Aldershot Town 2, Chesterfield 2

BULLISH Aldershot Town boss Danny Searle says his side are making the long trip to the north-west on Saturday to play league leaders Barrow “feeling pretty good about ourselves”.

The Shots head to Cumbria on the back of a 2-2 draw at the EBB Stadium with Chesterfield which Searle admitted “felt like a defeat” after the Spireites stunned the home faithful with a desperate equaliser in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

But while Tom Denton’s last-gasp goal meant the Shots were forced to settle for a draw, it took improving Aldershot’s unbeaten run to three games – against Yeovil Town, Notts County and Chesterfield.

“You would have taken five points beforehand against three massive clubs that we have played within the space of eight days,” said Searle.

“And you look at it and think ‘okay, it’s a start, it’s proof that this group of players can not only compete but also be deservedly better than these clubs in games’.

“They weren’t one-offs. In all three games we should have won the games. Would we have taken the five points beforehand? Yes, probably in any combination. If we had drawn with Notts County and Yeovil and beaten Chesterfield everyone would have said they were amazing results.”

A penalty on the stroke of half-time from Ethan Chislett was cancelled out by Scott Boden early in the second before Jack Powell restored Aldershot’s lead 20 minutes from time, only for Denton to cut short the home celebrations.

“There was talk on the terraces that last season, once the team had conceded, they would fold, and I think we showed again that we are capable of going again if we have to,” said Searle.

Another pleasing aspect for the positive boss was that the Shots are now beginning to find the net with more regularity, having scored six times in the past three games.

“We are scoring goals now and the goals are quite well spread across the squad,” he said.

“I don’t really care where they are coming from as long as long as they are coming, but we do need one of our forwards to step up and grab their opportunity by the scruff of the neck and take it. Although I think their work ethic is tremendous and love everything they bring to the team, none of them have yet stepped up and taken those chances that we need for those forwards to kick on. We are going to try to improve that area.

“Like we keep alluding to, with the budget we’ve got we have to be sensible. We have got to be patient and hopefully we can find that little diamond in the rough.”

The point against Chesterfield maintained Aldershot’s four-point lead over the relegation places, but Searle is keen to look the other way too.

He said: “If you look above us there is a nice little tight group above us as well, and we are looking up, we want to move up the league. If we can do that while maintaining a nice cushion to the teams below then great, but it’s not all going to be rosy in the garden for the rest of the season and I’m sure we are going to have to deal with a few setbacks as we go along. But the environment is a positive one and we go to Barrow and hopefully we can add to our points tally.

“Barrow aren’t a surprise package for me. They were probably the most complete team we’ve played and were miles better than us on the day. It doesn’t surprise me that they have gone on the run that they have because they play some really good football and they have got some top players and they take their chances.

“The bottom line on Saturday is it’s 11 v 11 and who wants it more.”