Aldershot Town slipped to a narrow 1-0 defeat at high-flying Boreham Wood in the National League.

A truly special goal was all that separated Boreham Wood and the Shots as Abdul Abdulmalik’s 16th-minute strike gave the Hertfordshire side all three points despite a spirited performance by the visitors in front of a crowd of 931.

Shots boss John Coleman made several changes to the side that lost at National League South outfit Weston-Super-Mare in the first round proper of the Emirates FA Cup, with Tyler Frost returning from injury to make his first start of the season.

Boreham Wood started brightly, with Matt Rush and Abdulmalik finding openings in the first ten minutes, but Shots keeper Pat Nash – starting in the league for the first time – repelled the home side.

Bolton loanee Sam Inwood made a fine league debut for the Shots, preventing a tap in at one end before turning provider on the 12-minute mark, playing an inch-perfect long pass to Kiban Rai in the penalty area. Rai struck his effort well, but a good save from Boreham Wood keeper Nathan Ashmore prevented the opener, with Frost failing to convert the rebound.

The home side took the lead four minutes later, thanks to a piece of superb individual brilliance from Abdulmalik. The 22-year-old picked up the ball on the halfway line, before pulling off an unorthodox piece of skill to beat his marker and drive forward. After taking several progressive touches, Abdulmalik’s right-footed strike from the edge of the area found the top right-hand corner of the net.

The Shots thought they had equalised shortly afterwards through Kwame Thomas, who got on the end of Frost’s low cross from the right and finished confidently, but the Aldershot forward had failed to time his run correctly and was denied by the assistant referee’s offside flag.

The familiar pair of Abdulmalik and Rush created Boreham Wood’s next chance. Abdulmalik played a precise through ball to give Rush the freedom of the area. However, an early decision to rush out from Nash closed down the angle, allowing the young keeper to make a tremendous one-on-one save to deny Rush.

While possession of the ball was largely shared in the second half, it was the home side that created the vast majority of chances. A ball from the right trickled through Aldershot’s six-yard box, and the onrushing Zak Brunt was unable to make any connection with the goal at his mercy.

Brunt went close twice more, as a chipped finish beat both Nash and the left-hand post, before Brunt fired a powerful shot into the side netting from 12 yards out just minutes later.

The Shots were almost gifted a bizarre equaliser when Ashmore misjudged a clearance, firing a ball straight onto the chest of team-mate Chris Bush and out for a corner, to the relief of both of them.

Boreham Wood’s Charles Clayden saw his fantastic strike from the corner of the area saved brilliantly by Nash late on, with the ball heading for the top left-hand corner until Nash’s fingertips tipped the ball away to safety.

A procession of attacking corners came the way of the visitors late on, but impressive game management from Boreham Wood saw the home side see the game out and secure all three points.