In an entertaining first half, Altrincham took a nineteenth-minute lead when Reddin, who again had a fine first half but a quieter second, crossed from the right where Ward finished impressively with a shot which went in from the outer reaches of the box.

Dale equalised after a spell of pressure comprising three successive corners. The ball came out to Allarakhia and he curled a fine, rising shot from twenty yards into the upper reaches of the net to Hutchinson's left (35 mins).

What proved to be the winner arrived on the hour mark when Allarakhia's ball from the left deflected off Golden's foot and looped over Hutchinson into the far corner.

It was a fortuitous goal and prompted Dale to do little more than protect their lead in a stop-start final half an hour, riddled by substitutions, injuries (genuine and dubious) and an increasingly feisty atmosphere. For the second week running Alty accumulated five yellow cards.

Alty's second-half substitutes brought little to the game, though, in a very rare opportunity for the visitors, Weaver should have done better with a one-on-one with the keeper in the 83rd minute.

SCORERS:

• 19 mins: Keaton WARD (Rochdale 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 35 mins: Tarryn ALLARAKHIA (Rochdale 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 60 mins: Tyler GOLDEN (own goal) (Rochdale 2 ALTRINCHAM 1)

REFEREE: Mr Will Davis

ATTENDANCE: 2,940

TEAM NEWS:

For this game, the Robins remained bedevilled by defensive injuries. Baines, Cooper and Sass-Davies all missed the opening fixture last week and all remained missing today.

The club had bolstered their resources with two new centre-backs signed in the past week, loanee Dan Sassi and former Barrow man Sam Barnes; the former started again but the latter was on the bench where he surprisingly replaced Osborne who, it later emerged, was injured.

The only change to the starters saw Knowles come in, with Crankshaw dropping to the bench.

For Rochdale, Allarakhia for Pritchard was the only change to the starting eleven.

LINE-UPS:

ROCHDALE (All blue): 1. Oliver Whatmuff, 2. Kyron Gordon, 4. Ryan East, 6. Ethan Ebanks-Landell (c), 7. Tarryn Allarakhia, 8. Harvey Gilmour, 9. Emmanuel Dieseruvwe, 10. Devante Rodney, 14. Tobi Adebayo-Rowling, 18. Aidan Barlow, 33. Sam Beckwith. Subs: 3. David Tutonda, 5. Liam Hogan, 12. Levi Amantchi, 16. Casey Pettit, 17. Joe Pritchard, 22. Dan Moss, 40. Ian Henderson.

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with narrow white stripes, black shorts and white socks): 30 Luke Hutchinson, 23 Tylor Golden, 34. Dan Sassi, 2 Lewis Banks (c), 3 Sam Reed, 8 Isaac Marriott, 22. Tom Crawford, 20 Kahrel Reddin, 11 Jimmy Knowles, 10 Keaton Ward, 9 James Gale. Subs: 14 Matty Kosylo, 16 Remi Raymond, 17 Lucas Weaver, 27 Louie Fallon, 40 Charlie Kirk, 24. Sam Barnes 7. Olly Crankshaw.

Altrincham's first away fixture of the season took them to Rochdale for a lunchtime clash, streamed live by the DAZN service. Surprisingly, Altrincham wore their home kit.

This match had been brought forward to 12.30pm to facilitate streaming by DAZN. Both teams had won their opening fixture of the new season.

Spotland had not been a happy place for Altrincham since the Dale's relegation. Successive 3-0 reverses in league matches and a 2-0 defeat in the FA Trophy last season added up to a poor record.

REPORT:

On a warm and bright afternoon the hosts kicked off but Altrincham started the better before Allarakhia's cross won the contest's first corner (7 mins). With Hutchinson remaining on his line, the corner from the left was headed against the upright at the back post by a combination of Dieseruvwe and Crawford (8 mins).

It was ten minutes before Altrincham responded with a corner of their own, won by Golden on the right. Nothing came of Ward's corner but then Sassi initiated a move through which Crawford got the ball to the lively Reddin on the right. He turned smartly and got in a cross which came to Ward.

Alty's number ten struck the ball impessively past the keeper from the outer reaches of the box and into the far corner of the net from the left of the outer reaches of the box. So Alty, who had been the better side at this stage, led (19 mins).

Reddin was causing problems to the left of the Dale defence but then Hutchinson came out to smother a ball on the left edge of his box. As he gathered the ball, he was in danger of sliding and handling the ball outside the box. So, he had to let go of the ball. Though Rochdale then managed to get the ball it was soon nestling in the young keeper's arms from a tame shot (24 mins).

Altrincham were looking quite comfortable, despite home appeals from the manager for a penalty when Dieseruvwe went down under Banks's challenge (28 mins).

< Soon Altrincham threatened again as Reddin once more ran into the box but his shot flew across goal,just wide of the back post (31 mins). However, in defence, Altrincham were looking less assured as their young loanee keeper Hutchinson again found touch after a couple of earlier similarily misdirected punts.

Gale was now bookedfor felling East, his second card in two outings (33 mins).

But Rochdale now got the upper hand and won three corners in succession. From the first, won off an assiuously back-tracking Reddin, Hutchinson again remained on his line. The third corner was half-cleared and played along the front of the Alty box where Allarakhia latched on to it and fired an excellent curling shot into the upper reaches of the net from 20 yards (35 mins).

After this equakiser, Sassi gae the ball away which put Alty on the back foot again (37 mins) but there was no threat of a further goal at either end as the 45th minute approached.

Then, from a Sassi backpass, Hutchinson once again kicked straight into touch (45 mins).

Although the keeper then made a routine save from Rodney (45+1 mins) there was still time for Hutchinson, once more, to kick a ball into touch (45+2 mins).

No changes wree made at the break, during which the pitch was watered.

The hosts started the better and it needed Banks to clear off the line after an intial clearance by Sassi had come out to Allarakhia (51 mins).

And the hosts soon threatened again as Allarakhia got past Golden before flashing a shot across the face of goal (53 mins).

After Gale had won a corner, which came to nothing the home pressure resumed meaning that Hutchinson had to field a Dieseruvwe effort (54 mins).

Ward now picked up a booking for a foul challenge (55 mins) before Knowles, not for the first time, got back to help out his defence.

What was to prove to be the winner arrived on the hour and it was fortuitous, as Allarakhia sent a ball in from the left which was diverted off Golden's foot, the ball looping over Hutchinson into the far corner to make it 2-1.

Alty then saw Marriott fire high and wide (63 mins) before good work on the left by Knowles gave Gale a stab at the ball which he put wide of the near post (65 mins). At the other end, Dieseruvwe swung and missed at a chance that he should have converted.

Crawford's late challenge on East earned him a booking before substitutions saw Tutonda replace Allarakhia (71 mins) and for Alty, Crankshaw and Kirk replaced Ward and Gale respectively (72 mins).

Rochdale seemed content to spin out the game and they were helped by further changes for both sides. Pritchard replaced Barlow and Alty's Weaver came on for Reddin, whose influence on the game had dininished after his impressive start (76 mins).

There was little suggestive of an Alty equaliser at this stage and they now introduced Kosylo for Marriott who applied an ice-pack to his thigh after leaving the pitch (79 mins).

After yet another kick into the stand by Hutchinson (80 mins), Altrincham fashioned a rare second-half chance as Weaver was played in on the keeper. But the winger's finishing was not good enough and the keeper blocked his effort (83 mins).

Amantchi now replaced Rodney (85 mins) and also Pettit came on for East (86 mins), changes which broke up play again. A Rochdale staff member was then shown a red card as the ninety-minutes concluded, the Dale's teenage keeper seemed to be flirting with the edge of his area as he punched clear.

Seven added minutes were decreed in which Alty belatedly got forward with a bit more intent. A final change saw Remi Raymond come on for his league debut replacing Knowles (90+2 mins).

There was then a mass brawl in midfield after which Sassi, Reed and Dieseruvwe were all booked (90+5 mins). Next, Hutchinson threw the ball out to Pritchard who got past Reed on the right but his cross came to nothing (90+7 mins).

Alty's final effort was a Reed shot, following a Crawford long throw, but the effort was blocked and Alty had lost again at Spotland.