A good Shots performance on return to National League football at the EBB yealded no such reward, as a late Inih Effiong penalty was not enough to overturn the Woking lead in a defeat in front of 3,580 Shots fans.
The Shots were comfortable on the ball and looked very commanding for periods of the game, but it was ultimatley the slow start and end to the fixture which cost the Shots and McNeilly any points on the day.
Shots started the game the strongest, dicating the tempo for the opening five minutes without creating any real danger on the Woking goal, but they started the game the brighter of the two sides.
However, the bright start was short lived, as Padriag Amond got past Corey Jordan and into the Shots box, and was brought down by Jordan, gifting Woking a penalty in the 10th minute. After the referee cleared the box, Rhys Browne converted from the spot for Woking.
Aldershot had a good chance to level the scoring just before the half an hour mark, with a lovely Ollie Harfield delivery getting flicked on by Joe Partington right across goal, with nobody waiting to put it in. Justin Amaluzor then had a good chance, sitting his man down and seeing a deflected cross straight into the hands of Craig Ross.
The pressure was on again just before the break, and Michael Klass found himself on the end of a Tyler Cordner through ball, but was not able to wriggle his way into space, before Frank Vincent tried to pull off the impossible, and went for an acrobatic overhead kick from the edge, but failed to get any conviction on his effort.
There was another chance for Aldershot before the break, Ryan Glover forced himself into a good position and played a lovely switch to Justin Amaluzor, who took it down and managed to get a shot off, but failed to get any power behind his effort.
HALF TIME: Shots 0-1 Woking
Frank Vincent had the first chance of the second 45, but his long range effort went well wide of the Woking goal.
Justin Amaluzor found himself in a great position in the 56th minute, after Frank Vincent put a ball through the Woking defence and found Amaluzor behind the Woking back line, but his fizzed ball across went out for a corner. Shots couldn’t make anything from the resulting corner.
Shots were beggining to take control of the game, and went to the bench for their first switch, with Ross McNeilly taking off Michael Klass for Harry Panayiotou in an attacking switch.
Corey Jordan was given a free header in the 70th minute, getting on the end of another inviting Ollie Harfield delivery and running away from his man, but Jordan was unable to get any power behind his header, seeing it sail comfortably into the hands of Craig Ross.
The Shots were denied what seemed a stonewall penalty in the 76th minute, with Justin Amaluzor being brought down inside the Woking box, but the referee was not interested in the appeals of the Aldershot players and fans and waved play on instead.
Despite Shots being the better side, Woking found a second in the 83rd minute.
Shots finally got some luck, as Inih Effiong was brought down in the box by Daniel Moss, and Moss was subsequently sent off by the referee, given a second yellow for pulling Effiong down in the box. Effiong converted the penalty, and gave the game a grandstand finish with just minutes remaining.
WIth 6 minutes added on, the Shots threw everything at Woking, and with just seconds left Shots got a freekick. Another inviting delivery from Ollie Harfield was headed agonisingly wide, and the referee blew for full time.
