Aldershot Town secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory against Altrincham in a pulsating National League clash at the EBB Stadium. A rapid-fire first-half brace from James Henry ultimately proved decisive, despite a late Altrincham surge and a tense finale.
The match’s intensity was evident from the outset, with a flurry of yellow cards shown in the opening exchanges. Aldershot’s Jack Barham was the first to be cautioned for a foul in the 17th minute, followed by teammate Oliver Scott in the 31st minute. Altrincham’s Tom Crawford also entered the referee’s notebook before half-time.
The deadlock was broken in the 26th minute when Henry, expertly picked out by an Ashley Akpan assist, fired home to give the Shots the lead. Just four minutes later, Henry doubled Aldershot’s advantage, capitalising on a defensive lapse to make it 2-0. Having also received a yellow card shortly before the interval, Henry was later substituted in the 75th minute.
The second half saw both sides make tactical changes. Altrincham, searching for a route back into the game, introduced Jake Bickerstaff (66th minute), Kahrel Reddin, and Isaac Marriott. Aldershot responded with substitutions of their own, bringing on Dejan Tetek, Tyler Frost, Maxwell Mullins, and Hady Ghandour.
The match took a dramatic turn in the 78th minute when Altrincham’s Crawford received a second yellow card and was subsequently sent off. Despite being reduced to ten men, Altrincham found a lifeline in the 90th minute. Substitute Bickerstaff slotted home to set up a tense finish. However, Aldershot held firm in the face of late pressure to secure a valuable three points.
The victory lifts Aldershot to 17th in the National League table, while Altrincham remain in 10th. The two sides have a close history, having met four times in recent seasons prior to this encounter, with each team recording a victory and two draws.