A hard-fought draw against fellow Play-Off chasers, which lifted The Shots up to fourth place in League Two, may have come at a cruel price: suspected knee ligament damage to right-back Ben Herd. Herd was immediately stretchered off to a waiting ambulance after a seemingly innocuous clash with Collins in a move which saw Louis Soares chest Marc Richards’ shot off the line. A full-blooded clash ebbed and flowed ferociously throughout an evenly-matched first half of much endeavour but few clear-cut chances. Passions ran high on and off the pitch but the game lacked the rhythm to truly live up to its exalted billing, and both defences enjoyed a degree of superiority. Dean Morgan eventually broke the deadlock on 63 minutes, breaking into the box to round goalkeeper Martin and fire a shot into the roof of the net, in front of 583 gleeful away fans marking their Tour of Duty with a boisterous explosion of colour. The introduction of Sean Rigg, however, had galvanised Vale for the final quarter and they were level within ten minutes. Even though there was a hint of offside, as he raced clear to finish with an angled shot past Young, it was a deserved equaliser for the home side after dominating the early exchanges. A breathless finish saw Dean Morgan hit the post in a lightning counter-attack while Herd lay in agony, but, whilst a draw was probably a fair result, it would have pleased Kevin Dillon more than Micky Adams. Vale’s promotion hopes may have foundered yet Aldershot push onwards and upwards, anticipating two imminent home games in which to cement their top seven position.