EASTLEIGH 0, ALDERSHOT TN 0

IN the week in which the club celebrated the 25th anniversary of its phoenix-like rise from the ashes, it was perhaps appropriate that Monday’s goalless draw represented a small victory for Aldershot Town’s resilience and spirit in the face of adversity.

Still stung by the criticism of Saturday’s meek second-half display against Chester, and debilitated by both a lengthening injury list and early red card for debutant defender Kodi Lyons-Foster, the Shots maintained their top-five position in the National League simply by refusing to give in.

Led by indomitable captain Callum Reynolds, who ended the game bloodied and battered, the team adapted and very nearly overcame the tough but rudimentary opposition provided by Eastleigh.

Already without Will Evans, Will de Havilland, Jake Gallagher and Bernard Mensah, Aldershot lost Manny Oyeleke to a hamstring strain in the first half and then had Nick Arnold stretchered off after the break.

Down to ten men and with full-back Chris Arthur filling in admirably at centre-half while winger Bobby-Joe Taylor became an auxiliary left-back, the visitors continued to take the game to Eastleigh and ultimately left feeling they could have earned even greater reward.

“The players were hurting from the other day, against Chester, but what a reaction today! I think our performance was outstanding, we managed the game extremely well and we should have gone on to win it,” said manager Gary Waddock. “In this heat, in the type of game it was, and given some of the decisions that didn’t go our way, I thought it was a very good, professional performance.”

Eastleigh, by contrast, were hugely disappointing as an expensively-assembled team which rarely displayed any guile or creativity to augment their obvious muscle. Jake Cole barely had a save to make all afternoon – except for dealing with Mark Yeates’ long-range effort in the second minute – and had Shamir Fenelon not blazed his shot over the bar on 11 minutes, the visitors could have taken an early and possibly decisive lead.

On 34 minutes, Lyons-Foster, hitherto assured on his debut, stretched to correct a heavy touch and ended up in a crunching tackle with Sam Wood which resulted in a somewhat harsh straight red from referee Chris O’Donnell and the Shots had to adjust their game plan.

Craig McAllister missed a free header for Eastleigh on 45 minutes, before Taylor flashed a drive just wide at the other end.

But when Arnold appeared to catch his studs in the heavy turf just after the hour mark, Aldershot could have been forgiven for prioritising damage limitation over attacking enterprise.

Nonetheless, James Rowe had two fierce shots blocked in front of goal and then Taylor hit the post from close range after a dashing break into the box and deft interchange of passes with Scott Rendell as the visitors put in the stronger finish.

McAllister twice failed to find a telling touch from low crosses, but at the end of over nine minutes of stoppage time – partly due to Chris Zebroski’s clumsy aerial challenge which left Reynolds with a split eyebrow and hefty bandaging round his head – Aldershot could finally hail a valuable point and almost instant redemption.

Eastleigh: Flitney; Obileye (Hollands 85), Togwell (Zebroski 71), Howe, Green; Yeates, Wood, Boyce, Matthews; McAllister, Williamson (Johnson 46). Subs (not used): Constable, Miley. Booked: Wood, Howe, Zebroski.

Aldershot: Cole; Alexander, Lyons-Foster, Reynolds, Arnold (McClure 66); Oyeleke (Arthur 33), Kellermann; Fenelon, Rowe, Taylor; Rendell. Subs (not used): Okojie, Smith, Wrightman. Booked: Taylor. Sent off: Lyons-Foster.

Referee: Chris O’Donnell.

Attendance: 2,525 (542 away).

• Solihull Moors, second from bottom in the table, visit Aldershot this Saturday.