Aldershot 1
(Kinsella 86′)
United 0
There was disappointment for United on Tuesday evening, as a late goal from Aldershot secured all three points for the home side.
Although United bossed the possession stakes for long periods, they were unable to find the goal they craved in a bid to chalk up a second away win of the season, with clear-cut chances at a premium throughout, and they were eventually made to pay four minutes from time through Lewis Kinsella’s late free-kick.
Following the defeat at Barnet on Saturday, the Gaffer made three changes to the starting line-up against The Shots, with Keelan O’Connell, Klaidi Lolos and Byron Moore replaced by Dan Martin, Connor Lemonheigh-Evans and Jake Andrews.
Amid a rather cagey opening, it was the hosts who threatened first, as a sixth-minute free-kick temporarily caught United’s backline out, inviting Tommy Willard to try his luck from 30 yards out – thankfully though, Shaun MacDonald just managed to claw away the goalbound effort.
It wasn’t until the 17th minute that The Gulls forced the home goalkeeper into action, and although Sinclair Armstrong’s strike from the edge of the box was on target, it lacked the power required to seriously trouble Laurie Walker.
Five minutes later, Armstrong had the ball in the net. Yet, just as on Saturday, the effort was instantly ruled out.
After chesting the ball down in the centre-circle, a superb ball over the top from captain Armani Little found United’s on-loan striker perfectly, however after appearing to outmuscle a trailing Corey Jordan on his way to slipping the ball into an empty net, the referee pulled play back for a subsequent collision between Jordan and ‘keeper Walker, with Armstrong adjudged to have been the guilty party in proceedings.
As the game headed past the half-hour, Johnson’s men began to gain control of the match, with Little, Lemonheigh-Evans and Armstrong impressing. Despite that, the side lacked the finishing touch to confirm their superiority, and with the scoreline blank, the game remained up for grabs.
The home team sent out a warning to confirm that on 37 minutes. After Ben Wynter was robbed of possession, Ryan Glover raced towards goal before firing in a shot that MacDonald did well to divert the ball behind.
Although Torquay went on to reaffirm their territorial dominance thereafter, it remained scoreless until the break, leaving The Gulls with a spot of fine-tuning to do at the interval.
Perhaps fed up at playing second-fiddle for the majority of first period, a rejuvenated Aldershot were on the front foot during the opening stages of the second. United’s defence held firm though, and it wasn’t too long before they started to pose a few more questions of their own.
A free-kick from Little just past the hour mark nearly brought the opening as he found Armstrong. The young Irishman responded with a marvellous volley, before a desperate defender arrived in the nick of time to deflect the ball away from goal.
Andrews was next to threaten ten minutes later, as his progress towards goal went untroubled before it ended with a rising drive that sailed narrowly over the crossbar.
The Gulls weren’t quite able to impose themselves quite as much as they had done earlier in the match, however with their opponents also struggling to create much in front of goal, a point appeared to be the most likely end result.
That all changed four minutes from time though, as for once, a late goal went against Johnson.
A foul by Tom Lapslie on Berkeley-Agyepong just outside the box left Shots captain Kinsella with a decent set-piece opportunity, and he duly dispatched his free-kick with aplomb by sending it past MacDonald and into the roof of the net.
That goal proved to be enough to condemn United to defeat, who were left to lick their wounds, following a performance that often promised to deliver better than what was ultimately a frustrating final outcome.
ALDERSHOT: 37. Laurie Walker, 3. Lewis Kinsella (c), 6. Kodi Lyons-Foster (10. Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong, 70′), 7. Alfy Whittingham (24. James Vennings, 59′), 11. Corie Andrews, 12. Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain, 14. Ryan Glover, 16. Corey Jordan, 18. Mohamed Sylla, 26. Alfie Saunders, 27. Tommy Willard.
SUBS NOT USED: 1. Mitch Walker, 20. Mikael Ndjoli, 39. James Gorman.
Yellow Card: Whittingham (20′), Vennings (61′)
UNITED: 37. Shaun MacDonald, 2. Ben Wynter, 3. Dan Martin, 4. Tom Lapslie (30. Dan Holman, 86′), 7. Connor Lemonheigh-Evans, 10. Armani Little (c), 11. Jake Andrews (27. Byron Moore, 74′), 15. Harry Perritt (5. Ali Omar, 89′), 21. Dean Moxey, 25. Sinclair Armstrong, 31. Joe Lewis.
SUBS NOT USED: 23. Marcin Brzozowski, 19. Klaidi Lolos.
Yellow Card: Lewis (48′), Lemonheigh-Evans (69′), Little (76′), Lapslie (84′)
Attendance: 1,582 (242 Away)