For much of the game, Southend enjoyed plenty of possession and forward momentum yet scarcely threatened to score against an Altrincham side fielding debutant goalkeeper Harvey Randle, with Ethan Ross sidelined by a chest infection.

In fact, Alty made five changes from the side which had scored eight times in its previous two league outings, and they started on the back foot against the Shrimpers. But Alty took an early lead when Elliot Osborne started a move which led to Kosylo getting into the box, only to lose his footing.

However, the loose ball was worked by Newby to Joe Nuttall who netted from close range, his first goal in his seventeenth appearance since joining on a season-long loan from Oldham Athletic (9 mins).

Altrincham continued to look more dangerous on the break than the visitors did with their more protracted possession.

The Robins made it 2-0 shortly before the interval and, again, it was Osborne who instigated the move. He set Linney heading towards goal. The ball came to Newby whose shot should have been saved but the ball went through the hands of Jeacock into the net (43 mins).

The second half again saw the visitors enjoying more of the possession and the territory, but lacking any real threat in the goalmouth area.

Altrincham defended well throughout as Randle emerged with a clean sheet on his debut and Isaac Marriott made his first appearance after his long injury absence, coming on in the 90th minute. Less happily, Regan Linney collected a fifth yellow card.

SCORERS:

• 9 mins: Joe NUTTALL (ALTRINCHAM 1 Southend United 0)
• 43 mins: Alex NEWBY (ALTRINCHAM 2 Southend United 0)

Altrincham made five changes from the team that had started the previous week at Solihull. Ethan Ross had a chest infection so Harvey Randle came in for his debut. He was one of four in the squad who had yet to start a league game this season (along with Marriott, Kosylo and Donawa).

Out of the starting side, along with Ross, were Golden, Wilson, Reddin and Humbles, the last named not even in the squad despite a recent extension to his contract. There was a surprise in the naming of Justin Donswa on the bench. He had been seen warming up in previous games but his re-signing had not been announced by the club.

As well as Randle, those brought in to the starting eleven included Lewis Banks, who was available after suspension. Also joining the starters, and for the first time this season in the league, was Matty Kosylo, with Joe Nuttall and Elliot Osborne the other two who had not started at Solihull.

Southend keeper, Zach Jeacock, on loan from Lincoln City, had been sent off last Saturday but he successfully appealed against the dismissal to make himself available to play this match.

The Shrimpers moved Coker and Morton to the bench with Cav Miley and George Moncur starting in their places.

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 30. Harvey RANDLE, 2. Lewis BANKS, 16. James JONES, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 3. Eddy JONES, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY, 24. Joe NUTTALL. Subs: 5. Jake COOPER, 8. Isaac MARRIOTT, 19. George WILSON, 20. Kharel REDDIN, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 33. Justin DONAWA

SOUTHEND UNITED (Pale blue shirts and socks, dark blue shorts): 1. Zach Jeacock, 16. Harry Taylor, 5. Adam Crowther, 3. Nathan Ralph (c), 2. Gus Scott-Morriss, 20. George Moncur, 8. Noor Husin, 17. Cav Miley, 7. Jack Bridge, 19. Aribim Pepple, 11. Josh Walker. Subs: 4. George Wind, 9. Macauley Bonne, 14. Jack Wood, 22. Keenan Appiah-Forson, 23. James Morton, 28. Oli Coker, 30. Collin Andeng-Ndi.

Southend were three points and five places behind tenth placed Altrincham at kick-off.

Before kick-off Remembrance Day was, five days earlier, was marked by the playing of the Last Post and a period of silence.

Spectators today included Emile Heskey, the BBC's Dan Roan and PL referee Anthony Taylor, all of whom are local residents.

For once at the J. Davidson Stadium, Altrincham kicked off towards the home end but it was Southend who started the better, with Pepple getting past Baines and curling a low shot only narrowly wide of Randle's right upright (2 mins).

And the visitors continued on the front foot in the opening stages, Alty's first significant foray only coming in the eighth minute when Eddy Jones's 30-yarder proved easy fare for goalkeeper Jeacock.

Just a minute later, Altrincham were ahead. A fine ball from midfield by Elliot Osborne led to Kosylo getting into the box, only to lose his footing at the crucial moment. However, the loose ball found its way, left, via Newby to Joe Nuttall who scored comfortably from close range, his first goal for the club (9 mins).

Moments later Linney forced a save from Jeacock to earn Aly's first corner (10 mins). Alty soon threatened again as Kosylo had a shot blocked (15 mins). In fact, Alty could easily have doubled their lead before the midway point of the half, with Newby the next to threaten, as he got into the box, but his shot was also blocked (19 mins).

Fine play by Linney then got Newby into the penalty area before a mishit from Kosylo rolled wide.

Play then switched to the other end where Eddy Jones lost the ball to Scott-Morriss near the corner flag and then committed a foul in attempting to retireve the ball. The resulting free-kick led to two successive corners for the visitors but they came to nothing despite Pepple's atempts to unnerve debutant keeper Randle, a task in which the Luton Town loanee was aided by jeering from the large number of Southend supporters behind the Alty goal (27 mins).

Yet it was Alty who continued to look the more incisive when an impressive move ended in Nuttall feeding Newby whose shot was blocked though it was subsequently decreed offside (31 mins).

Two successive Alty corners soon followed (34 mins) but the visitors almost got back into the game when a fierce shot by Pepple struck the bar (37 mins).

Altrincham responded by winning another corner (38 mins). The half ended with some nerves geting the better of Alty's debutant keeper as a aliced clearance by Randle was followed by a kick into touch.

But that was soon forgotten as Osborne started off an Alty move, feeding Linney, before Newby hit a shot at goal which Jeacock should have stopped but, instead, the ball squirmed through his grasp and into the net to make it 2-0 (43 mins).

As a single minute's added time was announced, Randle again kicked into touch but it was good to see his team-mates encouraging the young keeper as he left the field at half-time.

Although Southend had enjoyed more of the ball, aside from Pepple's hitting the bar, they had not looked threatening in front of goal whilst Altrincham had been the far more incisive team.

Southend won a corner withing two minutes of the restart but, as in the first half, it was Altrincham who looked the more threatening as Kosylo's pass got Linney to the bye-line, right of goal and his low cross flashed across the goalmouth but went unconverted (51 mins).

Kosylo then committed a foul, just outside the home box, from which Randle punched the freekick confidently away (55 mins).

Nevertheless, Southend continued to enjoy the majority of possession yet they looked less than secure at the back where a poor clearance allowed Banks to lash a left-fotte shot narrowly wide from 20 yards (61 mins).

Next, Newby won Alty a corner and, soon afterwards, Osborne hit a fierce thirty-yarder which was deflected onto the visitors' crossbar (62 mins).

The first change of the game brought on Wilson for Kosylo (62 mins).

Soon afterwards Newby burst into the box and went down under a challenge but Mr Davis saw no foul.

Next Macauley Bonne, the former Orient striker, came on for Walker, and Appiah-Forson replaced Moncur (65 mins). Southend continued to get forward and won a potentially threatening freekick 25 yards out. But Scott-Morriss blasted this inexplicably into orbit over Golf Road (69 mins).

When Linney then got up the left and into the box he, like Newby earlier, went down under a challenge. This time Mr Davis not only did not award a penalty but booked the striker, a fifth yellow card for Linney who will now face a suspension (71 mins).

Altrincham were still comfortable with their lead as Cooper came on to strengthen the back line in place of Linney (76 mins). At the same time, Southend replaced Husin with Wood.

Southend continued to go forward as Randle again punched clear, this time from a Ralph cross (82 mins).

Both sides made a change, with Bickerstaff repacing Nuttall and, for Southend, Morton came on for Miley (83 mins).

A foul on Osborne left hiom crocked and, after soldiering on for a couple of mintes, he had to go off, being replaced by Isaac Marriott, making his first league appearance in 28 league fixtures straddling last season and this, after his ACL injury (90 mins).

Seven added minutes were computed by Mr Davis which were a microcosm of much of the game with Southend getting forward but having nothing to show for their efforts, whilst ALty's defence held firm to give debutant Randle a clean sheet on his debut.