Aldershot 0 FC Halifax Town 1: McManus earns Shaymen victory

On the face of it, a win at Aldershot seemed as unlikely as their last away win at Leyton Orient was three months ago.

But Scott McManus put Town ahead five minutes before the break to give Halifax a half-time lead for the first time since that win at Orient.

And The Shaymen held on for a precious three points - their first since September 23 - and for only their second clean sheet in 11 games.

Aldershot had gone over seven hours of football without conceding a goal, but finally did in embarrassing circumstances when keeper Lewis Ward missed his kick trying to clear Oliver’s through ball, allowing McManus a tap-in to an empty net.

Town were pressed back from the start of the second-half by an Aldershot side with more urgency to their play.

Johnson was finally called into action to save Jim Kellerman’s effort 10 minutes after the restart.

Bernard Mensah’s not-so-subtle attempt at winning a penalty by running into Clarke was an indication of Aldershot beginning to run out of ideas.

However, Johnson’s booking for time-wasting in the 80th minute emphasised Town’s increasing desperation to cling on to their slender lead; it was a backs-to-the-wall job now, but they held on.