Altrincham were fortunate to be level at the interval after Wealdstone had been the better side by some margin for the first 30 minutes.

With the hosts repeatedly giving the ball away and failing to get Linney involved, Ross was by far the busier keeper, making four decent saves. After the last of these, a Wealdstone corner was headed in by Cook as the visitors' captian got free ahead of Wilson (34 mins).

But, then, a fine ball forward from Osborne found Newby near the left bye-line. His ball inside to Conn-Clarke led to the no.10 being upended but, before a decision could be made about a penalty, Newby lashed the ball into the far corner (37 mins).

Having undeservedly got level, Alty then had the better of things before half-time which was reached with the score level.

The second half was completely different from the first as Altrincham dominated. They went ahead inside two minutes of the second half as Newby and Conn-Clarke exchanged passes up the left before Newby laid the ball off for the incoming Wilson to finish impressively in the centre of the box (47 mins).

On the hour mark it became 3-1 as Osborne's fine ball sent Mooney towards the right bye-line. He pulled the ball inside for Banks to finish well.

The fourth goal came when Conn-Clarke fed Linney, whose first effort was blocked by the onrushing keeper, but the loose ball fell for Linney to convert (72 mins).

SCORERS:

• 33 mins: Jack COOK (ALTRINCHAM 0 Wealdstone 1)
• 37 mins: Alex NEWBY (ALTRINCHAM 1 Wealdstone 1)
• 47 mins: George WILSON (ALTRINCHAM 2 Wealdstone 1)
• 60 mins: Lewis BANKS (ALTRINCHAM 3 Wealdstone 1)
• 72 mins: Regan LINNEY (ALTRINCHAM 4 Wealdstone 1)

Both teams made three changes. Eddy Jones, Dan Mooney and Regan Linney returned to the starting eleven for Altrincham as Kosylo and Donawa moved to the bench, whilst Amaluzor was omitted.

Wealdstone made three changes, too, as Barrett, Duku and Henry returned having been used subs at the weekend.

Corie Andrews returned from injury on the bench.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 29. Ethan Ross, 2. Lewis Banks, 5. Jake Cooper, 4. Lewis Baines (c), 3. Eddy Jones, 8. Elliot Osborne, 19. George Wilson, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke 30. Alex Newby, 44. Dan Mooney, 9. Regan Linney Subs: 7. Matty Kosylo, 14. Dior Angus, 16. Sam Roscoe, 26. Mitch Hancox, 17. Justin Donawa

WEALDSTONE (All blue): 31. Marcus Dewhurst, 2. Jack Cook (c), 3. Charlie Barker, 23. Jaydn Mundle-Smith, 15. Jack Young, 10. Max Kretzschmar, 32. Brandon Mason, 14. Micah Obiero, 9. Manny Duku, 26. Aaron Henry, 6. Mason Barrett. Subs: 23. Jacob Adams, 11. Corie Andrews, 12. Charlie Seaman, 21. Kallum Cesay, 22. Sam Bowen.

This match had been previously postponed twice owing to Wealdstone's involvement in the FA Trophy. Although thy had four games in hand on many other clubs, the Stones were not clear of being dragged into a relegation fight. Defeat by Gateshead 72 hours earlier meant that the hosts had lost seven of their previous ten league fixtures.

Wealdstone kicked off towards the Venditan Golf Road end and soon thereatened Altrincham with a series of three long throws, all from their left (4 mins).

Alty remained hemmed into their own half with Obiero looking a threat on the right. His goalbound shot forced the first of a series saves from Ross in the first half (5 mins).

The hosts finally put together a decent move in the 11th minute which ended in a blocked shot from Linney. And, four minutes later, a feed from Jones got Linney into the box, only for a great tackle by Cook to take the ball off him as he slightly delayed his shot (15 mins).

After a blind back-pass from Cooper had almost embarrassed Ross, Jones had to cover well to halt Obiero (17 mins). Wealdstone continued to be the side more likely to score as, next, a good move culminated in another Ross save (20 mins).

And another chance soon came for the Stones when a Barrett cross from the right narrowly evaded Duku in front of goal and this led to a Wealdstone corner, which Ross flapped clear (24 mins).

As Alty laboured to find any fluidity they did finally pose a threat when Banks's excellent ball set Newby running into the box but he delayed a shot enough for Barker to make a crucial challenge, conceding a corner (24 mins).

But then Mooney's third mis-pass of the game was symptomatic of stray passes and poor control across vurtually the whole Alty team. In contrast Wealdstone got in a fourth decent crack at goal but Duku's effort flew well over the bar (27 mins). The visitors continued on top as a freekick had to be put out for a corner by Eddy Jones on the half-hour mark.

At the other end Linney was an isolated figure as keeper Dewhurst enjoyed a quiet game.

The threat from the visitors continued as, up the left, Kretzschmar and Mason combined for Duku to force a fine save from Ross (33 mins). The resulting corner finally brought its deserved reward for Wealdstone as captain Cook got ahead of Wilson to head home unchallenged from the centre of the box to give his side a deserved lead (33 mins).

However, four minutes later, Altrincham were quite undeservedly level. However, the goal was well constructed by Osborne, whose fine ball forward set Newby running into the left of the box towards the bye-line. He passed the ball inside to Conn-Clarke who was unceremoniously taken out by a defender's sliding tackle for what looked a clear penalty. However, Mr Watson demured and the ball ran free to Newby who hit it firmly into the far side of the net from about six yards to make it 1-1 (37 mins).

And a minute later it should have been 2-1 when Conn-Clarke laid on a great chance for Newby but, this time, he stroked his sidefoot shot badly wide of the far post.

Alty had done more in a two-minute spell of attacking than in the previous 36 minutes of a faltering performance.

Rain was now falling on the admirable group of Wealdstone fans who had made the long midweek trip to the JDS.

There was time for a Conn-Clarke twenty-yarder to be blocked (43 mins) before three added minutes were decreed. These did not change the score at half-time, which did not reflect the fact that the visitors had been the better side by a comfortable margin.

Inside two minutes from Alty kicking off the second half they had taken the lead.

The goal came when Newby's smart flick got Conn-Clarke advancing up the left. He returned the pass to the overlapping Newby who, from near the bye-line, cleverly laid the ball back for the incoming Wilson to finish with a fine shot from 15 yards, his first league goal for Altrincham in his 21st appearance in the National League (47 mins).

In the swirling rain and in contrast to the first half, it was the hosts who were dominating.

Linney now won a corner when, perhaps, a quicker shot might have evaded a defensive defelction. Soon afterwards a Conn-Clarke ball was laid across the face of goal but went unconverted (54 mins).

As the hour-mark arrived, Alty stretched their lead to 3-1 and, again, man of the match Osborne was instrumental in the goal. He fed Mooney, ahead, to his right. Mooney pulled the ball inside for the oncoming Banks to hit a rising shot into the net whose quality belied his status as a tall defender. It was the fourth league goal of the season for the right-back (60 mins).

With Altrincham now in command, Wealdstone made a change with Cesay replacing Mason midway though the half (67 mins).

Weladstone seemed to be demoralised by their swift reverse in fortunes from 1-0 up to 1-3 down and it could have got worse as another Conn-Clarke advance ended with a great chance for Mooney but he missed badly from the centre of the box, scuffing the ball badly wide (68 mins).

Respite was short for the visitors as Conn-Clarke soon got Linney running into the box, left of centre. Keeper Dewhurst came out to block the striker's effort. The ball ran loose and Linney appeared to get to it marginally ahead of Wilson to make it 4-1 (72 mins).

Few would have predicted the turnaraound from one-nil down just forty minutes earlier.

A double change brought Kosylo and Donawa onto the pitch to replace Conn-Clarke and Mooney (75 mins). Two Alty corners came and went as Wealdstone now looked a spent force, before Hancox replaced Newby (81 mins).

Hancox assumed a number ten role in contrast to his holding midfielder position the previous weekend.

Wealdstone brought on Bowen for Kretzschmar (84 mins) as the game petered pout with Alty enjoying plenty of comfortable but unthreatening possession. However, in the four added minutes, Duke did win a corner but the score remained 4-1 as Alty moved up to sixth in the table ahead of a vital game at Kidderminster on Good Friday.