After a fairly uninspiring first half at Boundary Park, Altrincham led 1-0 at the interval.

Oldham started the game as the better side but without seriously threatening to score, except when Waters got free from an Alty misheader of a long punt upfield by the home keeper. However, Ansen came out well to block the Latics forward.

Alty then grew into the game but their goal owed a lot to Oldham errors. A Golden overlap on the left led to a poor clearing header from Oldham, which came to Newby, who made space before shooting past the keeper. Dennis might have done better to keep it out (41 mins).

After 35 seconds of the second half an excellent curling shot from the edge of the "D" by Linney, from a Bickerstaff feed from the right, made it 0-2.

Micky Mellon made a bold triple substitution, followed by a double substitution, and his side went on to dominate the remainder of the game.

One of the first three players who came on, James Norwood, scored from the left (57 mins) before the second batches of changes was made.

Alty signalled their intent to hold what they had by withdrawing Linney and Newby for Cooper and Taylor, but it took a dreadful error by debutant keeper Ansen to gift the Latics an equaliser as he failed to catch a routine ball from the Oldham left under no pressure. Ex-Alty man Lundstram nodded the fumbled ball into the net (82 mins).

Having been under pressure Alty won a very late freekick which Osborne smashed against the post, to the hosts' relief (90+6 mins).

SCORERS:

• 41 mins: Alex NEWBY (Oldham Athletic 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 46 mins: Regan LINNEY (Oldham Athletic 0 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 57 mins: James NORWOOD Oldham Athletic 1 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 82 mins: Josh LUNDSTRAM (Oldham Athletic 2 ALTRINCHAM 2)

There were three changes to Altrincham's starting line up. The injured Ross was replaced by new loan signing Ansen in goal. On the right-wing, Lucas Weaver dropped to the bench as Justin Amaluzor made his first league start in 14 games.

The third change arose because Joe Nuttall was not allowed to play against his employers so Jake Bickerstaff started up front in his place.

In addition, left-back Eddy Jones, midfielders George Wilson and Isaac Marriott and winger Ollie Crankshaw all missed this game through their continuing injuries

Striker Joe Nuttall was also be unavailable under the terms of his season-long loan from tonight's hosts, whilst Matty Kosylo's second red card, picked up last Saturday, saw him suspended for the second time this season.

Deputy goalkeeper Harvey Randle was also sidelined as he has dislocated fingers. So Ansen and Regan Griffiths were making their league debuts in an Altrincham league squad, whilst Kian Taylor had also yet to start an Altrincham game..

Loanee left-back Kacper Pasiek was also not available having been called back to Preston NE, where he was named on the bench for them last weekend and also tonight

For Elliot Osborne, it was a 150th game in Altrincham colours.

For Oldham, there was also an enforced change of goalkeeper as Jake Dennis started in place of injured Hudson, Yoganathan replaced Pett as a starter and Norwood returned to the bench.

OLDHAM ATHLETIC (All blue) : 13. Jake Dennis, 21. Will Sutton, 16. Charlie Raglan, 34. Jake Leake, 20. Jake Caprice, 3. Mark Kitching, 15. Jordan Rossiter, 22. Matt Worthington, 28. Vimal Yoganathan 18. Billy Waters, 9. Mike Fondop. Subs: 4. Tom Pett, 5. Shaun Hobson, 8. Josh Lundstram, 11. Josh Kay, 29. Joe Pritchard, 35. Scott Maloney (gk), 30. James Norwood

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 21. Caleb ANSEN, 2. Lewis BANKS, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 31. Charlie OLSON, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 11. Justin AMALUZOR, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF. Subs: 5. Jake COOPER, 12. Kian TAYLOR, 16. James JONES, 17. Lucas WEAVER, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 12. Regan GRIFFITHS, 27. Louie FALLON (gk)

Oldham started the game in fourth place whilst Altrincham were seventh.

For Alty this was the first of six away league games in a sequence of seven National League fixtures and they were rocked before kick off by news that goalkeeper Ethan Rosss would be missing the rest of thes season with an ACL injury..

REPORT:

Altrincham kicked off, on a damp night at Boundary Park, but the game got off to a fairly uneventful start with Oldham enjoying more of the forward momentum. The first incident of note came when Bickerstaff was accidentally kicked in the chest by Raglan, who was booked for his challenge (9 mins).

It was not long before Charlie Olson saw his name in the book as well, when he got the wrong side of Fondop who was about to get free some 35 yards from goal (14 mins). The resulting freekick by home debutant Worthington was back-headed out for a corner by Olson himself. When a goalkick resulted after this, an Oldham player escaped a booking for picking up the ball and running off with it.

Having largely been on the back foot, Altrincham finally got forward to some effect as Newby fed Linney who cut in from the left but he fired over the bar (17 mins). The visitors' improvement continued as Amaluzor won his side's first corner (19 mins).

When home keeper Dennis punted the ball upfield after the corner, an Alty misheader saw the ball set Waters free as he ran towards the Altrincham goal, up the middle. But Ansen came out smartly to block his shot (20 mins).

At the other end an Amaluzor effort from 25 yards went wide (22 mins) before good skill from Bickerstaff fed Linney but his progress was blocked by the Owls' defence (26 mins). Alty's decent spell continue as Newby won a corner but the home side was calling for apenalty soon afterwards when Rossiter went down as Amaluzor cleared the ball inside the visitors' box (29 mins).

The sides now exchanged corners, as Caprice won one for the hosts before a Linney shot deflected out for an Altrincham flag-kick (31 mins).

A foul by Osborne on Waters gave Worthington the chance to try and catch our Ansen by hitting the freekick towards the unguarded near post, when a deeper cross was expected, but the Norwich loanee moved across his goal to save the effort (36 mins).

Light rain continued to sweep across the pitch as the overlapping Golden played a one-two with Linney on the left only for Kay to mishead his attempted clearance to Newby. He made himself space before shooting at goal, his shot getting past keeper Dennis when perhaps it should have been stopped. So Alty led 1-0 (41 mins).

Alty held their lead, through one added minute, to half-time.

Despite Oldham kicking off the half, Altrincham had the ball in the back of the Owls' net in just 35 seconds from the restart.

On the right touchline, Amaluzor and Bickerstaff combined for the latter to feed Linney, who was unmarked in the centre some 25 yards from goal. From the edge of the "D" he curled an excellent right-footed shot past the keeper to double Altrincham's lead (46 mins).

It was not long before Oldham responded with a triple substitution, at the smae time as Altrincham brought on Weaver for Amaluzor (52 mins). The home changes comprised Norwood for Waters (52 mins), Pett for Worthington and Lundstram for Yoganathan (53 mins).

After Oldham had seen a corner come to nothing, Fondop fed Norwood, to his left. The striker, returning from injury, drove a low shot across Ansen into the far corner of the net to make it 1-2 (57 mins).

Soon after the re-start, Linney picked up his ninth league booking of the season for tugging on the lively Caprice's shirt (58 mins).

Just after the hour mark Linney and Newby got the ball to Banks but his shot at goal ran tamely to the home keeper (61 mins).

Oldham burned their boats by competing their five substitutions as early as the 69th minute when Kay replaced Kitching and Rossiter gave way to Pritchard, who was making his home debut.

Oldham were now on top and Alty were largely on the back foot. Phil Parkinson responded to the situation by taking off his strike-force of Newby and Linney to bring on centre-back Cooper (73 mins) and midfielder Taylor (74 mins), signalling a potential rearguard action for the remainder of the evening.

When Caprice then responded to a challenge by Golden by forcibly pushing over the Alty left-back he escaped sanction from the referee (77 mins).

After Bickerstaff had won a corner, a home defender headed off the line before the hosts won themselves a corner of their own (79 mins).

Disaster struck for Altrincham's debutant teenage keeper from Norwich City when a fairly routine ball from the Oldham left slipped through Ansen's gloves at head-height and continued its trajectory for Lundstram to nod into the net against his former club (82 mins).

Play now became largely towards the Alty end and, after Golden had been booked for a foul on Caprice, Raglan should have netted but fired wide (86 mins). After an Oldham corner, a downward header by Fondop was well saved by Ansen who shovelled the ball away at the base of his left upright (87 mins).

The pressure continued as Sutton fired over the bar (88 mins) and Lundstram won a corner (90 mins). A long throw soon followed, its trajectory aided once again by a ballboy who provided a towel for the Oldham thrower. A sliced kick by Weaver, who was kept quiet thruughout the second half, gave Oldham an added-time corner (90+1 mins).

Five added minutes included a booking for Jake Cooper's foul on Caprice before there was late drama.

Taylor got forward to win a freekick for Altrincham against Sutton, on the edge of the "D". Osborne struck a fine freekick which beat the keeper but smacked against his left upright to safety. The final whistle sounded immediately afterwards to leave Altrincham rueing their loss of a two-goal lead (90+6 mins).

Nevertheless a point earned at the ground of the fourth-placed club in the National League was a decent outcome but it left Altrincham still seeking an away league win this season against any team currently in the top fourteen of the National League table.