Aldershot Town narrowly avoided relegation from the National League this season, after flirting with the bottom four for several weeks – but that in itself wasn’t enough for John Coleman to stay in the dugout for the next campaign.
The Shots currently find themselves 20th in the National League, ahead of Saturday’s curtain call against already-relegated Truro City in what’s been a challenging season for the football club.
However, earlier this week the decision was announced, that current manager John Coleman would be leaving the football club at the end of the 2025/26 season – despite successfully retaining their fifth-tier status.
Therefore, next season is highly likely to be a fresh start for Aldershot and a potential successor has been reportedly identified by the club.
Aldershot eye Coleman replacement
Coleman joined Aldershot Town back in October, following the resignation of Tommy Widdrington who moved on to National League South side Eastbourne Borough.
During his time in charge, the Shots won ten matches and scored 41 goals, managing to narrowly avoid relegation – helped in part by Brackley Town’s 14-match winless run.
Ten days ago, Aldershot’s new owner Deane Wood confirmed Coleman would “definitely” be at the club next season, making the turnaround very unexpected.
However, journalist Pete O’Rourke has reported that Aldershot have identified Slough Town’s player/manager Scott Davies as their ideal successor, ahead of the 2026/27 season.
The 38-year-old has made 28 appearances for Slough across all competitions this season, scoring twice in matches against Maidstone United and Hampton & Richmond Borough.
Back in January, Davies signed a new contract as manager of the club. This means that he’s under contract until the end of the 2027/28 season and would be subject to a compensation fee should an agreement be struck between all parties.
Would Davies be a ‘good fit’ for the club?
Previously, we’ve seen a handful of managers make the transition from the National League North/South into the fifth tier, and the reviews have been mixed.
Scott Barrett joined Eastleigh from Weston Super-Mare back in September after their disappointing start to the season, but he struggled to change their fortunes and was sacked as manager in February.
Similarly, Chris Agutter joined Sutton United from Worthing and though he has been more successful than Bartlett, he also hasn’t had it easy with his side sitting in 18th.
However, in Davies’ case, he has had three separate spells as a player at Aldershot, being on loan between 2007 and 2009 as well as another stint in 2011. This suggests he would have an anticipation of what’s to be expected of him, should he return to the club.
Co-host Mark Sharpley from the National League Lowdown podcast commented on Davies’ possible return, stating…
’(Scott) Davies would be a great fit for Aldershot. An ex-player who knows exactly what the supporters expect and has now got the experience as a manager to back it up.’
Whilst he knows the club and has developed a positive reputation with Slough, a major stumbling block is likely to be his contract. Aldershot recently confirmed they are set to lose up to £800,000 this year and face further ‘significant’ financial losses in the future, which would make it unlikely that they’d pay compensation fees for people under contract.
