Aldershot Town manager Danny Searle felt they were better side for 'large parts' against Chesterfield

In a game of few clear-cut chances, the Spireites edged it thanks to Alex Whittle’s first-half strike after a mistake by home stopper Mitch Walker.

The hosts had the better of the second-half but failed to test Blues ‘keeper Grant Smith.

Victory for Chesterfield means they are five places and four points better off than Searle’s men.

“It is a shame when a game is decided by errors,” Searle said.

“If you go across the 90 minutes I don’t think Mitch (Walker) has had a meaningful save to make and to concede the goal the way we did is just frustrating.

“It was always going to be tight and it probably had one-nil written all over it. When they got an opportunity they punished us and we did not punish them.

“I thought we were flat first-half but second-half we were very good.

“I don’t think either side was particularly good in the first-half, I think it was a bit of a boring first-half.

“We gave it everything in the second-half but again we did not test the ‘keeper enough.”

The Shots huffed and puffed after the break but they could not find a way past a well-organised and determined Town defence.

Searle added: “Against a side like that, if you give them a one-nil head-start, you are going to find it tough.

“You are playing against a team that has invested heavily and you go toe-to-toe with them and I think for large parts of the game we were the better side.

“The bottom line is there were very little chances in the game. They get one and score and we get two or three and don’t.

“We have got good players who don’t seem to be doing their jobs at the minute which is putting the ball in the back of the net.“I know we haven’t beat Halifax and we haven’t beat Chesterfield but performance-wise nobody can say they were better than us because they haven’t been.”