I recovered from two strokes to guide non-league club to cup final at Wembley
Tommy Widdrington will walk out at Wembley Stadium on Sunday after recovering from two strokes. The Aldershot boss has guided his side to the Home of Football for the first time in their history. Widdrington will walk out at Wembley after suffering two strokes last yearGetty After finishing 16th in the National League, the Shots can end their season by lifting the FA Trophy this weekend should they beat Spennymoor Town. For Widdrington, it comes after a health battle at the end of last year which saw him suffer two strokes. Reflecting on the ordeal on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee & Jacobs show, he said: “What happened to me was completely out of the blue. “It was Monday after the game, so I was at home. I was resting really and I just looked at my phone, I’d taken a message and I decided to stand up. “Sometimes if you’ve been laid down or sat down for a while, you stand up a bit quick, you get a little bit discombobulated. Well, this was that times ten. I just got this feeling of heat from both my shoulders through to the end of my hands. “Some people describe it as pins and needles. It wasn’t like that for me. It was a real hot surge and then my eye vision just went really from being able to see everything to little pinholes through black. “I was actually complicit enough to be able to quickly double press my phone, which got my wife on the phone. And I just said, ‘Come home, something’s wrong.’ And she did and she found me sort of collapsed on the couch. “So that’s how it happened, the first one. I believe the second one happened as I got out of the car. “When I went to hospital, the reason I went to hospital was because my wife insisted, which you should do, obviously, something like that. “You must go because the chances of having a second one are really, really reduced. The moment you’re in the hands of the medical professionals and they can medicate you. The Aldershot boss was back in the dugout just three months after his health scareGetty Widdrington has guided Aldershot to Wembley for the first time in their historyGetty “I’ll be forever indebted to Southend University Hospital and the stroke team in particular, they were phenomenal with me.” Remarkably, Widdrington returned to the dugout just three months later to take charge of the Shots once again. Discussing his recovery, the 53-year-old remarked: “I get a little bit when I talk about it because I woke up the next morning and I didn’t recognise three of the four people standing at the bottom of my bed and the three people were my kids. “That was hard because I didn’t realize where I was and I couldn’t get up and go to the loo. “I was in a room where there was some really, really poor and ill men and women. And I describe it now that if they were hit right in the middle of the head with an axe, I was sort of stroked on the shoulder with a finger. “But I had strokes and I had the symptoms that them guys had but they’ll be a lot longer in recovery than I will. So to survive the two strokes, I’m indebted to the medical professionals in our NHS. The Shots face Spennymoor Town in the FA Trophy final on SundayREX “And of course, my wife and very close family, as well as my employers, everybody at Aldershot Town. “That’s the board, my staff and of course, the supporters and the players have been fantastic with me. But I’m back to being the grumpy old sod that I was before.” Widdrington has gone on to guide Aldershot to the final of this season’s FA Trophy final, where they face Spennymoor Town of the National League North. It comes just over two years on from his appointment at the Recreation Ground in April 2023. Asked about his time with the Shots, he explained: “When I came to the club, I got a feeling it’s sort of a sleeping giant because it’s historically been a good football club and it’s been up and down like every club does. “I just felt there was loads of different areas of the club that all kept telling me they wanted to do things that were good for the club and I get that. “But until there’s a collective intention where everybody’s pulling in the same direction, it won’t happen. “Now, I demand that of a football operation. And if you do that and you can align the club right from the top through to the fan base, every club I’ve ever been at, we’ve had relative success. “Whether I’ve been a player, coach, whatever it is. Despite what some people will tell you, there’s not many clubs I’ve been to and left and left them in a worse place than I found.” Widdrington has masterminded wins over Wealdstone, Chertsey Town, Boreham Wood and Sittingbourne in this season’s FA Trophy. Aldershot then booked their place in the final with a stoppage time minute winner against rivals Woking in last month’s semi-final. Their manager will also now have the chance to win the competition for the first time after s
Tommy Widdrington will walk out at Wembley Stadium on Sunday after recovering from two strokes.
The Aldershot boss has guided his side to the Home of Football for the first time in their history.
After finishing 16th in the National League, the Shots can end their season by lifting the FA Trophy this weekend should they beat Spennymoor Town.
For Widdrington, it comes after a health battle at the end of last year which saw him suffer two strokes.
Reflecting on the ordeal on talkSPORT’s Hawksbee & Jacobs show, he said: “What happened to me was completely out of the blue.
“It was Monday after the game, so I was at home. I was resting really and I just looked at my phone, I’d taken a message and I decided to stand up.
“Sometimes if you’ve been laid down or sat down for a while, you stand up a bit quick, you get a little bit discombobulated. Well, this was that times ten. I just got this feeling of heat from both my shoulders through to the end of my hands.
“Some people describe it as pins and needles. It wasn’t like that for me. It was a real hot surge and then my eye vision just went really from being able to see everything to little pinholes through black.
“I was actually complicit enough to be able to quickly double press my phone, which got my wife on the phone. And I just said, ‘Come home, something’s wrong.’ And she did and she found me sort of collapsed on the couch.
“So that’s how it happened, the first one. I believe the second one happened as I got out of the car.
“When I went to hospital, the reason I went to hospital was because my wife insisted, which you should do, obviously, something like that.
“You must go because the chances of having a second one are really, really reduced. The moment you’re in the hands of the medical professionals and they can medicate you.
“I’ll be forever indebted to Southend University Hospital and the stroke team in particular, they were phenomenal with me.”
Remarkably, Widdrington returned to the dugout just three months later to take charge of the Shots once again.
Discussing his recovery, the 53-year-old remarked: “I get a little bit when I talk about it because I woke up the next morning and I didn’t recognise three of the four people standing at the bottom of my bed and the three people were my kids.
“That was hard because I didn’t realize where I was and I couldn’t get up and go to the loo.
“I was in a room where there was some really, really poor and ill men and women. And I describe it now that if they were hit right in the middle of the head with an axe, I was sort of stroked on the shoulder with a finger.
“But I had strokes and I had the symptoms that them guys had but they’ll be a lot longer in recovery than I will. So to survive the two strokes, I’m indebted to the medical professionals in our NHS.
“And of course, my wife and very close family, as well as my employers, everybody at Aldershot Town.
“That’s the board, my staff and of course, the supporters and the players have been fantastic with me. But I’m back to being the grumpy old sod that I was before.”
Widdrington has gone on to guide Aldershot to the final of this season’s FA Trophy final, where they face Spennymoor Town of the National League North.
It comes just over two years on from his appointment at the Recreation Ground in April 2023.
Asked about his time with the Shots, he explained: “When I came to the club, I got a feeling it’s sort of a sleeping giant because it’s historically been a good football club and it’s been up and down like every club does.
“I just felt there was loads of different areas of the club that all kept telling me they wanted to do things that were good for the club and I get that.
“But until there’s a collective intention where everybody’s pulling in the same direction, it won’t happen.
“Now, I demand that of a football operation. And if you do that and you can align the club right from the top through to the fan base, every club I’ve ever been at, we’ve had relative success.
“Whether I’ve been a player, coach, whatever it is. Despite what some people will tell you, there’s not many clubs I’ve been to and left and left them in a worse place than I found.”
Widdrington has masterminded wins over Wealdstone, Chertsey Town, Boreham Wood and Sittingbourne in this season’s FA Trophy.
Aldershot then booked their place in the final with a stoppage time minute winner against rivals Woking in last month’s semi-final.
Their manager will also now have the chance to win the competition for the first time after spells in charge of Salisbury, Hemel Hempstead, Eastbourne Borough and King’s Lynn.
