Altrincham came from behind and a much improved final half-hour saw them win deservedly to finish third in the Isle of Man Summer Festival of Football.

Adam Adebiyi put the hosts ahead in the fourteenth minute when he got the better of Owen German, who had been again deployed in the back line for the Robins.

The Isle of Man striker's first effort was saved by Hutchinson but the lose ball fell back to the striker who scored from close range.

Despite plenty of possession, Alty scarcely troubled the home keeper before the interval.

Alty had barely threatened again after the break before they were indebted to a headed own-goal by Maitland for an equaliser (58 mins).

Five changes just after the hour mark improved the Altrincham performance and the visitors took the lead when Ward looped in a header from a Banks cross in the 65th minute.

They completed the scoring in the first added minute when James Gale maintained his goal-a-game record with a headed goal from a Raymond and Osborne combination (90+1 mins).

SCORERS:

• 14 min: Adam ADEBIYI (ALTRINCHAM 0 FC Isle of Man 1)
• 58 min: Al MAITLAND (own goal) (ALTRINCHAM 1 FC Isle of Man 1)
• 65 min: Keaton WARD (ALTRINCHAM FC 2 Isle of Man 1)
• 90(+1) min: James GALE (ALTRINCHAM FC 3 Isle of Man 1)

REFEREE: TBC

ATTENDANCE: TBC

TEAM NEWS:

Phil Parkinson had indicated that he would start with more or less the team that finished the previous game; in fact, three players started this game who had also started against Radcliffe some 48 hours earlier (Hutchinson, Golden and Crawford).

Once again, Owen German started in the back line rather than in his customary midfield role.

Also in the back line, captain Lewis Baines made his first appearance of summer, whilst a blistered Olly Crankshaw was deemed fit to start.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Black shirts with yellow stripes, black shorts and white socks): 1. Luke Hutchinson, 12. Owen German, 4. Lewis Baines (c), 3. Lucas Edwards, 20. Tom Crawford, 23. Tylor Golden, 6. Isaac Marriott, 7. Kahrel Reddin, 26. Olly Crankshaw, 18. Matty Kosylo, 8. Jimmy Knowles. Subs: 21. Louie Fallon, 3. Sam Reed, 15. Jake Cooper, 9. James Gale, 19. Keaton Ward, 10. Charlie Kirk, 25. Lewis Banks, 14. Elliot Osborne, 17. Remi Raymond, 15. Joel Bailey and 11. Lucas Weaver.

FC ISLE OF MAN (Pale blue shirts with dark blue trim, dark blue shorts, pale blue socks) Adam Killey, Callum Sherry, Josh Cain, Watson, Al Maitland, Callum Hudgeon, Stephen Whitley (c), Danny Gerrard, Adam Adebiyi, Dean Pinnington, Charlie Higgins. Subs: Ben Wilkinson, Luke Booth, Lucas Watterson, Jamie Cadwallader, Craine, Ellis Dunn, Ben Wosser, Middleton

This was the second of two matches for Altrincham in the Isle of Man Summer Festival of Football. The game was effectively a play-off for third place after Alty had been beaten by Radcliffe in the preceding game..

The 11am kick off was the earliest for Altrincham since a kick-off at the same time in a behind-closed-doors friendly against a Huddersfield Town eleven in August 2021.

REPORT:

On a dull morning, Altrincham kicked off and enjoyed most of the possession in the early stages, with three corners won in the opening eight minutes.

However, there was little threat to the home goal with Crnkshaw's wide effort being as near as the visitors got to a goal (9 mins).

It was not until the twelfth minute that the Ravens got forward meaningfully themselves. They got in a cross which, however, came to nothing. Nevertheless, just after a good run by Reddin had ended in an unconverted cross, a long ball upfield from Caine found Adebiyi.

The Isle of Man striker got the better of German, on the right side of the Alty defence and he shot at goal but Hutchinson saved the effort at his near post.

However, Alty's new keeper could only parry the ball and Adebiyi was able to convert the rebound from close range to give his side the lead against the run of play (14 mins).

Alty responded with a Golden shot from 18 yards which was saved but this was follwed by two corners (21 mins).

Following Golden's pot-shot, Alty failed to land an effort on goal during the rest of the first half as they proved unable to convert possession into anything threatening to the home goal.

Kosylo now got himself booked (38 mins) just before Knowles's mishit earned a fortuitous corner on the left, which like its predeecessors came to nothing (39 mins).

The Isle of Man curiously made a substitution in the first minute of added time as Dunn replaced a presumably injured Gerrard. The half-time whistle sounded soon afterwards.

For the second half, five Alty players stayed on the pitch whilst six were replaced. On came Raymond, Cooper, Reed, Bailey, Banks and goalkeeper Fallon, with only Reddin, Crawford, Marriott, Kosylo and Knowles remaining on the pitch from the starting eleven.

The hosts apparently made no changes. In the early stages, another Alty corner came and went before a home header went wide of the Alty goal (51 mins).

With Alty still failing to create a goal threat they were gifted an equaliser as, following a throw in on the right, a Raymond cross was met by a flying header past his own keeper by Maitland which levelled the score (58 mins).

Three minutes later Altrincham brought on five new men; trialist Kirk plus Osborne, Weaver, Gale and Ward replaced Reddin, Marriott, Kosylo, Crawford and Knowles (61 mins).

Coincidentally or otherwise, Alty soon took the lead as Banks's ball from the right was headed smartly over the keeper by Ward to make it 2-1 (65 mins).

The Isle of Man promptly made three changes with Cain, Pinnington and Higgins giving way to Booth, Wasser and Middleton (66 mins). Alty were now on top and Gale even had the ball in the net but the effirt was deemed to be offside (71 mins).

The Isle of Man now changed their keeper with Ben Wilkinson replacing Killey (72 mins) and, shortly afterwards, Kirk had an opportunity which he hit narrowly wide (76 mins). After an Isle of Man corner had come to nothing, Ward turned smartly before firing well wide from outside the box (84 mins).

Alty continued on top as Banks won a corner off Hudgeon (85 mins) and this was followed by Gale nodding an Osborne feed over the bar (86 mins).

A better chance arose when Weaver smartly got himself free but he blasted his shot well over the bar (87 mins).

However, with the game into the first of three added minutes, Altrincham recycled an advance on the right which culminated in Osborne hooking a Raymond ball into the path of Gale who headed home his third goal in three Altrincham appearances to leave the result a 3-1 win for the visitors (90+1 mins).