A spectacular free-kick goal by Lee Protheroe earned Aldershot a deserved draw in a bruising encounter with the champions-elect on Easter Monday.

As ever in these affairs, skill played second fiddle to crunching tackles, aerial collisions and a spate of yellow cards, but there was enough incident and 'needle' to satisfy the 3,197 fans making up Aldershot's biggest league gate of the season.

In the somewhat blinkered opinion of the Aldershot faithful, referee Tony Conn had a stinker and Farnborough were nothing more than paid assassins.

In fact, the referee did well to prevent a highly charged affair from getting out of control.

Farnborough were certainly robust in their approach, comfortably winning the yellow card count, but Aldershot were not far behind in the physical confrontation. The visitors, too, were left counting their bruises.

The one really bad foul left a dazed Mark Bentley requiring treatment for several minutes, having been pole-axed by Boro skipper Steve Watson who made no attempt to play the ball and was fortunate to escape with a booking.

The relative goodwill on the touchline lasted until two minutes into the second half. The two benches then had many pleasantries to exchange. Colin Fielder and George Borg did not seem to enjoy the early shower given them (twice) by Aldershot old boy Jimmy Dack.

Yet, at the final whistle, it was all sweetness and light as the three strolled on to the field, arms around each other.

Dack had been an influential figure for the super-confident league leaders, before retiring from the action at half-time.

Boro, whose record run of 16 consecutive league wins had come to an end in the 1-1 draw at Slough on Saturday, clearly had the double in mind against their deadly rivals.

Aldershot, with only pride to play for, were equally determined to settle a score with their near-neighbours whose 1-0 win at Christmas had set them on a downward spiral.

At first, it was hard to see Aldershot prevailing against the visitors' all-round strength. Boro have the best defensive record in the league and the midfield, personified by the rugged Watson, take no prisoners either.

With 77 goals before this match, Farnborough are also streets ahead in the scoring stakes, while in wing-back Michael Warner, who is to go full-time for Graham Westley's ambitous club, Boro have a player of undoubted class.

His first arrow-like cross should have resulted in a goal, but Lennie Piper scuffed his shot straight at Stuart Searle.

On 15 minutes, Dack's quick free-kick caught Aldershot napping and Barry Laker's unchallenged header skimmed over the crossbar.

But Ollie Adedeji, Ryan Kirby and Owen Coll settled down at the back and Aldershot weathered a shaky opening.

Farnborough looked less assured when defender Tim O'Shea had to leave the field injured after colliding with Richard Gell and missed several attempts to clear their lines at a free-kick before Darren Annon hooked Gary Abbott's shot off the line.

Aldershot, however, could so easily have gone behind just before half-time. Warner's clever free-kick seemed destined for the bottom right-hand corner, but Searle somehow got across to deflect the ball round the foot of the post for a corner.

In the second half, the referee's whistle interrupted the play too often for there to be any flow to the game. Plenty of endeavour, much hot air, but precious little in the way of clear-cut chances.

So it was easy to be distracted from the action on the pitch by Dack's water squirting activities on the touchline.

Warner then conjured a cross out of nothing on the right, delivering what should have been a goal on a plate for substitute Paul Fewings who managed to head over the bar from six yards.

Aldershot were frequently thwarted by Boro's lunging tackles, but had paced themselves well and began to look the stronger side in the last 15 minutes.

They almost broke the deadlock when Jason Chewins kocked the ball on to Abbott whose instinctive header was touched over the bar by Stuart MacKenzie.

So it was rather against the run of play when Farnborough finally scored on 80 minutes.

A scrappy goal it was, too, with Searle failing to cut out Chris Piper's byeline cross and the ball falling to Scott Corbett who, after a hint of handball, forced it over the line.

If this didn't really deserve to win an evenly-fought encounter, justice was done seven minutes later.

Farnborough transgressed once too often, Justin Gregory bringing Gell down just outside the area, and Protheroe struck an absolute screamer over the defensive wall and into the top right-hand corner.

George Borg's provocative prancing under the noses of the Boro bench merely underlined what most Aldershot fans should know. There are no saints and sinners in modern football. All's fair in love and war.

"We shaded it," claimed manager Borg. "We made more good chances and got better as the game went on. Farnborough defended well, but they were hanging on in the last 15 minutes."

Aldershot: Searle, Kirby, Chewins, Coll (Hathaway 85 mins), Adedeji, Protheroe, Graham (Pye 75 mins), Bentley, Abbott, Browne, Gell. Sub (not used) Pearson.

Farnborough: MacKenzie, Warner, Gregory, O'Shea (Harper 25 mins), Annon, Laker, Watson, L Piper (Fewings 67 mins), Corbett, Crawshaw, Dack (C Piper 45 mins).

Referee: T Conn.

Attendance: 3,197.