After weathering plenty of Kidderminster momentum in the first half Altrincham secured a very important win through two goals and an assist by Chris Conn-Clarke. It was their first win at Aggborough in the top flight of non-League since 1994, and it came at the seventeenth attempt!

As was the case in midweek against Wealdstone, Alty were second-best before the interval. The Harriers took a deserved lead when Brown hooked the ball home following a corner (20 mins). But in what was virtually their first meaningful attack, Alty levelled.

Near halfway a short freekick by Wilson to Conn-Clarke led to the Northern Irishman's excellent long ball to Banks. The Alty right back had advanced unmarked up the right wing and, first-time, he played the ball inside for Linney to sweep the ball into the net (24 mins).

Alty were the happier of the sides to get to the interval with parity.

But the visitors got ahead six minutes into the second half. Linney did well on the left touchline about 35 yards out to set Newby running into the box. He played the ball across the box to where the oncoming Conn-Clarke hit a superb shot from a difficult angle into the net (51 mins).

The third goal again came from the left where Conn-Clarke nutmegged Penny and angled a right-footed shot into the far corner of Dibble's net (73 mins). At 3-1 he was immediately subbed.

Altrincham weathered the final stages quite comfortably to move up to fifth in the table, ahead of a visit from Oldham Athletic on Monday.

SCORERS:

• 20 mins: Zak BROWN (Kidderminster Harriers 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 24 mins: Regan LINNEY (Kidderminster Harriers 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 51 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (Kidderminster Harriers 1 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 73 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (Kidderminster Harriers 1 ALTRINCHAM 3)

The Harriers made three changes as Weston, Kpekawa and Brown came in to start; Alty's only change was to bring in Donawa for Mooney.

LINE-UPS:

KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS (Red and white shirts, red shorts and socks): 21. Christian Dibble, 2. Alex Penny, 3. Caleb Richards, 5. Krystian Pearce, 9. Amari Morgan-Smith, 10. Ashley Hemmings, 11. Jack Lambert, 14. Zak Brown, 22. Cole Kpekawa, 30. Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, 31. Charlie Weston. Subs: 8. Todd Miller 16. Matt Preston, 20. Sammy Robinson, 27. Gold Omotayo, 19. Sam Bellis

ALTRINCHAM (All dark blue with yellow sash on shirts): 29. Ethan Ross, 2. Lewis Banks, 5. Jake Cooper, 4. Lewis Baines (c), 3. Eddy Jones, 8. Elliot Osborne, 17. Justin Donawa, 19. George Wilson, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke 30. Alex Newby, 9. Regan Linney Subs: 7. Matty Kosylo, 14. Dior Angus, 16. Sam Roscoe, 26. Mitch Hancox, 44. Dan Mooney.

Once again Altrincham were facing a club which was fighting to avoid relegation, in this instance Kidderminster satrted the match in 22nd place. Meanwhile, after losing seven out of their previous eleven fixtures, Altrincham were hoping to get their play-off hopes raised once more.

The lowest scorers in the league, the Harriers had drawn their last four matches, two goalless and two 1-1 scorelines.

Following a 1-0 win on 7 May 1994 at Aggborough, Alty had since failed to win a top-flight non-league match there in 16 subsequent attempts!

A heavy downpour had preceded kick-off but the surface was in excellent condition as the game got under way in bright conditions.

Kiddy were indebted to Penny for preventing Altrincham taking an early lead when Linney fed Conn-Clarke, who looked odds on to score, before the defender slid in to divert the ball (5 mins).

But moments later it was the Harriers who almost took the lead. The tall and strong Emmanuel-Thomas got past Osborne on the bye-line and, though his effort was blocked, the ball fell for Hemmings. The former Alty loanee struck the outside of the post, to Alty's relief (6 mins).

Kidderminster were now keeping the visitors hemmed into their own half. Working hard, the hosts were closing down Alty quickly whenever the Robins gained possession. Just as Wealdstone had done in midweek, Alty's opponents were not allowing them any sustained time on the ball (16 mins).

As Newby stood off, Hemmings got in a cross, obliging Donawa to concede the game's first corner, at the back post (19 mins). The inswinging corner got a touch in the goalmouth but the ball fell for Brown to hook into the upper part of the net to Ross's left (20 mins).

Few would argue that it was not a deserved lead for the Harriers. Yet out of the blue, Altrincham drew level just four minutes later. Wilson took a quick freekick near halfway, short to Conn-Clarke. His superb ball, thirty yards or more from left to right, was met by Banks, who had advanced up the right wing.

His first-time low cross was met towards the back post by the incoming Linney who slid the ball home to make it one apiece (24 mins).

Following their goal, Alty's performance improved, without threatening Dibble's goal, before a pinpoint 70 yard punt by Ross was brilliantly brought down by Linney only for the home keeper to make a vital block (32 mins).

But it was the Harriers who posed the next threat as a long throw by Emmanuel-Thomas allowed Hemmings to hook the ball narrowly wide at the back post (36 mins).

Play switched again as Jones fed Newby whose effort from 25 yards was fisted away by Dibble to Conn-Clark. His shot was blocked (38 mins). As cloud cover increased the floodlights were switched on.

Next a cross-shot from the right was touched by Ross to concede a corner on the Kidderminster left. This came to nothing. More threateningly in the five added minutes, Penny got forward and fed Lambert who fired over the bar (45+3 mins).

A home corner soon followed but the interval was reached with Alty the more fortunate to remain on level terms.

After another downpour during the interval, Alty kicked off in blustery conditions.

Kiddy started the second half on the front foot before Alty constructed a multi-pass move which ended with Linney firing miles over the bar The respite for the Harriers was short.

Linney did well on the left touchline, about 35 yards out, to get the ball to Newby, who advanced into the left of the box. He cut the ball to his right, across the box to where the incoming Conn-Clarke finished with a rising shot from an acute angle to give Alty a 2-1 lead (51 mins).

Soon afterwards, Alty threatened again in an impressive counter-attack as Newby and Conn-Clarke interchanged passes before the former stuck out a foot to guide the latter's cross wide.

Alty continued to look dangerous on the counter as Conn-Clarke now saw an effort saved (55 mins). The response was Hemmings's wild shot into the roof of the stand behind Ross's goal (58 mins).

Another impressive Altrincham move culminated in Banks getting into the box where Dibble saved with his legs (62 mins). Linney had been showing signs of a leg injury and so he was withdrawn in favour of former Harrier, Dior Angus (64 mins).

The match's first booking was for Pearce, for an off the ball foul on Conn-Clarke (71 mins). Following the freekick Angus should probably have shot at goal but instead mis-passed the ball. However, Altrincham did then makke the game safe with a third goal.

Altrincham got forward on the left with a protracted series of passes. The move culminated with Conn-Clarke nutmegging Penny to get free into the left hand part of the box. He calmly opened his body to side-foot a right-footed ahot across Dibble into the far corner of the net to make it 3-1 (73 mins). Bizarrely it was the fourth time in five games that Alty had scored in the 72nd or 73rd minute!

Immediately Conn-Clarke was withdrawn with Alty having an eye of another match on Easter Monday. His replacement was recent signing Mitch Hancox (74 mins).

Although Banks was booked for a foul (75 mins), the Robins looked comfortable with their two-goal cushion which had deflated the home crowd.

Phil Brown responded with a triple substitution as Miller, Robinson and Omotayo replaced Lambert, Penny and Emmanuel-Thomas (80 mins). At the same stoppage Alty brought on Roscoe for Newby, changing in the process to a back three (81 mins).

Although the Harriers went forward looking to get back into the game, Altrincham were relatively comfortable in repelling them. Home supporters started to drift out of the stadium as six added minutes commenced.

Alty won a late corner as the time ticked by before the final whistle, combined with results elsewhere, marked the strengthening of their position in the play-off places.