Without Regan Linney and giving a debut to Ollie Crankshaw, Altrincham surrendered their unbeaten start to the season in disappointing fashion, as Bromley extended their fine record at Moss Lane to four wins and a draw in five visits. The first half was blessed with two fine goals amongst what was otherwise a match of only moderate quality.

The first of those goals was a superb curling shot from outside the box by Whiteley to give the Ravens a 14th minute lead.

Altrincham responded with a finely worked corner routine, initiated by Eddy Jones on the right and finished with a shot into the top corner by man of the match Amaluzor (25 mins).

Sadly the second half was poor with neither side showing much quality though Alty were twice denied by goalkeeper Smith..

Alty threw the game way in the 87th minute when Marriott lost the ball on the Bromley left and substitute Miller advanced to beat Ross with a low shot into the far corner.

Apart from Amaluzor, Altrincham lacked urgency and the guile to break down an organised Bromley defence. Despite the referee, who made some baffling decisions, playing eleven added minutes, an equalizer was not forthcoming.

SCORERS:

• 14 mins: Corey WHITELY (ALTRINCHAM 0 Bromley 1)
• 25 mins: Justin AMALUZOR (ALTRINCHAM 1 Bromley 1)
• 79 mins: Todd MILLER (ALTRINCHAM 1 Bromley 2)

Alty were unexpectedly without striker Regan Linney, presumably injured, but his absence was accommodated by giving a debut to wide-man Ollie Crankshaw, signed earlier in the week from Stockport County.

Bromley brought in Josh Passley for Jude Arthurs; on the bench was named new signing Ryan Jones, on loan from Bristol Rovers.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 29. Ethan Ross, 2. Lewis Banks, 3. Eddy Jones, 5. James Jones (c), 6. Elliot Osborne, 27. Ollie Crankshaw, 14. Dior Angus, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 11. Justin Amaluzor, 8. Isaac Marriott, 16. Sam Roscoe. Subs: 4. Lewis Baines, 7. Matty Kosylo, 15. Jake Cooper, 22. Joey Jones, 32. George Burroughs

BROMLEY (All white) 1. Grant Smith, 2. Callum Reynolds, 6. Sam Woods, 17. Byron Webster (c), 11. Louis Dennis, 9. Michael Cheek, 16. Chin Okoli, 18. Corey Whitely, 7. Josh Passley, 28. Ben Krauhaus, 23. Besart Topalloj. Subs: 12. Ryan Jones, 21. James Vennings, 25. Todd Miller, 32. David Aziaya, 20. Jude Arthurs.

In four previous meetings at Moss Lane, Altrincham had lost three times and drawn the other match but this time Altrincham went into the fixture unbeaten since the start of the season.

Bromley kicked off towards Golf Road and, after a quiet opening, Osborne fed Angus for a shot which was blocked inside the box (5 mins).

A foul by Marriott, right on the front edge of his own box, gave Bromley a promising freekick but this was struck into the Alty wall. However, a Bromley cormer soon resulted (10 mins). Worryingly, Bromley won a clean header but this was cleared.

Bromley keeper Smith then had to come out to clear from an advancing Banks, the ball was worked to the Bromley left where it reached Whiteley, who moved inside before curling a superb 25-yarder into the far corner of Ross's net to give the Ravens the lead (14 mins).

Bromley were displaying an efficient closing down tactic which successfully hindered Alty's attempts to get forward. The visitors almost doubled their lead in bizarre fashion when Whitely's cross bounced off Roscoe's body and only narrowly went past Ross's right post for a corner (18 mins).

Soon afterwards, giakkeeper Smith rushed out of his box towards the half-way line on the Bromley left. Curiously he opted to play a sideways ball, which was almost intercepted by Alty.

Altrincham had not threatened the away goal much at all before a Crankshaw cross gained a corner on the right. Eddy Jones took a short corner and the ball was then relayed inside to Angus who, in turn, fed Amazluzor who swept a smart left-foot shot into the top corner of Smith's net, to his left, to make the score 1-1 (25 mins). It was a smart move from the training ground and an even smarter finish from the former Aldershot winger.

The goal lifted Alty and, following a foul on Amaluzor, Conn-Clarke lifted a freekick over the bar (28 mins).

After James Jones had been penalised, a Bromley freekick from forty yards out, the visitors won a free header but it reached the safe hands of Ross.

Next, after Marriott had given the ball away, it took a Roscoe header to clear the resultant cross. However, Bromley did soon win a corner which Ross punched away.

Mr Ajibola now made one of what were to be several puzzling decisions when he allowed a clear foul on Crankshaw to go unpunished (33 mins).

For Alty, Amaluzor was by some distance their most threatening forward unit, against a Bromley side which effectively dealt with the other potential threats of Conn-Clarke and Crankshaw.

Nevertheless in the latter stages of the half it was Altrincham who were on top. Once again Mr Ajibola bemused Alty by not giving a foul when Conn-CLarke was felled (39 mins) but soon a move started by Marriott did yield a corner on the left, taken by Osborne, but nothing came of it (40 mins).

Osborne did, however, land a well-hit shot on target from 30 yards but it was directed down the keeper's throat. Next a fine shot by Amaluzor had to be tipped over the bar for a corner which, unfortunately, Eddy Jones took poorly (43 mins).

Four added minutes were decreed before the referee came over and booked manager Andy Woodman. In added time a Cheek shot was deflected for a corner but there was still time after that for Angus to poke a chance wide at the back post

The second half started scrappily before Alty had a great chance to score. It was Amaluzor, again, who created the chance as he advanced up the right. His low cross found Angus but his shot was blocked at almost point-blank range by keeper Smith (51 mins).

Worryingly, and just as he had done in the previous fixture at Fylde, Ross then kicked a ball out straight to an opponent. Fortunately, Bromley could not capitalise on the situation (56 mins).

After a Bromley corner had been dealt with the game went through another scrappy spell. The well-organised Bromley team was closing down Alty well and with the hosts unable to find a way through, they resorted to ponderous build ups with too many lateral passes and consequently they failed to create any openings.

Indeed, it was Bromley who won the next corner (65 mins). When, after this, Marriott made a fine tackle his opponent stayed down and Mr Ajibola "bought" the reaction, not only penalising but also booking Marriott (64 mins).

Play meandered on with no goalmouth excitement before Arthurs replaced Krauhaus for Bromley (69 mins).

Soon Topalloj fired wide as the game meandered on (70 mins).

There was then a protracted stoppage as Dennis went down for treatment and he ws eventually replaced by Miller (76 mins). Soon there was another break in play as Okoli stayed down with what looked like cramp; whether these were timewasting tactics was up for debate.

With a dearth of attacking options on the bench, Alty brought on their only forward substitute as Kosylo came on, at the expense of Angus (79 mins). As the referee took an inordinate time to restart the action it was clear that we were going to be in for a length bout of added time.

With the game meamdering unexcitedly towards a draw, suddenly Alty had a good chance when Eddy Jones lashed a shot at goal which which found its way to Crankshaw but Smith repeated his earlier save from Angus, smothering the Alty man's close-range shot (84 mins).

Now Vennings replaced Whitely (85 mins).

Having had two great chances through Angus and Crankshaw which Smith had denied, it was Bromley who were to snatch the three points in the 87th minute. The goal came as Marriott dwelt on the ball on the right touchline only to be dispossessed by Vennings.

The Bromley man fed team-mate Miller, who advanced diagonally towards the left of goal and slotted a low shot past Ross into the far corner of the net to put Bromley ahead.

With eight added minutes proclaimed, Roscoe was booked as he tripped Miller when the substiute threatened to get clear up the middle (90+1 mins). With Bromley winding down the clock, Alty won a corner (90=4 mins) but Osborne's kick did not even clear the first defender.

At the other end, when James Jones shephreded the ball out for an apparent goalkick, the ref awarded Bromley acorner (90+7 mins).

Amazingly between the 98th minute and the 101st, when the referee finally blew his whistle, Altrincham won two freekicks and two corners, with goalkeeper Ross staying upfield throughout. But Bromley saw out the four deadballs.

Bromley's defensive tactics proved too much for Altrincham who repeatedly played the ball across the visitors rather than through their serried ranks. The absence of Linney was a factor in Alty's performance and, once fellow striker Angus had been withdrawn in the second half, they lacked a focal point for their attacks.

So the unbeaten start to the season was ended in disapppinting fashion and next week takes Altrincham to league-leaders Barnet.