14th April 2008
"We were obviously disappointed the Torquay result on Saturday meant that our win over Burton was not enough to give us the title and promotion. But now we need just one point from four games. And, if we can't get that point across that many games, then we simply don't deserve to go up.
"The boys had to dig in against Burton and Bully made a couple of good saves again. The boy hit the post in the second half [Shaun Harrad]. How he missed that I really don't know. But that's what wins you championships, a little bit of luck like that.
"It was a nightmare having to watch from the stand. I said to Gary Waddock afterwards - "We could have done with winning that a little more easily than we did" - but it was an exciting game to watch and we got the three points, which is all that matters.
"We're all really pleased for Rob Elvins. His contribution has been massive since he came back into the side recently, after not really getting much of a look-in for a while. It's brilliant for him and the team and there he was with the winner again on Saturday.
"I've been ill as well as injured and the illness has been getting me down. But I've got a prescription from the doctor so hopefully the medicine will sort that one out. And hopefully, if I keep icing up my knee, I should be fit for Exeter on Tuesday and, if not, Halifax on Saturday.
"The games this week away are going to be very difficult. Exeter need the points to make the play-offs and Halifax are fighting for their lives near the bottom. But hopefully we'll get that point - at least - at Exeter.
"We all planned to watch the reserve game against Queens Park Rangers at the Rec on Monday afternoon and then travel down to Exeter together, to get the three points. Everyone is very excited. I want to be playing. And, if we do win the title at Exeter I want to be there, in my kit, sweating, after 90 minutes, not coming on in my suit, that's for sure."
4th April 2008
"I think a few of the lads were a bit disappointed that we couldn't go out and celebrate winning the Setanta Shield last night. But that was never going to happen with the league game against Salisbury to come so soon afterwards. There is still plenty of work to be done. Do that and we can hopefully all have a huge celebration in a few weeks' time.
"The way the fans celebrated last night's win has made us even more determined to go and finish the main job in the league. The way we felt last night, the smiles on all the lads' faces and the cheers of the fans...just imagine what they will be like if we win the league.
"It really was an excellent crowd last night. I know the players want success and it just shows how much the fans want it too. It was a late finish last night but the fans stayed until after the end, even though I guess plenty of them had to get up this morning as early as 5am or 6am to get to work.
"I must admit that when we went 3-1 up I thought it was done and dusted but as soon as they got back to 3-2 then I knew it might be a dodgy five minutes, and so it proved. But once we got to penalties, I fancied us. I didn't think any of our guys would miss and they didn't.
"The Setanta Shield is pretty big so captain on the night Ricky Newman said to me he might need a hand lifting it. Actually, we called Bully [Nikki Bull] up too, as I guess we are the kind of three senior players in the squad. But Bully said 'that's not for me, as I haven't played in the competition at all,' so he left us two to it.
"I think Mikhael [Jaimez-Ruiz] has been brilliant in his attitude all season. You're never going to get much change out of Bully, he's the best keeper in non-league football by a street. And he's pretty unbreakable, he's barely been injured for six years at Aldershot. But it shows the strength we've got that we have Mikhael to come in when selected. He's a class act and it was great he made the winning save and celebrated with the fans.
"It's the first time I've lifted a trophy in first team football. I won a few things in reserve and youth football with Manchester City but they just don't compare to winning something at senior level, like last night. It certainly makes me want to go on and lift some more silverware.
"Unfortunately Dave Winfield picked up a knee injury last night. He was having a scan this afternoon, so we'll have to see how he is. But the majority of the boys are OK after last night and the attitude in training today was excellent.
"All year the gaffer [Gary Waddock] has made sure that all we do is concentrate on the next game. But obviously we are all aware of the situation and what we need to finish top. It's at the back of our minds, yes, but we know that the best way of going about things is by getting as many points as we can, as soon as possible. Starting tomorrow against Salisbury. It will be a tough game: they all are in this league, as Droylsden and Stafford showed against us last week. We may have beaten Salisbury 4-0 away in December but for me that was never a '4-0 game'. They are a very decent team.
"I didn't think Scott Davies' tackle at Droylsden was worthy of a red card. But I think his previous suspension record counted against him at the appeal. To be honest, however, his ankle is not looking good and is very swollen. I don't think he'd have played for a couple of weeks anyway. He has a heel injury too, which requires an operation, which may well be brought forward and done now. That way, hopefully he will decide to stay with us [Davies is on loan from Reading] and will be fully fit for pre-season for next season.
"It was nice to have Jonny Dixon back at the Recreation Ground to watch last night's final. He had no commitments with Brighton and rang me to see if there was a ticket for the final. He came into the dressing room for 10-15 minutes to say hi. He remains a massive part of this season for us and will always be welcome back here.
"We had a good 'road trip' up north last week and picked up a good few points. I was rooming with my old mate Anthony Charles again, so I spent as much time out of the room as possible. Hopefully we may be able to enjoy a proper 'road trip' and celebration, courtesy of the club, once the season is over. But we have a league to get won first."
Rhys Day was talking to Charlie Oliver.
6th March 2008
“The squad is still buzzing after Monday’s win at Torquay.
“But at training on Thursday Martin Kuhl really got into us. He doesn’t mince his words. He reminded us in no uncertain terms that we haven’t won anything yet.
“We know that and our feet are very much on the ground.
“But at least, now it’s been and gone, we can talk about Torquay. Winning like that certainly made the journey home a pretty easy one - and for the fantastic fans who made the long trip too, no doubt.
“It was just brilliant to win like that, with virtually the last kick, after we had been under the cosh a bit in the second half.
“From the back, I saw the ball bouncing up and I said to myself ‘go on, Scotty, hit it’ - and he did. To be honest, great strike that it was, I think the keeper should have saved it, but we certainly don’t care about that.
“We had our usual huddle after the game. Everyone can contribute, but it’s normally led by me, as captain, or by Bully [Nikki Bull], as a senior player.
“Bully was pretty emotional after the win, but the victory meant a lot to everyone. Bully’s been at the club a while and knows it and the fans so well. He played superbly too, and that always adds to the emotion.
“To be honest, I simply can’t believe that Bully is still playing football in the Conference, rather than the Football League. At the back, we are so fortunate to play in the knowledge that he’s behind us to help out, if we make a mistake, or the opposition break through.
“If Bully’s confronted with a one-on-one, there’s a great chance that he will make a save, which has been so important to us this season.
“Bully’s a really good guy, too. If any of the young lads have a problem or need advice, or just need a chat, then they go to Bully. He’s simply a top man.
“I hadn’t heard that Paul Parker, the Setanta summariser, often refers to me as Rhys Davies, rather than Rhys Day. Oh well. But I’m simply not having him saying Richard Gere, rather than Rob Gier.
“I think it’s fair to say that Richard Gere has just a little bit more about him than Giero! As for Paul Parker, maybe we’ll just have to start calling him Peter Parker [Spider-Man].
“Now we turn to the FA Trophy semi-final first leg at Ebbsfleet on Saturday. It is good to go into the game knowing that we got the right result at Torquay and now have a nice lead in the league. That was our aim and we’ve done it.
“But we still have so many games to come and while we are eager to get to Wembley, we have to get past Ebbsfleet. There’s Histon in the league next midweek too, and then around Easter we have a huge number of games, now including Droylsden on the Thursday afterwards too.
“The gaffer [Gary Waddock] made changes for the Torquay game and he said to us last week that there will be changes in the games to come. There are so many matches ahead that, even if you have played well in the previous game, it’s no guarantee that you will keep your place.
"He and Kuhly will pick a team that is right for when the game is played and the opposition we face. To be honest, as a player, so long as we keep on winning, then it’s no bother. We simply need to keep on getting the right results.
“Junior Mendes is settling in well and he played for the reserves on Wednesday and scored in the 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient. He is now another one pushing for a starting place.
“Whoever plays on Saturday at Ebbsfleet, we are confident that we can go there and do the business.
“I’m quite pleased with the early kick-off at Ebbsfleet because it means I should be able to watch the latter stages of Wales’ huge rugby match in Ireland. It’s a massive game for the boys and the nation, as we chase the Triple Crown and Grand Slam. They have done brilliantly, beating the likes of England, as I enjoy pointing out.
“I know Lee Byrne, the fullback, and Shane Williams well and speak to them quite often. Hopefully both Aldershot and Wales can go and get a good win on Saturday.”
28th February 2008
"It's great news about Junior Mendes signing. I know him from our days together at Mansfield Town [Day and Mendes were in the Mansfield team that lost the 2004 Division Three play-off final to Huddersfield Town] and I spoke to him a month or so ago and asked him whether he was free to come and train with us. He's a good pro, he's fit and I can see him nicking a few goals. What's more he will work his nuts off - it's a big plus to have him.
"I wasn't even sure he was in the country as I knew he'd had a bit of bad luck at Notts County and didn't really get along with the management there, and then he had a setback with an injury while trying to get a club in Armenia.
"He's a good striker but I thought I had better show him the way the things are done, hence the two goals in the Setanta Shield match at Crawley on Tuesday. I don't think I've ever scored a better goal with my foot than that right-footed half-volley, but maybe I've preferred one or two headed goals in my career, being a defender.
"To be honest, I'm often the top scorer in training, so it's not that unusual, and I let the lads know about it. Actually, I set myself a target of ten goals this season and I'm half way there, with taking a few penalties too.
"We needed my goal on Tuesday but that was just typical of the way we've played this season. We've gone behind but we seem to have the ability to up the tempo and have a good few more gears to go into, like for Kirk Hudson's goal and then the goals in extra-time.
"I'm pretty pleased with my form right now. There's no hiding from the fact that I had a two-game dip in form last month [in the league defeats to Forest Green Rovers and York City]. I still can't really explain it - I prepared just the same, eating the same as usual, didn't have a drink and was resting well - but I guess no player can go through a season and perform to the very best of their ability in every game.
"Then Charlesey was suspended and I got back in. The gaffer has said all along that if you are given the shirt and perform well, then you will keep it, and he's been true to his word.
"I think in the last few weeks we've seen the squad expand from about 16 or 17 players to nearer 20, any of who could come into a first team match and do a job. Players like Scott Donnelly and now Junior. Some squads have three or four weaker players but I don't think we do. It keeps us all on our toes and is a brilliant situation for the manager.
"Of course there's Ryan Williams too, who might possibly come into the picture. I was on the internet with him earlier in the week, while he was choosing a pair of new boots. So, he must have a return to training in mind. They are a fancy Nike pair, a bit too colourful for my liking, with black, grey and red, and his name on the side. He's pretty upbeat and if he can come back into the picture for the last few games it will be great for him and the club.
"The FA Trophy and the thought of playing at Wembley is enough to keep us all buzzing and happy at the moment, without even thinking of the league. Talking of the league, as far as I can see we have 14 cup finals ahead of us and we need to win as many of them as possible.
"Kidderminster will be tough on Saturday and then, of course, we have Torquay on Monday night. Our preparation for the fixture will be very professional. After playing on Saturday afternoon, we'll be in on Sunday morning for a warm-down from the day before and then we travel down to Devon on Sunday for an overnight stay in a hotel [hopefully not in Torquay's most famous hotel, Fawlty Towers]. Then we'll train down there on Monday morning ahead of the game - and hopefully the right result."
19th February 2008
"I've just watched Sunday's match on television. I knew we'd played well but seeing that first half, with the benefit of all the replays, some of our play was unbelievable.
"It was a great performance from the lads. The team spirit has been good all season but the dressing room was absolutely buzzing after the final whistle. We were all ecstatic. The Gaffer [Gary Waddock] was getting quite enthusiastic too.
"Of course we know that we must now make sure we push on from the win but by beating one of the league's fancied teams, live on television, I think we've put out a bit of a statement to the rest of the league.
"I don't think anyone was too surprised that we didn't reach the same heights in the second half. The Gaffer said to us at half-time you've been absolutely fantastic but don't you dare take your foot off the pedal. He made it clear that we'd be in for a right rollicking if we didn't keep going and while they scored a goal, I think we did ensure that we followed his other main instruction well: if they do get a goal back, then stay calm and don't panic.
"Having seen the Setanta coverage it's really pleasing to hear a former England international and double-winner like Paul Parker say how well we played. He praised everyone very highly and that shows what a good team performance we put in.
"I think Setanta do quite a good job. They're trying a few different things, like interviewing the managers during the match and going into the crowd. We had the cameras in the dressing room too but we've had that before and you don't really notice them. It's just nice to be on television, to be honest.
"We had a good crowd too, depsite it being on television and on a Sunday evening. The fans have been brilliant all season but I think in the last two home games, against Cambridge and Stevenage, that we're beginning to see the numbers go up a little as we head towards crunch time in the season. It's great to see.
"Anthony Charles' suspension meant that I was recalled to the team by the Gaffer. It was great to be back in the side for such a big game, one live on television too, and to be back captaining from on the pitch.
"I think that was probably the best I've played this season. I was very happy with the way Dave Winfield and I played at the back. I've been disappointed not to be in the team for league matches of late but the team have done well without me, so I couldn't complain.
"Besides, I think only if your team was in mid-table, with nothing to play for, can you really ever want the person in front of you in the team selection to do badly. But that's not what I'm about anyway. Watching from the bench, I've been willing Dave to do well because that means the team will do well, which is what we all want.
"Charlesy said to me and Dave after the Stevenage game - 'well, after that display from you two, it looks like it's going to be my turn to be the benchwarmer' - and Dave and I nodded and said 'too right, mate'.
"But we'll have to see. Dave and I feel we put in a good performance but that's no guarantee that the Gaffer will pick us in the next game. It's the way it should be; competition for places is good for us all.
"Some people were suggesting that I should shave my hair short again, like it was early in the season, as that might help me rediscover my form. Well, I've cut my hair and I played well but the truth is a bit different.
"I was planning to grow my hair long and develop a bit of a mullet, just for a laugh and a throwback to old fashions! I got as far as actually having it cut at the sides so that the mullet was there - but it just didn't work. The only option was to shave my whole head as quickly as possible!
"After the Hampshire Cup tie against Basingstoke we turn to the FA Trophy against Tamworth. We're still in a number of competitions and want to win every game.
"The Gaffer makes sure we concentrate on one game at a time, but of course we are all aware that if we beat Tamworth then we are just a two-legged semi-final away from playing at Wembley. No one can dismiss that totally from their minds but first we must make sure that we get past Tamworth, which won't be easy.
"I guess the league game away at Torquay is fast approaching too but let's not forget that we have Kidderminster to play in the league before Torquay. Kidderminster are always a decent outfit.
"But we have the cups to concentrate on first, so we must forget about the league for now."
7th February 2008
"We had a good training session on Thursday morning. It was pretty hard, to be honest, but Thursday to Saturday gives plenty of time to rest, as we'll just have a shorter session on Friday.
"Charlesy [Anthony Charles] was up to his usual tricks. We often play a game of two-touch 'keepy-uppy' and Charlesy is the worst player I have ever seen at it. He also has a habit in training of trying to kick the ball as hard as possible at players, for no reason, which is nice." [Indeed, fans watching Aldershot warm up at St Albans on Tuesday evening will have seen Charles repeatedly welly the ball at team-mates when they weren't watching.]
"Obviously we have a very busy week or so coming up as concerns the league, with Farsley on Saturday and home matches against Cambridge and Stevenage quickly after that.
"But all we can do is concentrate on Farsley. It's another long trip and we're hoping we won't have the coach journey we had up to York, which took about six hours.
"We will train on Friday morning at 10am, have lunch together back at the Rec and then head off to stay overnight in a hotel near Farsley.
"Surprise, surprise, I will be rooming with Charlesy. Actually, he's not too bad at all as room-mates go. He keeps quiet and will happily just put on his earphones and watch his portable DVD player. I'm told that Lewis Chalmers is the room-mate to avoid. We’ve all seen him moan at referees but apparently he moans all the time off the pitch too - 'the room's too cold, the room's now too hot, there are not enough towels,' that sort of thing.
"We were all quite pleased with our performances against Braintree and St Albans. They were two good cup wins, even if the opposition were from the league below. Dave Winfield's neck injury gave me an early chance back in the team after losing my place. I was ready to take my chance but I must admit that I thought I might be out of the team for while, as Dave and the rest of the defence had done really well without me against Oxford United. I'm pleased with the way things went; two clean sheets and seven goals were a good return for the team.
"Everyone was really happy that Rob Elvins scored a couple of goals at St Albans. I was willing him forward to go and get that hat-trick. I thought he did really well for the first goal, going in bravely with their big defender and forcing the error.
"It was good to see Kirk Hudson back too. He couldn't make training on Thursday but will back on Friday. I don't know whether he'll start on Saturday but even if he's just on the bench, it's a massive boost to have him. Having him to bring on will really scare defenders.
"Danny Hylton's done well since JD [Jonny Dixon] left too. Danny's a good player, with bags of talent and a good work ethic. He just needs to believe in himself and I think we're starting to see that.
"We have lots of fixtures coming up and we'll need the whole squad to contribute. We are still in four competitions and believe we can win them all. If we win the Blue Square Premier, FA Trophy, Setanta Shield and Hampshire Cup, then surely we'll have a good chance of winning the BBC Sports 'Team of the Year' award in December. Well, that's my aim, anyway!
"We have a few get-togethers as a team away from football. Paint-balling before Christmas was great fun and the Gaffer [Gary Waddock] was due to organise a clay pigeon shooting day recently but we had to cancel that as we have so many games. Maybe once things calm down we might have time to go go-karting or something like that.
"We always eat together after training, which is good for the team bonding. I guess that sounds a bit like the new England set-up.
“But the Gaffer hasn't started calling us by our surnames or anything like that. Actually, I wouldn't really want to repeat what he calls some players on some occasions. But I think it's fair to say that he's not as strict as England's Mr Capello.
"Anyway, it's time to turn to Farsley now. Hopefully a good number of fans will make the trip north and we can reward them with a win."
31st January 2008
"We have said goodbye to JD [Jonny Dixon] this week and we are all sad to see him leave.
"We will all miss him and not just on the park. Jonny was one of the lads, a lovely bloke. No one ever had a bad word to say about him.
“But we are all really pleased for him. It’s a great opportunity to join Brighton in League One and he couldn’t really turn it down.
“Everyone is aware during the transfer window that something might come up. Jonny is just one of many in the squad who might have attracted interest from League clubs, after the way we’ve been playing this season.
“I think Jonny was as surprised as anyone. The phone call to the club from Brighton was out of the blue. The first we knew something might be happening was at training on Tuesday. Everyone was asking: ‘Why isn’t JD here?’
“But I didn’t get full wind of it until after the Oxford game. I spoke to JD on Wednesday and wished him well. He said he was sad to be leaving us in such a good spot but I think everyone involved thought it was a good offer for all concerned.
“I was dropped to the bench by the Gaffer [Gary Waddock] for that Oxford game. In my last two starts [Forest Green Rovers and York City] I was simply not up to scratch and I was very disappointed with myself.
“To be honest I could see the decision to drop me coming. It was affecting me in training and the Gaffer could sense something was up with me and called me in to have a chat. We agreed that I haven’t been playing too well and the Gaffer said he was going to make a change, just to keep me and the rest of the guys on their toes.
“It was typical of the Gaffer to speak to me first, alone, so I knew before everyone else. I was pleased about that and respect him for it.
“Besides, we know that we have a squad of 18-20 players, rather than just an XI, and if we are going to win the Blue Square Premier then all of us will be needed in the next few months.
“I’ve known some players who sulk after getting dropped but you won’t be getting anything like that from me. I’m determined to win my place back and I said to the Gaffer that I’m going to get back in the team and make sure that he never drops me again.
“I thought Charlesy [Anthony Charles] and Dave Winfield were outstanding in the win over Oxford. Dave was fantastic. He kept his place ahead of me and I take my hat off to him. He had a great game.
“I was thrilled for us to get that win and a clean sheet. You always try and put results behind you but I think we could all sense that we were a bit uptight in training after the two defeats. But the whole place has been lifting by that Oxford win. It was a very important one, against a side who I thought weren’t bad at all, and there is a brilliant feeling back in the squad.
“We now turn to the FA Trophy match against Braintree. Obviously there will be no JD and Kirk Hudson was only due to return to training on Friday, so we may still be without him. Thursday morning’s weather was appalling but thankfully the club wrapped us in cotton wool and we had a good session inside, in the warmth and dry of the gym.
“We have a couple of ‘international stars’ in the squad, of course, now that both Soaresy [Louie Soares] and Strakes [Anthony Straker] have been called up by Barbados.
“Then again, perhaps that’s going a bit too far, I think it’s fair to say that Barbados is not exactly the greatest footballing nation in the world! Still, it’s very good news for them, even if we’re still not sure when we’ll be losing them for a game or two. They are meant to go next week but have still not been given any itinerary by the Barbados footballing authorities. They say that everything and everyone is laid back in the Caribbean and clearly football is no exception.
“Soaresy and I joined the Gaffer for one of our local promotions at Specsavers in Aldershot on Thursday. I won’t be making any comments about who needs glasses or lenses, so none in return please!
“It was a good laugh, actually, trying on lots of different glasses and we got some good pictures. It’s good to raise the profile of the club and set up sponsorship deals. Hopefully we can continue to raise the profile of the club on the pitch too, starting against Braintree.”
"Last Saturday against Forest Green was obviously a disappointing result and performance and we had a long on-pitch meeting to talk things through at the start of training this week.
"It's not just the Gaffer [Gary Waddock] and Martin [Kuhl] who talk, everyone is allowed to have their say. It's a good idea to hear different opinions and we're confident we can rectify the mistakes we made.
"Obviously there was a lot of talk about Stuart Fleetwood before and after the game and I now know from personal experience that he's a very good player.
"To be honest I must put my hands up. I was guilty of not giving Fleetwood enough respect in the second half. As captain I was urging and pushing us forward but in hindsight I should have sat back more and not allowed him so much space. It played into their hands. There's no hiding from the fact that Rovers were able to turn us far too easily at the back and then had masses of space to exploit.
"Giero [Rob Gier] made an interesting point in the team meeting at training. Watching as a substitute from the side, he said it looked like we pushed forward much too early after the break, when we could have been more patient. We were only 1-0 down, after all, and we now realise that a better policy might have been to have kept playing normally until the last 15 minutes and only then laid siege to their goal.
"But it's been a good week in training, the lads are in good spirits. The Gaffer sent those of us not playing in Tuesday's reserves match on a really hard blow out on Tuesday morning, so we've been worked hard.
"Charlesy [Anthony Charles] has, as usual, been the worst player at training. He always is. The other day the Gaffer absolutely skinned Charlesy in a five-a-side and put the ball through his legs. The Gaffer even shouted 'nuts', he loved it. He and Martin like to get involved. You can still see that they've played at a very high level, they've still got it, even if they do show their age when it comes to recovering from some of the fitness stuff!
"Charlesy scored the best own-goal I've ever seen today too, a cracking volley. Thankfully he likes to save his proper performances for 1st team matches. He's suspended on Saturday at York and we will miss him at the back but I'm confident whoever plays will do well.
"We have a number of players back this weekend. It was good to see Scotty Davies, Lewis Chalmers and Kirk Hudson play for the reserves on Tuesday and we welcome them back. The competition for places is good, it keeps us all on our toes. Between now and the end of the season everyone will play their part.
"I'm fighting fit after my achilles problem and raring to go for the York game on Saturday. I'm on four bookings, so I'm aware I'm one tackle away from a ban but that's what happens at this time of the season. You have to forget about it and play your normal game. Strakes [Anthony Straker] is in the same boat.
"I didn't play at York last season, I was injured, but I did play there when I was with Mansfield Town. We won 2-1 [February 2004] and my main memory is that the pitch was diabolical. With all the rain around, we've been training on some pretty poor pitches recently, so at least that will stand us in good stead for Saturday's match.
"Talking of Mansfield, I still have plenty of friends at the club and I'll be looking out for their result tomorrow against Middlesbrough in the FA Cup 4th Round. I enjoyed my time at Mansfield and don't like seeing them struggling at the bottom of the Football League, so it's good they have a big cup tie tomorrow.
"But obviously the big game tomorrow is our trip to York. We were never going to win every game but we understand the importance of bouncing back with a win after losing to Forest Green. York will be tough opponents but it doesn't matter who the gaffer picks, we all believe we can get back to winning ways."
