After a slow start, Altrincham got the upper hand with Conn-Clarke having a couple of decent chances.

The breakthrough finally arrived after 40 minutes when a great ball forward up the right by Osborne set Newby running into the box. Though his pass inside to Conn-Clarke was poor, Sutton got his feet in a tangle and the ball ran for Conn-Clarke to score from close range at the back post.

So Alty deservedly led at the interval.

The second half saw Oldham putting in an improved performance but their build ups were often ponderous and they lacked a cutting edge. Altrincham, watched by a bumper crowd of 4,578, defended well to move up to fourth in the table, albeit others have a game or two in hand.

SCORERS:

• 40 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (ALTRINCHAM 1 Oldham Athletic 0)

Altrincham were unchanged for this penultimate home game at the JDS, so Amaluzor was again absent. Rumouirs suggest he has a groin strain.

Oldham made four changes in the hope of turning round their form which had yielded one win in nine games and six matches without a win. Victoryn for the visitors would keep their play-off hopes alive but anything less was likely to put an end to those aspirations.

Oldham were without Mike Fondop who had been sent off in the Good Friday defeat at home to AFC Fylde.

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 17. Justin Donawa, 30. Alex Newby, 9. Regan Linney Subs: 7. Matty Kosylo, 14. Dior Angus, 16. Sam Roscoe, 26. Mitch Hancox, 44. Dan Mooney.

OLDHAM ATHLETIC (Blue shirts and socks, white shorts): 13. Mathew Hudson, 3. Mark Kitching, 4. Liam Hogan (c), 5. Shaun Hobson, 14. Nathan Sheron, 17. Harrison McGahey, 19. Dan Gardner, 24. Joe Garner, 26. Oli Hammond, 30. James Norwood, 32. Tom Conlon. Subs: 1. Magnus Norman, 21. Will Sutton, 9. Mike Fondop-Talum, 20. Hallam Hope, 29. Andrew Dallas

This match was broadcast live on TNT Sports but still attracted the highest gate of the season to the J. Davidson Stadium.

It was a quiet opening for Alty before Osborne and Domawa combined for Linney fire at goal from right of goal, but his effort found the side-netting (4 mins).

A couple of minutes later Alty had another off-target effort as Conn-Clarke's shot from 25 yards out on the right went comfortably wide of the far post. With steady rain falling, neither side got a further sight of goal before Conn-Clarke drew a routine save, low down, from Hudson with another shot from the right (16 mins). (16 mins).

Altrincham continued to set the agenda as a Linney shot was blocked before Conn-Clarke won the game's first corner (19 mins). Though that came to nothing, it was not long before Donawa fed Conn-Clarke for a shot that went inches wide, to the keeper's right (21 mins).

There had been little to cheer the numerous away supporters in the damp away end before a cross from Gardner earned the visitors their first corner (25 mins). However play soon switched to the other end where Linney gained a corner for his side (26 mins).

Altrincham remained on top before play halted for a foul by Kitching which eaned him a yellow card as he grabbed Linney round the neck area (31 mins).

For a side needing a win to build their play-off hopes, the Latics were showing little intent before an excellent passing move by the hosts earned them another corner (33 mins).

Despite Hudson coming out but failing to get to the corner, Oldham survived and soon won one themselves. This was taken low but was hacked clear by Altrincham (37 mins).

The deadlock was broken when an excellent long ball from Osborne, struck from 20 yards inside his own half on the right, was impressively brought down by Newby as he beat the offisde trap. The winger advanced into the right of the box from where he laid the ball off to his left.

Sutton should have stopped it reaching Conn-Clarke but his attempt to divert the ball failed to make any contact with it, allowing it to run through to Conn-Clarke. Alty's leading scorer calmly controlled the ball before choosing his spot, just inside the keeper's right upright to give his side the lead (40 mins).

A Gardner cross did earn the Latics a late corner (43 mins) but Alty retained their lead after the completion of one monute's added time at the end of the first half.

There was no disputing that Altrincham had been the better side but they only had a single goal to show for it.

Micky Mellon sent his under-performing men out early for the second half, which Altrincham kicked off.

From a Newby cross, Linney headed over the bar before Oldham took advantage of an Osborne error which allowed Norwood to win a corner off Ross (50 mins).

This came to nothing before Donawa won a corner at the other end, following which a Newby lay-off set up a chance for Conn-Clarke which, uncharacteristically, he skied into Golf Road from 18 yards (53 mins).

Oldham now began to improve and they won a corner through Dallas (57 mins) before Hogan almost got on the end of a ball across the Alty goalmouth. Alty were now on the back foot and, soon, Ross had to come out to block a Dallas effort (62 mins).

Next a mistake by Donawa allowed Conlon a shot which went not far wide. Donawa was booked soon afterwards for a foul as well (65 mins).

With the pendulum having swung in the visitors' favour as they attacked the away end, Phil Parkinson made a double change with Kosylo and Hancox replacing Newby and Wilson (68 mins).

Hancox was soon impressing in midfield before a rare Alty attack at this stage saw Linney's sho deflect off Hogan and wrong-foot the keeper before hitting the inside of the post and rebounding to Hudson's grateful arms (71 mins).

For all their possession, Oldham lacked a great deal of urgency as Alty entered the final ten minutes still on the backfoot but not too much under the cosh. Next, former Alty midfielder Josh Lundstram came on in place of Hope (82 mins).

Lundstram soon tested Ross with a cross from the right which the keeper batted away. After a foul on Hogan had yielded a freekick, for which Hancox was booked (83 mins), Alty survived a goalbound shot which Baines blocked well, followed immediately by a McGahey effort which hit Ross's left upright (84 mins).

Alty responded as Osborne located Conn-Clarke on the right and his cross found the incoming Linney at the back post but the striker could not control the ball (86 mins).

A late change brought Roscoe on to replace Linney (88 mins) before Conn-Clarke earned a yellow card for a foul. In the three added minutes Conn-Clarke won a corner before he brilliantly kept the ball in the right corner to earn a freekick and wind the clock down successfully (90+3 mins).

So Altrincham had recorded an important win which lifted then to fourth place, albeit having played more games than several of their play-off rivals. For Oldham it was a disappointing performance which continued their poor run of results.