ALDERSHOT Town’s opening National League fixture, at home to Barnet this Saturday, means an early reunion with Callum Reynolds and Cheye Alexander, first-choice defenders for the Shots last season.
The pair signed for the north-west London club after Aldershot’s failure to win promotion through the play-offs, no doubt attracted by the presence of John Still, one of the most successful managers in non-League football.
Co-incidentally, Aldershot’s trip to Chesterfield on Tuesday will bring them into opposition with Will Evans, another key member of Gary Waddock’s defence last season.
It will thus be a new-look Aldershot side that runs out at the EBB Stadium on Saturday (ko 3pm).
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Manager Waddock strengthened his defence this week by signing former Brentford centre-back Karleigh Osborne from Grimsby Town.
The 30-year-old, who won the League Two championship with Brentford in 2009 and League One title with Bristol City in 2015, has made over 300 appearances in a career which has seen him play in the Championship and Scottish Premiership.
Osborne joined Brentford at the age of 15 and made 26 appearances as Andy Scott’s Bees won League Two in 2009, before joining Championship side Millwall in 2012. He again reached the Championship with Bristol City in 2015.
Loan spells with Colchester and AFC Wimbledon were followed by moves to Plymouth and Kilmarnock, before joining Grimsby in July 2017.
“I’ve known the gaffer for a long time and I wanted to play for him. He’s a great guy and this is a great club to be at,” said Osborne. “He really showed me his passion and vision for the club, and where he wants go. Playing under a manager who’s got a lot of belief in me is a huge factor – he wants to help me improve and I hope to repay that faith that he has shown in me. It’s going to be a tough season, but one I’m looking forward to. I’m experienced and I’ve played at a good level, but I’m extremely hungry to get back on track. I’m not afraid to step back to go forwards again.”
Aldershot have also re-signed striker Dan Holman on a one-year contract.The 28-year-old, who made 18 appearances for the Shots while on loan from Colchester in 2014-15, returns to the EBB Stadium following his release by Cheltenham.The Northampton-born striker helped fire The Robins to the National League championship in 2015-16, scoring 16 goals in 18 appearances in the second half of a season in which he also scored 14 goals in a loan spell at Woking.Earlier this week, Aldershot signed former Crystal Palace winger Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong.The 21-year-old had a successful trial at the club after being released by the Eagles, featuring in pre-season friendlies against Leatherhead, Oxford United and Wealdstone.A left-back who was converted into a winger after scoring a hat-trick in a FA Youth Cup tie against Sheffield Wednesday in 2013, Berkeley-Agyepong was part of Palace’s first-team squad for the 2016 pre-season tour to the USA and Canada.Last week, Waddock re-signed midfielder James Rowe on a one-year contract. The 26-year-old made 43 appearances for the Shots last season and featured in all three pre-season friendlies, scoring with a superb 25-yard strike against Wealdstone.
Aldershot have also recruited Ipswich defender Chris Smith on a youth loan until December 29. The 20-year-old joined his home town side in 2006 and progressed through the Tractorboys’ academy to make his first-team debut in the Carabao Cup tie against Crystal Palace in August 2017, alongside George Fowler and Adam McDonnell.