Coca-Cola League Two

Aldershot Town 1 Port Vale 0

The end of October is ‘trick or treat?’ time and one trick from Louie Soares was enough to treat Aldershot fans to a victory on Tuesday, as The Shots ended their six-game run without a victory.

Not that there were pumpkins or ghosts on offer at The Rec — or fireworks, with November 5 just a week away.

No, with freezing temperatures and second half sleet that had turned to snow by the end of the game, this felt more like Christmas.

And, while manager Gary Waddock was delighted with the three points, which maintained his side’s unbeaten home record this season, he was just as satisfied with the early present of a clean sheet, Aldershot’s first since Accrington Stanley, on the opening day.

Talking of Days, captain Rhys, in just his second game back from a hernia operation, was an inspiration, as Aldershot’s backline put in a solid display that made a mockery of the woeful displays at, in particular, Chesterfield and Macclesfield in recent weeks. Anthony Charles had another good game at left back.

He and Day were supported by a team effort, full of pace and endeavour, especially early on, that knocked Vale out of their stride.

It was only when Aldershot’s play and passing became scrappy that Vale could get a foot in the game, first in the later stages of the first half and then in an anxious last ten minutes, when The Shots, wracked by nerves as they sought their first league win since mid-September, struggled to withstand late pressure.

But they hung on — much to their manager’s joy.

“It was a good performance,” said Waddock. “A clean sheet is what we’ve been after for a good few weeks now and we’ve worked hard towards it and I’m pleased.

“We started the game with a really good tempo, closing Vale down and moving the ball well, which set the tone for the game and was getting back towards the way we know we can really play.”

Although Vale had half-hearted appeals for  a penalty against Chris Blackburn in the first minute, after that scare, it was all Aldershot. Scott Davies, set up by a dummy from Soares, rattled the crossbar with a scorching shot from distance in the sixth minute.

Vale’s defence was in disarray and, with Soares, restored by Waddock to his best position on the wide right of midfield, and Junior Osborne, in at right back, combining well, The Shots were only denied by desperate defending.

With a little more fortune both John Grant and Danny Hylton might have scored before Soares did, in the 14th minute.

Osborne drifted inside and fed Soares, who cut further inside onto his supposedly weaker left foot on the edge of the area and cracked a low shot into the corner of Joe Anjon’s goal.

“It was a very good goal,” said Waddock. “Louie does that in training all the time and I’ve spoken to him about transferring that into matches and he did it tonight. He played extremely well.”

Soares was closest to extending the lead in the second half, forcing a save from Anyon after linking with Grant and then arrowing another low shot inches wide from the edge of the area.

This was not a classic match and, while Aldershot throughly deserved their victory, they were seldom at their best. But a workmanlike performance was plenty good enough to see off Vale, who did not look like a side that had won three of their last four games.

Aldershot are now back up to 13th with this win — jumping back above Vale — and the visitors were forced to rely on just the odd scraps offered by Aldershot’s occasional lapses in concentration.

The Shots still struggle, at times, to pass the ball out of defence but, on one of the occasions that they got it just right, Hylton lost possession before the break and Vale broke sharply.

Luke Rodgers beat Bull with a free shot in the area but the ball was superbly hacked off the line by Davies, as he raced back from midfield.

“Scotty’s a box-to-box player, it was a great recovery,” said Waddock. “He’s an all-action and it’s typical that he hit the bar and later cleared off the line.”

Waddock had recalled Davies in place of Scott Donnelly (Osborne had effectively come in for Lewis Chalmers) and Davies and Ben Harding dove-tailed nicely in midfield.

But it was the defence that deserved most plaudits in difficult, icy conditions that, for the last half hour, came with snow for good measure.

“Rhys Day is a leader and has come back in and had two very effective games,” said Waddock. “But I’d rather concentrate on the team. It was a good performance all round.

“The players love playing here and the crowd got right behind us on a very cold night. We’re trying to make this a very difficult place for teams to come and get a result.”

And it is working, with four wins and three draws from the League Two games at home.

Late on, The Shots, having failed to add a second-goal cushion, sat further back, invited pressure, surrendered possession too often and had to rely on last-ditch defending.

That was perhaps inevitable given their recent results but Nikki Bull saved well from Paul Edwards, Day blocked expertly at the near post and The Shots survived.

It wasn’t as pretty as the snow that was, by then, falling heavily but, unlike the snow, it settled — settled the contest in Aldershot’s favour.

“I’d happily play in that weather every week, if we win 1-0,” said Waddock.
 
Aldershot Town: Bull, Osborne, Charles, Blackburn, Day, Harding, Soares, Davies, Grant, Hylton, Hudson. Subs not used: Chalmers, Morgan, Elvins, Donnelly, Newman.