It could well be too late but Altrincham's 3-0 win at Halifax at least keeps alive their mathematical chance of reaching the play-offs.

On a poor surface, Altrincham took an early lead when Osborne's fine ball forward was won by Banks, in the air against Galvin, and it fell for the unmarked Bickerstaff whose excellent shot from the right of the box went into the net off the inside of the back post (10 mins). It was the Wrexham loanee's second league goal in 24 appearances for the Robins.

In a first half devoid of much quality, Alty nevertheless looked the better side against a Halifax side which failed to trouble Ansen.

Just before the hour mark Halifax's Leigh was shown a red card after lunging in on Banks (58 mins).

Shortly afterwards, following a corner, Olson's shot was judged to have struck a Halifax hand. From the resulting spot-kick Regan Linney scored comfortably (65 mins).

A smart attacking move yielded a third goal for the visitors when Newby advanced and fed Weaver to his right. His pass located Linney to his left and he duly found the back of the net (73 mins).

The result leaves Alty in ninth place but Gateshead's defeat gives Altrincham a glimmer of hope that they can overhaul them, the Shaymen, or much less likely, Rochdale. However, with Gateshead facing Alty's fellow aspirants for the play offs, Southend United, on the last day of the season the omens are not good.

SCORERS:

• 10 mins: Jake BICKERSTAFF (FC Halifax Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 65 mins: Regan LINNEY (penalty) (FC Halifax Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 73 mins: Regan LINNEY (FC Halifax Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 3)

REFEREE: Mr Oliver Yates

ATTENDANCE: 1,896 (296 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

Thanks to the returns of Ollie Crankshaw and Charlie Olson, Altrincham went into the game with "only" seven players sidelined by injury; Tom Crawford, Justin Amaluzor, Rob Lainton, Eddy Jones, Joe Nuttall, Jake Cooper and Ethan Ross.

Altrincham made four changes for their visit to The Shay. Out went Matty Kosylo (presumably for his own benefit after two red cards against his former employers), Tom Crawford (injured), James Jones and Callum Dolan, the latter duo to the bench.

Into their places came Elliot Osborne, George Wilson, Jake Bickerstaff and Charlie Olson. Lucas Weaver and Ollie Crankshaw came into the squad, on the bench.

Leigh replaced Hoti for the Shaymen in the only change to their starting eleven.

Facing his former employers was Altrincham's Tylor Golden whilst Tom Pugh started for Halifax, having been an Altrincham trialist in 2022.

LINE-UPS:

FC HALIFAX TOWN (All blue): 31. Toby Savin, 20. Jack Jenkins, 16. Josh Emmanuel, 5. Adam Senior (c), 28. Lewis Leigh, 23. Tom Pugh, 11. Angelo Cappello, 3. Ryan Galvin, 10. Jamie Cooke, 9. Luca Thomas, 8. Daniel Nkrumah. Subs: 27. Adam Alimi-Adetoro, 21. Zak Emmerson, 22. Dubem Eze, 12. Nathaniel Ford (gk), 14. Harvey Sutcliffe, 29. Sean Tarima, 26. Owen Bray.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and whits socks): 21. Caleb ANSEN (gk), 2. Lewis BANKS, 31. Charlie OLSON, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 19. George WILSON, 8. Isaac MARRIOTT, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF. Subs: 7. Ollie CRANKSHAW, 16. James JONES, 17. Lucas WEAVER, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 30. Harvey RANDLE (gk), 42. Matt PENNEY, 77. Callum DOLAN

Both sides had been in poor form recently but the Shaymen had a lead of seven points over Altrincham, who started the game in ninth place after earning just five points from their previous ten games. However, the Shaymen's home form was poor and goalscoring was a recurrent problem for them.

REPORT:

The game, played on a worn surface, got off to an uneventful start. The first action of note came in the seventh minute when an excellent ball from Linney found Newby, to the right of goal, from where his chip into the box was comfortably caught by the Halifax keeper.

The hosts responded when Leigh shot narrowly over the bar from 25 yards a minute later.

Next, Osborne's excellent ball forward saw Banks win an aerial challenge with Galvin, the ball reaching the unmarked Bickerstaff to his left.

The striker advanced up the inside-right channel before hitting a well-judged shot across Savin and into the net off the inside of the back post to put his side ahead (10 mins).

Halifax then got forward with ex-Alty trialist Pugh laying a low ball across the box from the right onto which Ansen dived but he did not hold the ball before a team-mate kicked it clear (12 mins).

Soon afterwards, Linney was seen off inside the box, as Alty continued to look the more threatening side going forward. However, after Wilson had lost possession, it was Halifax who earned the next corner (20 mins).

This came to nothing before Baines executed two exemplary clearances 924 mins). Bickerstaff was then harshly booked for an alleged handball, moments after he had also been dubiously penalised for a foul. It was the striker's first booking in his 24 league appearances this season (25 mins).

Halifax were now enjoying a decent spell, with Alty largely on the back foot. Unlike his team-mate Bickerstaff, Linney escaped a card for his second foul of the afternoon (28 mins).

Alty then put together a lengthy passage of possession but Halifax continued to push forward, though Cooke's sliced shot was the nearest to a goal threat (35 mins).

Alty came closer shortly afterwards when Bickerstaff fed the overlapping Banks but, stretching for the ball, he could only poke his effort well over the bar (37 mins).

The visitors maintained the pressure as Wilson and Linney conspired to win a corner. Taken by Osborne the ball came out to Wilson who hit a clean volley but the effort was blocked by a defender (39 mins).

Marriott's trip on Galvin earned him an uncontestable yellow card (40 mins), only for the Alty midfielder almost immediately to become the victim of a foul by Nkruah who was booked (41 mins).

When Emmanuel's well-struck cross hit Golden in the face the Alty man was momentarily downed and a home corner resulted (45 mins). After one added minute the half ended with the lacklustre Shaymen still seeking a first goal at home since 8th March.

After the break, there was a tense moment for Altrincham when Pugh went down under a challenge in the box but play was waved on (48 mins).

It was Pugh who threatened again when he got to the bye-line but Ansen parried away his low cross (52 mins). Thomas then won the first of two successive corners for Halifax (54 mins).

Alty had started the second half slowly and Linney's unconvincing appeal for a penalty when he went down in the box did not help their cause, as he was holding the alleged offender (58 mins).

But, moments later, Leigh's late lunge on Banks left the right-back needing treatment and was judged to be a red-card offence by Mr Yates (58 mins).

Unsurprisingly, Altrincham domnated the next phase of the game against the ten men, winning a freekick and then, through Newby, a corner. This found its way to Olson, just outside the box. His shot was deemed to have been handled by an adjacent defender, Senior, and a fortuitous penalty was awarded.

From the spot Linney sent the keeper the wrong way to make it 0-2 (65 mins).

The hosts immediately brought on Bray for Pugh (66 mins). Next, Banks's foul on Cappello produced a freekick before Marriott lost possession and Cooke got in a long shot at Ansen which he held at the second attempt (70 mins).

Alty made a change, introducing Weaver for Bickerstaff (72 mins), after which Cooke was booked for what seemed to be dissent at the award of a freekick.

Alty now extended their lead, thorugh a well-constructed goal. Newby advanced and fed Weaver to his right. In turn he played a pass, inside, for Linney to slot the ball into the net (73 mins).

Each side made a change in the 77th minute; for Fax, Eze replaced Nkrumah and, for Alty, Marriott gave way to Dolan.

After an Alty corner, James Jones was brought on in place of Olson (81 mins). A minute later Tarima replaced Jenkins and Emmerson came on for Thomas. The changes continued when Cappello gave way to Sutcliffe (82 mins).

As time ticked away, Altrincham gained three successive corners (86 mins) after which Newby gave way to Ollie Crankshaw, who was returning after a long injury lay off (87 mins).

Four added minutes did include a home corner but the hosts never looked like breaking their duck as they turned in another goalless home performance. In the fourth added minute, Weaver's foul on Cooke earned the winger a needless yellow card.

Although the red card and penalty decisions certainly aided Altrincham, the visitors had looked the more threatening side against a largely toothless Halifax side before those incidents.