Town: Steve Phillips, Dean Holden, Graham Coughlan (c), Kelvin Langmead, Nathan Elder, Paul Murray, Lewis Neal (Leslie, 81), Shane Cansdell-Sherriff, Jamie Devitt (Simpson, 87), Waide Fairhurst (Robinson, 73), Kevin McIntyre
Subs: Jake Robinson, Kris Bright, Steve Leslie, Jake Simpson, Joss Labadie, Chris Neal, Will Richards
Goals: Fairhurst 32, Neal 45, Elder 60
Aldershot Town: Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz, Ben Herd, Anthony Straker, Adam Hinshelwood (c) (Blackburn, 66), Louie Soares, Lewis Chalmers, Marvin Morgan, Scott Donnelly, Kirk Hudson (Charles, 38), David Winfield, Andy Sandell (German, 87)
Subs: Clark Master, Chris Blackburn, Anthony Charles, John Grant, Danny Hylton, Bobby Hopkinson, Antonio German
Goal: Soares 4
Attendance: 5,417 (308 away)
Referee: K G Evans
Assistant Referee (yellow): W Barratt
Assistant Referee (plain): R Bartlett
Fourth Official: M Weaver
Martin Wild reports from the Prostar
Paul Simpson makes a number of changes to the side as he looks to get back to winning ways against Aldershot. In come new signings Jamie Devitt and Waide Fairhurst, with Joss Labadie and Kris Bright both dropping to the bench. Nathan Elder returns to the starting line-up to partner young Fairhurst up top.
Town were behind inside four minutes. Marvin Morgan crossed low from the left and skipper Graham Coughlan appeared to let the ball run across him when there looked to be an opportunity to clear. It left Louie Soares with the simple task of applying the finishing touch from around twelve yards, and in an instant he'd found the corner of Steve Phillip's net to give the visitors the ideal start.
Shrews were stunned but Kelvin Langmead almost brought them level after ten minutes. The home side won a corner when former Town man Ben Herd mistimed a header in the swirling wind. Devitt swung over the flag-kick and Langmead's header grazed the top of the bar before going over.
Langmead was soon in the thick of it at the other end when Scott Donnelly tried to make room for a shot outside the box. His effort looped off the centre-back's challenge and dropped on top of the netting with Phillip back-pedalling furiously just in case.
The squally conditions were certainly making life difficult for the Aldershot defenders who were protecting the goal at the North End of the Prostar. They had two players booked in the opening fifteen minutes or so too. First Andy Sandell chopped down Fairhurst as the striker set off from the halfway line, and then keeper Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz took a soft one for persisting time wasting.
The Shots were menacing up top and soon Morgan was off on another menacing foray towards Town's area. He skipped past Langmead and pulled the ball back for Soares, but it ran just behind the goalscorer and looked destined for Anthony Straker up in support at the back post. Thankfully for Salop, Paul Murray had read the danger superbly and got in a fraction ahead of the left flanker or the situation would have been much worse for Simmo's men.
Devitt was just wide from distance but it was the away team who were creating the best of the chances. Another one fell to Donnelly midway through the half, but his shot found the outside of the net rather than the inside.
The Hampshire club were beaten last weekend as they suffered their first home defeat of the season to Bury, but caretaker boss Jason Dodd would have been delighted with his side's showing in the opening half-hour, against a side just one place below them in the table.
From an attacking perspective, few would argue that Aldershot were the best side to visit the Prostar so far this season, with Morgan and Soares a constant threat with their pace and movement.
Fairhurst was catching the eye for Town and he celebrated his debut with the equaliser. Kevin McIntyre played him in on the left edge of the opposition box, and the Championship player cut inside before picking out the far corner to restore parity on 32 minutes.
Moments later and the blue touch paper was lit, with the game completely turned on its head. Lewis Neal looked to have been felled inside the box but the ref waved the winger's vehement protests away. David Winfield took obvious exception to Neal's antics and must have passed comment as the two were quickly squaring up to each other. Winfield soon planted the Glasgow kiss on Neal's forehead and his afternoon was over.
Devitt then crossed and found the head of Elder, but he couldn't put any direction on it and Jaimez-Ruiz easily saved low to his right.
Just before the interval and Town made their numerical advantage tell. Fairhurst was upended on the 18-yard line and from the resultant free-kick, Neal bent in a beauty to give the Venezuelan goalkeeper absolutely no chance. It was his second goal in a week, and went some way to silencing the boo-boys behind that goal, with Aldershot's travelling support clearly laying the blame for the sending-off at his door.
Dodd had seen his new charges dominate the first 30 minutes, but was facing a half-time team talk which he couldn't have foreseen just fifteen short minutes ago.
Half-Time: 2-1
There was almost an explosive start to the second-half. McIntyre pounced on a slip in the centre of the park and spotted Fairhurst in space on the far touchline. His precision pass was taken in his stride by the debutant as he made his way towards the goal. But some experienced defending just saw Fairhurst muscled out of it, and his claims for a foul went ignored by Mr. Evans.
He almost got in again when Shane Cansdell-Sherriff delivered from in front of the Roland Wycherley stand, but Sandell mopped up before Fairhurst could connect.
Town had started the half with some vigour, sensing the kill with Aldershot still clearly feeling the after effects of the way the first half had so spectacularly altered. Devitt, Neal, McIntyre and Fairhurst were all in the thick of things, but you couldn't rule out the Shots just yet, especially with the effervescent Morgan within their ranks.
On the hour Salop stretched their lead. McIntyre played an exquisite angled ball low into the back stick, and Jaimez-Ruiz was beaten to it by the hungrier figure of Fairhurst. With the goalkeeper out of position, Fairhurst's short drag-back from the deadball line was meat and drink to Elder, who bagged his first goal here at the Prostar to make it 3-1 to the hosts.
Victory wasn't assured by any means but now there was a cushion. Not only would a win halt a run of four games without one, but it was sure to see Town rise in the table if they were able to protect what they had. Even the sun came out to play as the storm clouds gradually dissipated.
Simpson made his first change of the afternoon with seventeen minutes remaining. Jake Robinson came on for Fairhurst who rightly received warm applause from the fans for a very encouraging first run-out in Town colours. Robinson of course, would know plenty about today's opponents having played at the Rec whilst out on loan last season from parent club Brighton. Shortly afterwards, another goalscorer - Neal - received similar accolades when replaced by Steve Leslie. That particular change saw Devitt go over to the right to allow Leslie to slot in on the opposite flank. Devitt nearly had an assist too, but Elder was a fraction away from putting the header into the net.
Shrews were in almost complete control of a game which some might say slipped away from Aldershot, the moment Winfield's head made contact with Neal's.
Devitt was next to be withdrawn and his replacement - Jake Simpson - stood alongside his father to congratulate the player, who had inflicted such damage on Town last week with his goal for Darlington. His contribution had been significant with Shrewsbury creating several excellent goalscoring opportunities today.
Robinson almost made it four on the whistle with a typical piece of industry, but the win was comfortable enough against a side who look well capable of maintaining their lofty current league status.
Full-Time: 3-1
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