, for an average of over three a game, so an entertaining match is in store, as shown by the 2-1 in the reverse fixture.
Both sides finished within a place of each other last season, with Altrincham finishing 17th and Aldershot one below in 18.
An unbeaten run of six games to end the season saw Aldershot survive by five points, despite a late scare from a resurgent Torquay side. 64 goals were scored and 76 conceded for the Shots in a topsy turvy season. There were genuine fears of relegation heading into this campaign, but a savvy summer of recruitment has made them into promotion hopefuls.
After eight games unbeaten from November to February, there were hopes of an unlikely playoff push for Altrincham. However, inconsistency affected their season massively, failing to win any of their last seven league games. The Robins games saw an average of 3.26 goals.
After winning player of the season and helping AFC Sudbury to promotion, Josh Stokes was snapped up by Aldershot. The 19-year-old was now playing National League football for the first time in his short career and he stood out instantly. 12 league goals before January, a brace against League Two leaders Stockport and a goal against Swindon attracted the attention of many Football League clubs, with Bristol City acquiring his services for a club record sale for Aldershot. Much to the delight of the Hampshire faithful, Stokes was loaned back until the end of the season. A powerful runner and a clinical finisher, Stokes has another opportunity to impress the masses, this time in-front of the television cameras.
Chris Conn-Clark has been one of the standout players in the league after scoring 16 goals in the most fruitful season of his professional career yet. After a successful loan spell at Altrincham and Waterford from Fleetwood, Conn-Clarke was signed permanently for Altrincham in the summer. A pacy, direct and clinical forward, the Robins will certainly make very good money when the time comes to sell Conn-Clark.
Over 3.0 Goal Line @ 1.825
2-2 @ 11.00
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