Altrincham moved up to ninth with this deserved but narrow win at Maidenhead in a game that was higher on effort than quality.

After an uneventful opening period of the game, during which neither side threatened to score, Altrincham got the upper hand.

Their pressure told after Lokko had earned a yellow card for a foul on Baines. From the resulting freekick, on the right, Osborne's excellent cross was met by James Jones's downward header, from beyond the back post, which put Altrincham ahead (36 mins).

The second half saw Maidenhead enjoying more of the game but, apart from a Smith effort which he dragged wide, they never looked like scoring. For their part Altrincham scarcely tested the home keeper apart from a Haygarth shot which Craig Ross saved with his legs.

Following their heavy defeat 72 hours earlier at Sutton, this was Alty's second clean-sheet in their three fixtures to date. Of some concern is that only two goals have been scored and neither has come from an attacking player.

SCORERS:

• 36 mins: James JONES (Maidenhead United 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)

Following their chastening 5-0 defeat at Sutton last Saturday, Altrincham were again without suspended left-back Eddy Jones, after his dismisal against Woking on the opening day of the campaign.

Jake Cooper, who was adversely involved in three of Sutton's goals on Saturday, dropped to the bench here and was replaced by James Jones. Up front, Regan Linney started for the first time this season as Joe Nuttall moved to the bench

In advance of the match Maidenhead announced the signing of Thierry Latty-Fairweather from York City and Owen Cochrane from Stevenage; both went into their starting eleven immediately. The Magpies made three changes in all as out went Zac Bell, Tyrese Dyce and Shawn McCoulsky, whilst in came Abrahams, Latty-Fairweather and Cochrane.

Once again Maidenhead could only muster five substitutes on their bench.

LINE-UPS:

MAIDENHEAD UNITED (Black & white striped shirts, black short and red socks): 13. Craig Ross, 5. Kevin Lokko, 6. Thierry Latty-Fairweather, 24. Alan Massey, 8. Nathan Ferguson, 15. Joshua Johnson, 16. Casey Pettit, 17. Reece Smith, 11 Jayden Mitchell-Lawson, 19. Owen Cochrane, 23. Tristan Abrahams. Subs: 32. Joseph Ajose, 7. Ruben Carvalho, 1. Harvey Collins, 12. Bradley Keetch, 9. Shawn McCoulsky

ALTRINCHAM (Aquamarine shirts and socks, white shorts): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 16. James JONES, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 10. Alex NEWBY, 21. Max HAYGARTH, 11. Justin AMALUZOR, 9. Regan LINNEY. Subs: 5. Jake COOPER, 19. George WILSON, 7. Matty KOSYLO 15. Kahrel REDDIN, 17. Luke WEAVER, 24. Joe NUTTALL, 27. Louie FALLON (gk).

The hosts had lost their two opening games, whilst Altrincham had beaten Woking but then had lost heavily (5-0) at Sutton United.

As is customary these days, the match started several minutes late with the hosts taking the kick-off. Alty had the first shot, a wide effort from Crawford (2 mins). But there was little to speed the pulse in the opening stages, an Abrahams shot from left which Ethan Ross saved comfortably at his near post being the nearest to a goal threat (8 mins).

Maidenhead also won the match's first corner (16 mins), after which Pettit shot wide, but the Magpies won another corner soon afterwards (20 mins).

Alty's most threatening move was an interchange between Haygarth and Linney which ended with the latter's cross from the right which came to nothing. It did however signify that Altrincham were getting the upper hand and they finally landed a shot at goal after 25 minutes but Haygarth's curling effort was never going to trouble Craig Ross in the home net.

Five minutes later, a low cross from the left by Newby narrowly evaded Linney at the back post (30 mins). At this point the Magpies leading scorer of last season, Smith, went off briefly to have a blood injury dealt. He later played on with a numberless shirt.

When Linney was fouled by Lokko, it was the victim not the offender who was booked, despite the award of an Altrincham freekick just inside the opposition half. From the referee's gestures it seemd that Linney must have requested a yellow card for Lokko to prompt his own caution (32 mins).

Shortly afterwards Linney gained a corner off Lokko, via a shoulder charge, and this corner was followed by another won by Tylor Gordon just a minute later (35 mins). Altrincham were now looking the better side and, when Lokko transgressed again, he was booked for fouling Lewis Baines.

Next, when Ferguson fouled Amaluzor (40 mins), Altrincham applied a rehearsed freekick routine which went badly wrong (41 mins).

One added minute was played before half-time arrived with Altrincham deservedly one-up against a disappointing Maidenhead team.

Pacey left-winger Mitchell-Lawson won an early freekick off Banks in almost the same position from which Alty had converted their first-half freekick (48 mins). But a corner was the only outcome for the Magpies

When Crawford was felled by Abrahams, the offender warranted a lecture from Mr Mackey with his captain present (52 mins).

Maidenhead were playing with more belief than they had exhibited in the first half and they came close to troubling Ross when, from the right, Stevenage loanee Cochrane hit the sidenetting at the Alty keeper's near post (59 mibs).

Play continued in a scrappy fashion, with Abrahams finding his way into the referee's book for a foul (65 mins).

Midway through the second half the litany of substitutions implicit in the League now allowing five changes per side began. In fact, there were to be four such stoppages in the next five minutes and a total of seven separate substitutions in the final 23 minutes of the ninety. Spectators deserve better than this.

The first such change saw McCoulskey replace the booked Abrahams (67 mins).

After this, Linney's cklever through ball put Haygarth through on goal but his effort was stopped by the keeper's legs (68 mins).

The second substiutuion break saw Alty bring on Wilson for Haygarth in midfield (69 mins) whilst Latty-Fairweather underwent his second spell of treatment on his knee. Soon the stricken play was subbed by Carvalho (71 mins).

Sixty second later Alty made their second change with Nuttall replacing Linney (72 mins).

Spectators had the luxury of six minutes of play without another change in personnal before Redddin replaced Amaluzor (78 mins).

Reddin won his side a corner (82 mins) but nothing came of this, nor of a freekick for a foul on Golden (84 mins). Next, Ajose came on to replace Johnson (84 mins).

Maidenhead were enjoying plenty of possession and territorial advantage at this stage but they were not seriously threatening the Altrincham goal before the seventh substitution in a spell of 23 miutes saw Kosylo replace Newby (90 mins).

It was not surprising that seven added minutes were decreed given all the stoppages in the second half.

Maidenhead created their best chance of the game in the second of those added minutes when Alty lost the ball in midfield and McCoulsky fed Snith but he dragged his shot from right to left and narrowly wide of the far post (90+2 mins).

At the other end, Kosylo shot wide from the right (90+4 mins). United had a further chance in the final minute of the decreed seven when Carvalho's shot hit an Alty player. Optimistic appeals for a penalty for handball earned McCoulsky his side's third yellow card of the night (90+7 mins).

Altrincham remained on the back foot for another minute or so before the final whistle sounded on Alty's second one-nil win of the season. The points lifted them from 16th to ninth ahead of entertaining current league leaders Eastleigh next Saturday.

This game had been far from a classic. On the positive side, Alty weathered a fair bit of second-half pressure but further forward they created very little.