National League South

I think it's an interesting comparison to look at how Aldershot have started this season and I think you might have even predicted it on one of our previous episodes where they've had the squad together very, very early into the summer and if you look at the squad on paper, it's not a particularly strong squad.

A lot of players that have come up from Conference South, a lot of players that were with the manager at his previous club um but the fact that they've clearly had a good pre-season and have been together for a long time has allowed them to start well um and it it has made me wonder a little bit around the sort of not not just the the pre-season schedule the fitness the manager situation all of that it i'm i can't quite put my finger on it but i um I've not been entirely sure what the plan is that we're signing players to, if that makes sense.

You know, we've got a very, very big squad.

I think 26, 27 players in all.

Yeah, I think because a lot of them that we signed have done well sort of in and around the level below us, means that it would probably be quite easy to do that.

I do actually think, although obviously I've been quite critical of someone like Ayres, I think if you were chasing a game 10, 15 minutes ago and you needed a goal or something, I think putting someone like him on, I wouldn't be against that at all, especially if we have got this long throw or set pieces or whatever.

I think he can bring that sort of chaos element, but it does feel like he would benefit from maybe going to the Conference South or something and playing regular games and maybe getting some goals and getting some confidence because he is still a young player.

So I think that would be useful.

Do you know what? I think I'd quite happily, although I'd like a cup run, an FA Cup run, It'll be a good fairytale story, wouldn't it, for the commentators on TV if we got that far? With everything that's gone on at the club, it'll bring back a little bit of feel-good.

But having said that, for me personally, I'd forsake the FA Cup to get us established back in a winning run in the National League South, secure our safety or whatever we're aiming for.

Uh, that's where, that's where I'd, that's where I'd like to see us.

And, uh, here's hoping that may come.

We'd taken a bit of a risk.

And then in terms of the signings, we were going for players from League Two, National League, and in one case, National League South.

But so far, we seem to have been like the proverbial breath of fresh air, I think.

There's a bit of a malevolent vibe, weirdly, towards the end of last season.

You've got Ricky Aguilar, who scored the winner the other night.

just some really good players who can, you know, the games are tighter than they were experiencing in some last year in National League South.

So those three players are going to make a massive difference at times and they're already showing that.

And obviously they've got a great manager in Adam Hinshelwood who's done it in this division before.

So yeah, it does look very bright for Worthing at the moment.

It was an interesting match Tuesday because you had the two teams who'd come up from National League South, Hornchurch having won the playoffs.

It was actually very close, even though Worthing won 1-0 in the end.

There wasn't a great deal in it at all.

So, the NaNoWriMo is step one, I think.

And then National League South is step two.

Then below that is step three.

I'd say if you're playing step three, yeah, that's a decent level.

They have been conceding like two, three goals in matches, which I don't think he'll find acceptable.

Hopefully, the National League Lowdown Manager of the Month curse won't be hanging over Daryl McMahon for too much longer, but Yeah, a battle of last season's National League South runaways, really.

Hornchurch, I think, can take this one on the chin, but it was worth more, obviously, to Worthing in so many ways than just the three points.

Yeah, definitely.