SUMMARY:

Stafford completed a double over Altrincham in bizarre circumstances. Though they had been the better side for the first half, Rangers had failed to score until the 43rd minute when Stephen Rose just managed to keep the ball in possession near the half way line on the Alty right, only for referee Stretton to award a freekick to Stafford, some five yards away from the touchline. At the same time the referee ushered Alty's Chris Senior off the pitch. With everyone scratching their head at this decision.

Stafford played the ball up the left and from Talbott's cross, Madjo headed home. Seemingly the freekick had been given because Chris Senior's boot had come off and he had picked it up. Given that earlier in the game Ged Murphy of Stafford had also lost his boot and had been allowed to replace it in the middle of the pitch, the decision was all the more bewildering - but it was picking up the boot and playing one that apparently made the difference. Alty improved on their lacklustre first half and won nine second half corners but to no avail. Their cause was made the harder when a wild challenge from Stephen Rose on Ged Murphy saw the Alty right-back receive a straight red card (59 mins). Coburn kept Alty in with a stunning save from Grayson but Rangers then lost the combative Madjo when he slid into Coburn and came off worse, having to be stretchered off after lengthy treatment which started in the second minute of added time. Altrincham have now won just two of their last six home games.

Right: Colin Little's expression sums up Alty's night as he leaves the pitch on Tuesday night.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr Guy Stretton

Alty were again unchanged as Val Owen and Gary Scott were still out, injured, whilst Rod Thornley remained away on England duty. However, Bushell and Munroe were fit after picking up knocks at Stevenage on Saturday. Stafford were without injured midfielder Levi Reid but new striker Andy White, on loan from Kidderminster, was on the bench. Goalkeeper Duggan, on loan from Stoke, started despite doubts about a shoulder injury. Rangers included ex-Alty midfielder Ged Murphy, but Alty's ex-Stafford man Peter Thomson again was not in the home squad.

Altrincham started the game top of the Conference form guide, with five wins in their previous six games. However, their home form was going through a rocky spell and vsisitors Stafford were also enjoying a good run of results. The referee, Mr Guy Stretton, had also handled the August game between these sides, as well as Alty's 1-0 defeat at York in November.

ALTRINCHAM: (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks). 1. Stuart COBURN, 20. Stephen ROSE, 4. Peter BAND, 17. Karl MUNROE, 11. Warren PEYTON; 12. Joe O'NEILL, 7. Robbie LAWTON, 6. Steve BUSHELL, 14. Lewis CHALMERS; 9. Colin LITTLE, 19. Chris SENIOR. Subs: 13. Richard ACTON (gk), 2. Steve ASPINALL, 5. Gary TALBOT, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 22. Andy SCOTT.

Altrincham substitutes:

STAFFORD RANGERS: (Blue shirts, red shorts and black socks). 32. Robert DUGGAN; 26. Ritchie SUTTON, 5. Wayne DANIEL (capt), 4. Craig McAUTRIE, 3. Nathan TALBOTT; 11. Robin GIBSON, 6. Craig LOVATT, 25. Anthony GRIFFIN, 27. Ged MURPHY; 12. Guy MADJO, 9. Neil GRAYSON. Subs: 15. Danny EDWARDS, 16. Ange LOROUGNON, 17. Danny ALCOCK (gk), 30. Liam MURRAY, 33. Andrew WHITE.

The first minutes of a match can often influence much of the game and it was immediately apparent tonight that Altrincham were suffering some tiredness after their magnificent exertions of recent weeks. From the kick-off, Stafford were setting the tempo and, after just two and a half minutes, they should have taken the lead. Following an error by Munroe, Stafford got a throw-in from which the ball was crossed from the left and found Gibson, arriving unmarked at the back post. But the advancing Coburn made an excellent block with his legs to clear Gibson's low shot. Moments later Gibson almost got free again but was penalised as he got behind Band. But at last Altrincham had a goal effort after 5 minutes when Little dispossessed McAutrie but from his cross from the right Chalmers headed over the bar. A theatrical dive by ex-Alty man Murphy earned the derision of the home crowd but Rose was punished with a freekick against him. A few minutes later Rose did superbly well to hold off the bustling Madjo as he got into the Alty box. Then Murphy lost his boot on the edge of the Stafford box but continued his advance up the pitch before going back to get his boot. As play stopped for a throw, Murphy put his boot back on. Soon afterwards, Coburn kicked his second successive clearance straight into touch as Altrincham continued to misfire. When Gibson barged Band into the hoardings at the side of the pitch the Stafford winger was rightly lectured.

Next a miskick from McAutrie went wide of goal off Little for a Stafford goalkick (13 mins). Munroe was then judged to have fouled Grayson when the first offence, as they jostled for the ball, seemed to be by the veteran Rangers' striker. The freekick was struck straight at Coburn and soon the Alty keeper was in action again, gathering the ball at the second attempt as he collided with Stephen Rose. Alty's best effort of the game to date came after 15 minutes when Chalmers and Bushell fed Peyton and, from his deep cross, O'Neill, at the back post, looped a header towards the near post which keeper Duggan did well to knock away one-handed. Altrincham now won a corner off McAutrie from Rose's cross but this was cleared. Next Peter Band was booked when he won the ball but was judged to have raised his foot excessively in doing so (17 mins). Soon afterwards Murphy was also cautioned, for a late lunge (19 mins). Peyton's resulting freekick went to the keeper. An ambitious 30 yard dipping shot from Lovatt was the next shot of note but this went comfortably wide of the target (20 mins).

The game was now fairly evenly contested but, though there was plenty of effort, there was not a lot of flowing football. Both sides were making errors as was epitomised when Bushell passed to a Stafford player, who passed to Chalmers, who gave it back to Daniel. A foul by Daniel on Senior gave Alty a freekick which they took quickly but Little's resulting shot was blocked (24 mins). "You've not strung three passes together yet" shouted Graham Heathcote, with some justification, to his charges as play continued without anything remarkable to report. After 29 minutes Madjo bustled his way into the box before going down under a challenge but Mr Stretton ignored appeals for a penalty. Manager Heathcote was still not satisfied as he asked his team "How long before we wake up?" (31 mins).

Stafford's Gibson had his second good chance of the game moments later when Madjo's effort deflected to him. But Gibson fired wildly over the bar from right of goal (33 mins). The visitors continued to look the more incisive as, next, Murphy got in a shot at Coburn. Altrincham's best effort at this stage was a lay off by Little to Chalmers which the midfielder put well over the bar at the 20/20 End (35 mins). Lawton received a lecture for dissent after Munroe had been penalised on the front edge of the Alty box and from the freekick the ball was laid off, short, to Grayson, whose low shot beat Coburn but came back off his left upright to a Stafford player who blasted the loose ball well over the bar as the visitors' wasteful shooting continued (39 mins).

Alty continued to lose possession with regularity but appeared to be heading safely to half-time with the score goalless when a bizarre incident transformed the game. Rose had just managed to keep a ball in play on the Alty right, just inside his own half, in front of the dugouts. He played the ball for Senior and Mr Stretton immediately blew his whistle. With the crowd and players thinking he was going to give a throw-in against Rose, he ushered Senior off the pitch, the Alty player at this point had one of his boots in his hand. Mr Stretton then awarded a freekick, three yards inside the touchline, to Stafford and, with the Alty right-side depleted by Senior's absence, Rangers quickly played the ball up their left wing from where Talbott's cross found Madjo, who headed past Coburn. The Altrincham bench was understandably up in arms at this chain of events (43 mins). Seemingly Senior was judged to have transgressed the rules covering the dangers to others of lost boots, whereas, earlier, Rangers' Ged Murphy, had lost his boot and been allowed to replace it on the pitch with no sanctions against him. But he had not picked up his boot and played on, which seemed to be the crucial factor in the referee's decision.

There was still time for Mr Stretton to make two more decisions to stoke Altrincham's ire. Firstly he gave a foul-throw against Stephen Rose and then, in the two added minutes of the first half, Stafford keeper Duggan collided with one of his defenders as he came to the edge of his area to catch an aerial ball, aimed at O'Neill. As the ball dropped loose, the referee gave Stafford a freekick for O'Neill's challenge, before allowing treatment to the Stafford keeper. The half finally ended after four minutes of added time with Alty trailing, which was a not unfair reflection of the first half, but the manner of the goal had been bizarre to say the least.

Altrincham started the second half with a gusto that had been lacking at the start of the first and they won three corners in the first two minutes. From the third, half of Moss Lane thought that Little had scored but the ball was deflected just wide for a third corner. Madjo continued to go down remarkably easily for a man of his build but play continued fairly uneventfully for the next few minutes until Grayson got inside the box and seemed certain to score. As Band tracked back, Grayson tried to slide the ball past the advancing Coburn but the keeper made a superb one-handed save to keep the ball out (54 mins).

Alty responded and won a corner following an error by Murphy. But this came to nothing and it was Stafford who continued to carve out the better chances as Murphy's shot now forced another fine save from Coburn (56 mins). But things got worse for Alty after 59 minutes when Stephen Rose made a late, scything tackle on Ged Murphy and was promptly shown a red card. Murphy resumed after treatment. Alty were now obliged to play 3-4-2, with right-back Rose dismissed and the Alty management directed Stuart Coburn to kick his clearances rather than try to start movements forward with throw-outs or short kicks to his colleagues.

Alty's best effort at this juncture was an underhit shot from Little to the keeper (65 mins). Soon afterwards, a McAutrie freekick from 25yards went narrowly wide. There was then an amusing (and annoying) incident as Madjo went down, yet again, in the Alty box. Play continued for a minute or more until Little won a foul on the "D" of the Stafford penalty area. The "injured" Madjo, having been ignored by the referee, then got up and hared 80 yards down the pitch to defend the freekick, accompanied as he went by derision from the home supporters at his play-acting. Following the freekick the ball came out to Lawton who hoisted a shot over the roof of the terrace into Golf Road (70 mins).

There was then an impressive moment from Senior when he nutmegged Talbott on the Alty right but, though he advanced into the box. the defence cleared the danger. After 74 minutes Munroe was booked for the third successive game, for a foul, despite winning the ball. Griffin was the next to go down dramatically, as if Band had somehow assaulted him, but no action was taken by the referee against the Alty defender. At this point Gary Talbot came on for Chris Senior, allowing Peter Band to be pushed forward into the attack (78 mins). Moments later Little flashed a shot across the face of goal before a superb overhead shot from Little forced a good save from Duggan at the cost of a corner to Altrincham. Bushell's corner from the right was poor, however, going straight to the first Stafford defender, Gibson (81 mins). At the other end, Madjo's header hit the top of the bar but he was offside in any case. Alty won two further corners as they pushed for an equaliser, both were taken by Peyton, but both were cleared (83 mins).

Stafford's defence continued to hold firm until Chalmers won another corner (88 mins). Four minutes of added time were announced but Stafford relieved the late Alty pressure by winning a corner (90+2 mins). When Madjo staggered into the box and collided with the advancing Coburn, the striker stayed down and, on the evidence of his previous "injury" there was little immediate concern for him. However, after protracted treatment, a stretcher was called for and he was carried off. A substitute wearing Brian Quailey's no.16 shirt came on but this was actually another player, Ange Lorougnon; Quailey has moved on to Nuneaton Borough. Alty's last chance came and went when Little fired wide in the 8th minute of added time and, though Alty won a corner after this, nothing came of it.

So Altrincham slipped to their fourth home defeat out of the last five matches at Moss Lane, an ironic decline in their home form just when their away form has picked up with three successive wins on the road. Stafford fans celebrated with chants of "We're staying up" but for them as well as for Altrincham, survival is yet to be achieved, with a total of 53 points looking to be the best insurance as things stand. Stafford had chances to have won by a bigger margin so, on that basis, Altrincham could not complain at the result tonight but the manner in which the winning goal arrived left Altrincham supporters less than pleased with Mr Stretton. Peter Band was a deserved Alty Man of the Match.