- Boston United are 2 wins, 2 defeats and 1 draw in their last 5 pre-season friendlies.
- Aldershot Town are 4 wins and 1 defeat in their last 5 friendlies, going unbeaten in 4 of their last 5 friendlies.
- Boston United have led the head-to-head record in the National League since 2024, winning 2 of the 4 meetings against Aldershot Town (1 win, 1 draw for the Shots).
Two teams on the up in a tight opener
Boston United finished 12th in the completed 2025-26 National League season, a solid platform for improvement but not quite good enough to push into the play-offs. Paul Hurst has returned to the club and appears to be instilling a pragmatic, organised style of football where the Pilgrims can play with a back three or back four to suit the game.
Tristan Abrahams will bring pace and direct running to Aldershot, while Brody Peart and Marcus Wyllie have provided goals and energy in pre-season. Jake Rooney and Jordy Hiwula add bite, experience and the movement to ensure Tom Cursons is their primary threat in the box.
The Pilgrims beat Alfreton Town 2-1 at the Jakemans Community Stadium and Peterborough United 1-0 at the Lincolnshire FA Ground, but they were also beaten 1-0 by Lincoln City and 3-2 by Chesterfield. The positives have come from Cursons's sharp finishing streak and their ability to cause a stir up front, while there have been a few issues in defence to work on.
Aldershot Town's 46 points was around 19th-20th in the National League in 2025-26, so this opener already feels like a stability check. Scott Davies brings a pressing style and set-piece threat to the Shots, who look organised, compact and have transitioned quickly in the pre-season games so far.
Their 2-0 win over Portsmouth in an away game was the stand-out result in their preparations. Charlie Patmore has set the tone with some big saves, but the whole team are set up to be tidy and tough to break down.
Shots can play their part in an early season thriller
The odds are perhaps a touch too keen on Boston United here at 1/1 for the home side to take all 3 points, ahead of Aldershot at 113/50 and the draw at 121/50.
There is an interesting contrast to exploit here as Boston's controlled build-up and medium-high press should mesh nicely with Aldershot's wider, more vertical 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 approach, so the midfield scraps and second balls could influence the flow.
With three of the four National League games between the clubs since 2024 featuring at least three goals, including Boston's 3-2 away win at Aldershot in August 2025, we will happily take the shorter odds about both teams to score on Saturday as 67/100 looks about right.
A 1-1 draw is certainly our favourite play in the correct score market as neither team will be overawed by this National League curtain-raiser and both managers will want to be in control of the game. But a narrow Boston win, by 2-1, feels just as natural for this fixture and there will be three points on the table at the end for whichever team makes the most of their chances.
