For the second time this season Forest Green Rovers caused heartbreak to Altrincham supporters with an added-time goal. They had won the reverse fixture with a 95th minute goal and they retrieved a point here with a scrappy 94th minute equaliser poked in by substitute Christian Doidge.

Earlier Altrincham had gone ahead through a Joe Nuttall effort after only eleven minutes and they deservedly held the lead before late pressure from the visitors paid off.

After the match Phil Parkinson told Alty TV he was "devastated" to have conceded at the end and therefore only draw the match, adding that FGR "have got away with one there".

The equaliser dropped Altrincham to seventh position.

SCORERS:

• 11 mins: Joe NUTTALL (ALTRINCHAM 1 Forest Green Rovers 0)
• 90(+4) mins: Christian DOIDGE (ALTRINCHAM 1 Forest Green Rovers 1)

Altrincham made one change as Crankshaw replaced Weaver on the right wing. Isaac Marriott, Eddie Jones and George Wilson were sidelined by injury but also not in the squad were James Jones and Kahrel Reddin for unknown reasons. Matty Kosylo returned from suspension to occupy a place on the bench, where Owen German was also recalled.

There was a return to the warm-up, but not the teamsheet, for Justin Amaluzor, who appeared to have loat some weight during his lay-off.

As for FGR, there were four change as Osadebe, Cardwell, Knowles and debutant Harries all started with Garrick, Tozer, Doidge and Bunker dropped to the bench.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 31. Charlie OLSON, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 7. Ollie CRANKSHAW, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY, 24. Joe NUTTALL. Subs: 5. Jake COOPER, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 17. Lucas WEAVER, 18. Owen GERMAN, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF, 30 Harvey RANDLE (gk), 32. Casper PASIEK

FOREST GREEN ROVERS (All green): 1. Jed Ward, 17. Jamie Robson, 5. Ryan Inniss (c), 6. Emmanuel Osadebe, 3. Sean Long, 19. Adam May, 10. Liam Sercombe, 11. Tom Knowles, 7. Kyle McAllister, 26. Cian Harries, 23. Harry Cardwell. Subs: 4. Ben Tozer, 9. Christian Doidge, 16. Harvey Bunker, 25. Luke McCormick, 22. Joe Quigley, 24. Jordon Garrick, 20. Jamie Searle (gk)

Forest Green Rovers arrived top of the National League and sixteen games unbeaten in that division, having earned 34 points over that period. However, twelve of those sixteen games had been at home and seven, of the sixteen-match sequence had ended in draws.

Altrincham, too, were in good form and though they had "only" earned 29 points in their last 16 fixtures, eight of which were away matches, all three of their losses in that sequence had been on the road

REPORT:

In bright sunshine, the game started several minutes late apparently for no good reason other than that the referee failed to get the teams onto the pitch in time. The big-screen timer was even slower off the mark, not starting until the game was some two minutes old.

That lapse was to prove unfortunate as the crowd had been asked before the game to applaud when the 20th minute showed on the screen. This was a gesture in memory of former player Jordan Sinnott who had been killed five years ago.

Jordan had worn the number 20 shirt but the respectful clapping actually took place in the 22nd minute.

Just before FGR kicked off towards Golf Road and looking into the sun, Elliot Osborne was involved in detailed touchline discussions with Phil Parkinson about some late tactical instruction, it seemed.

Alty started brightly, being caught offside inside the first minute. A foul by Osadebe on Olson earned the FGR man an early yellow card (7th minute). A minute later Crankshaw, making only his second league start of the season, had a shot blocked (8 mins).

The hosts took an eleventh-minute lead when Crawford fed Newby and he, in turn, found Nuttall, who controlled the ball well. The striker then seemed to slightly miskick his effort into the ground but it found the far side of the net to the keeper's right. It was the loanee striker's second league goal in his 18th league appearance.

For the visitors, Knowles found the side-netting soon afterwards (12 mins)

Players from both sides took advantage of treatment for McAllister to have a tactical discussion with their technical area staff (18 mins)

For Alty, Regan Linney was decidedly subdued as the game went into its second quarter but Altrincham were comfortable with their lead and, in goal, Ross had not been troubled.

At the other end a slick Altrincham move saw Osborne feed Crankshaw, who won his side a corner (28 mins).

When another promising move was disrupted by a clear foul on Newby, as he got clear just outside the box, the referee allowed "play on" when a freekick would have been more helpful to Altrincham. To his credit, howeer, Mr Morland did go back some time later to book the cynical offender, May (32 mins).

After Linney had skied an effort over the bar, Crankshaw fed Nuttall, whose shot gained a corner (39 mins). After this Linney went down unconvincingly inside the box and was rightly not rewarded with a penalty (40 mins).

FGR were limited in their threat to a freekick some 25 yards out but this was wasted (43 mins). After two added minutes, half-time arrived with Altrincham deservedly ahead against an FGR side which did not look like potential champions.

The floodlights came on for the start of the second half though; initially they were hardly necessary as the sun continued to shine. The first incident of note was a trip on Newby on the edge of the box which went unpunished by Mr Morland (48 mins).

Altrincham continued to look the better side and it took a fine flying save, to his left, by Ward, to keep out a well-struck freekick by Newby (55 mins). Moments later Linney threatened inside the visitors' box as he cut in from the left. His shot towards the near post seemed almost to be caught by a defender but he was given the benefit of the doubt (56 mins).

Alty continued to set the pace by winning a corner, through Newby, from which a Nuttall header dropped to the keeper.

Another Alty corner arrived just before the hour mark, produced by a fine run by Newby. Then a Linney effort hit the post (59 mins). A routine tackle by Crankshaw was then, not only penalised, but saw the Alty man absurdly booked (61 mins).

The best that FGR could muster at this stage was a shot which went wide (61 mins).

Midway through the half, Weaver came on for Crankshaw whose 67 minutes had been the most that he had played in the league this season after his ACL injury.

FGR made a triple change in the 70th minute as Quigley, Doidge and Garrick replaced Knowles, Cardwell and Long.

The changes were to prompt an improvement in the visitors' forward momentum, though a deflected shot by Sercombe which ran to Ross was the most threatening action for some time from the visitors (75 mins).

Osborne was then booked in strange circumstances as he moved a freekick a couple of feet to the right near the halfway line on the left. Whereas goalkeeper Ross had twice been warned, without further sanction, about taking his kicks slowly, the midfielder was shown no mercy by Mr Morland (76 mins).

Quigley then threatened after gatting the better of Baines before a clever effort by Doidge just cleared the bar (78 mins). However, after a run by Weaver, Crawford got along the bye-line to win a home corner and relieve soime of the building momentum from the visitors (80 mins).

But soon a FGR freekick induced Alty to bring back all ten outfield players. And when, shortly afterwards, Alty removed both of their top scorers, Linney and Newby, and replaced them by Cooper and Kosylo, it signalled a change of momentum in favour of the visitors (84 mins).

As time ticked by, Osadebe hurt himself in conceding a foul against Golden. After a stoppage for his treatment, Tozer replaced the injured man (90 mins). Five added minutes were decreed.

FGR continued to go forward and Ross had to save a low twenty-yarder from Sercombe at the second attempt (90+3 mins). But the Alty goal was finally breeched when a goalmouth scramble saw a couple of efforts blocked before Doidge bundled the ball over the line at Ross's left-hand upright (90+4 mins).

There was a moment of light relied after this when Tozer leant back to wind himself up for a long throw, only for a young supporter on the Popular Side to knock the ball out of his hands

Before the final whistle sounded, Kosylo got himself booked (90+5 mins).

So, the visitors had gained a point that they scarcely deserved having been second best until the cllsing stages. Had the two fixtures against FGR this season ended on ninety monutes Alty would have earned four points; instead theyhave had to settle for a single point due to late added-tie gaols in both encounters.