WOKING 1, ALDERSHOT TN 2

SCOTT Rendell took his goal tally against his former club to six in four games as two predatory strikes earned Aldershot Town another exhilarating local derby double on New Year’s Day.

Aldershot had beaten Woking 3-1 on Boxing Day and following the 1-1 draw with Maidstone on Saturday, the Shots started 2018 in fine style as yet another late goal lifted their Christmas points haul to eight and – perhaps just as importantly – extended their record against the Cards to seven wins from their last ten meetings.

A mini crowd invasion at the Kingfield Stadium after Rendell’s dramatic winner gave Aldershot cause for concern, but manager Gary Waddock could not conceal his delight with a result that advanced his team to second in the National League table behind Macclesfield.

“We’ve got spirit and character in abundance,” said the manager. “To a man, there were some very, very good performances. We controlled the game in the first half and then had to stay strong in the second, but the players kept believing that a winning goal would come.”

Returning defender Will Evans had a close-range header disallowed for offside in just the 13th minute, while Jake Gallagher should have given the visitors an early lead, shooting over the crossbar from seven yards as he met Jim Kellermann’s pull-back on a perfectly-timed run.

Cards keeper Nathan Baxter tipped Cheye Alexander’s fine 25-yard drive around the post and, when it finally came on 28 minutes, the lead was a deserved one.

Manny Oyeleke threaded a pass out to James Rowe on the right and his teasing cross was perfect for Rendell who found a yard of space behind his marker and guided a header into the far corner.

The pair combined again on 38 minutes and Rowe’s pass seemed to tee Rendell up for a tap-in until a superb diving block intervened.

Woking’s instant counter-attack heralded their best spell of the game. They almost drew level when Lewis Ward failed to make a clean connection as he challenged Inih Effiong on the edge of his area and the latter’s curling shot was headed off the line by George Fowler.

The Shots goalkeeper again raced off his line to meet Jason Banton and again failed to clear the danger, but recovered sufficiently to block Charlie Carter’s ensuing effort.

Woking would not be denied, though, and equalised two minutes into the second half. Banton broke clear down the right and crossed low for Kane Ferdinand to squeeze a shot in at the far post.

Despite their fluency in midfield, Aldershot failed to take several half-chances, with Bobby-Joe Taylor, Matt McClure and, in particular, Rendell all going close to restoring the lead.

As the time ticked away, an honorable draw seemed the most likely outcome, but, in one flashing 89th-minute move, started by goalkeeper Ward and given impetus by Alexander’s burst forward, the Shots exerted their superiority one final time.

Alexander’s angled pass towards the edge of the penalty area was scuffed further forward by Gallagher and, from 12 yards, Rendell fired an instant shot into the net.

Rendell’s roar of delight in front of a packed away terrace sparked celebrations so boisterous that the restart was delayed for over eight minutes while order was restored by referee Carl Brook and a collapsed crush barrier repaired, but the jubilation continued long after the final whistle.

The victory signalled not just another blow to their fierce rivals, but reinforced the belief that, despite a debilitating injury list, Aldershot remain genuine title contenders.

Consistency is the key word and Waddock’s men have to gather themselves for another tough challenge this Saturday when Aldershot travel to Dover Athletic, just three points behind in fourth place following their 2-2 draw at Maidstone.

Woking: Baxter; Young, Orlu, Staunton, Ramsay (Saraiva 90); Jones, Ferdinand; Carter, J Ward, Banton (Philpot 70); Effiong. Subs (not used): Appau, Stojsavljevic, Wollacott. Booked: Oyeleke, Taylor.

Aldershot: L Ward; Alexander, Evans, Fowler, Taylor; Oyeleke, Gallagher; Rowe (Blanchfield 72), Kellermann, Mensah (McClure 79); Rendell. Subs (not used): Cole, Bozier, Lyons-Foster. Booked: Jones, Young, Effiong.

Referee: Carl Brook.

Attendance: 3,790 (1,085 away).

• Woking FC owner Peter Jordan has claimed that some Aldershot fans targeted an evacuation gate to gain access to the pitch after Scott Rendell’s decisive goal. Over 1000 Shots fans travelled to the Kingfield Stadium to watch the local derby on New Year’s Day. “Aldershot fans targeted an eight-foot wide evacuation gate. They must have known it would come down because it’s just a gate,” Mr Jordan was quoted as saying.

• Scott Rendell was Woking’s top scorer for two seasons before suffering a cruciate ligament injury at the start of the 2015-16 campaign. The club supported his recovery and Rendell did not endear himself to the Cards fans when he signed for Aldershot in June, 2016. The striker’s celebrations were not exactly muted at Kingfield on Monday.