Altrincham extended their unbeaten league run to nine matches after withstanding plenty of Oldham pressure in the second half.

Oldham likewise had a suspension to deal with; Liam Hogan was out today after being red-carded last time out.

The Latics almost took an early lead when a poor ball from James Jones allowed Lundstram to feed Green. His effort was blocked and the ball came to Hope, who missed badly, hitting his shot over the bar (4 mins).

Indeed the home side had much the better of the opening stages, only for Alty to take a 16th minute lead, when Amaluzor's header from a Conn-Clarke cross found the net.

However, Oldham deservedly levelled in the 31st minute when Lundstram fed Freeman and, in turn, he found Norwood who scored from six yards into the roof of the net.

Altrincham were then awarded a dubious penalty for hands as Hope challenged Donawa. Conn-Clarke sent Hudson the wrong way from the spot to restore Altrincham's lead (36 mins). A great save by Hudson from a Conn-Clarke freekick in added time kept the interval score at 1-2.

With Alty posing little threat after the break, Oldham finally equalised in the seventy-ninth minute from a fine left-foot shot by Sheron.

SCORERS:

• 16 mins: Justin AMALUZOR (Oldham Athletic 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 31 mins James NORWOOD: (Oldham Athletic 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 36 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (penalty) (Oldham Athletic 1 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 79 mins: James NORWOOD (Oldham Athletic 2 ALTRINCHAM 2)

Altrincham were without Isaac Marriott who had picked up a fifth yellow card in midweek. Still missing, injured, were Kosylo, Linney, Wilson, Joey Jones and, of course, Crankshaw, whose season has been ended by his ACL injury.

Justin Donawa and James Jones replaced Marriott and Angus in the starting eleven.

Oldham were likewise affected by a suspension; they were without without Hogan who had been sent off in the previous fixture.

With Angus moving to the bench and Marriott suspended, Altrincham went for three centre-backs, James Jones, Cooper and Baines, flanked by Donawa on the right and Eddy Jones on the left. Banks moved to a holding midfielder role alogside Osborne, with Amaluzor up top, supported by Conn-Clarke and Newby.

LINE-UPS:

OLDHAM ATHLETIC (Blue shirts and socks, white shorts): 13. Mathew Hudson, 3. Mark Kitching, 15. Devarn Green, 8. Josh Lundstram, 5. Shaun Hobson, 14. Nathan Sheron, 17. Harrison McGahey, 20. Hallam Hope, 10. Joe Nuttall, 23. Kieron Freeman 30. James Norwood. Subs: 1. Magnus Norman, 6. Mark Shelton, 9. Mike Fondop-Talum, 16. Charlie Raglan, 25. Alex Reid.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 29. Ethan Ross, 2. Lewis Banks, 15. Jake Cooper, 5. James Jones (c), 4. Lewis Baines, 3. Eddy Jones, 17. Justin Donawa, 6. Elliot Osborne, 11. Justin Amaluzor, 30. Alex Newby, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke. Subs: 14. Dior Angus, 16. Sam Roscoe, 21. Matt Gould, 28. Gerald Sithole, 32, George Burroughs

Two weeks before this match the Latics had knocked Altrincham out of the FA Cup, 1-0 at Moss Lane.

Despite a pre-match shower, the pitch was in good condition as the Latics kicked off their first home game of Micky Mellon's managership.

Altrincham almost conceded early on, as they had against Kidderminster in their last outing.

This early chance came from an error by captain James Jones whose attempted clearance went to former team-mate Lundstram. He fed Green whose shot was blocked before it fell to Hope who missed badly, lifting his effort over the bar (4 mins).

There were more errors in the early stages from Newby and James Jones, again, as Alty started indifferently.

The Latics won the game's first corner but this found the hands of Ross (10 mins). Oldham continued on top as a Kitching cross went across the Altrincham box unconverted.

Yet it was Altrincham who took the lead, decidedly against the run of play. The goal arrived after Osborne's pass prompted Conn-Clarke to get forward, aided by an overlap from Eddy Jones, and his cross was met by a stooping header from Amaluzor, his third league goal of the season (16 mins).

Altrincham followed this up with two corners in the next five minutes before Oldham responded with a flag-kick of their own (25 mins).

Referee Jackson then provoked the ire of Altrincham as he refused to allow Conn-Clarke back onto the pitch for well over a minute after he had left the field to change his boots. The referee finally allowed him back onto the pitch just before the half-hour mark.

It was hard to argue that the hosts did not deserve their equaliser when it arrived after 31 minutes with Norwood thumping the ball home.

But less than five minutes later Altrincham had a great slice of good fortune as Hope slid in to challenge the advancing Donawa, who was getting forward on the right. As he fell, Hope handled the ball and Mr Jackson pointed to the spot.

Conn-Clarke converted the spot-kick to make it 2-1 to the visitors (36 mins).

After a fairly uneventful few minutes, the lively Green won his side a corner off Eddy Jones (44 mins). This came to nothing before Altrincham won a freekick in the third of the three added minutes announced by the referee.

Conn-Clarke took this and brought a fine save out of Hudson, the keeper going to his left to tip the ball over the bar.

The resulting corner went unconverted, leaving Alty 2-1 ahead after a half in which they had been second best yet could so easily have reached the interval leading 3-1 but for Hudson's save.

Mr Jackson left the pitch to a chorus of boos from the home fans after his questionable penalty decision in favour of Altrincham.

Conn-Clarke kicked off the second half which saw Ross collect a home freekick (52 mins) before a Lundstram corner on the right came to nothing (52 mins).

The match continued without any real goal threat before Sheron picked up the match's first booking for a foul on Newby (55 mins).

Alty's best moment of the half came on the hour as Conn-Clarke counter-attacked and fed Newby whose shot was blocked before an offside flag was noted.

Oldham made a change of personnel with Reid replacing Nuttall, who had earlier elicited groans from an increasingly restless home crowd with a moment of miscontrol (61 mins).

Finally Altrincham put together a good second-half move but this ended in Amalauzor firing well over the bar from 18 yards or so (62 mins).

Oldham responded as Green won a corner but the home support was increasingly on edge as their side failed to imposed itself.

However, midway through the half Hope got the better of Amaluzor and shot narrowly wide.

What was to be Altrincham's only change saw Angus come on in place of Conn-Clarke (69 mins).

Alty soon won a corner but, taken by Newby, this came to naught.

Next, Baines did well to halt an Oldham incursion at the cost of a home corner soon afterwards (72 mins).

Alty were then fortunate to survive strong appeals for a penalty as a home player was clearly held after the corner (73 mins).

When Altrincham delayed taking their own freekick, Osborne picked up a needless fourth booking of his season for timewasting (75 mins).

Soon after Hope had headed over the bar, Oldham did find the back of the net with a well-struck left-footed effort by Sheron which made it 2-2 (79 mins).

Next, Norwood was booked for a foul on Osborne (82 mins) before Newby failed to make much of an Altrincham freekick (87 mins).

Just after James Jones had mis-directed another pass, he redeemed himself with an excellent block of a Norwood effort (89 mins).

When Oldham gained a late freekick on the "D", Alty were grateful that Oldham made nothing of it (90 mins).

But it was to be Altrincham who had the last chance to snatch all three points when they won a very late freekick. This led to a half-chance for James Jones but his first touch let him down (90+4 mins).

And so, just as last season, this fixture ended two apiece. Altrincham will count themselves a little fortunate to have emerged with a point from a game in which their hosts had the better of possession and, especially in the second half, limited the visitors to few incursions into the Oldham final third.

Nevertheless, with Alty again without numerous injured players as well as the suspended Marriott, this was a commendable point against much better resourced opposition.