Coca-Cola League Two

Aldershot Town 1 Exeter City 0

If Fortress Rec became a theatre for the visit of Exeter’s Grecians, then the play performed was one of two very different acts.

Act one was forgettable, especially for the home spectators; Aldershot were poor in the first half, saw little of the ball and created next to nothing.

But while Exeter dominated possession and looked a far more incisive and bright team — showing why they have adapted better than Aldershot to life in League Two — The Shots’ defence, even if, at times, looking a little desperate, survived to make the interval at 0-0.

With that clean sheet, The Shots began the second half with a clean slate and finally took the game to Exeter.

What followed was not a thing of beauty but it was memorably high on feisty drama, including a penalty, a red card and, most important of all, a win for Gary Waddock’s Shots, which puts them up to 13th, just six points off third place.

John Grant scored the only goal and this was a deserved win on the back of The Shots’ second half performance.

But boy did they contrive to make things difficult for themselves. A host of chances were missed — Grant had a penalty saved by Paul Jones — and Danny Hylton was sent off late on for a lunge on Steve Tully.

Still, Aldershot fans will know by now that Waddock’s side seldom serves up comfortable wins; narrow, hectic victories are par for the course. This was a classic one.

However, nor does Waddock’s side keep a clean sheet too often but here they did and, given how many chances went a-begging, it was a good job too.

It’s now twice in a row at home that Nikki Bull has kept a clean sheet in the league but while he stayed alert to make a vital save from Dean Moxey, just after Grant’s goal, central defenders Rhys Day, on his 100th appearance for the club, and Anthony Charles deserve particular credit.

Both were outstanding, with Day’s calm defending and astute passing the instigator of many Aldershot moves and Charles’ more prosaic approach a superb foil to his captain. One tackle by Charles, again soon after Grant’s goal, just as Adam Stansfield was about to shoot, was a crucial moment.

Given that Louie Soares had to fill in again at right back — which he did rather shakily to start with but to great effect in the second half — made this an even better clean sheet. Chris Blackburn was missing with a mouth injury, first sustained in the 1-0 win over Port Vale at the end of October. Junior Osborne was unfit too.

“I am pleased with an excellent win, against an excellent team,” said Waddock afterwards. “And we’ve picked up a clean sheet to boot.

But Waddock acknowledged that, for a half, his side had been far from their best.

“The first half was not how we wanted to perform, the second was,” said Waddock. “We gave them far too much respect before the break but in the second half we stepped up the tempo and got at them."

Not that Exeter had made the most of their first half superiority. They weaved plenty of pretty patterns, with Ryan Harley coming to the fore and former Premiership striker Marcus Stewart keeping Soares busy down the left flank.

But, perhaps missing the suspended Matt Gill in midfield, Bull had few saves to make. Stewart looked to have headed their best chance over but, even then, the offside flag was belatedly raised.

That said, Aldershot survived a couple of scrambles in the area and had to withstand a succession of corners. Moxey’s left-footed inswingers were especially dangerous.

With Blackburn out and Soares dropping back, Waddock had brought in Marvin Morgan for a start up front and dropped Hylton back into left midfield. New signing Andy Sandell was on the bench.

Hylton was at the heart of Aldershot’s best first half moments but too often his final ball let him down. Grant and even Scott Davies were both shot shy and, when Kirk Hudson did swing in a good cross, Morgan’s header was wide and weak.

With a few choice words from Waddock and Martin Kuhl ringing in their ears, Aldershot were transformed after the break.
 
The negative, tentative approach was replaced by decisive attacking. Davies had a rasping shot well saved by Jones within seconds of the restart and then Grant’s angled header from Hudson’s cross beat Jones but not the far post.

Exeter were under pressure for the first time in the match and Tully folded. Davies punted the ball clear from deep in his own half and Tully’s awful backpass put Grant clean through in the area.
 
With just one goal from open play all season there was still plenty for Grant to do but he found the net, in off the inside of the left post.

Exeter responded well and Bull did well to block Moxey’s thunderbolt and deflect the ball away from the danger area. Before the hour, Charles denied Stansfield, after an error by Ben Harding.

It was hectic, heady stuff and a few players began to lose their heads. Morgan — who looked more sinned against than sinning — and Matthew Taylor were booked for tussling on the floor.

Exeter manager Paul Tisdale made a flurry of substitutions, as he looked to turn the game around and achieve a sixth league away win from eight attempts.

On came Jack Obersteller and Ben Watson — who both scored in victory for Grays Athletic over Aldershot last season — to make a four-pronged attack, with Stewart and Stansfield. Introduced too was Emmanuel Panther, who ran Aldershot’s midfield ragged for York City last season.

But Aldershot’s memories are happy of last season, especially involving Exeter, who have a terrible recent record at The Rec to boot. And, indeed, it was Aldershot who enjoyed the lion’s share of chances in a pulsating final 15 minutes.

One was a golden one: Grant’s penalty. Davies was barged over in the box by Moxey but Grant’s powerful shot was at the right height for Jones, who made an excellent save and then made an even better one from Grant’s follow-up. Jones then denied Hudson for good measure.

Although Grant scored from the spot last week, he has now failed to score from four of his last six penalties.

Five minutes later Hudson’s assured finish was ruled out for offside and the finale was increasingly nervous for The Shots. Stansfield hooked  a late, great chance over the bar and Watson was flagged offside after he effort looked to have crossed the line, via the bar.

With two minutes to go Hylton, who always plays with a edge to his game, lunged in on Tully after losing possession and was rightly sent off. Waddock was furious, pointing to his head to make Hylton aware of his stupidity.

In the end, Aldershot held out comfortably with ten men, thanks to that newly solid defence. The play was over and the theatre is still a fortress as the unbeaten home record edges close to 20 matches.

Aldershot: Bull, Soares, Straker, Day, Charles, Davies, Hudson, Harding, Grant, Morgan (Sandell 84), Hylton. Subs not used: Chalmers, Elvins, Donnelly, Newman.

For more from Gary Waddock and post-match reaction from man-of-the-match Anthony Charles, see Tuesday's Aldershot Mail.