TOWN blanked former striker John Dungworth - and became the first side to deny Division IV pacesetters Aldershot victory in their fourth game of the season.
Dungworth, now of course on Town's coaching staff, had come through the youth ranks at Town.
But despite scoring on his debut, in a 2-1 Division II defeat at Middlesbrough in October 1972, the Rotherham-born player had failed to make a meaningful impact in a struggling side, that goal being his only one in 23 appearances through to the 1974-75 season, when Town fell into the basement section.
Having been loaned to Barnsley that season, he made a permanent move to Oldham in the summer of 1975, again struggling to make any major impression.
However Shots manager Tom McAnearney liked what he saw and recruited Dungworth for 1977-78.
He responded with two goals in the first three games, a 2-1 victory at York and home wins over Stockport (2-1) and Doncaster (1-0).
Despite a bright pre-season, John Haselden's Town went into their Shots showdown having drawn 0-0 at home to Swansea and lost 2-0 at Newport (they had managed a 2-1 home win over Carlisle in a League Cup first-round replay, which explained why they had played only twice while the Southern side had fitted in three Division IV games).
Town had been boosted by a brighter display in their League Cup second-round tie at home to top-flight Coventry than the 2-0 scoreline suggested.
They carried that form into the Aldershot game, taking a 25th-minute lead through midfield schemer Kevin Johnson, who sweetly curled home a free-kick.
Town created other chances as well, and could have been five up by the break, with Terry Eccles, Terry Gray and Peter Howey all testing goalkeeper Glen Johnson.
The complexion of the clash changed in the second period, when the Shots finally started to show the form which had put them top of the early league table.
Town, with Arnie Sidebottom forced to stand in for suspended centre-back Steve Baines even though a broken arm had not fully healed, did well to limit their visitors to just one goal.
That came midway through the half when Dungworth set up Andy Needham for a close-range tap-in.
Dungworth was to finish the campaign as top Shot with 23 goals, and former Blackburn frontman Needham was second in the list on 11, but the Recreation Ground side were to miss out on promotion by one place, Watford, Southend, Swansea and Brentford moving up to the Third.
Town, who forced a 3-3 away draw with the Shots later in the season, finished 11th.
