Aldershot got a win under their belts after three successive league defeats, but made heavy weather of mastering a Gosport Borough side who look certainties for relegation.

Borough, in fact, have fared much better on their travels – four of their five wins have been away from home – and they remained in contention until the end of a very scrappy match played in a subdued atmosphere.

Caretaker boss Stuart Cash refused to accept the gusty weather as an excuse for Aldershot. "The conditions were bad, but we didn't work hard enough. We should have been able to get the ball down and pass it.

"I wasn't happy with the way we played. It was a poor game from the spectators' view."

The attendance dipped to 1,458 and Cash, mindful of the need to entertain the home fans, played three out-and-out strikers, Grant Payne, Stafford Browne and Mark Watson.

Despite kicking into the wind and a dazzling sun, Aldershot had the bonus of an early lead, albeit gifted them by a goalkeeping error.

After 15 minutes, Keita Karamoko, Harrow's African Nations goalkeeper, got nowhere near a long free-kick from Lee Protheroe and was left stranded yards off his line as Paul Harford's back header floated into an empty net.

At the other end, Steve Collis, making his Aldershot debut after being loaned from Yeovil, looked a capable 'keeper, but invited pressure on his defence with high punts that were thrown back on the head-wind.

Aldershot could have had a second when Harford neatly set up Payne whose hard shot cannoned off Dean Marney and a leaden-footed Watson failed to react quickly enough in front of an open goal.

Just before half-time, Collis made a genuinely good save, stretching his 6ft 4in frame to save at the foot of the post as Marney met a Ross Fitzsimon corner with a first-time shot that sneaked through a ruck of players.

The conditions now in their favour, Aldershot began the second half brightly and Browne, released by Adam Parker, made one of his flowing runs deep into the opposing penalty area, only to finish with a disappointingly weak shot.

Cash soon took positive action, pulling off Watson and sending on the pacy Richard Gell

It proved to be an inspired substitution. Payne, collecting a throw-in, cleverly made space to cross from the left, Emond Protain made a hash of his clearance, and Gell, with his first touch of the ball, stroked a sweet shot just inside the post.

But even with a two-goal cushion, Aldershot could not improve on the mundane football on show.

Karamoko, who had helped Mali to the African Nations third place play-off, looked more like a world-class 'keeper when he flicked over a 35-yard thunderbolt from Protheroe and then foiled Browne.

With 15 minutes left, it was a blunder at the other end that let Borough back into the match. Collis seemed to have substitute John Lawford's powerful shot well covered, but the ball squirmed out of his grasp and dropped over the goal-line.

However, Gosport never again threatened and in a low-key finish to the game, it was Aldershot who nearly scored again when Payne, comfortably their best player on the day, laid on another opening for Browne whose finishing touch was again sadly missing.

Aldershot: Collis, Parker, Chewins, Kirby, Townley, Holsgrove, Protheroe, Harford, Browne, Watson (Gell 56 mins), Payne. Subs (not used) Forrester, Thompson. Booked: Kirby.

Gosport Borough: Karamoko, Dyer (Lawford 61 mins), Protain (Everitt 61 mins), Clarke, Marney, Hyslop, Fitzsimon, Lund, Murphy (Torto 75 mins), Xavier, Haule. Booked: Dyer.

Attendance: 1,458.