Altrincham faced Aldershot Town in their final match of the Vanarama National League season and they ended the campaign with a deserved point in a game of moderate quality at the EBB Stadium

The scheduled 5.30pm kick-off was delayed until 6.15pm because the Altrincham team coach had broken down at Oxford Services on the M40 and the players and staff had to take a fleet of taxis from from there to Aldershot!

Fortunately, no promotion or relegation issues rested on this game as otherwise there would have been a problem with the game starting after every other fixture.

Although the hosts saw more of the ball, Altrincham had hit the post twice before falling behind in an unfortunate manner. In attempting to block centre-half Cordner's effort from 22 yards, the defender's shot hit James Jones and looped past Gould (67 mins).

Earlier Linney had had the best chance of the game when, fed by Goodson, he beat the keeper but his shot struck the post (54 mins). Lundstram then hit the same post with a scuffed effort (65 mins).

Altrincham rescued a deserved point in the 86th minute when Lundstram's cross from the right was met by a mishit from Eddy Jones which bobbled into the keeper's left-hand corner (86 mins).

The point left Altrincham seventeenth in the final National League table.

SCORERS:

• 67 mins: Tyler CORDNER (Aldershot Town 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 86 mins: Eddy JONES (Aldershot Town 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)

Alty arrived with a squad limited by injury, departed loanees and fatigue after their ninety-minute match on Thursday in the Cheshire Senior Cup Final.

They made three changes as Perritt, Burgess and Hulme were replaced by Baines, Osborne and Goodson in the starting eleven. Goodson was making his first start at this level. In contrast Josh Lundstram was completing an ever-present league season.

Only four players were named on the bench.

LINE-UPS:

ALDERSHOT TOWN (Red shirts, white shrts, light blue socks) 1. Luca Ashby-Hammond, 2. Myles Kenlock 3. Ollie Harfield, 5. Tyler Cordner (c), 8. Tyler Frost, 9. Tahvon Campbell, 10. Josh McQuoid, 22. Haji Mnoga, 23. Ryan Glover, 27. Tommy Willard, 30. Jack Barham. Subs: 4. Joe Partington, 7. Justin Amaluzor, 15. Jai Rowe, 18. Henry Ochieng, 25. Karoy Anderson.

ALTRINCHAM (Dark blue shirts with yellow sash, dark blue shorts and socks): 21. Matt Gould, 5. Kyle Ferguson, 2. Eddy Jones, 6. Lewis Baines, 8. Josh Lundstram (c), 4. Isaac Marriott, 10. Elliot Osborne, 26. James Jones, 27. Aaron Bennett, 29. Regan Linney, 32. Zak Goodson. Subs: 11. Luke Burgess, 18. Ben Pringle, 24. Ryan Forde, 30. Harry Perritt.

This was the final match of the regular season and for Altrincham it came less than 48 hours after being obliged to play the Cheshire Senior Cup Final, a match they lost to Congelton Town. Kick off for all matches in the division had been moved to 5.30pm to accommodate BT Sport coverage of the day's games.

The Robins had not won in their previous six league games, whereas Aldershot were unbeaten in five.

Aldershot had only ensured their survival at this level last weekend. Having flirted with relegation the appointment of King's Lynn boss Tommy Widdrington had seen form improve.

After a minute's applause for those supporters and others associated with The Shots who had passed away in the previous year, the hosts kicked off towards the scoreboard end. However, it was Altrincham who won the first corner, through Regan Linney (3 mins).

Before it could be taken James Jones needed some attention to a facial injury but the corner only led to a Ferguson nod to the keeper.

Aldershot were seeing more of the ball in the early stages without creating any serious threat of scoring. However, Harfield looked a danger with a couple of testing crosses from the left, one of which Barham headed narrowly wide at the back post (10 mins).

Ferguson then did well to halt Campbell after the loanee had got into the box. Aldershot now won their first corner but Harfield overhit this (15 mins).

Altrincham responded as Linney turned well to feed Eddy Jones and, though his effort seemed to have been deflected over the bar, the referee awarded a goalkick (17 mins).

There was another questionable decision soon afterwards when Linney took advantage of a home mis-pass, only to be hauled down inside the box, but the referee saw no misdemeanour (21 mins).

Eddy Jones now had to nod out a testing cross by Frost at the cost of a corner (26 mins). The hosts continued on top as Campbell made space well but his shot went narrowly wide across the face of goal (30 mins).

Harfield won his side another corner (32 mins) but nothing came of that. However, when a Bennett effort at the other end went out of play for what seemed to be a corner, for the second time in the game the referee thought otherwise and awarded a home goalkick (34 mins).

It was not long before another Harfield cross from the left earned another flag-kick, this time off James Jomnes (35 mins). The Shots continued to get forward as half-time approached with Altrincham having barely threatened since the early stages (40 mins).

Linney moved to the right wing before half-time whilst his forward colleague Goodson struggled to get involved in the match. Two added minutes witnenessed a James Jones volley over the bar from an Osborne cross (45+1 mins) but a first half of endeavour rather than quality came to an end, goalless.

Altrincham brought on Perritt for Ferguson at half-time before Marriott got the game back under way. Soon afterwards, Perritt was unfortunate to be booked for his first foul (49 mins).

After an uneventful few minutes, Altrincham had a great chance to take the lead. A smart through-pass by Goodson set Linney free with only Ashby-Hammond to beat. The Alty striker slotted the ball past the advancing keeper only to see his effort cpme back off the keeper's left post (54 mins).

After a home corner had come to naught, a foul on Goodson gave Alty a freekick just outside the front of the box, to the right of goal. A rehearsed move saw Osborne touch the freekick to Eddy Jones but his shot narrowly cleared the bar, on the hour mark.

Aldershot next gained a corner from a miskick by Eddy Jones before a rare shot on goal from either side saw Campbell's effort comfortably saved by Gould (64 mins).

Next, the visitors almost scored with scuffed shot by Lundstram which bobbled onto the left post of the home keeper and rebounded to Ashby-Hammond's hands (65 mins).

Immediately, at the other end, Aldershot did score but in a very scruffy manner. Centre-back Cordner took a pot shot from twenty yards, centrally, with James Jones throwing himself at the ball but only managing to divert the ball which looped into the net past a consequently flat-footed Gould (67 mins).

After this, a Goodson shot comfortably cleared the bar, but the young striker was much more involved in the game in the second half (70 mins).

The Shots made a change with Rowe replacing Glover (72 mins) before McQuoid fired well over the bar from 22 yards (77 mins).

Phil Parkinson now made a double change with Bennett and Pringle replacing Goodson and Bennett (78 mins). This was followed by Amaluzor coming on in place of McQuoid for the hosts (80 mins)

From a freekick thirty yards out, Perritt struck the ball over the bar (82 mins) and after that Cordner gave way to Partington (85 mins).

Barely a minute later, Altrincham equalised and their goal was equally as scruffy as the hosts' had been.

Alty moved up the right from where Lundstram pulled the ball back to Eddy Jones. He mishit his shot into the ground but the resulting bobble seemed to deceive Ashby-Hammond as the ball found the net to his left (86 mins).

Despite four added minutes, neither side was able to score again and a draw left Altrincham one place above the Shots at the conclusion of the season.

Considering this had been the second game for Alty in 48 hours, they had acquitted themselves well in a match which never hit the heights but featured two hardworking teams.