An Alty side showing five changes from midweek, put in a decent performance against league leaders Barnet but the Bees proved too strong and inflicted a sixth league defeat in seven matches on their hosts.

After 37 minutes Regan Linney had wheeled away in premature celebration when his header came back off the underside of the bar but the ball had not crossed the line.

However, Altrincham could have emerged with a point had Justin Amaluzor and Pasiek not wasted two decent chances in the latter stages with wayward shots from good positions.

The decisive moment came just before the interval when a Tylor Golden challenge on Kanu gave the Bees a freekick near the right corner. Hartigan's freekick was headed goalwards by Browne and came off the underside of the bar before finding the net.

SCORERS:

• 44 mins: Rhys BROWNE (ALTRINCHAM 0 Barnet 1)

Altrincham made five changes. Out of the starters went Pasiek, Crawford, Osborne, Amaluzor and Bickerstaff, with the first four all on the bench instead.

Regan Linney was back from suspension and Tylor Golden returned from injury, whilst Marriott, Wilson and Olson were promoted from the bench. Still missing, injured, were Joe Nuttall, Ollie Crankshaw, Ethan Ross (who is now on crutches, having had his operation), Eddy Jones and James Jones.

Barnet's only change to the eleven was Grimwood replacing Tavares, whilst Okimo joined the bench .

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts and white socks): 26. Rob LAINTON, 2. Lewis BANKS, 5. Jake COOPER, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 31. Charlie OLSON, 22. Tylor GOLDEN, 8. Isaac MARRIOTT, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 19. George WILSON, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY. Subs: 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 17. Luke WEAVER, 21. Caleb ANSEN (gk), 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 32. Kacper PASIEK, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 11. Justin AMALUZOR.

BARNET (Purple shirts with white sleeves, white shorts, black socks) : 13. Owen Evans, 4. Danny Collinge, 8. Rhys Browne, 9. Lee Ndlovu, 10. Callum Stead, 11. Idris Kanu. 15. Ryan Glover, 18. Anthony Hartigan, 21. Billy Clifford, 23. Joe Grimwood, 26. Myles Kenlock. Subs: 40. Giosue Bellagambi, 3. Ben Coker, 12. Harry Chapman, 14. Dom Telford, 17. Zak Brunt, 32. Jordan Cropper, 6. Jerome Okimo.

This match kicked off at 5.30pm to accommodate DAZN who had selected the game as a featured streamed fixture in their schedules. The gate was also boosted by it being Non-League Day, an occasion when there are no Premier League games.

Altrincham were in poor form, having lost four of their five previous league games. They had also exited the FA Trophy in that spell.

In contrast, the Bees were unbeaten in 23 league games and had won their last seven fixtures

The Bees were fortunate to escape relegation in 2020-21 when they finished bottom of the 22-team National League but were not relegated because of the regional feeder league campaigns being abandoned mid-season due to Covid and, therefore, no clubs being qualified to be promoted.

In 2022-23 the Bees finished 18th out of 23 clubs before marked improvements under Dean Brennan which have seen them finish fifth and second in the last two seasons, when they fell only at the play=offs hurdles on both occasions.

Curiously, for the third game running, the opposition have chosen to change ends and oblige Alty to defend the away end in the irst half when, habitually, the Robins have prefereed to attack the Golf Road end in the second half. It seems to have worked as Alty have lost each time!

REPORT:

Having changed ends, Alty kicked off and, within fifteen seconds, Newby was bearing down on the Barnet goal, left of centre, from where he won a corner. With Osborne dropped, Newby took the corners today and this one failed to cause Barnet problems.

In fact, the game got off to a generally lively end-to-end start though it was Altrincham who also gained the afternoon's second corner, this time through Kosylo (7 mins). But it was not long before a Barnet cross from their left had to be helped out beyond the back post by an alert Golden to give the Bees their first flag-kick (10 mins).

Linney was looking energetic after his suspemsion and, now, he almost closed down the Barnet keeper who had come fully 40 yards out of his goal to clear to visit a part of the pitch towards halfway that he was to visit several times during the game in a quasi-sweeper role. At the other end, Browne's low shot was comfortably saved, low down, by Lainton (15 mins).

A foul on Wilson earned Clifford the game's first yellow card (17 mins) before a Kosylo cross gained Altrincham's third corner (18 mins).

Barnet then counter-attacked on the left, with the pacey Glover gaining a Barnet corner, from which Collinge rose to head narrowly wide (20 mins).

A long ball then set Linney advancing at the other end and, from a Kosylo cross a defender stumbled, facing his own goal, and played the ball back to the arms of keeper Evans, the referee not deeming it a back-pass. Play then halted for a facial injury to Olson (22 mins) who, after a stoppage to stem the blood flow, needed to change into the numberless blood shirt.

Not for the first, nor the last time this afternoon, Linney went down theatrically after a 50-50 challenge. He is beginning to get a reputation for overdoing such incidents, with Mr Mulhall playing on here on each such occasion.

Next, Hartigan put Barnet's next corner behind the bye-line as the visitors began to build up pressure twoards the Alty goal (29 mins). Keeper Evans then sat down, supposedly for treatment, to allow the Barnet bench to signal all of their outfield players to come over to the technical area for a tactical talk. This managerial ruse is becoming a regular feature of games (30 mins).

When play resumed, Linney again went down, this time looking vainly for a penalty (36 mins), before Marriott and Banks combined to earn a corner on the right (37 mins).

From this, Linney rose at the back post and headed against the underside of the bar (37 mins). He immediately wheeled away in celebration until he realised that the ball had not crossed the line and that play had continued.

Barnet then applied further pressure and, when Golden fouled Kanu near the right bye-line, a freekick went to the visitors, and Golden was booked. Hartigan's freekick was met by a glancing header from Browne which found the net, deflecting off the underside of the bar (44 mins).

Five added minutes included a slightly late challenge by Wilson which earned him a yellow card (45+2 mins). The half ended with Barnet in control and a goal to the good.

Both sides made a change at the interval, each removing a booked player. Barnet brought on Brunt for Clifford and Altrincham introduced Pasiek at left-back for Golden.

Rain was now pouring down which made an already soft surface even more tricky. Nevertheless, Alty started well and, although the whistle had gone, Kosylo followed through with a shot which hit the bar (47 mins).

Seven minutes into the second half Altrincham changed shape by withdrawing centre-back Cooper and introducing Amaluzor on the right wing (52 mins).

Next, a foul on Linney brought Grimwood a yellow card. From the freekick Newby almost found the incoming Olson at the back post (56 mins). Then a fine run up the left got Pasiek towards the bye-line but he was halted there

Alty's good spell contiued as a ball from the left located Banks and he, in turn, fed Kosylo but he fired well over the bar (58 mins). And another fine run from Pasiek added to the pressure on Barnet but the ball did not quite find Amaluzor at the back post (59 mins).

Play then halted for treatment to Kosylo who had been caught on the head in a challenge (66 mins).

Dean Brennan opted to change things by bringing on Chapman for Browne, midway through the half (67 mins). Phil Parkinson soon followed suit with a double swap as Crawford and Osborne replaced Wilson and Marriott in midfield (70 mins).

After that, Barnet got forward to win a corner which proved fruitless (71 mins) before a downward header from the Bees bounced over the Alty bar (75 mins).

Next, Alty put to good move, started by Crawford and involving Amaluzor and Kosylo, which culminated in a parried save by Evans from which the ball came out to Pasiek who fired disappointingly well over the bar (78 mins).

As the rain continued to fall steadily Kosylo won a corner (84 mins) but, again, nothing came of this. Afterwards, Cropper replaced Kanu for the Bees (86 mins) and they soon won a corner (88 mins). Alty responded with a last-minute corner of their own before four added minutes were announced.

In the 94th minute, Kosylo fed Amaluzor who wasted a great chance to equalize but he shot over the bar. Play now halted for treatment to Grimwood, who was replaced by Okimo (90+5 mins). The final act of note was a booking for Chapman for a foul on Amaluzor (90+6 mins).

Altrincham, despite their injury issues, had given a decent account of themselves but had fallen to a sixth defest in seven league outings, which left them outside the play-offs in ninth position.