BASINGSTOKE Town secured a money-spinning FA Cup second round replay by holding north Hampshire rivals Aldershot Town to a draw at the Recreation Ground on Saturday. For a long time it looked as though Joe Bruce's goal was going to be enough to earn Town a place in the third round for the first time in the club's history.

However, Aldershot striker John Grant equalised with 13 minutes left to take the tie to a replay at the Camrose next Tuesday.

In front of 4,525 fans - Aldershot's biggest gate of the season - Town had the better of the first half and deserved to go into the break a goal to the good.

However, Aldershot piled on the pressure in the second half and only a post and two fine saves by Stuart Searle in the Basingstoke goal prevented the Nationwide Conference team equalising before Grant struck in the 77th minute.

Basingstoke manager Francis Vines named an unchanged team from the one that beat Bedford in the FA Trophy the previous week, while Aldershot were deprived of strikers Marcus Gayle and Joel Grant, leaving boss Terry Brown with little option other than to play John Grant as a lone frontman.

Town began the game brightly with Justyn McKay testing Aldershot keeper Nikki Bull with an overhead kick and a long range free-kick in the first five minutes.

However, the home side nearly went ahead in the 14th minute when centre back Rhys Day powered a header at goal after a corner. Thankfully, Ben Surey was alert enough to clear the ball off the line.

Basingstoke continued to force the issue and went close again in the 33rd minute when a great ball by McKay put Warner through down the left side but Bull got down well to block the shot at the near post.

The Town pressure told in injury-time at the end of the half when a Warner corner was knocked down by the outstanding Joe Dolan and James Taylor flicked the ball over his head and across the face of goal. Joe Bruce, waiting at the far post, miskicked from a yard out but recovered well to retain the ball and clip it over Bull and into the top corner.

Predictably, Aldershot came out for the second half in a more purposeful manner and had a great chance to level the scores just four minutes in.

Former Wales international Darren Barnard put the ball into the box, Grant flicked the ball on and Louis Soares planted a header at goal from five yards, forcing Searle into an excellent instinctive save. Searle could only parry the ball to Ryan Scott but the midfielder hit the post when it looked easier to score, and the danger passed.

While they had a lot of the ball in decent positions, Aldershot found it hard to break Town down but again went close in the 76th minute when Searle pulled off a fabulous save to deny Day a headed goal from a corner.

The home side finally got the breakthrough a minute later when Barnard put a great ball into the box and Grant was able to powerfully head home from six yards out.

Neither side looked like claiming the victory in the last 10 minutes and, despite the officials finding four minutes of injury time, the north Hampshire rivals will have to do it all again at the Camrose on December 12.

Aldershot Town: Nikki Bull, Dean Smith, Darren Barnard, Ricky Newman, Rhys Day, Louis Soares, Ryan Scott, Mark Molesley, David Lee (sub Danny Hylton 62 mins), John Grant, Ryan Williams Not used: Ben Harding, Sean Ridgway, Phil Anderson, Louis Wells

Basingstoke Town: Stuart Searle, David Ray, Joe Bruce, Robert Watkins, Joe Dolan, Justyn McKay (sub Francis Quarm 70 mins), Simieon Howell (sub Joe Harris 89 mins), Ben Surey, Neville Roach (sub Cristian Levis 77 mins), James Taylor, Matt Warner Not used: Jason Bristow, Luke Townsend