ALDERSHOT TN 0, BARNET 0

ALDERSHOT were relieved to emerge with a point from Saturday’s National League opener after failing to muster a serious shot on target against Barnet.

John Still’s Barnet, aiming to make an immediate return to League Two after last season’s relegation, hit the woodwork three times and wasted several other good opportunities.

There were some positives for Aldershot who fielded a rebuilt side after an end-of-season exodus of players. The squad included seven newcomers, three of them signed in the run-up to kick-off, so it was hardly surprising that players struggled to get on the same wavelength.

Gary Waddock opted for a new front pairing of Dan Holman and Shamir Fenelon, with Scott Rendell, last season’s top scorer, left on the bench. That didn’t really work and although Fenelon was lively in his wide role during the first half, Aldershot’s main attacking threat was provided by the driving runs of new midfielder Jacob Berkeley-Agyepong.

On a blisteringly hot afternoon, with many of the 3,409 spectators applying sunblock and the players allowed quarterly drinks breaks, the football was understandably haphazard at times and the Shots defence, with George Fowler and Chris Smith paired in the centre, did not really convince.

Aldershot were only spared defeat by the excellence of goalkeeper Jake Cole, rightly named man of the match for a series of vital blocks to deny his former club in the last 20 minutes.

Byron Harrison missed a free header for Barnet midway through the first half. With half-an-hour gone, Dan Sparkes briefly set the game alight with a cracking free-kick that hit the underside of the crossbar and bounced out to Charlee Adams who sliced his shot high over the crossbar when he should have scored.

Waddock sent on much-travelled defender Karleigh Osborne early in the second half and Aldershot looked better when Rendell was holding the ball up with his customary efficiency, but still the chances would not come.

It was a different story at the other end as the London side stretched the home defence to breaking point. Regan Booty got his head in the way of a goalbound shot and Cole saved brilliantly from Harrison.

Cole could only then watch as substitute Shaquile Coulthirst’s header bounced off the crossbar.

Adam McDonnell, Aldershot’s new captain, almost unlocked Barnet’s disciplined defence with a low free-kick across the face of goal, but the Shots were clinging on the final minutes. Chris Robson’s close-range shot was blocked in the goalmouth and Cole acrobatically got in the way of the follow-up from Ephron Mason-Clark.

Fowler headed off the line and Barnett know it was not to be their day when Coulthirst hit the post and the wasteful Harrison missed the second bite of the cherry.

“We’re up and running with a point, but if I’m honest, I don’t know how,” was the honest post-match comment of Gary Waddock.