Altrincham suffered a blow after six minutes when Owen German saw red for hauling back Kevin Ellison as he advanced into the "D".

Goalkeeper Harvey Randle, who has been on the first-team bench in recent games, kept Alty in the contest but he could not prevent Ellison from heading home a curling cross to give the Motormen the lead (23 mins).

Max Haygarth equalised after 39 minutes, scoring off the underside of the cross-bar, after an Alty advance on the left.

Vauxhall deservedly retook the lead when Ellison scored again (63 mins) and, with Alty limited to intermittent counter-attacks, the visitors sealed the game with a third goal. This came from a corner on their right to which an Alty substitute, Kamara dangled a leg and turned the ball into his own net (86 mins).

In added time Weaver won but failed to convert a penalty to underline a disappointing night for the Robins.

Alty could not complain at the result against a Vauxhall side which sits on top of the NPL First Division West and which fully merited the win.

SCORERS:

• 23 mins: Kevin ELLISON (ALTRINCHAM 0 Vauxhall Motors 1)
• 39 mins: Max HAYGARTH (ALTRINCHAM 1 Vauxhall Motors 1)
• 63 mins: Kevin ELLISON (ALTRINCHAM 1 Vauxhall Motors 2)
• 86 mins: Own Goal (Kamara) (ALTRINCHAM 1 Vauxhall Motors 3)

Paul Fay and Ross Speight were in charge of the squad for this game, as they were last season in the Cheshire Senior Cup.

Altrincham fielded a starting eleven which included ten players who had been assigned first-team squad numbers, but only four of whom had started a National League match this season. They were Wilson, Haygarth and two loanees in Humbles and Bickerstaff, with a total of just nine league starts across all four of them. The bench comprised five youngsters.

As Matty Kosylo and Harvey Randle were also starting this game, Joe Nuttall was the only player who had started the last league game on the bench who was not starting today, though he was present watching the game as were many of the first-team sqaud. A surprise omission, too, was Remi Thompson, who also was a spectator tonight.

The only non-member of the first-team squad to start the game was left-back Lucas Edwards, who made his Reserves debut as a 16 year-old, two years ago.

On the bench, goalkeeper Beddow was from the Academy squad. Oscar Cooper had graduated to the Reserves through the Altrincham Colts; Remi Raymond, Isaac Mannion and Sekouba Kamara were also Academy players.

For Vauxhall Motors, Kevin Ellison, at 45 years of age, was making his first appearance against Alty at Moss Lane since leaving the club in 2001 for Premier League Leicester City.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and white socks) : 30. Harvey RANDLE, 6. Joe BAILEY, 12. Lucas EDWARDS, 15. Liam HUMBLES, 18. Owen GERMAN, 19. George WILSON, 14. Matty KOSYLO (c), 17. Lucas WEAVER, 14. Matty KOSYLO (c), 7. Oliver CRANKSHAW, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF. Subs: Max BEDDOW (gk), 3. Oscar COOPER, 8. Remi RAYMOND, 10. Sekouba KAMARA, 22. Isaac MANNION

VAUXHALL MOTORS (Aquamarine shirtsand socks, grey shorts) 1. Jack Atkinson, 2. Max Harrison, 3. Isaac Godwin, 4. Toby Jones, 5. Ben Dufton-Kelly, 6. Dominic Hope, 7. Jawid Jabrin, 8. Patrick Kay, 9. Kein Ellison (c), 10. Josh Quarless, 11. Jordan Deer. Subs: 12. Nick Rushton, 14. Ben Holmes, 15. William Dunne, 16. Vita Mbolokele, 17. George Nugent.

This was the sixth meeting with the Motormen in cup competitions this millennium and every one had been drawn as a home tie for Altrincham! Alty had won four of those ties.

All the games had been midweek evening fixtures and they had all attracted small gates, with 245 spectators being the highest gate and 114 the lowest. For all of the five previous cup meetings the TOTAL gate has been just 893!

• CSC3: 31.1.23 Altrincham 1-1 Vauxhall Motors (Alty's goal: Own Goal 25, Altrincham won 2-0 on pens. *This tie was switched to Rivacre Park at Altrincham's request, gate 211)
• CSC1:16.9.08 Altrincham 4-2 Vauxhall Motors (After extra time; scorers O'Neill 69,82, Young 114, Senior 120, gate 128)
• CSCSF: 5.2.08 Altrincham 2-1 Vauxhall Motors (scorers Young 19, O'Neill 57, gate 195)
• UniBond League Cup 3: 6.1.04 Altrincham 1-2 Vauxhall Motors (scorer Hardy 64, gate 245)
• UniBond League Cup Group 5: 11.12.01 Altrincham 2-0 Vauxhall Motors (scorers Thornley 48, Murphy 64, gate 114)

Altrincham kicked off towards the away end with the visitors' established understanding of each other's play meaning that they started brightly against a newly assembled eleven of Altrincham players who had scarcely ever played with one another.

Shortly after Alty had mustered a Kosylo cross from the right (5 mins) the Motormen set Kevin Ellison free, running towards the box. Owen German's attempts to halt him were clearly foul play and a red card was the immediate response from Mr Eaton.

So, for the second game in four days, an Alty man had seen red, following Tom Crawford's dismissal last Saturday (6 mins).

Immediately after the dismissal, Vauxhall won two corners, but Alty responded as a Kosylo shot from outside the box flew narrowly wide (10 mins).

When Vauxhall gained another corner, it needed a great point-blank save from Randle to keep his goal intact (16 mins).

At the other end a Bickerstaff shot was deflected at source and looped up to earn a home corner, which came to nothing.

Next, Randle was again the saviour as he did enough to put off Ellison at the back post. Alty's keeper was soon defending another corner as a Kosylo mis-directed back pass yielded a further flag-kick for the visitors (22 mins). And it was following this corner that an excellent curling cross from the left by Godwin was headed home from close range by Ellison (23 mins).

It then took two more fine saves in quick succession from Randle to prevent the Motormen scoring again (25 mins).

Upfield, Crankshaw, still regaining fitness, had a shot blocked at the end of a move involving Haygarth and Edwards (29 mins).

With 35 minutes having passed, Alty had yet to test Atkinson in the Vauxhall goal. But then, after a Humbles effort had risen over the bar, a fine punt upfield by Randle set Bickerstaff in on goal, forcing Atkinson to make a good save.

However, the ball came out to Haygarth who hit a shot into the net off the underside of the bar to make it 1-1 (39 mins).

Next, another speedy and fluent move from Vauxhall was ended by another Randle save (40 mins).

As the interval approached Haygarth set up Bickerstaff but he sliced his shot badly wide (42 mins). So the first half ended level.

At the break Crankshaw was replaced by young Oscar Cooper who went to the right-back role. Alty started the second half well and Weaver might have done better than drag a shot wide across the goal (50 mins).

From the second of two successive Vauxhall corners, Ellison spooned a clear shot well over the bar (59 mins) before Haygarth, playing a defensive role, got forward to force a save on the hour mark.

Following another save by Randall, at the near post, Vauxhall brought on Rushton for Hoppe (62 mins).

Immediately afterwards, a ball from the left was converted by Ellison to give his side a 2-0 lead (63 mins). Alty responded by bringing on tall Academy defensive player Kamara for Humbles (64 mins).

Vauxhall were now well on top before Jebrin smashed a shot against the crossbar (68 mins). Dunne then replaced Jebrin for the Ellesmere Port club (69 mins).

Another change saw Nugent replace Deer (78 mins) whilst Alty were showing little sign of restoring parity.

The hosts sougt to rectify this as they made a double change with two more youngsters, Raymond and Mannion, coming on for Haygarth and Edwards (81 mins).

The outcome was finally sealed by a third Vauxhall goal when a corner from the right was turned into his own net by Kamara's extended leg (86 mins).

Holmes then replaced Ellison, who left the field to deserved applause after turning back the years on a pitch once familiar to him in his Altrincham days, which had started a quarter of a century earlier (87 mins).

Three added minutes were announced and, deep into them, Weaver burst into the box and won a penalty. Sadly his spotkick was saved by Atkinson leaving Vauxhall deserved winners, 3-1.

The dismissal of German so early in the game had been a blow but also Altrincham's team of individuals were confronted by a well-drilled team, familiar to each other, who on this showing would have provided tough opposition even to an eleven-man outfit.

For Altrincham, debutant goalkeeper Randle was a star performer as he kept the score down to a respectable level, especially in the first half.