ALDERSHOT TN 2, HARTLEPOOL UTD 1

HARTLEPOOL are fighting on two fronts – to escape relegation and to avoid going out of business. But they made Aldershot work mighty hard for the three points that sent them above Tranmere into third place in the increasingly tight battle for the National League play-off places.

It wasn’t a great game at the EBB Stadium on Tuesday and the visitors were perhaps unlucky to have nothing to show for their long journey from County Durham – not least the hardy 65 travelling fans.

Hartlepool are up for sale and their hopes of survival apparently rest with Sky presenter Jeff Stelling who has appealed for partners to invest in a consortium to take over his boyhood club.

Stelling was there – running the media gauntlett and happy to do selfies – as the Pools played well enough in short bursts to pose serious problems for Aldershot who failed to build on an early lead against what seemed a fragile defence.

Hartlepool equalised just before half-time with a spectacular strike and, soon after the restart, very nearly went ahead.

Manny Oyeleke’s clean strike eventually restored Aldershot’s lead and only then did they truly resemble a side capable of making the giant step back to the Football League.

Hartlepool, under temporary manager Matt Bates, looked disorganised early on and the signs were there for an emphatic victory when the Shots went ahead after 13 minutes.

James Rowe’s dummy left Shamir Fenelon with ample space to exploit on the right and the resulting cross was perfect for an unmarked Scott Rendell who, three yards out, scuffed the ball over the line.

However, the Pools possessed enough decent players – striker Rhys Oates and midfielder Conor Newton stood out – to get them into the game and although the rest of the half was scrappy, disrupted by lengthy injury breaks, the northerners escaped further punishment.

In fact, Hartlepool enjoyed a good spell leading up to half-time. The powerful Oates should have done better after forcing his way into a good position, only to thump the ball high over the bar.

And with 45 minutes on the clock, the visitors were level. There seemed little danger as Blair Adams, who had replaced the injured Luke George, picked up possession on the left. But the full-back cut inside and, from some 25 yards, struck a shot that started well outside the far post and boomeranged back into the net off the woodwork.

There was little between the sides at that point and, 11 minutes into the second half, Hartlepool could so easily have gone in front.

Oates drilled in a superb cross from the right and the incoming Newton’s close-range volley was miraculously blocked in the goalmouth. The Pools demanded a penalty for handball by Will Evans, but referee Chris Pollard waved play on.

This narrow escape forced Aldershot to raise their game and Fenelon, set up by Rendell, blazed a shot over the top before making way for Bobby-Joe Taylor who went closer with a couple of shots from distance.

On the hour, it was Oyeleke who showed his team-mates how to keep the ball down. Post-match, Hartlepool put the goal down to a goalkeeping error, but that was ignoring the timing and power of the midfielder’s 20-yard drive as the ball eluded Scott Loach’s grasping hands and cannoned into the net off the right-hand post.

Oates forced Jake Cole to make a juggling save, but Hartlepool, although they huffed and puffed in the last 20 minutes, struggled to make further headway against an Aldershot defence now shored up by the reliable centre-back pairing of Evans and George Fowler.

Aldershot’s hard-earned win was their first in four matches. They will just hope that the points remain theirs and that Hartlepool, founded in 1908, stay solvent for the rest of the season.

“First and foremost, it’s a win,” said manager Gary Waddock. “We were looking for three points and we wanted to win at home – job done. We also want to do it a certain way – play to a certain level and standard.

“We played better with ten men against Macclesfield and at Wrexham when we got a point. We didn’t hit those levels tonight, but we’ve got three points.”

Aldershot: Cole, Alexander, Evans, Fowler, Kinsella, Rowe, McQuoid (McClure 75), McDonnell (Reynolds 86), Oyeleke, Fenelon (Taylor 58), Rendell. Subs (not used): Kabamba, Gallagher.

Hartlepool: Loach, George (Adams 25), Donnelly, Harrison, Magnay, Featherstone, Hawkins, Newton (Rodney 70), Woods, Cassidy, Oates (Hawkes 88). Subs (not used): Catterick, Laing, Booked: Magnay.

Referee: Chris Pollard.

Attendance: 1,665 (65 away).

• This Saturday, Aldershot journey to Lancashire for a meeting with eighth-placed AFC Fylde.

• Jim Kellermann and Jake Gallagher have been named in Paul Fairclough’s England C squad for the friendly with Wales C on Tuesday, March 20. Kellerman is currently recovering from an injury suffered in the warm-up at Wrexham last week.