A pulsating seven-goal encounter at the EBB Stadium saw FC Halifax Town snatch a 4-3 victory against Aldershot Town. The Shaymen raced into a two-goal first-half lead, leaving the Shots with a significant uphill battle. The opener arrived in the 18th minute when Florent Hoti’s astute pass found Billy Waters, who made no mistake in finishing. Hoti turned provider again in the 33rd minute, delivering a pass that Andrew Oluwabori converted to double Halifax’s advantage.
The second half witnessed a dramatic Aldershot resurgence. Shortly after the restart, Ashley Akpan halved the deficit, heading home from a Jack Barham assist. The Shots’ relentless pressure finally paid off in the 79th minute as James Henry levelled the score. Just as the momentum seemed firmly with Aldershot, Halifax substitute Zak Emmerson, having only just entered the fray, restored the Shaymen’s lead in the 84th minute, converting a chance created by fellow substitute Max Wright. Emmerson then doubled his tally and extended Halifax’s lead to 4-2 in the 89th minute. Deep into stoppage time, in the 93rd minute, Barham grabbed a consolation goal for Aldershot, assisted by Tyler Frost, but it proved too little, too late. The final whistle confirmed a thrilling victory for the visitors, reversing the sides’ head-to-head record coming into the match and seeing Halifax leapfrog Aldershot in the National League table. A flurry of second-half substitutions from both teams added to the already frenetic pace and unpredictable nature of the match, with several yellow cards reflecting the intensity of the contest.