Ten-man Aldershot Town drew 2-2 at home to ten-man Sutton United in the National League on Good Friday.

Callum Stewart and Ryan Hill fired the Shots into an early 2-0 lead, but Lewis Simper’s double meant the spoils were shared in front of a crowd of 3,034 at the EBB Stadium.

The Shots were quick out of the traps and opened the scoring in the fifth minute. James Henry’s free kick went past several Sutton players before finding the head of Ryheem Sheckleford, and Sheckleford’s knock down bounced invitingly for Stewart to hit his effort into the bottom corner off the post to give the Shots the lead.

Aldershot then won a penalty on 16 minutes when Cameron Hargreaves won a loose ball in the box and was brought down by Junior Eccleston. Captain Hill stepped up from the spot and smashed his penalty into the back of the net to make it 2-0, sending Sutton keeper Jack Sims the wrong way in the process.

The visitors pulled a goal back in the 20th minute when a mix-up in Aldershot’s six-yard box saw the ball pop out to Simper, who poked the ball past Shots keeper Coniah Boyce-Clarke from close range to make it 2-1.

The Shots nearly regained their two-goal advantage four minutes later when Brody Peart delivered a low cross into the box which the visitors managed to scramble away.

Aldershot created another chance before half-time when Hargreaves’ quick free kick found Stewart, whose deflected shot was well saved by Sims scrambling across his goal.

Shots boss John Coleman made one change at half-time, with Dejan Tetek replacing Henry.

Sutton nearly equalised in the opening minutes of the second half when Kwaku Donkor found himself with bags of space to run into down the right-hand side before delivering a low ball into the box that slipped past Will Nightingale and reached Brandon Njoku, whose shot was superbly saved by Boyce-Clarke from close range with his right foot.

Coleman made his second substitution of the afternoon in the 59th minute, with Theo Widdrington replacing Sheckleford.

The Shots then nearly restored their two-goal advantage when Hargreaves hooked the ball to Hill, whose header was just off target.

The visitors were awarded a penalty with 17 minutes left when Olly Scott was penalised for bringing down David Ogbonna inside the area. Scott received his second yellow card for the challenge as the Shots were reduced to ten men. Simper stepped up from the spot and fired home his penalty to make it 2-2.

With Aldershot down to ten men, Coleman made a tactical substitution with Sam Inwood replacing Peart on 77 minutes.

The ten-man Shots thought they had scored a winner in the 83rd minute, but Charlie Warren’s effort from close range came back off the post. The ball was scrambled away by Sutton but only as far as Widdrington, who let fly with a curling right-foot shot that went just wide.

Sutton were then reduced to ten men on 86 minutes when Charlie Bell received a second yellow card after fouling Inwood.

Coleman made a double change in stoppage time in search of a winner, with Kwame Thomas and Josh Barrett replacing Stewart and Tetek, but the spoils were ultimately shared at the end of a breathless encounter.