ALDERSHOT TOWN 1, TORQUAY UTD 1

ALDERSHOT had a setback in their efforts to reach the National League play-offs, but were probably relieved in the end to take a point after a dramatic finish to their match with relegation strugglers Torquay on Saturday.

Eight minutes of added time was extended to 13 after an injury to goalkeeper Jake Cole and with the Shots having made three substitutions, striker Scott Rendell had to don the jersey for the final tense moments.

It ended one apiece and the Shots retained their fifth position in the table, but Dover Athletic – 2-1 winners at Braintree – drew level on points, with a game in hand.

The forthcoming Easter games will be crucial as Gary Waddock’s men attempt to extend their season into the play-offs. On Good Friday, Aldershot visit Tranmere Rovers, who are fighting out top spot with Lincoln and, ominously, annihilated Solihull 9-0, and on Easter Monday the Shots host Dover, their fierce rivals for a place in the top five.

Saturday’s match, played out in warm sunshine, brought a reminder of how fragile confidence can be. Aldershot, after four straight wins, again began brightly, with Idris Kanu straight into his step-over routine on the right, only to have their self-assurance knocked back when the Gulls took the lead.

Kevin Nicholson’s side defended that lead with great determination in front of a 3,000-plus crowd, and Aldershot had to dig deep before scoring a late equaliser.

With regular centre-back Will Evans, whose wife was due to give birth, granted leave, Dominic Hyam was given his first start. The Reading loanee did little wrong, but the Shots defence, which had previously conceded one goal in four games, looked that bit more vulnerable.

Torquay certainly had the better chances in the first half and should have taken the lead on eight minutes when Aman Verma scuffed his shot in front of an open goal.

It might have been different if Rendell had scored soon after, rather than be adjudged marginally offside before sweeping home a cross from Nick Arnold.

At that stage, Torquay were being seriously tested by the flair of Kanu, Kundai Benyu and raiding full-back Arnold, but the dynamic of the game changed when the Gulls went ahead in the 33rd minute.

A lucky ricochet set up the chance, but there was no doubting the quality of the finish as Ruairi Keating – nephew of Boyzone singer Ronan Keating – crashed the ball home from a sharpish angle in front of the travelling fans.

And it could easily have been 2-0 at the interval. Verma, keen to make amends for his glaring miss, struck a venomous shot from the edge of the area and the ball cannoned off Cole’s shoulder and away to safety.

Kanu and Bernard Mensah swapped flanks as Aldershot varied their tactics and the early arrival of Shamir Fenelon in the second half gave them a sharper attacking edge. Soon, Fenelon’s cross picked out Mensah whose strong header brought a smart save from Brendan Moore.

Kanu and Torquay’s Nathaniel Rowe-Turner and Verma were all booked after a skirmish as the game entered a much feistier phase.

Torquay dropped deeper in the second half, their defence expertly marshalled by Sean McGinty – the former Aldershot club captain – and threw bodies at everything as the Shots stepped up the pressure.

And it looked like Aldershot were going to have one of those days when substitute Matt McClure met Benyu’s cross with a powerful close-range header, only for Moore to pull off a superb one- handed save.

The substitutes made a difference, though, and, on 76 minutes, it was McClure who drew a foul and a free-kick outside the left corner of the penalty area. Benyu, with three goals in two games, took command of the situation and bent a beautiful shot inside the near post, deceiving Moore who was slow to get across, and the relieved Shots were level.

By now, both sides were flagging in the unseasonal heat and a nervy finish was in store for Aldershot.

Defender Giancarlo Gallifuoco almost converted a wicked Jamie Reid corner that swung right under Cole’s crossbar.

Then, after stoppages for bookings, injuries and cramp, eight minutes of added time was signalled. Cole’s injury, suffered when making a brave block to deny ex-Shots striker Brett Williams, added another five minutes and a late goalkeeping crisis, but Aldershot hung on for what could yet prove to be a vital point in the dogfight to reach the play-offs.

“You could spin it that it was an important point, but we weren’t good enough today in the first 45 minutes,” argued James Rowe, Aldershot’s assistant manager. “We’ve left ourselves too much to do in the second half against a spirited Torquay side. We were disjointed and didn’t keep the ball well enough.”

Aldershot: Cole, Alexander, Arnold (Straker 63), Hyam, Reynolds, Kanu, Gallagher, Kellermann (Fenelon 51), Benyu, Mensah (McClure 68), Rendell. Subs (not used): Smith, Oyeleke. Booked: Kanu, McClure, Fenelon, Reynolds.

Torquay: Moore, Rowe-Turner, McGinty, Lee, Lathrope, Gallifuoco, Chaney (Williams 64), Young (Hancox 77), Verma, Reid, Keating (Harrad 85). Sub (not used): Nicholson. Booked: Lathrope, Rowe-Turner, Verma, Young.

Referee: Robert Whitton.

Attendance: 3,007 (314 away).

* Aldershot’s Good Friday match with Tranmere Rovers at Prenton Park will be shown live on BTSport. The game will still kick off at 3pm as the Shots travel to The Wirral.

BTSport have also chosen Gateshead v Lincoln City for live broadcast on Easter Monday.