With the Imps celebrating the anniversary of their first ever League match and the arrival of new manager Chris Sutton, The Shots were always destined to be cast as the fall guys of the piece, but ultimately were left to rue a frustrating afternoon.
This was a victory built on defensive solidity and, with the primary aim of being difficult to break down, Lincoln embellished their hard work with one cameo of quality from Peterborough loanee Sergio Torres. Hitherto, both defences had been on top as the sides struggled in the face of a swirling wind – Aldershot narrowly shaded the first half but later relied on Jaimez-Ruiz, once again, for several impressive saves to maintain a fragile parity.
Lone striker Rene Howe drew a good block from Ben Herd, but soon Burch had tipped Morgan’s drive around the post and, as Soares’ shot bounced past the goalkeeper, Hudson couldn’t direct his header on target and Morgan’s follow-up rolled wide.
That was as close as the visitors were to get, and even though a mis-firing attack ensured that Jaimez-Ruiz didn’t have a save to make in the opening 45 minutes, neither could Aldershot muster the guile to open up an obdurate defence.
Resurgent after the break, Lincoln steadily roused themselves to the game’s decisive move. Shane Clarke blazed over and Jaimez-Ruiz stood his ground to deny Butcher from Howe’s through-ball, and suddenly it was one-way traffic. First the Venezuelan tipped Oakes’ rasping free-kick over the bar, then saw Howe direct a free header wide from six-yards and, to complete the five minute onslaught, produced a superb diving save to parry Butcher’s strong header.
If Aldershot thought they’d weathered the storm, they reckoned without the game’s classiest exponent: on 83 minutes – the same time as Tim Sills’ equaliser in midweek – Torres latched onto Butcher’s incisive pass and, waiting for Jaimez-Ruiz to commit himself, slotted the ball into the net.
The Shots responded well, but would have wished for somebody other than Anthony Straker to be lurking in the six-yard box when Soares drove a low cross in from the left, and, predictably, a hurried finish ballooned the ball over the bar. Even Scott Donnelly couldn’t produce another magical moment, as his free-kick floated a yard too high, and Jaimez-Ruiz’s excursion up-field for the last set-piece of the game proved futile.
Thus ended a seven-match unbeaten run that marks their best form since returning to the Football League. Gary Waddock’s claims of injustice may have been slightly exaggerated, but, despite this defeat, it remains an excellent start to the season for Aldershot Town.