In a game which only really came to life in the second half, Chris Conn-Clarke's two excellent strikes allowed Altrincham to claim the points against an AFC Fylde side which did not look like a bottom-placed club.

Neither side had overly troubled the respective keepers before Barrett burst into the box and took advantage of a fortunate rebound to score the opening goal for the Coasters (27 mins). Altrincham continued to lack a spark with their build-ups being too ponderous for the most part to to trouble the visitors.

Things did not immediately improve for the hosts after the break and it took a smart save from Ross to push away Barrett's shot from the right (50 mins).

But when Alty won a freekick just outside the box, Chris Conn-Clarke's shot from left of centre beat a flat-footed Richardson to the keeper's right (58 mins). That goal cued an entertaining final half-hour as both sides went for the win in an end to end game.

However, Altrincham increased their pressure and, after winning three corners in a many minutes, all of which came to nothing, the ball came to Conn-Clarke and the Northern Irishman hit a superb 25 yarder into the net off the underside of the crossbar to make it 2-1 (79 mins). Suprisingly, the mercurial forward was immediately substituted by Phil Parkinson.

Fylde did not give up and Alty survived a couple of hairy moments to see out the game as victors.

The win lifted Altrincham to fourth in the National League.

SCORERS:

• 27 mins: Connor BARRETT (ALTRINCHAM 1 AFC Fylde 0)
• 58 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (ALTRINCHAM 1 AFC Fylde 1)
• 79 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (ALTRINCHAM 1 AFC Fylde 2)

There was no involvement for the injured James Jones (shoulder) and, of couyrse Joeyt Jones remains sidelined too. There was no sign of Justin Donawa, while Sam Roscoe was suspended which meant that Alty had no defenders on the subs' bench

Fylde included new loan signing Adshead on the bench, following his arrival from Cheltenham Town. Ex-Alty man Danny Whitehead was at the match but not in the squad.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 29. Ethan Ross, 2. Lewis Banks, 15. Jake Cooper, 4. Lewis Baines, 3. Eddy Jones, 6. Elliot Osborne, 8. Isaac Marriott (c), 11. Justin Amaluzor, 20. Alex Newby, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 25. Marcus Dackers. Subs: 7. Matty Kosylo, 9. Regan Linney, 14. Dior Angus, 19. George Wilson, 21. Matt Gould.

AFC FYLDE (All white) 25. Theo Richardson, 4. Harry Davis. 17. Connor Barrett, 14. Josh Kay, 15. Sam Graham, 21. Max Conway, 10. Nick Haughton, 34. Taelor O'Kane, 9. Luke Charman, 19. Jon Ustabasi, 16. Kieran Glynn. Subs: 5. Emeka Obi, 7. Joe Rowley, 8. Danny Philliskirk, 29. Danny Ormerod, 24. Dan Adshead

This was the first league clash between these sides at National League level but they had met in 2016 when Alty were thrashed 0-6 by The Coasters at the J. Davidson Stadium in National North. Fylde arrived in bottom place in the league with Altrincham in seventh place.

After the relentless rain of recent weeks the pitch was decidedly soft and worn in places in front of the main stand.

Fylde kicked off defending the away end which was quite well populated by Coasters' fans, the numbers boosted by their chairman paying for the younger travellers on the supporters' coach.

The game's first corner went to Altrincham when Newby's cross from the left was just cut out before it could reach Dackers (2 mins). Newby has many virtues as a player, including taking a decent corner, but he has also produced some woeful corners this season and this one, which was high and wide, went straight out of play in front of the near post.

Better for Alty was a smart back flick by Osborne which set Conn-Clarke into the box where his low shot from the right could only find the side netting (6 mins).

Although Alty were having the better of things the visiors were not afraid to get on the front foot and, following a freekick, Ustabasi won a corner for Fylde (9 mins).

Shortly after a spat between Davis and Amaluzor, for which the Alty man received a lecture, the Alty winger was crudely brought down near the right touchline by Kay, who was duly booked (18 mins).

Play continued fairly scrappily before the Coasters won another corner when Cooper had to head out Ustabasi's cross (26 mins). The corner led to a throw which, in turn, resulted in Barrett picking up the ball and driving into the box where his first touch rebounded to him off a defender before he planted the ball past Ross to give his side the lead (27 mins)

When Newby was upended to produce a freekick, Conn-Clark shaped to take it but, in a rehearsed move, it was Amaluzor who, instead, attempted to curl a left-footed shot at goal but the wall stopped it (29 mins).

At last Altrincham put together an incisive passing move which ended with Banks's shot, but Richardson saved (33 mins).

Despite their lead Fylde were still happy to go forward rather than hold onto what they had. And they nearly doubled their lead when Kay forced a good save from Ross (36 mins). And Ross was soon in action again, saving from Charman (38 mins).

Two fouls in quick succession on Eddy Jones yielded freekicks, the second of which Richardson punched clear under pressure from Dackers (41 mins).

Shortly before half-time, Altrincham constructed a good passing movement which ended with Dackers's first effort at the back post rebounding to him but from ten yards he could only lift the ball disappointingly over the bar (44 mins).

Just two added minutes were proclaimed which led Phil Parkinson to have words with the fourth official but the interval was reached with Fylde still a goal to the good.

Altrincham kicked off but it was Fylde who almost scored the next goal. Ustabasi fed Barrett, whose shot from the right forced a good save from Ross, who pushed the ball away low to his right (50 mins).

Soon afterawards Banks won a corner from an Amaluzor feed (52 mins) before a promising freekick situation arose when Eddy Jones was upended on the very edge of the box (57 mins). Davis was booked for his misdemeanour.

Chris Conn-Clake lifted this over the ball and into the motionless keeper's right-hand portion of the net to level the score (58 mins).

But almost immediately a s weeping counter-attack by Fylde saw then come lose to regaining thw lead as Haughton forced an excellent save from Ross (60 mins).

After a disappointing first half, play was now end to end with, next, Dackers nodding an Eddy Jones cross onto the roof of the net (63 mins). Then play switched again with Baines having to clear off the line from Haughton before Ross was fortunate to be in the right place to stop the follow-up (64 mins).

Debutant loanee Adshead replaced Glynn for the visitors (65 mins) before play again switched as Conn-Clarke played in Amaluzor, whose shot grazed the outside of the upright to the keeper's left (66 mins).

Now, Alty made a double change with Kosylo and Linney replacing Amaluzor and Dackers (67 mins). Linney was soon involved but his fall in the box was a little too theatical for the referee to give a penalty (69 mins).

The action did not falter as, at the other end, Ustabasi's effort had to be shovelled off the line by Ross (72 mins).

Next, Conn-Clarke won a freekick and that, in turn, earned a home corner. Adshead was then booked for another foul on the Irishman as Conn-Clarke enjoyed a purple patch, tormenting the visitors' defence.

In fact, Alty now won three corners in as many minutes as the pressure mounted on Fylde. After the last of these had been hacked away, the ball was worked to Conn-Clarkw who, from 25 yards, hit a superb shot which went into the net off the underside of the bar, towards the keeper's left-hand corner. So Alty had the lead through a wonderful goal (79 mins).

But the scorer was immediately taken off, along with Fylde's Haughton; Alty's new man was George Wilson whilst Fylde intriduced Ormerod (80 mins).

The sides next exchanged freekicks, with Osborne getting himself booked for delaying the Fylde set piece (85 mins). It was the midfielder's fifth card but, fortunately, it arrived after the mid-season amnesty raised the trigger for a suspension to ten cards.

Fylde made their final change when Rowley replaced Kay (86 mins). There was, next, a great chance for Linney to make the game safe as he was put clear, one-on-one against Richardson, but the keeper's version of a star-jump stopped the striker's attempted lob over him (89 mins).

Four added minutes saw all eleven Alty men back in their defensive zone and, when Fylde won a late corner, their keeper also joined the throng around the Alty penalty area (90+4 mins).

Alty saw out the final seconds to lift themselves to fourth in the table with a game or two in hand on the two clubs in second and third.

Alty ultimately deserved the points but Fylde looked too good a side to be propping up the league. Howevr, with only one club in the bottom seven even taking a single point today, their plight has not much worsened by today's defeat.