T'S a little more than 12 hours since Tommy Widdrington walked his back through front door after getting home from Aldershot Town's FA Cup triumph and he's back on the road.
"It's our annual Christmas Carol service in a local church," the Shots boss tells The NLP.
Will he be in fine voice? "I'll try but my voice is a bit croaky after last night as I was getting a little anxious towards the end of the game," he laughs.
The fans who made the long trip to Stockport County on Wednesday night were likely a little hoarse the next day too.
Olly Scott's 88th-minute winner fired the Hampshire outfit into the FA Cup third round proper for the first time since 2012-13 and only the third time in club history.
"The ball goes in the box, there were seven challenges - and we win every one," Widdrington says of the scrambled goal. "And that tells you that, in the 88th minute, my lads weren't happy just to see the game out and draw.
"I didn't even know who had scored at the time but I watched the game back this morning and he caught it really well- he needed to.
"We've scored a lot of late goals this season. A few times we've been behind when we've needed them, thankfully on this occasion one goal was enough.
"The goalscorer, rightly, gets a bit more of the adulation but everyone who played is a credit to themselves. I asked them to be the best version of themselves that they could be. I knew we'd need to be that to be in the game, never mind win the game." A trip to Championship outfit West Bromwich Albion awaits on January 7.
For now it's back to the National League, where the Shots find themselves in the play-off race, ahead of a busy schedule that includes back-to-back games over Christmas with fierce rivals Woking.
Denne historien er fra December 17, 2023-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra December 17, 2023-utgaven av The Non-League Football Paper.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
CUT ABOVE THE REST!
ALAN JULIAN is fully on board with Hampton & Richmond Borough's serious message Movember even if he can't stop laughing at his players!
JOE IS SPECIAL GUEST STAR!
YATE TOWN 1 Guest EVESHAM UTD 0
GOAL ACE ROSS HAS PLENTY OF SHELF LIFE
It's 300 up for Allen but Green Lion marches on
TOWN ARE READY TO GO AGAIN!
Witham boss Kimble is eyeing a repeat
DAWS SHUTS DOWN TOWN BUT MAGPIES DRAW AGAIN
DORCHESTER TOWN boss Tom Killick called for unity to help the Magpies shake off their mini slump after a fourth league draw on the spin.
ARCHIE ANSWERS CHURCH PRAYERS IN FLOWERS BOW
TEN-man Alvechurch fought their way to a first league victory since mid-September to kick off the Tim Flowers era with a precious three points.
HORNETS HAVE THE BUZZ FOR VICTORY!
THE CLASH between Wingate & Finchley and Horsham was a tight and fiercely contested affair, with Horsham emerging as narrow victors thanks to a second-half strike.
MACCA'S THE HERO IN 'NICK' OF TIME!
SUBSTITUTE Nick McCoootie grabbed a stoppage-time winner as Weston-superMare battled back from 3-2 down with five minutes left to clinch victory in this top-of-the-table thriller at the Woodspring.
SHOTS LAUD HERO HENRY
FRUSTRATED Phil Parkinson bemoaned the rigours of life on the road as Altrincham were blown away by Storm Bert and a resurgent Aldershot Town in a fruitless tenhour round-trip though the wind and rain.
GRAHAM GIVES UNITED BOUNCE
NEW Boston United manager Graham Coughlan ended the Pilgrims’ 11-match winless run with his first attempt, at the expense of fellow survival fighters Braintree Town.
