The Shots took all three points from Solihull as an Inih Effiong quickfire brace secured a 2-1 victory. Bartosz Cybulski got one back for the hosts but the Shots defence held firm on a bitterly cold evening.
Aldershot began by pressing Solihull hard and doing os resulted in their first chance. Joe Partington won the ball in midfield and surged forward, playing the ball to Inih Effiong to his left who cut inside but couldn’t get any power behind his shot as Solihull cleared easily.
Andrew Dallas is Solihull’s danger man and scored in his side’s 4-1 win over The Shots earlier in the season and almost did so early on but his curling effort from outside the box was just too high.
The game raced into life in the 15th minute as Inih Effiong bagged a quickfire brace. Firstly, a brilliantly cushioned header from the back-post from an Oliver Pendlebury corner, before slotting into the bottom corner almost immediately from kick-off just minutes later!
Solihull weren’t shy of possession but Aldershot were happy to allow the hosts the ball as they restricted their hosts to long-range shots. Josh Kelly came close in the 25th minute but Luca Ashby-Hammond did well to gather the ball at full stretch.
Effiong almost had a first-half hat-trick after a fantastic Shots counter attack. Oliver Pendlebury played Ryan Glover in down the right and his early low cross found the striker in space around the penalty spot but a poor touch let him down and was easily collected by Solihull ‘keeper Ryan Boot.
HALF-TIME
Solihull made a half-time substitution with Bartosz Cybulski replacing Oisin Smyth and the young Derby loanee made an instant impact as he bundled the ball home following a scramble to get an early second-half goal back for the Moors.
The hosts were desperate to claw their way back into the game and following their goal back began a rampant attack on the Shots goal for the next 10 minutes through a number of corners and efforts on goal.
Cybulski was a threatening presence and came close to getting his second and the equaliser as the ball fell kindly to him inside the box, however, he couldn’t react quick enough and whilst slipping, spooned a shot over the bar.
In the 75th minute, Solihull’s danger man Dallas should have found the back of the net when a brilliant, deep cross from Ben Coker found the striker unmarked but his header was miles wide.
Aldershot found chances few and far between but following his introduction, Tommy Willard came close as the game approached the final 10 minutes. A chipped through ball over the top by Karoy Anderson saw Willard produce one of his trademark mazy runs but his low, left-footed shot was well-saved low-down by Boot.
Ashby-Hammond produced a wonder save moments later to keep his side in the lead. A deep ball into the back-post was met by Andrew Dallas from just yards out but the Shots ‘keeper produced a fantastic reaction save to deny him.
Cybulski and Dallas seemed to be taking a chance each as with just five minutes remaining, Cybulski again should have got his side an equaliser. Receiving the ball in the centre of the box, his powerful shot was inches over the bar.
A series of corners with seconds remaining piled the pressure on the Shots with Ryan Boot coming up from the Moors goal and attempting an overhead kick but Aldershot held firm for their win and a big win on the road!
Shot lineup: 1. Luca Ashby-Hammond, 2. Archie Davies, 3. Ollie Harfield, 4. Joe Partington (c), 5. Tyler Cordner, 9. Inih Effiong (11. Harrison Panayiotou 89′), 16. Corey Jordan, 17. Jake Hutchinson (27. Tommy Willard 56′), 19. Oliver Pendlebury, 20. Michael Klass (15. Karoy Anderson 70’), 23. Ryan Glover. Subs not used: 18. Peter Abimbola, 31. Ben De Lacy-Turner.
