Altrincham trailed 1-0 at the interval despite enjoying the majority of the possession. Indeed, the FGR goal arrived after some ten minutes in which the hosts had hardly seen the ball. But when a routine FGR freekick from 15 yards inside their own half was lofted forward, Osadebe won a header against Lewis Banks and the ball dropped for Doidge who swept it, low, into the net in the 31st minute.

Alty failed to land a shot on target before the break. Amaluzor's early low ball across the goalmouth, James Jones's nod across goal from a Newby cross, when keeper Ward failed to get to the ball, and a Newby shot which flew comfortably over the bar were the visitors' best efforts before the break.

Alty made no impression at all early in the second half as they made five seperate substitutions by the 68th minute. But when one of those subs, George Wilson, shot from just outside the box from a Kosylo feed, his effort took a deflection, possibly off Linney's heel, to make it 1-1 (83 mins).

After that Altrincham were largely on top but, in the fifth added minute (a minimum of four had been decreed), McCann fed Long on the right. His looping cross was cleared by Crawford's header to McCann who sidestepped Haygarth and his shot from the edge of the box went into the net, off the post and Baines on the line, to clinch the points.

Overall Alty's performance was not good today but, having got themselves level, it was hugely disappointing to concede in such a manner at the death. The Robins dropped to sixteenth in the league.

SCORERS:

• 21 mins: Christian DOIDGE (Forest Green Rovers 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 83 mins: George WILSON (Forest Green Rovers 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 90(+5) mins: Charlie McCANN (Forest Green Rovers 2 ALTRINCHAM 1)

Eddy Jones was available after completing his suspension and he came in to the starting eleven, replacing Tylor Golden. Two other changes saw Kahrel Reddin and Regan Linney replace Max Haygarth and Joe Nuttall.

Isaac Marriott and Ollie Crankshaw remained sidelined by injury.

For FGR, Osadebe replaced McAllister in the starting line-up. Once again, FGR named only five substitutes.

LINE-UPS:

FOREST GREEN ROVERS (Green and black) 1. Jed Ward, 21. Teddy Jenks, 4. Ben Tozer (C), 5. Ryan Inniss, 17. Jamie Robson, 8. Charlie McCann, 19. Adam May, 10. Liam Sercombe, 6. Emmnuel Osadebe, 9. Christian Doidge, 11. Tom Knowles. Subs: 3. Sean Long, 20. Jamie Searle, 16. Harvey Bunker, 14. Tyrese Omotoye, 15. Jordan Moore-Taylor.

ALTRINCHAM (Aquamarine shirts and socks, white shorts): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 3. Eddy JONES, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 16. James JONES, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 10. Alex NEWBY, 11. Justin AMALUZOR, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 9. Regan LINNEY. Subs: 5. Jake COOPER, 19. George WILSON, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 21. Max HAYGARTH, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 24. Joe NUTTALL, 30. Harvey RANDLE (gk)..

Forty-eight hours after a home defeat by Eastleigh, Altrincham travelled to Gloucestershire for a bank-holiday clash with Forest Green Rovers. Their recent encounter with the other club relegated last season, Sutton United, from EFL2 ended in a 5-0 humbling.

The sides started adjacent in in their league positions, Alty 11th and FGR 12th.

This was FGR's first home fixture of the season as they had asked for no home games before their newly laid grass pitch had bedded in.

Altrincham kicked off what was FGR's first home game of the season in their fifth fixture and, in just the second minute, Amaluzor, deployed this time on the right, got in a low cross which ran unconverted across the FGR goalmouth.

But FGR came even closer to scoring soon afterwards when James Jones's error allowed Robson's ball from the left to evade him and it took a smart save from Ross to deny an incoming Rovers player from scoring, albeit at the cost of a corner (5 mins).

As play continued, an intended shot from Linney was blocked at source (10 mins) before Altrincham enjoyed a protracted spell of possession in contrast to the more direct style adopted on Saturday against Eastleigh.

Reddin soon won the game's first corner (12 mins). After this, Alty threatened again as James Jones rose ahead of keeper Ward to nod the ball across the face of goal from a Newby cross from the left (13 mins).

For some ten minutes Altrincham had enjoyed perhaps 70% of the possession only to concede a goal in disappointing fashion, against the run of play. There seemed little danger when FGR won a freekick some 15 yards inside their own half toward their right touchline.

A routine ball was lumped forward and, some twenty-five yards from goal, Osadebe rose ahead of Banks to nod the ball onwards to Doidge. He evaded James Jones and hit a low shot beat the diving Ross to his right to give his side the lead decidedly against the run of play (21 mins).

Alty responded with another corner, won by Reddin on the left, but nothing came of this (24 mins). However, another defensive lapse soon almost cost Altrincham dearly as a poor ball from James Jones was worked to McCann who shot badly over the bar from the outer reaches of the box (30 mins).

Next, Eddy Jones, who had uncharacteristically seen a red card in the opening game of the season, lunged in on an opponent and, whilst the referee seemed minded to take no action, the FGR reaction seemed to persuade her to book the left-back (30 mins).

Alty were then fortunate to see Osadebe shoot wide from a good position (33 mins) as the hosts continued to look the more threatening in attack (33 mins). So, although Altrincham now increased their corner-kick count, through Linney (34 mins), they had yet to trouble Ward in the home net.

Nevertheless, Alty continued to enjoy more of the ball but a blocked Crawford shot and an overhit cross from Reddin caused little alarm to the hosts. Likewise when Ward, who looked jittery at times in this game, kicked the ball to Eddy Jones, the Alty defender fed Newby for a poor shot which flew miles over the bar from 25 yards (36 mins).

Over the next ten minutes to half-time Altrincham continud to enjoy the majority of possession but failed to produce an end product, a recurrent theme of this season to date.

At the interval the booked Eddy Jones was replaced at left-back by Tylor Golden (46 mins). FGR started the half the better but overall play was little more than routine in quality.

Next, it took a fine challenge by Baines to cover for an error by Golden (55 mins) before referee Abigail Byrne booked Robson for stealing many yards in taking a throw-in (56 mins).

With Altrincham showing no signs of an improved performance after the interval, Wilson replaced Osborne in midfield (59 mins).

This change came as Knowles received treatment for a self-inflicted injury caused by his foul on Golden. Knowles was replaced by Long at right-back for the hosts (61 mins).

Alty's third change brought Kosylo on, in place of Reddin, on the Alty left (62 mins).

Following an Amaluzor foul, the referee again seemed to be persuaded by the opposition protests to book the Alty man (64 mins).

With Altrincham not looking as if they could land a shot on the home goal, Phil Parkinson completed his permitted five substitutions early, with Haygarth replacing Newby (66 mins) and Nuttall likewise replacing Amaluzor (68 mins).

Initially these five changes in a 23 minute spell had no discernible impact as the suspect Alty defence now allowed Jenks to get in a shot but he put it over the bar (72 mins).

Slowly however, the new personnel started to have an influence but, when a defence-splitting ball from Wilson found Nuttall, with only the keeper to beat, the big striker's poor control saw the ball run away from him (77 mins).

At the other end, Sercombe's shot lodged in the side-netting before Golden won his side a corner from a Kosylo pass. The corner, from the left, was met by a clear header from Nuttall which went into the ground rather than towards goal but, nevertheless, a second corner resulted.

As time ticked by, Crawford lost the ball to May who advanced on goal but fired narowly wide (81 mins). At this point the hosts made a double swap with Omotoye replacing Sercombe and Jenks giving way to Moore-Taylor.

Alty's periodic errors continued as Wilson's poor touch surrendered possession (82 mins). However, the young midfielder soon redeemed himself when Kosylo played the ball inside to him from near the left bye-line.

Wilson's shot from the front edge of the box seemed to be diverted by the heel of Linney near the penalty spot and it went on to nestle in the FGR net (83 mins).

Soon afterwards Crawford was booked for a foul (83 mins) and, after an Altrincham corner, Haygarth too was cautioned for a deliberate foul on Doidge (87 mins).

However, the goal had animated Altrincham, who dominated the next ten minutes, pressing for an unlikely winner. A minimum of four added minutes had been decreed and, in the last of these, Banks became the fifth cautioned Altrincham man, for holding Osadebe.

FGR then worked the ball from the left to McCann who fed the overlapping right-back Long. His high, looping cross was headed away by Crawford at the back post but he directed it straight to McCann whose low shot found the gap between Ross's left upright and Baines, on the line, to give FGR a very late winner (90+5 mins).

Having fought their way to parity despite not playing well, Altrincham had thrown away their hard work in disappointing fashion.

A tally of just three goals, none from a forward, over five league outings, tells its own story of Altrincham's current labours in attack this season.

Compounded by numerous unforced errors all around the pitch today, Altrincham's performance deserved no more than the point that it seemed to have earned but to lose to such a late goal from an FGR side which itself was far from impressive, was hard to take.