GUISELEY AFC 1, ALDERSHOT TOWN 0

ONE below-par 45 minutes in Yorkshire was all it took for Aldershot Town to undo much of the good work of their 11-game unbeaten run.

Victory at Guiseley on Saturday would have propelled the Shots into the top five of the National League. Instead, this defeat, however unfortunate it may ultimately have been, left them even further away from realising their ambition.

“We had a wonderful opportunity to put some pressure on the teams around us, and we haven’t taken it,” said manager Gary Waddock. “That’s not the first time it’s happened this season, so there are some things that we have to address.

“That unbeaten run was great, but how many draws did we have in that? We want to be winners, not drawers, and we didn’t reach those standards that we have set today.

“You have to give credit to Guiseley, but we weren’t at the level we should be at, especially in the second half. The players have to look at themselves – did they do enough for themselves, or did they let themselves and our supporters down?”

The Lions hit the woodwork in the early exchanges as Jordan Preston gave notice of his dynamic intent with a bustling run and shot off the base of the post.

But soon Aldershot wrested a degree of control over the game. Nick Arnold’s ambitious run ended with a curling shot which dropped inches wide.

And the visitors should have been ahead when Shamir Fenelon burst in on goal thanks to adroit passes from Matt McCure and Jake Gallagher. Jonny Maxted pulled off an excellent save, tipping Fenelon’s five-yard shot onto the crossbar, but he should not have been given a chance.

McClure himself then brought a strong finger-tip save from Maxted, while Kundai Benyu’s shot was seemingly goalbound until hitting his own team-mate.

Idris Kanu had strong penalty appeals waved away just 45 seconds into the second half, but thereafter, for a small but crucial period, the Shots foundered.

One pass out of defence, on 54 minutes, found Preston breaking into the Aldershot half and, despite close attention from Benyu and Will Evans, he slotted an 18-yard shot beyond Jake Cole and into the net.

“I said in the first half that we could rue those missed chances and that’s exactly what happened,” said Waddock afterwards. “We warned the players at half-time what they could do to us, we identified that and we got caught out by that. We got punished today.”

John Rooney, younger brother of Wayne –­ currently on loan from Wrexham – almost increased the lead with a swirling, angled chip, well parried by Cole, and the goalkeeper then produced his best moment of the afternoon in denying Will Hatfield at point-blank range.

There was still ample opportunity for Aldershot to restore parity, though. On 80 minutes, McClure hit the post, having spun onto Arnold’s floated pass, and in the ensuing melee, Gallagher twice had follow-up efforts scrambled clear.

However, the fine margins which decide entire seasons conspired against Aldershot on this occasion. Waddock made his frustration all too clear, but he will also know that the campaign to reach the play-offs is far from over.

Guiseley: Maxted; Brown, Palmer, Green, Williams; Hurst, Hatfield, Walton, Rooney, Preston (Asamoah 83); Cassidy (Boyes 82). Subs (not used): Vidal, Rankine, Logan.

Aldershot: Cole; Alexander (Buckley 75), Evans, Reynolds, Arnold; Fenelon, Gallagher, Benyu, Kanu (Giles 60); McClure, Rendell. Subs (not used): Smith, Straker.

Referee: Martin Coy.

Attendance: 1,009.

Tuesday’s results ran kindly for Aldershot as far as play-off rivals were concerned, with Dover thrashed 5-0 by Boreham Wood and Gateshead drawing 1-1 at Macclesfield.

* FA Cup heroes Sutton United visit the EBB?Stadium this Saturday, hoping to complete the double over Aldershot after their 2-0 win in November.

* On Tuesday, Aldershot host Dagenham & Redbridge, currently third in the table and very much in the play-off frame.