Aldershot Town moved further away from the National League relegation zone as they defeated ten-man Gateshead 3-1 at the EBB Stadium.

Despite trailing in the opening few minutes, goals from Josh Barrett, Ryan Jones and Jack Barham saw the Shots come out victorious in a match that was heavily delayed by a medical emergency.

The away side took the lead within the first three minutes.

Liam Humbles' line-splitting pass found Jack Roles on the edge of the box, who fired emphatically to the left of Shots keeper Marcus Dewhurst.

It would take just as long for Aldershot to equalise.

With the March sun shining particularly brightly, a long ball was misjudged by the Gateshead defence.

Barrett reacted quickest in behind, calmly slotting home an equaliser during a breathless opening six minutes.

Barham thought he had caught out Gateshead's high line shortly afterwards when a searching ball from Dewhurst found the forward in on goal, but he was denied by a marginal offside.

The game came to a lengthy halt on the 17-minute mark after a medical emergency in the crowd, prompting both teams to return down the tunnel.

The fourth official signalled 31 minutes of stoppage time.

Gateshead continued to impress on the ball, though after an end-to-end start to the match clear-cut chances for either side were harder to come by.

Aaron Jones provided a crucial defensive header after a pinpoint cross from Roles look destined to find a fellow attacker.

Barrett forged a chance for himself at the other end, meandering through two opponents on the left of the penalty area, but the resulting effort was blocked.

A defensive mix-up allowed Humbles through on goal before the break, but Dewhurst superbly saved Humbles’ effort.

Tyler Frost then produced a last-ditch clearance that was pivotal in keeping the scores level as the visitors applied the pressure.

Dewhurst was called into action once more after a loose pass found Jovan Malcolm, whose drive at goal was stopped by the feet of the Aldershot keeper.

A counter-attack from the resulting corner saw Barham with room to attack, but Gateshead retreated well to ensure only a corner was conceded.

Aldershot took the lead just before the hour mark.

A promising break from the hosts saw Theo Widdrington fouled 30 yards from goal, and the midfielder played a quick free kick through to Ryan Jones.

With the Gateshead backline caught out, Ryan Jones had ample time to slot high past Gateshead keeper Tiernan Brooks to make it 2-1.

Shortly after his important contribution, a seemingly-innocuous incident saw Widdrington in considerable discomfort. Clearly unable to continue, he was taken off on a stretcher.

Aldershot were handed a significant boost with 15 minutes to go, as Gateshead were reduced to ten men.

Strong battling from Barham and Frost saw the latter win the ball in the attacking third, with Ryan Bartley's recovery tackle deemed serious foul play. The Gateshead defender was shown a straight red card.

The numerical advantage allowed the Shots to gain a foothold in the game.

Ryan Jones showed strength and persistence to drive down the left channel, and his cross was poked on by Maxwell Mullins to find Barham at the back post, who fired the hosts into a 3-1 lead.

Aldershot saw out the rest of the game to pick up a hard-fought and much-needed victory.