Alty threw away a two-goal lead secured in the first eight minutes of the match. In fact, three goals came in the opening quarter of an hour of this game as the Wanderers pulled the score back to 1-2. Altrincham had taken an early lead when good approach work by Hulme and Hugill culminated in a curling shot by Linney which gave Lincoln the goalkeeper no chance of keeping it out (5 mins). It was their earliest leaue goal of the season.

Oyedele made it 0-2 when a mistake by Craig let him in (8 mins). But Dorking hit back with a goal headed in by Muitt from a fine cross by Bowerman (12 mins).

There was no further scoring before the interval at which point Dorking made a double change with Gallagher and Ottaway replacing Francombe and Seager.

With Alty looking fairly comfortable in the second half, Dorking equalised when the ball broke for Ottaway to shoot past Byrne (61 mins).

And the Wanderers made it 3-2 when Prior headed in a Muitt cross (72 mins) as Alty wobbled.

• 5 mins: Regan LINNEY (Dorking Wanderers 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 8 mins: Maxi OYEDELE (Dorking Wanderers 0 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 12 mins: Jimmy MUITT (Dorking Wanderers 1 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 61 mins: Harry OTTAWAY (Dorking Wanderers 2 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 72 mins: Jason PRIOR (Dorking Wanderers 3 ALTRINCHAM 2)

Jordan Hulme came in to replace Tyrese Sinclair who had been recalled in midweek by Rochdale.

At the back Lewis Baines returned from injury in place of Kyle Ferguson. Loanees Aaron Bennett and Luke Burgess came in on the bench.

For Dorking, Kuhl replaced Gallagher and Seager came in for McShane.

LINE-UPS:

DORKING WANDERERS (Red & white stripes, white shorts, red socks): 21. Dan Lincoln, 37. George Francomb, 33. Joe Cook, 18. Luke Moore, 25. Aaron Kuhl, 27. Tony Craig, 17. Josh Taylor, 7. Jimmy Muitt, 30. Seb Bowerman, 19. Jason Prior, 9. Ryan Seager. Subs : 3. Bobby-Joe Taylor, 24. Harry Ottaway, 20. Dan Gallagher, 16. Nicky Wheeler, 2. Isaac Philpott

ALTRINCHAM (Dark blue shirts with yellow sash, dark blue shorts and yello socks): 1. Oliver Byrne, 34. Miles Welch-Hayes, 30. Harry Perritt, 6. Lewis Baines, 28. Maxi Oyedele, 2. Eddy Jones, 8. Josh Lundstram , 4. Isaac Marriott, 9. Jordan Hulme (c), 29. Regan Linney, 39. Joe Hugill. Subs: 10. Elliot Osborne, 11, Luke Burgess, 18. Ben Pringle, 21. Matt Gould, 27. Aaron Bennett

The hosts were in good form and sat just four points behind Altrincham at kick-off, despite being six places below them in a tightly-congested lower-middle of the Vanarama National League table.

Alty had gone six away league games without a win and in their last nine games had won just twice, drawn twice and lost five times.

Altrincham's first visit to Dorking got off to a flying start with two goals in the opening eight minutes on the well-appointed Surrey club's artificial pitch.

Firstly, an interchange on the right between Hulme and Hugill set up Linney, whose curling shot gave goalkeeper Lincoln no chance to make it 1-0 (5 mins).

And just three minutes later, a bad slip-up by Dorking captain Craig allowed Oyedele to dispossess him and advance on goal to put Altrincham 2-0 up (8 mins).

However, what promised to be a comfortable win was soon transformed by a goal for the hosts. Bowerman, who had impressed in the reverse fixture this season, put in an excellent cross which Jimmy Muitt headed home to make it 1-2 with just twelve minutes having elapsed.

The goal sparked some life into Dorking after thier lacklustre start. It then took an Ollie Byrne save to prevent a Muitt header making it 2-2 but a Dorking corner was the outcome (19 mins).

Next, Lundstram fed Hugill for a shot which went straight at the home keeper as both sides looked open at the back (21 mins).

Jordan Hulme was the next to threaten, from a Lundstram feed, but he was unable to control the ball sufficiently cleanly to take advantage (24 mins). Next, after a decent move had led to Hugill getting forward but being unable to dink the ball past Lincoln, Alty did at least earn a corner (25 mins).

Marriott was to find himself on the wrong end of several foul challenges in the game and Kuhl's felling of the Alty midfielder was one of the cruder attempts but it earned him no more than an earwigging from the referee (26 mins).

Likewise, Eddy Jones escaped with a lecture when he transgressed soon afterwards. Following this, Lundstram had to head the ball out for a home corner as the game went past the half-hour mark (31 mins).

Play continued in open fashion with Hulme looking lively for Altrincham before Eddy Jones had to clear his lines after a Bowerman cross (36 mins). The Dorking dangerman next won his side a corner from an effort which was deflected over the bar.

A single minute of added time saw Alty put together a multi-pass move but nothing came of it. So the interval arrived with Dorking having settled after their poor start but Altrincham having retained their one-goal lead.

Manager Marc White made two changes at the interval as Seager and Francombe gave way to Gallagher and Ottaway (46 mins).

But it was, as in the first half, Altrincham who started the better with a Hugill feed leading to Linney forcing a fine save at the back post by Lincoln (47 mins).

Another foul on Marriott earned Dorking striker Prior a warning from the referee (50 mins). Soon, another decent chance came Alty's way, but Linney put it well over the bar (52 mins). Next a wonderful run forward past several opponents took Lundstram towards goal and he earned a corner, taken by Jones, but without an end-product (54 mins).

With Altrincham looking reatively comfortable with their 1-2 lead, Dorking equalised out of nothing. An Altrincham head got on an aerial ball but it fell for Ottaway who found himself in space. Despite half-hearted suggestions that he was offside, the substitute drilled his shot past Byrne (60 mins).

Altrincham now wobbled at the back as Dorking applied some sustained pressure. Phil Parkinson reacted by bringing on midfielder Osborne for loanee striker Hugill (65 mins).

However, there was some relief as Linney and Hulme now combined threateningly but Hulme's touch took him too far to the left and the ball ended up with keeper Lincoln (67 mins).

Lundstram then shot narrowly wide but, just as it seemed that Alty had weathered the storm following Dorking's equaliser, they conceded a third goal.

It came as Muitt outpaced Eddy Jones and his cross was heaed home by Prior to make it 3-2 (72 mins).

Soon afterwards, Philpott replaced Kuhl (74 mins). As Altrincham came to terms with falling behind they, too, made a change with the booked Jones replaced by Aaron Bennett, whose second loan spell at Alty has not reached the heights of his spell earlier in the season (77 mins).

A heavy challenge on Taylor by Baines saw him escape a booking (80 mins) as the home side began to wind down the clock. Alty's final change saw loanee Burgess replace Marriott which, hopefully, did not mean that the influential midfielder had been injured (84 mins).

Play now became scrappy, which suited the hosts, before five added minutes were decreed. Alty won a corner (90+1 mins) but nothing game of it nor of the ensuing minutes during which the hosts continued to employ spoiling tactics.

So for the second time recently, Altrincham had lost a game they should have won though, unlike the FA Trophy semi-final against FC Halifax Town, they had no one to blame but themselves.

Fortunately, Alty look safe for another season in the National League but they are staggering to the finishing line with a porous defence and an indifferent attack. One win in six league outings and eleven goals conceded in the process does not augur well for the final three fixtures.

With the last two games being against clubs in danger of relegation and fighting to stay up (Torquay United and Aldershot Town), the next game at home to mid-table Dagenham & Redbridge perhaps represents the best chance of adding to the season's points tally and securing a mid-table rather than lower mid-table finish.