Altrincham's sequence of unbeaten pre-season games was extended to four with this win at Warrington.

In a competitive match Alty could easily have been down to ten men for virtually the whole game after Joel Bailey's early error led to his protracted rugby tackle on the hosts' striker. But, being a friendly, there was no sanction against the defender beyond a freekick.

Town dominated the early stages winning five corners before Alty's unfamiliar mixture of players settled and reached half-time with the game goalless.

The only change at the break saw young keeper Louie Fallon replace Ross but, around the hour mark, Alty introduced ten first-team substitutes and the performance unsurprisingly went up a few notches. It took just seven minutes for Matty Kosylo to put Alty ahead from forty yards out on the right wing, scoring into an unguarded net, after a defensive mix-up between the Town keeper and a defender.

Alty played some good football in the closing stages, with Tom Crawford again impressing, but they did not score their second goal until added time when a foul on Alex Newby led to Regan Linney converting from the penalty spot.

SCORERS:

• 67 mins: Matty KOSYLO (Warrington Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 90(+2) mins: Regan LINNEY (penalty) (Warrington Town ALTRINCHAM )

For the first sixty minutes of this game, Altrincham deployed a team which included only three players who had played any National League football for Altrincham last season, (Ethan Ross, James Jones and Max Haygarth). New signings Joe Nuttall and Lucas Weaver were also starters, alongside four trialists and Academy graduates Owen German and Joel Bailey. Young keeper Louis Fallon joined the game at the interval in place of Ross.

Three of the trialists was identified; former FC Halifax Town man Tylor Golden, who played this game at right-back, midfielderBen Kershaw and winger Kahrel Reddin.

LINE-UPS:

WARRINGTON TOWN (Yellow shirts, blue shorts and socks): TBC

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks) FIRST HALF: 1. Ethan ROSS (45" Louie FALLON), 12. Trialist (Tylor Golden), 5. James JONES (capt), 4. Joel BAILEY, 3. Trialist, 6. Trialist (Ben Kershaw), 7. Owen GERMAN, 8. Max HAYGARTH, 10. Lucas WEAVER, 23. Joe NUTTALL and an unnumbered right-winger (Kahrel Reddin).

LAST THIRTY MINUTES 1. Louie FALLON, 2. Lewis BANKS, 15. Jake COOPER, 16. Lewis BAINES (capt), 14. Eddie JONES, 20. George WILSON, 11. Elliot OSBORNE, 18. Matty KOSYLO, 17. Alex NEWBY, 9. Tom CRAWFORD, 19. Regan LINNEY

Alty arrived unbeaten in their three previous summer friendlies but this was their toughest test to date, against a Warrington side just one tier below them in the non-League pyramid. Since Altrincham's last visit the stadium had been upgraded to meet National League requirements with a new covered stand at one end and new crowd barriers at various points around the ground.

With the game barely two minutes old, Warrington's number nine got the better of Bailey in the centre of the pitch about 35 yards from the Alty goal. As the forward advanced towards the box, he struggled to free himself from the double-handed grip of the defender in a tussle that lasted several seconds. Just outside the box the striker went down and a freekick was awarded with Bailey fortunate to avoid any serious sanction other than a freekick, which came to nothing.

At the other end Weaver got in Alty's first shot from the left but he screwed it well wide of the near post (3 mins). Away from the action on the pitch, at this point, there was the amazing sight of a WW2 Catalina flying-boat traversing the ground at low altitude!

Back on the pitch Alty were struggling to come to terms with Warrington's forward movements and, by the sixteenth minute, they had already conceded five corners to the lively Yellows.

However, by the midway point of the first half, the amalgam of trialists, Academy graduates and first-team squad members was beginning to find its feet but then another agricultural Altrincham challenge on a Warrington play prompted jeers from the home ground, the trialist no.12 (Golden) this time being the guilty party.

Bailey then did well to halt the advance of the hosts' number seven. Alty's improvement continued as the Town keeper had to come out smartly to block a Weaver incursion into the box and, moments later, trialist no.6 (Kershaw) had the ball in the net, off the inside of the far post, but the goal was ruled out for a foul by Nuttall (31 mins).

Next, a superb run up the right by the un-numbered right-winger (Reddin) saw him lay the ball inside for Nuttall but Alty's new striker scuffed his shot to the keeper (35 mins). Soon after this, trialist no.12 (Golden) did well and laid on a shot from Reddin, which he hit well only for the keeper to save his effort (38 mins).

Warrington's number nine, who had earlier showed signs of an injury, now gave way to a substitute bearing the humber 12 shirt (40 mins). Alty had a scare just before the interval when the otherwise solid James Jones was outpaced by the Warrington substitute but his effort could only find the side-netting.

At the break Alty did not repeat their recent practice of fielding an entirely different eleven from those who had played the first half but simply made a single change with young Louie Fallon taking over in goal from Ethan Ross.

The unnumbered right-winger (Reddin) soon made a further impression as he advanced up the right before being halted (50 mins). Weaver then won a corner before a trip on the troublesome no.12 by Bailey gave the hosts a freekick which sailed over the bar (54 mins).

Appeals for a penalty when unanswered when the Warrington no.12 went down in the box (57 mins). At the other end Weaver won Alty a corner before the unnumbered right-winger (Reddin) again impressed but his shot from the right hit the outside of the near post (59 mins).

Warrington responded by winning a corner before play switched again and from a feed by trialist no.6 (Kershaw), Haygarth got into the box but the advancing keeper blocked his effort. So, just after the hour mark Altrincham made ten substitutions, with keeper Fallon the only man to stay on the pitch.

All ten were regulars from last season apart from new signing Tom Crawford from Hartlepool United.

As was to be expected, the new line-up was proving an improvement on the first-half team but, when they took the lead in the 67th minute, the goal owed more to a defensive clanger than to the visitors' artistry. The home keeper came out of the box towards the left touchline but a mix-up with his left-back allowed Kosylo to curl a superb shot some forty yards from the Alty right into the unguarded net. It was an impressive finish.

Next, a trip on Linney gave Newby a freekick but the shot went into the defensive wall. Warrington now introduced three substitutes (74 minutes).

Alty should have doubled their lead in the 78th minute when Crawford laid the ball off, invitingly, to Linney but he mishit his shot to the keeper. Altrincham continued to have the better of the game but Warrington were still a threat, especially through their no.12. He now barged his way past Cooper on the Alty left and fed his team-mate no.16 who forced a good black from Fallon (84 mins).

As play neared its conlclusion a fine 20 yard shot from Kosylo produced an excellent save from the home keeper (89 mins). But there was to be late drama as Newby was brought down inside the front of the box, left of goal. A penalty was awarded which Linney dispatched high into the net to make it 2-0 to the Robins.

So it is three wins and a draw in their four friendlies this summer for Altrincham. Next they face their first higher-league opposition of the close season when Salford City visit the J. Davidson Stadium.