CHESTER 8, ALDERSHOT TN 2
ABJECT Aldershot Town suffered a record defeat as abysmal defending gifted previously struggling Chester six goals in a stunning first-half blitz at the Deva Stadium.
Eventually, this was the Shots’ biggest league defeat since formation in 1992, and the heaviest loss for any Aldershot team in over 25 years, prompting manager Barry Smith to apologise in person to the 70 travelling supporters who endured a horrible Tuesday night after a 500-mile round trip to the Welsh border.
“I’m embarrassed by that performance,” he confessed. “It’s unacceptable. Our fans have paid a lot of money to come up here, so I went over to them to apologise. I take full responsibility – it’s me that put that team out on the pitch and it’s not one that I’m proud of.
“We’ve got to give credit to Chester, but defensively we were all over the place. If you defend like that, you deserve everything that comes to you.”
With shocking ease, Chester earned their first home win since December and doubled their league goal tally for 2016.
The Aldershot back four were entirely culpable for all six of the goals in the opening half as they failed to deal with four passes in behind a sluggish defence and two Jordan Chapell corners.
An unmarked Sam Hughes opening the scoring on five minutes with a strong volley from Chapell’s right-wing delivery, but the half belonged to James Alabi, whose pace and movement left a worryingly high defensive line horribly exposed.
Four times, the former Stoke trainee found ample space in the final third and, although he finished with a deft assurance each time, all were a damning indictment on the opposition.
Yet when Ross Lafayette – a lone beacon of pride and resistance in a morass of ineptitude – made the score 2-1 on 23 minutes, as he curled in a 20-yard shot that was a goal from the moment it left his boot, Aldershot sensed they could claim at least a point.
That, of course, reckoned without the four goals which came in the final ten minutes of the half. Joe Oastler twice failed to deal with Alabi’s pace, while Hughes muscled in ahead of Sean McGinty to head his second from another corner.
Alabi’s lob made it 6-1 in injury time and Ross Hannah’s 25-yard drive, which added a seventh on 54 minutes, was even better.
Dan Walker belatedly grabbed his first ever goal for Aldershot, racing through unchallenged on a counter-attack which spanned the full length of the pitch on 67 minutes, but further insult was added by Chester’s eighth.
Danny O’Brien’s long-range shot was fumbled by Phil Smith, allowing Hannah to follow up from an acute angle.
Fortunately for the hapless visitors, and their disbelieving fans, the Blues were largely sated with 17 minutes still to go.
The margin of victory, and depth of ignominy, could have been even greater, but it still raised significant questions which Barry Smith will need to answer both before Saturday’s visit of Torquay United and over the summer.
A freak result this may have been, but for some players it could have started to shape a future away from Aldershot Town.
Chester: Thompson; Higgins, Heneghan, Astles, Hunt; O’Brien (Mahon 78), Hughes (Shaw 73), Lloyd, Chapell; Hannah, Alabi (Bell 69). Subs (not used): Worsnop, Rooney,
Aldershot: Smith; Alexander, Beckles, Oastler, McGinty; D Walker, Stevenson (Saville 84), Gallagher, Browne; Rasulo (Hatton 59), Lafayette (Pavey 69). Subs (not used): Ralph, Thomas. Booked: Oastler.
Referee: Karl Evans.
Attendance: 1,425 (70 away).
* James Alabi had scored only two league goals in his career before this match. The 21-year- old, formerly of Stoke, Celtic and Ipswich, became the first Chester player to score four goals in a game since Andy Milner in a 6-0 home win over Doncaster in 1997.
* It was Chester’s biggest win since the club, now supporter-owned, reformed in 2010, but well short of the old club’s record 12-0 victory set in 1936 against York City.
* Tuesday’s win came in front of Chester’s lowest crowd of the season.
* Chester move up to 15th in the National League table, two points behind Aldershot.
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