A game low on quality but high in endeavour saw both sides settle for a share of the spoils and cement their respective places in the top half of the Vanarama National League.

With Rob Swaine ruled out of the game due to injury, Sean Francis returned to the starting line up in a like for like swap. Louis Dennis also returned to the side replacing the injured Pierre Joseph Dubois. Jack Holland continued to deputise up front in the absence of both Ben May and Alex Wall.

Despite Bromley having won eight of their last ten games and Aldershot winning their last two, the opening half hour of the game resembled that of a match between two relegation candidates. One could not fault the effort of either side but with no clear quality on show the ball seemingly spent more time off the pitch and in the air than near either penalty area.

The first opportunity of the game, in the 38th minute, was to also bring the first goal of the afternoon, the lively Charlie Walker picked up the ball 35 yards out from goal and as he ran at the Bromley defence he let fly with a drive that took a huge deflection off Sean Francis wrong-footing Chris Kettings in the Bromley goal.

However the Aldershot lead only lasted three minutes as Ugo Udoji perfectly flighted a cross into the penalty area for Jack Holland to place a bullet header past Phil Smith to level the game up.

Although the match had witnessed two late goals in the first half to all intents and purposes neither side could have complained if the half had ended goalless such had been the mundane fare on offer.

The second half was a much livelier affair but one that was again dominated by defences as clear cut chances remained at a premium.

It took until the 58th minute for anything of note to happen, good work down the left hand side between Reece Prestedge and Joe Anderson freed the former to send in a low cross that Moses Emmanuel expertly flicked towards goal only for his effort to be denied by a fantastic finger-tip save unto the crossbar by Smith.

That was to be as good as it got for Bromley as Aldershot proceeded to take a stranglehold of the game. Dominating possession Aldershot continually probed at the Bromley defence without being able to find the killer pass or fashion the opportunity that their possession play deserved. The closest the Shots were to come came in consecutive minutes with a quarter of the game remaining.

Firstly in the 76th minute, brilliant one touch interplay between Charlie Walker, Sam Hatton and Jim Stevenson led to the latter just shooting narrowly wide when well placed inside the penalty area. A minute later Charlie Walker was unlucky to see his curling effort from the edge of the penalty area just skim the crossbar and hit the top of the netting.

With Bromley fans fearing an Aldershot goal the tension was eased with a straight red card for Aldershot’s Jake Gallagher in the 80th minute. With Louis Dennis going nowhere in the middle of the park, Gallagher mistimed a two footed lunge wiping out Dennis and the ball in the process.

Although the Shots were reduced to ten men for the remaining ten minutes of the game, Bromley were unable to find a way through the Aldershot rearguard. That said, Emmanuel will look back on his chance deep into injury time when he was played through but was denied by a combination of last ditch defending and the ball not sitting up nicely for him to connect.

On the balance of the play a point was the most either side deserved but it was Bromley who went home happier given their current injury crisis. That Bromley were also able to pick up a point from a very workmanlike performance should also please Mark Goldberg.

With the winter months approaching, the style of play may well have to adapt to changing conditions and it was key for Goldberg to see that his side can also dig in and battle when required.

Aldershot Town: Smith, Mcginty, Saville, Stevenson, Charlie Walker (Oliver 86), Richards (Hatton 64), Alexander, Beckles, Browne (D.Walker 57), Gallagher, Brodie

Subs not used: Thomas, Mavila

Goals: Charlie Walker 38

Bromley: Kettings, Udoji, Anderson, Fuseini, Chorley, Francis, Prestedge (Minshull 63), Dennis, Cook, Holland, Emmanuel

Subs not used: Rodgers, Kiernan, Goldberg, Tumwa

Goals: Holland 41

Attendance: 1617 (Bromley 158)

Referee: Mr Adam Hopkins