Despite leading this National League play-off semi-final at half-time, Altrincham will be back on National League duty next season after shipping three goals in nine minutes soon after the interval.

In the first half, Alty had the first corner but neither side troubled their opponents' keeper unduly before Altrincham took the lead in the 31st minute.

Conn-Clarke made space and shot from 18 yards but his off-target effort from the left was smartly diverted into the net by a shot from an alert Regan Linney from 12 yards.

Alty then had the better of the game up to the interval.

But Bromley started the second half on the front foot. From their second corner of the half, from the Bromley left, Weston headed into the net to equalise (51 mins).

Just five minutes later Alty again failed to defend an aerial ball, this time a long throw also from the Bromley left, which was allowed to bounce in the goalmouth where the incoming Arthurs had a simple header into the net.

And a third goal soon followed, a superb curling shot from right of goal by Weston (61 mins).

After that Bromley largely sat back and repelled what Alty threw at them. The Robins' best chance came in the closing stages when goalkeeper Smith handled a back pass. with all 11 opponents guarding the goal, Conn-Clarke clipped the bar.

SCORERS:

• 31 mins: Regan LINNEY (Bromley 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 51 mins: (Bromley 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 56 mins: (Bromley 2 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 61 mins: (Bromley 3 ALTRINCHAM 1)

Altrincham's starting line-up was unchanged but, with extra-time and a penalty shootout a possibility, Phil Parkinson sensibly selected goakeeper Matty Gould on the bench with Max Haygarth dropping out.

Alty's team's average age was 26, with 30 year-old Mitch Hancox their eldest player. In contrast, six of the Ravems' starters were over thirty.

George Wilson remained suspended.

LINE-UPS:

BROMLEY (All white): 1. Grant Smith, 2. Callum Reynolds, 4.Ashley Charles, 9. Michael Cheek, 16.Kamari Grant, 17. Byron Webster, 18. Corey Whiteley, 20. Jude Arthurs, 28. Ben Krauhaus, 30.Idris Odutayo, 40. Myles, Weston. Subs: 41. Lewis Thomas, 11.Louis Dennis, 15. Alex Kirk, 29. Olufela Olomola, 42. Will Davies.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 29. Ethan Ross, 2. Lewis Banks, 15. Jake Cooper, 4. Lewis Baines (c), 3. Eddy Jones, 8. Elliot Osborne, 26. Mitch Hancox, 30. Alex Newby, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 11. Justin Amaluzor, 9. Regan Linney Subs: 14. Dior Angus, 16. Sam Roscoe, 7. Matty Kosylo, 21. Matt Gould, 44. Dan Mooney.

Altrincham had been spared an elimination round match because Gateshead had been barred from competing in the play-offs because they could not deliver a guarantee to the EFL of ten years' future tenure at their home ground, the International Stadium.

With the other play-off semi-final having been played 24 hours earlier, Bromley and Alty knew that the winner of this match would face Solihull Moors at Wembley in a week's time.

Altrincham kicked off towards the end where their 650 standing fans were housed; another 50 seats had also been allocated to the visitors.

The Robins saw quite a bit of the ball in the early stages though Alty talisman Chris Conn-Clarke was scarcely involved at this point.

Soon afterwards, Justin Amaluzor, who was looking Alty's liveliest attacker, got into the box but his lay-off was poor.

Altrincham gained the first corner of the match when Linney's low shot was just about turned around the base of his right upright by goalkeeper Smith (14 mins).

Alty were enjoying a decent spell before a Conn-Clarke shot produced a comfortable save by Smith. Next, a well-struck, but off-target, shot across goal from Cheek was seen at the other end (18 mins).

Krauhaus, who had started the game with black strapping above and below his knee now needed treatment. The Brentford player, who had been loaned back to Bromley, carried on despite looking lame (21 mins). Next Amaluzor went down having been caught by a stray arm whch earned hom a freekick though his reaction to the blow seemed somewhat theatrical.

Conn-Clarke put the freekick, from about 23 yards, dreadfully wide of the target (24 mins). Play soon stopped again as Krauhaus went down, unable to continue; he was replaced by Dennis (26 mins).

After Weston had won his side's first corner, Bromley made appeals for handball, to no avail. The hosts were looking the better side at this stage, only for Altrincham to snatch the lead.

A long ball up the left set Newby running to the byeline from where he cut the ball back for Conn-Clarke, who made space and fired a low shot which was heading off-target from left of goal. But the alert Linney smartly diverted the ball into the bottom corner of the net to Smith's right (31 mins).

Soon after this, Hancox and Linney fed Linney who could only hit the side-netting to the right of goal (34 mins). Following a Bromley corner, Baines impressively headed clear. Moments later, Osborne was very fortunate not to concede a penalty when he cleared the ball by kicking it from through an opponent's legs (37 mins).

Before half-time, Linney fired well wide with a wild shot from the right after a Bromley mis-header (42 mins). Alty then survived a scare as a good move culminated in a Cheek shot which was brilliantly blocked by Baines only for the loose ball to fall to Dennis.

His goalboud shot was deflected but Ross did well to tip the effort over the bar for a corner (45+4 mins).

So Alty reached the break with their lead intact.

Bromley kicked off and were soon keeping Altrincham on the back foot.

Two corners were soon won and, from the second, from the left, Ross came out but got nowhere near the ball and an unmarked Weston headed home to end Altrincham's eight-hour clean sheet (51 mins). Alty remained under the cosh with desperate defending briefly repelling the hosts.

But the resistance did not last long as a long throw from the left was allowed to bounce in the centre of the goalmouth, which the advancing Arthurs headed home, unmarked, from a spot towards the back post, making it 2-1 (56 mins).

It got even worse on the hour mark as Weston cut in from the right and curled a fine shot into the upper reaches of the far corner of the net; so it was 3-1 barely ten minutes after Altrincham had led 1-0.

Alty finally got some relief with a corner at the other end, won by Conn-Clarke, but, after Kirk had come in for Weston, it was poorly taken (66 mins).

Following a home corner, Kosylo replaced Hancox (69 mins), the midfielder having had a solid first half before the three-goal salvo from Bromley.

The hosts now settled in to absorb Altrincham pressure with Conn-Clarke winning a corner (73 mins) before an Osborne shot earned a freekick from 19 yards which Newby took and hit the top of the bar (75 mins).

Alty next replaced Amlauzor by Mooney (78 mins) and a corner soon followed as Alty continued to enjoy the forward momentum (80 mins).

Two minutes later Whitely was replaced by Olomola. Another Alty corner came and went before goakeeper Smith dived onto a back pass to concede a frekick for handball inside the box.

With all eleven opponents guarding the goal-line, Conn-Clarke evaded their premature charge forward as his effort hit the bar. No re-take of the kick was ordered for the Bromley transgression.

Alty then created a good chance when Linney played the ball inside left but Kosylo spooned it over the bar (89 mins). After five added minutes had been decreed (90 mins) Grant was booked, apparently for dissent (90 mins).

Alty's third chance in the closing minutes also went unconverted when Conn-Clarke got into the box only for a superb tackle by Arthurs halting his progress (90+4 mins). There was still time for Kosylo to attempt a hopeful lob from wide right, having spotted Smith off his line.

But nothing came of it. Whilst defeat to third-placed Bromley was nothing to be ashamed of, the manner of the defeat by three quick-fire goals in a nine-minute spell, was disappointing, all the more so for coming after an eight-hour long clean-sheet.

Despite the disappointment, Altrincham have had an excellent campaign, reaching their highest finish in the pyramid for almost thirty years.