For their second successive away game Altrincham lost 2-1 to a goal conceded in added time.

Alty had taken the lead against the run of play in the fifteenth minute with a well-worked goal finished by Amaluzor after a one-two with Linney to his left.

But, thirteen minutes later, the Bees were level when a defence splitting pass set Chapman running at goal and his left-footed shot gave Ross no chance (28 mins).

Barnet dominated the second half but Alty defended well until the second added minute when a long throw from the left saw the ball clear James Jones at the near post and Browne headed home, unchallenged, to win the game (90+2 mins).

Nevertheless, Alty still had a good chance to equalise when Kosylo wriggled free but, from the edge of the box, he dragged his shot wide (90+2 mins).

The Robins could not complain at the outcome but to lose to a goal from a poorly defended throw at such a very late stage was very disappointing.

SCORERS:

• 15 mins: Justin AMALUZOR (Barnet 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 28 mins: Harry CHAPMAN (Barnet 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 90(+2) mins: Rhys BROWNE (Barnet 2 ALTRINCHAM 1)

Altrincham made two changes for this match as Golden and Humbles, (for his full debut), came into the starting eleven at the expense of Osborne and Bickerstaff, who dropped to the bench, where Nuttall returned at the expense of Haygarth.

For Barnet's starting eleven, Rye and Grimwood, recalled from a loan to Braintree, came in, whilst out went Hall-Johnson and Kizzi. The Bees fielded seven substitutes having only named five for last Saturday's match at Gateshead.

Whilst Alty were without the injured Baines, Marriott, Crankshaw and Wilson, Barnet had their own injury problems, notably the absence of the injured Kabamba and Collinge.

Alty deployed a back-three and played Newby as the main central forward, with Linney on the left and Amaluzor on the right.

LINE-UPS:

BARNET (Amber & black stripes, black shorts and socks) 1. Nick Hayes, 15. Ryan Glover, 26. Myles Kenlock, 5. Joe Rye, 22. Adebola Oluwo, i8. Anthony Hartigan (c), 23. Joe Grimwood, 12. Harry Chapman, 19. Mark Shelton, 17. Zak Brunt, 10. Callum Stead. Subs: 32. Jordan Cropper, 13. Jordan Gillmore, 6. Jerome Okimo, 20. Finley Wilkinson, 3. Ben Coker, 8. Rhys Browne 30. Joe Kizzi.

ALTRINCHAM (Aquamarine shirts and socks, white shorts): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 6. James JONES (c), 5. Jake COOPER, 3. Eddy JONES, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 15. Liam HUMBLES, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 11. Justin AMALUZOR, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY. Subs: 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 24. Joe NUTTALL, 28. Remi THOMPSON, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF, 30. Harvey RANDLE (gk)

Altrincham started the game in eleventh place as they made their first of two long away trips in five days.

This was a clash between the two highest National League finishers from last season, excluding promoted Chesterfield and Bromley.

Although Barnet's away form had been inconsistent this season, they had won their most recent home match 7-0!

The relatively low attendance for tonight's match was put down to a combination of a clash with the England v Finland international, just a few miles away at Wembley, combined with steady rain.

In steady, swirling rain, Regan Linney kicked off the game for Altrincham and almost immediately Lewis Banks, playing on the left of a back three, ended up being barged over the pitch fence into the spectator area!

The hosts were soon enjoying the majority of possession but without causing Alty's defence any serious issues. However, the Bees did earn the game's first corner when Eddy Jones had to execute an excellent tackle on the Barnet right (11 mins).

A second home corner immediately followed, this time from the left. Both were inswingers but neither produced particular danger.

In fact, the first shot on target only arrived moments later but even that was a weak affort which ran to Ross, from Stead, as he cut inside James Jones from the Barnet left (12 mins).

Well against the run of play, Altrincham took the lead with their first meaningful attack, which was an impressive move started by Humbles. The on-loan midfielder from Salford City fed Amaluzor up the middle and he exchanged passes with Linney, to his left, before planting the return pass past Hayes, making it 1-0 (15 mins).

However, Barnet's Glover (ex-Aldershot) and Stead were soon pressing again. And, when a defence splitting diagonal ball towards left of centre set Chapman running into the box, his well-struck left-footed shot gave Poss no chance and it was now 1-1 (28 mins).

Altrincham reacted well winning two corners around the half-hour mark. The first corner, from the left, was hit low and was cleared whilst Eddy Jones overhit the second corner, from the right (31 mins).

Play then became end to end but a hooked effort over the bar from Stead, on the left, was the nearest to either keeper being troubled (37 mins).

As the match continued towards half time, play was well contested and fairly even, mostly in midfield, with neither side allowing the other time to dwell on the ball. The intensity spilt over slightly when the home captain Hartigan was booked for a foul on Banks on the centre-line (41 mins).

In the decreed two added minutes, Newby went down under a nudge in the back but no penalty was awarded (45+1 mins).

With rain still falling and Alty playing into the breeze, the hosts kicked off the second half, neither side having made any changes of personnel.

An early foul on Humbles, who had impressed in the first half, earned Shelton the second yellow card of the evening for Barnet (47 mins). The freekick was taken quickly and Newby's resulting shot was badly fumbled by the keeper

A clearance by Eddy Jones caught Glover on the head and the Alty left-back was duly booked for dangerous play (53 mins). Altrincham were now having difficulty keeping the ball and, increasingly, play was taking place in the visitors' half.

The first substitution of the game arrived in the 59th minute as Bickerstaff replaced Newby in the centre-forward role. When Rye then blatantly fouled Amaluzor, the Alty man reacted and the two tussled near halfway, resulting in a card for both players (60 mins).

Barnet's first swap involved Wright replacing Cropper (61 mins), after which Glover now moved to the left flank, before Bickerstaff battled will to win the ball and a freekick (64 mins).

At the other end, just after a Glover shot had won a corner, Alty's second change brought Reddin into the game as Linney went off (66 mins).

Substitute Cropper was soon looking a threat on the right and, now, midway through the half, a low cross from him flew dangerously across the Alty goalmouth.

As Reddin got free up the left, a very late call from the linesman ruled that he had taken the ball out of play.

From the resulting long throw, Alty hacked the ball clear but it was recycled and a Grimwood shot forced a superb save, low down, by Ross. It was his first serious action of the night (71 mins).

Barnet were now really getting on top and, just after they had won a corner, Browne, returning from injury, came on to replace Shelton (74 mins).

Next, Osborne replaced Humbles who had enjoyed an excellent first half but had been less influential after the interval (75 mins).

The hardworking Bickerstaff now won a freekick but Osborne over hit the ball (76 mins). Despite Barnet being well on top, Reddin did well to latch on to a throw from Osborne and get in a low cross-cum-shot from the left which the keeper saved (80 mins).

Next, Kosylo replaced Amaluzor (81 mins) but the visitors were now struggling to enjoy any meaningful possession against the Barnet pressure. Nevertheless, Reddin was again proving a nuisance to the Bees as he got in a cross from the left to win a relieving corner for Altrincham (88 mins).

Osborne's corner was headed over the bar by James Jones (89 mins). When Banks delayed taking a throw to tie his laces, he was rather harshly booked for supposed timewasting (89 mins).

Bickershaw gained some respite for Alty by holding the ball up and winning a freekick but then Barnet won a throw on the left. The long throw by Cropper went over James Jones and a Barnet player, by the near post, only for the unchallenged Browne to nod the ball into the net, to Altrincham's despair (90+2 mins).

Six added minutes had been computed and each side made a change in the fourth such minute. Nuttall replaced Banks and, for Barnet, it was Kizzi who came on for Grimwood.

Even at this very late stage, Alty created a great chance to snatch a draw, moments later, when Crawford got the ball forward and Kosylo did well to hold off a challenge. From the front edge of the box, in a central position, he shot at goal but steered his effort disapppintingly wide of the keeper's right post (90+4 mins).

As time ticked by, Barnet made a further very late change as Okimo replaced Chapman (90+5 mins). Play continued and Kosylo earned a corner on the right for which Ethan Ross went upfield and even got his head on Osborne's corner before the ball fell for Reddin who, from some 25 yards, struck a wild shot over the bar (90+7 mins).

So Altrincham had almost gained a hard-earned point and their disappointment was compounded by conceding such a poorly defended goal from a long throw-in. As a consequence, Alty dropped to sixteenth ahead of their long trek to Yeovil