League leaders York City had a rude awakening in the first half at the J. Davidson Stadium as Alty took a three-goal lead into the interval.

York started brightly before Altrincham grew into the game and took a twentieth minute lead. the goal arrived after Newby had advanced on the left before feeding Linney, who drove home a low shot across the keeper from the left.

Excellent play from George Wilson created the second goal for Linney, who again drove the ball home, low, from the left after Wilson's effort had come back off the upright (36 mins). And, just four minutes later, a superbly taken goal by Kosylo saw Alty's senior player dink the ball over exposed keeper Watson to stun the 700+ visiting supporters into silence.

York applied plenty of pressure in the second half but Alty defended stoically and almost scored an audacious fourth goal when Linney's superb lob from halfway forced Watson to scurry back and just about get the ball over his own bar.

The win took Altrincham into the play-off positions (seventh) but that was before Wednesday night's fixtures. It was also Altrincham's first win against any side currently in the top half of the National League.

SCORERS:

• 20 mins: Regan LINNEY (ALTRINCHAM 1 York City 0)
• 36 mins: Regan LINNEY (ALTRINCHAM 2 York City 0)
• 40 mins: Matty KOSYLO (ALTRINCHAM 3 York City 0)

Altrincham made two changes. An enforced change saw the suspended Crawford replaced by Linney, who was himself returning from suspension, and a voluntary change meant that Eddy Jones was replaced by Tylor Golden, a frequent rotation this season.

York's four changes saw Watson displace Male in goal, with Fallowfield, Nathaniel-George and Thomas replacing former Alty loanee Sinclair, Crookes and Armstrong.

Former Alty defender Jeff King was also named on the bench.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and white socks): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 16. James JONES, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 19. George WILSON, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY, 24. Joe NUTTALL. Subs: 3. Eddy JONES, 15. Jake COOPER, 8. Isaac MARRIOTT, 15. Liam HUMBLES, 20. Kharel REDDIN, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF, 27. Louie FALLON (gk)

YORK CITY (Pink shirts and socks, purple shorts): 16. Rory Watson, 2. Ryan Fallowfield, 5. Callum Howe (c), 8. Alex Hunt, 10. Ollie Pearce, 11. Ashley Nathaniel-George, 20. Ricky Aguiar, 23. Joe Felix, 28. Malachi Fagan-Walcott, 29. Luca Thomas, 30. David Ajiboye. Subs: 1. Harrison Male, 3. Adam Crookes, 7. Tyrese Sinclair, 9. Dipo Akinyemi., 15. MArvis Armstrong, 18. Dan Batty, 31. Jeff King.

Altrincham had performed didappointingly last time out at Aldershot Town where they had ended with ten men following Tom Crawford's secobd dismissal of the season.

In contrast York had thrashed Yeovil Town 4-0, although the Glovers had to play with a man short from the tenth minute and then had a further player dismissed befpre the match ended.

The Minstermen arrived top of the National League on goal difference.

York City are not one of the biggest National League teams physically but they certainly showed they have pace and ability as they tore into Altrincham from the kick of, earning a corner inside twenty seconds

And for the first ten minutes or so, the hosts were on the back foot but a wide effort from Nathaniel-George was the nearest they came to a goal (10 mins). Alty were not helping their cause, giving the ball away cheaply on at least three occasions in the opening stages.

As Alty setled, Linney got in a weak shot to keeper Watson, from a Kosylo feed, and a minute later he got in a better effort which again the York keeper held comfoortably (12 mins).

However, the speedy Ajiboye now won his side a corner, on the right, as the excellent away support, comprising more than a third of the total attendance, roared on their side. But play was now settling into a more even affair and Kosylo might have done better than to sky a decent chance from an Osborne pass (18 mins).

Alty then stunned the away support as Baines fed Newby who, left of goal, laid the ball off with a smart backheel to Linney who swept the ball home with a low shot into the far side of the net to give Altrincham a 1-0 lead (20 min).

The visitors were now on top, with their attacks being concentrated up the left flank. However, York went close to a leveller in the 27th minute when Nathaniel-George got the better of Banks and, from the left bye-line his cross was headed narrowly over the bar by Aguiar.

Shortly afterwards, an Ajiboye effort ended up in Golf Road (29 mins) before a slip-up in the York defence let Linney into the box from where he earned a corner, which was followed by a second soon afterwards (31 mins).

Next, a Wilson 25-yarder was saved by Watson who had been the busier of the keepers in the game so far (32 mins), But York responded as Ajiboye won York a corner, though home protests that it should have been agoalkick earned Kosylo a lecture from Mr Rhodes (33 mins).

As play switched to the other end Wilson impressively wove his way into the box where his low shot across the keeper smacked against the far post. Linney was on hand to sweep the ball into the net in similar fashion to hsi conversion of the first goal (36 mins).

The previously viocal York supporters were stunned into silence and four minutes later they were in shock as Alty went into a 3-0 lead.

The third goal came as Kosylo gained possession advanced into the box and as Watson advanced, he dinked the ball expertly over the York keeper and into the net (40 mins).

After York won another corner through Ajiboye, which came to nothing, the Alty fans chanted "We want six", a reference to the sides' last meeting at Moss Lane when the hosts had won 6-1.

Alty won a corner in first-half added time but, though nothing came of it, they were more than happy to head in for the interval with a three-goal advantage.

As in the first half, York started brightlyin the second period and won an early corner (47 mins). And in an atempt to revive their fortunes they also made an early change of personnel with striker Akinyemi replacing Thomas (53 mins). Alty then got away with a mis-pass by Osborne as the resulting York shot ran comfortably to Ross, who had spent time on loan at York before joining Altrincham.

Osborne soon did better, feeding Kosylo, wose excellent cross was met, almost under the crossbar, by Nuttall but he could only nod the ball ove the bar (55 mins).

The second-half pressure from York was such that the Minstermen earned four corners in a five-minute spell as the game reached the hour-mark.

But Alty were standing up well to the pressure so York now employed a double substitution to try and get back into the game. Crookes and former Alty loanee Tyrese Sinclair came on for them, instead of Aguiar and Nathaniel-George (63 mins).

with Alty largely hemmed into their own half relief came in spectacular fashion when from virtually halfway, Linney executed a superb looping shot which was heading for the net but a desperate Watson back-tracked and just managed to fumble the ball onto the top of his own crossbar for a corner (66 mins).

Altrincham had now weathered the storm and a brilliant long diaginal ball from Osborne soon found Kosylo who earned a corner on the right (68 mins). Just after Linney had gone down with cramp, the two-goal striker was replaced by Reddin on the Alty left (71 nins).

When Baines stretched but failed to intercept a ball up the York right, Akinyemi got behind the back line but Ross did well to get a hand to his low cross, which he pushed away at the second attempt for Banks to complete the clearance (74 mins).

Alty's second substitution comprised Cooper replacing Kosylo and signalled a sensible determination to strengthen the back line rather than seek further goals (77 mins).

Nevertheless, a superb run up the left touchline by Reddin drew a foul from Felix who became the game's only booking for his sins (78 mins).

Next, afine tackle by Jmmes Jones was followd by a York corner, from which Ross saved a York header (82 mins).

Alty made a double change in the 83rd minute as Marriott and Eddy Jones replaced Wilson and Golden, whilst Bickerstaff was also prepared as a fifth change of pesonnel, a swap that was duly made in the 89th minute, completing the permitted five substitutions.

Meanwhile, Ajiboye spooned an effort over the bar just befoe four added minutes were decreed. Alty saw these out with an Akinyemi effort, miles over the bar, the last goalward effort from the visitors (90+4 mins).

This had been an impressive win for Altrincham and the margin had the effect of knocking York off the top place on goal difference whilst prpelling Alty in the play-offs for the first time this season. Curiously it was also the fist time that any team in the current top half of the league had lost to Altrincham.

Linney was the deserving Man of the Match but there had been excellent performances all over the pitch with the defence notably recording its seventh clean sheet in the National League this season.