National League Tips | Aldershot v Chester |10th September 2016

NON-LEAGUE nut Callum Jones (@Goaldust) returns with his weekend NAP from the National Leagues.

Aldershot v Chester | Saturday 15:00

Things are starting to take shape in the National League, and it’s not particularly surprising to see Forest Green and Tranmere sitting pretty at the top with six wins and 19 points from their opening eight games.

It’s perhaps a little more intriguing to see Aldershot Town’s name in the top four of the division. Five wins from eight, including four from four at home with only one goal allowed has ensured Gary Waddock’s side have made an excellent start after last season’s fairly uninspiring 15th-placed finish.

Waddock’s appointment was a huge boost to the Shots, who have seen their managers average a win ratio of around 33% since 2009.

The ‘Wadfather’ has been around the block a bit now, and seems to have found a good home at the Recreation Ground. He has a young, hungry squad at his disposal too, and with Scott Rendell leading the line, you certainly fancy this side to score goals.

The Shots host struggling Chester on Saturday – a team that are really acting like a Jekyll and Hyde outfit so far this season. Excellent home wins against Dagenham and Sutton United have been counteracted by awful results on the road, not least a 3-1 defeat at previously winless Woking last time out.

As a part time outfit, the Seals are always going to be up against it in this division. Indeed, they were actually relegated in 2014, although later redeemed by Hereford’s demise.

The north-west visitors have done an excellent job of steadying the ship since, but really need to improve their form on the road this season if they’re to stay up.

Chester are currently 5/1 to go down with BetVictor, which suggests there should be four teams worse off in April than the Deva outfit – personally, I’m not so sure.

But Saturday is a real test for Jon McCarthy’s team, and I think the price about an Aldershot win is fairly monstrous at 5/6 (BetVictor). Granted, it’s a smidge of odds-on, but should be a lot closer to 1.50 in my mind, so I’ll take the near even money and run on this one.