Aldershot Town picked up a vital 2-1 win at Altrincham in the National League.

Keane Anderson was given his league debut for Aldershot as he partnered Cameron Hargreaves in midfield in an otherwise unchanged side from the Shots' 3-1 win over Gateshead in their previous National League outing.

The hosts nearly took the lead in the eighth minute when Jake Cooper's header from a corner was cleared off the line by Tyler Frost.

The Shots broke up the other end, with Josh Barrett's cross across the Altrincham goal just in front of Jack Barham running in at the far post.

The Shots were looking the more likely to open the scoring.

Barham was unlucky not to get on the end of a Frost cross in the 17th minute and two efforts from Anderson from outside the area either of side of the 20-minute mark were narrowly off target.

Altrincham had an attacking threat, and Alex Newby forced a brilliant save from Marcus Dewhurst down to the Shots keeper's right in the 26th minute.

Just after the half-hour, the Shots were unlucky not to have gone in front with a flurry of chances.

Ryan Jones and Barrett linked up superbly to allow Jones to break into the Altrincham box but as he jinked past a defender, he couldn't get a shot away and Frost's shot on the rebound was blocked behind for a corner.

From that, Frost's long-range effort was turned behind by Rob Lainton and from the second corner, Anderson's deflected effort was well saved by Lainton.

Three minutes later, another effort from outside the area by Barrett narrowly missed the target before Kacper Pasiek fired over and out of the ground as he broke into the Shots box.

Just before half-time, it was Altrincham who were unlucky not to snatch a lead as former Shot Justin Amaluzor raced down the right and dinked the ball over the onrushing Dewhurst, but Will Armitage tracked back superbly and cleared the ball off the line.

Three minutes into the second half Luca Woodhouse shook off his marker and rose highest from a Barrett corner but he could only head the ball wide of the mark.

Frost fired another shot from distance over the bar, but in the 65th minute Aldershot took the lead through Hargreaves.

The midfielder steamed into the box to fire the ball in after Frost's low cross was not dealt with.

Altrincham levelled the game eight minutes later.

Newby produced a moment of individual brilliance as he worked space for himself down the left side of the Shots box and fired a superb shot into the top corner of Dewhurst's net.

The game grew more open as time began to run out, with both sides looking to grab a winner.

Barrett hit a half-volley wide after a superb first-touch set up an opportunity and George Wilson fired wide when he should have done better as five minutes remained of normal time.

Maxwell Mullins proved to be the hero for Aldershot in the 88th minute as he found the top corner.

Breaking down the left, Mullins found space and looked to deliver a cross from a tight angle but instead found the back of the net.

Aldershot managed the final few minutes superbly and were rewarded with three points.