Dartford fought back to draw with Aldershot at Princes Park on Saturday.

Josh Scott put the visitors ahead midway through a first half in which the Darts were pedestrian and predictable.

But second-half substitutions helped change the game and Andy Pugh scored to earn Dartford a well-deserved point.

Pugh and Harry Crawford started up front together for the first time at Princes Park, with Pugh returning in place of the injured Tom Bradbrook.

New signing Andre McCollin made his debut for Aldershot, having signed from Ryman League side Kingstonian during the week. Phil Smith, who played three times for the Darts on loan from Portsmouth last season, started in goal for the visitors, while former Gillingham forward Tom Derry - who had an unsuccessful trial with Dartford in the summer - was on the Shots bench.

The first chance of the game fell to Dartford - and it was a good one.

Ryan Hayes' free-kick from the left-hand side was perfectly flighted and it dropped for Rory McAuley, six yards from goal, but the centre-half planted his header wastefully over.

The home side were passing the ball patiently but they posed very little attacking threat from open play, only really troubling Aldershot from set-pieces.

Against the run of play, the Shots took a 24th-minute lead. Dartford failed to stop Brett Williams as he tried to break into the area and when the ball ran free for Scott, he swept a left-footed shot inside Jason Brown's right-hand post.

Dartford fell flat after that and their passes started to go astray to the frustration of the home fans.

Mark Molesley drilled a powerful shot wide with his left foot and Dartford then allowed Williams too much time and space to control a left-wing cross from Chris Barker. Williams took aim but, luckily for the men in white shirts, he failed to hit the target.

It might have been worse for the Darts at half-time, Brown making two good saves to deny Williams and Kieron Forbes just before the interval.

Dartford started the second half in more positive fashion, with Nathan Collier latching onto Hayes' neat through-ball and flashing a right-wing cross through the six-yard box.

Then came a double substitution, with Tony Burman sending on Peter Sweeney and Lee Noble.

Brown made another vital save, palming Williams' shot behind when the striker turned back onto his left foot.

But Sweeney made an instant impact, using the ball intelligently and getting the home side moving. He sprayed a terrific ball wide to Hayes, whose deep cross was headed goalwards by Pugh, forcing Smith into action for the first time.

All of Dartford's best moves now had Sweeney at their centre and it was no surprise that he started to the move which led to Dartford's equaliser on 67 minutes. Sweeney picked out Crawford in the inside-left channel and he made space for a low cross which Pugh, arriving late, powered into the net.

The tide seemed to be turning but then came a nervous moment for the Darts. Jaydon Gibbs' cross was nodded down into the danger zone by Scott and the home side did well to clear the danger.

Williams got the wrong side of Mat Mitchel-King but lashed his shot over.

Hayes led a stoppage-time breakaway but shot wide - and Brown then stood tall to deny Williams what would have been a dramatic winner in the dying seconds.

Dartford: Brown, Collier, McAuley, Mitchel-King, Bender, Hayes, Cornhill (Sweeney 56mins), E Bradbrook, Daley (Noble 56mins), Pugh (Harris 76mins), Crawford. Subs not used: Ibrahim, Adams.

Aldershot: Smith, Gibbs, Oastler, Wilson, Barker (Diallo 85mins), Molesley (N'Guessan 74mins), Forbes, Oyeleke, Scott, Williams, McCollin (Derry 32mins). Subs not used: Thomas, Plummer.

Attendance: 1,310.