ALDERSHOT TN 0, CHELTENHAM TN 2

LADY Luck may not be a Shots fan this season, but the team have done precious little to seduce her.

Saturday’s game hinged on two moments of fortune – good for league leaders Cheltenham, hugely frustrating for Aldershot Town. But Barry Smith’s side need to start making their own luck before a winter of discontent sets in.

Both goals came from needlessly conceded free-kicks in the first half. The first was cruelly deflected past Phil Smith and the second allowed to drift in, untouched, at the far post. The double-whammy rendered Aldershot’s dynamic start to the game futile.

While the Shots were pacy and inventive, they continued to founder on their own inability to take chances, an affliction exacerbated by momentary lapses in defensive concentration. They may have matched the Robins for long periods but were ultimately well beaten.

“The two goals show the way our luck is going just now,” said Smith. “Cheltenham are top of the league for a reason, but we’re encouraged by the way we’ve played. We’ve created more chances in the last five games than we have all season and at some point they’ll start going in. It will come soon, I’ve no problem with that, but the time has come for us to do our talking on the pitch.”

Rhys Browne saw an angled shot smothered by Dillon Phillips in the first minute and a drive from fellow winger Tom Richards was deflected behind soon after, as Aldershot came out firing.

But with their first sniff of an opportunity on seven minutes, Cheltenham were ahead. Harry Pell’s 25-yard free-kick appeared to carry little danger until it ricocheted through the defensive wall and left Smith wrong-footed.

Dan Walker and Billy Waters both shot wide as exchanges remained largely even, but on 27 minutes the game was effectively over. Browne clumsily barged into George McLennan by the touchline, about 45 yards out, and Jack Munns’ free-kick, swung in across goal, evaded everybody as it bounced up into the top corner.

Dan Walker lobbed a shot over both onrushing goalkeeper and crossbar before Phillips produced a superb reaction save to tip Browne’s flashing shot just over.

Sean McGinty’s shot was blocked by Phillips’ legs at the near post shortly after the break as Aldershot kept plugging away, but they couldn’t find a way back into the match.

Three debutants made impressive impacts in the second half. Andrija Novakovich – on loan at Cheltenham from Reading – hit both post and bar, while Danny Carr, for Aldershot, also hit the crossbar, and winger Marcus Harness added pace to an attack which, for all its verve, again lacked a cutting edge.

Substitute Charlie Walker had a volley saved and central defender Omar Beckles – a beacon of quality emerging from the Shots’ stumbling form – drove inches wide from 30 yards.

That, though, was the final chance and Aldershot were left to reflect on the bittersweet realisation that this performance would surely have earned a result against many lesser teams. It still constituted a sixth game without victory.

Aldershot: Smith; Alexander, Beckles, Saville, McGinty; Browne, Hatton, Stevenson, Richards (Harness 72); D Walker (Carr 54), Brodie (C Walker 75). Subs (not used): D Thomas, Akinyemi.

Cheltenham: Phillips; Dickie, Downes, Parslow, McLennan; Jennings, Storer, Pell, Munns (Hall 86); Waters (Rowe 79), Wright (Novakovich 46). Subs (not used): Kitscha, L Thomas. Booked: Pell.

Referee: Rob Whitton.

Attendance: 1,493 (269 away).