Aldershot's fifth consecutive win puts them level on points with St Albans at the top of the Ryman League.

But Tuesday's victory was perhaps their least convincing and old foes Canvey Island deserved to take something from a game they dominated for long periods.

Aldershot manager Terry Brown acknowledged as much. "Very poor, but very gutsy," he summed up his team's display. "We defended very resolutely and restricted them to no more than two clear-cut chances, but the performance left a lot to be desired.

"Canvey deserved at least a point if not three," added the manager who tried to console his opposite number at Canvey, Jeff King, with the parting shot: "I was embarrassed!"

But the bottom line is that Aldershot managed to grind out three more points, despite a crippling injury list and a decimated midfield division – and that is encouraging for the punishing schedule ahead.

Brown was concerned at the poor quality of Aldershot's passing and the home side did invite late pressure on themselves with a series of sloppy errors in midfield.

So it was a comfort to Aldershot that their back three, Jason Cousins, Dominic Sterling and Karl Ready – a free agent whose future is still uncertain – were so well organised and unyielding.

Sterling was particularly impressive, invariably winning the ball both in the air and on the deck with very little fuss. Ex-QPR man Ready brought all his experience to bear in the final frenetic stages, while Cousins, a hard man in defence, can also pose danger in the opposing penalty box.

He showed this after 14 minutes when Dave Carroll took a corner on the right and Cousins barged through a ruck of players to score with a bullet header that went in off the underside of the bar, the referee checking with his linesman that the ball had crossed the line before awarding the goal.

It proved to be a crucial strike. Aldershot soon lost Jason Chewins with a recurrence of his hamstring injury and although John Nutter was a willing replacement, there was a dearth of crosses for front men Paul Moody and Roscoe D'Sane to feed off.

Canvey should have equalised on 34 minutes when Bertie Brayley dragged his 10-yard shot just wide with Nikki Bull beaten.

Aldershot lost their shape as the interval approached and at half-time Carroll, often guilty of choosing the wrong option, made way for an extra attacker, Lee Charles.

The second half was again a scrappy affair, littered with free-kicks, and Aldershot had another setback when Richard Gell – the team's 'legs' as Brown described him – also went off injured, to be replaced by Adam Parker.

The tackling was not for the faint-hearted and D'Sane and Michael Bennett were both booked for going head to head – literally.

But with Aldershot sitting well back, Canvey began to knock the ball about sweetly. Neil Gregory should have scored after the Essex side's best move of the night and, with three minutes left, Bull – excellent throughout – reacted well to cut out an on-target shot from substitute Spencer Knight.

Aldershot are home to Heybridge this Saturday and, on Tuesday, they travel to Bedford.

Aldershot: Bull, Hooper, Chewins (Nutter 29 mins), Ready, Cousins, Sterling, Carroll (L Charles 45 mins), Gell (Parker 58 mins), Moody, D'Sane, Holsgrove. Subs (not used) A Charles, Taylor. Booked: D'Sane, Holsgrove.

Canvey Island: Potter, Kennedy, Duffy, Chenery, Ward, Bennett, Forbes (Boylan 77 mins), Dobinson (Knight 68 mins), Gregory, Brayley, Minton. Booked: Bennett, Kennedy, Duffy.

Referee: K Pike.

Attendance: 2,058.