For the fourth time in the last five seasons, Altrincham failed to win an FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round tie at the first attempt in this low quality affair at the J. Davidson Stadium.

Throughout the entire ninety minutes Alty failed to trouble the Moors keeper seriously except from the penalty spot when Regan Linney put Altrincham ahead in the 16th minute.

Likewise, there was little quality from the Moors until the second half when the introduction of Jamey Osborne prompted them to a better display. Whereas Alty's Ethan Ross was forced into four or five decent second-half saves, his counterpart Laurie Walker was untroubled.

The Moors equalised in the 71st minute through Stevenson following a long-throw by Osborne.

A last-minute appeal for a second Alty penalty, when Crankshaw went down in the box, was met by a yellow card for the Alty man for simulation.

SCORERS:

• 16 mins: Regan LINNEY (penalty) (ALTRINCHAM 1 Solihull Moors 0)
• 71 mins: Bradley STEVENSON (ALTRINCHAM Solihull Moors 1)

Altrincham made three changes from their last league match, against Braintree, with Reddin and the suspended Crawford returning whilst centre-back Charlie Olson made his debut, on loan from Blackburn Rovers. Just four days earlier he had played against Alty for Rovers' under-21s.

Curiously Olson was assigned the number 31 shirt which only made its debut last week at Braintree on the back of Connor Teale, who was not involved in the squad today and must be presumed to have left.

Centre-backs Cooper and Baines remained sidelined by injury as did Isaac Marriott though Baines was a welcome returnee to the squad today. Loanee Bickerstaff was presumably cup-tied; he watched from the directors' box, as did Remi Thompson.

Osborne was a surprise omission, presumably injured. He had been named on the teamsheet last Tuesday but was later replaced by Golden. Dropping to the bench was Nuttall

Owen German and Joel Bailey, both on the bench at Braintree last time out in the league, had both gone back out on loan.

Liam Humbles, who had had his loan contract renewed in midweek rejoined the bench today.

Moors brought just six substitutes, one of whom was their normal captain, Jamey Osborne, who like his Alty namesake, was a surprise absentee from the starting eleven. Marcel Oakley, who had scored on his Moors debut from the bench, made a start today.

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 6. James JONES (c), 31. Charlie OLSON, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 19. George WILSON, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 11. Justin AMALUZOR, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY. Subs: 3. Eddy JONES, 4. Lewis BAINES, 7. Oliver CRANKSHAW, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 15. Liam HUMBLES, 24. Joe NUTTALL, 30. Harvey RANDLE (gk)

SOLIHULL MOORS (Yellow shirts, blue shorts and socks): 1. Laurie Walker, 23 Finley Howell, 15. John Bostock, 2. James Clarke, 16. Oliver Tipton, 7. Jack Stevens, 19. Jordan Tunnicliffe, 12. Marcel Oakley,, 8. Sam Bowen (c), 14. Bradley Stevenson, 10. Conor Wilkinson. Subs: 3. Joe Newton, 4. Jamey Osborne, 5. Alex Whitmore, 13. Aaron Flahavan, 17. Joss Labadie, 25. Kian Ryley.

After five successive defeats to the Moors, Altrincham had turned the tables and won the last three fixtures between the sides, even winning 6-1 last season at the JDS.

But Alty went into this FA Cup tie after a wretched run in the competition, having failed to win any of their previous fourth qualifying ties

Former Wolves, Burnley and Republic of Ireland defender Stephen Ward was in the visiting directors' box in his role as the Moors' Director of Football.

Right from the starting whistle by referee Marsden, Alty debutant Olson was hanging onto his opponent's shirt but referee Marsden ignored it. And the young Blackburn Rovers defender was also soon shouting instructions to his more experienced team-mates indicating that he was far from awed by his introduction to men's competitive football.

Visiting keeper. the experienced Laurie walker, dawdled in making a kicked clearance and the ball was charged down by Linney but the ball was cleared by a defender. It was not the only occasion that Walker seemed a little uncertain with his kicks but Alty were to fail to capitalise on this.

Solihull headed an early freekick over the bar (5 mins) before a foul on Reddin earned Howell an early booking (7 mins).

Reddin recovered to win the game's first corner (8 mins) and Golden won a second corner a minute later. After the big men had trundled upfield, both corners were taken short and both came to nothing though Crawford, in acres of space, should have done much better than head a resulting cross from Newby tamely to Walker's arms. Ironically this was to prove one of Alty's only three efforts from open play to require a save in the entire match (10 mins).

A Solihull corner also came and went (11 mins) before Amaluzor was gently pushed over by Clarke in the right of the box, both plaers going to ground, and a penalty was awarded to the Moors' annoyance. Linney stepped up and sent the keeper the wrong way as he netted into the bottom right of the net from the striker's perspective (16 mins).

Immediately after the restart, Alty's second shot on goal was a speculative 35-yarder from Wilson which caused Walker no real concern as he fielded it (16 mins).

When Reddin won his side another corner, on the left, the short corner routine was a complete mess-up (21 mins). There were ironic cheers from the Moors fans behind the goal, upset at several of the referee's decisions, when Mr Marsden awarded the visitors a freekick for Crawford's foul on Oakley (23 mins).

If Alty were proving shot-shy, the visitors were no better with Oakley heading wide (25 mins) before a good Altrincham move culminated in a Newby cross which Linney headed just over the bar (28 mins).

But Alty were now, at least, enjoying a spell on top as the game passed the half-hour mark but Linney then got himself booked for a foul on the visitors' captain (31 mins).

Play meandered on without much to excite the spectators before it stopped when Bostock went down off the ball (41 mins). However, he was able resume after treatment .

When Linney was felled by Oakley, there was some rare action for Walker as he got down to save Newby's frekick (45+1 mins).

A 30-yarder from Wilkinson earned Solihull a late corner after which a naughty late kick on Jones by Stevenson went unseen by the referee (45+3 mins).

There was a heavy downpour at halftime and, when play resumed, it was Solihull who earned an early corner, as the floodlights came on.

Solihull were showing a bit more impetus after the break yet were not creating any real threats to the home goal.

The mediocre fare on the pitch continued past the hour mark at which point Jamey Osborne came on for the Moors, replacing Tipton (61 mins). His arrival was to prompt a better showing from his team.

Another change brought Newton on to replace Howell for the visitors (63 mins). Alty's only effort as the second-half's halfway point was reached was a very wide effort from Newby, struck from the right (67 mins).

Alty made a double change in the 70th minute when Nuttall and Crankshaw replaced Linney and Reddin respectively.

Ironically, just a minute after Alty's change, Solihull were level. The goal came from Osborne's long-throw from the right which found its way via a couple of touches for Stevenson to hook past Ross (71 mins). Whitmore now replaced Tunnicliffe (75 mins) for the visitors before a deflected shot earned the Midlanders a corner (77 mins).

The Moors were now on the up and when Wilson lost possession, Wilkinson forced a decent save from Ross (78 mins).

Soon Ross had to block another shot which a defender then cleared, before Ryley came on to replace Wilkinson (76 mins).

Ross was again called into action before Alty made another double-change with Kosylo and Humbles replacing Newby and Wilson (81 mins).

A misheader by Banks gave Solihull a corner on their left as the Moors looked the more likely side to score at this stage (83 mins). Again Ross had to act, beating the corner away.

Next, Olson went down with cramp and neded tretament before hobbling on for a couple of minutes while Baines was prepared to come on to replace the debutant (87 mins). At the smae time Labadie replaced Bostock for Solihull.

When Alty finally got forward, Amaluzor was cynically taken down just past halfway and the offender was rightly booked (88 mins).

In the final minute of normal time Crankshaw went down under a challenge in the box but Mr Marsden saw it as simulation and booked the Altrincham substitute (90 mins)

Five added minutes were announced during which the visitors won three corners. Annnoyingly for them the final corner award came in the 95th minute but Mr Marsden blew the final whistle before it could be taken, much to the Moors' understandable annoyance.

In a match where no Altrincham player stood out, the sponsors' awarded the man of the match award to Olson though Ross might have ben a more deserving recipient.

On this disappointing showing a great improvement will be neded from Alty, particularly in the final third of the pitch, if their very poor recent record in the FA Cup is not to be extended.