This was a match which Altrincham looked set to win after a dominant first-half against a misfiring Eastleigh.

Following a good start by Altrincham, James Gale (right) netted off the bar in the 20th minute to give the visitors the lead. The Robins should have been ahead by more than that one-goal lead at the interval on the balance of play.

And they paid the price for not adding to their lead as Eastleigh netted twice in three minutes soon after the break.

Firstly, Eastleigh levelled just three minutes into the second half. Interval substitute Saunders laid on the goal for Evans to sidefoot a leveller (48 mins).

Then, the Spitfires took the lead soon afterwards when a left-wing cross was headed in from close range by Saunders with Hutchinson, on his line, unable to stop it (51 mins).

After that, Eastleigh were largely comfortable, despite Altrincham deploying three of their substitutes.

SCORERS:

• 20 mins: James GALE (Eastleigh 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 48 mins: Kieron EVANS (Eastleigh 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 51 mins: HARVEY SAUNDERS (Eastleigh 2 ALTRINCHAM 1)

REFEREE: Mr Ross Martin

ATTENDANCE: 2,450

TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham made one change, presumably enforced, as formerly ever-present defender Tylor Golden dropped out of the squad and was replaced by loanee Sam Barnes.

Good news was that Lewis Baines made his first appearance in a matchday squad this season.

For Eastleigh, Josh Lundstram was out with a hamstring injury. Luis Fernandez dropped out of the squad and captain Jake Taylor moved to the bench. Paul McCallum remained suspended as Academy forward Barney Stone joined the squad.

Into the Spitfires eleven came Holzman and Massiah-Edwards.

LINE-UPS:

EASTLEIGH (Blue shirts and socks and white shorts): 1. Nick Townsend, 2. Richard Brindley, 6. Temi Eweka, 16. Aaron Pierre, 27. Archie Harris, 24. Jordan Cousins (c), 7. Kieron Evans, 14. Zavier Massiah-Edwards 18. Angel Waruih, 23. Louie Holzman, 11. Aaron Blair. Subs: 8. Jake Taylor 34. Freddie Ingram, 30. Connor Underhill, 21. Sonnie Davis, 22. Josh McNamara, 19 Harvey Saunders, 40 Barney Stone.

ALTRINCHAM (Black and yellow shirts, yellow shorts and socks): 30 Luke Hutchinson, 2 Lewis Banks (c), 34. Dan Sassi, 3 Sam Reed, 24. Sam Barnes, 8 Isaac Marriott, 22. Tom Crawford, 11. Jimmy Knowles, 20 Kahrel Reddin, 10 Keaton Ward, 9 James Gale. Subs: 4. Lewis Baines, 14 Matty Kosylo, 16 Remi Raymond, 6. Elliot Osborne, 17. Lucas Weaver, 27 Louie Fallon, 40 Charlie Kirk.

The gate was boosted by a £3 admission scheme, as two teams who had made indifferent starts to the season met on a wet and breezy afternoon.

REPORT:

Kahrel Reddin got the game under way and, after a fairly quiet opening, it was Altrincham who settled the better and won the first corner of the match (6 mins).

A second corner arrived five minutes later, again taken by Ward, as Altrincham enjoyed plenty of possession against an initially disappointing Eastleigh.

The Robins got their reward after Reddin had played the ball into the box. It found its way to Marriott whose shot was well saved by Townsend.

However the home keeper could only push the ball out to Gale who pounced to open his Altrincham account with a rising shot from close range (20 mins).

Kahrel Reddin was continuing to test the home defence with his trademark speedy runs up the wing but Altrincham were unable to create a clear chance to double their lead as the game passed the half-hour mark.

Shortly afterwards, Gale was unable to convert a decent chance as Pierre did enough to hinder him (34 mins).

On the counter-attack Eastleigh finally earned a corner, after which Eweka was injured and had to be replaced by Davis (38 mins)

Another chance to add to Alty's lead presented itself as half-time approached. But Banks's shot was saved, as was a follow-up (42 mins).

With his shirt being held, yet again, Gale raised his foot to get in a shot but he caught the head of Holzman accidentally and was duly booked fow a worryingly fourth time this season (44 mins).

Six added minutes were decreed and, after Barnes had dallied over the ball at a goalkick, it was keeper Hutchinson rather than the defender, harshly, who was the recipient of the referee's yellow card for timewasting (45+2 mins).

Altrincham again failed to convert a chance to score when the hosts allowed the ball to bounce in their penalty area but Ward's effort was headed off the line.

The half-chances continued as Banks won a corner from which Sassi, at the back post, volleyed an effort which grazed the post (45+3 mins).

The chances kept coming to the very end of added time as a Banks lob only just cleared the bar to land on the roof of the net (45+6 mins).

Half=time finally arrived soon afterwards with Altrincham deservedly ahead but only by a single goal, despite having been comfortably the better team in the first half.

Eastleigh brought on new signing Saunders at the break, in place of Edwards.

However, the hosts soon got themselves in a mess following a Ward freekick, which led to an Altrincham corner (47 mins).

After Ward's corner had been delivered too high, Eastleigh counter-attacked through Saunders, a Tranmere loanee. He played an excellent low cross which the advancing Evans side-footed into the net from close range to level the score, a situation which was totally counter to the imbalance of the game thus far (48 mins)

Alty replied with a Banks shot which was saved before the Spitfires stunned Alty by taking the lead. Again it was a cross from the left which undid Alty with Blair's cross being headed home by Saunders (51 mins).

Alty initially responded positively with a corner being won and with Reddin getting forward several times before the hour mark at which point another corner was earned.

At the midway point of the half Kirk replaced Gale (66 mins) as Alty's energy levels began to ebb. Sassi was now booked (67 mins) as play became scrappy and the energy levels reduced.

Taylor replaced Waruih (70 mins) followed by Osborne coming on for Marriott a minute later.

Nevertheless a chance did present itself but Kirk hit his shot tamely to the keeper (79 mins).

Time ticked into the final minutes as Alty failed to raise their game to their first-half levels. Five added minutes were announced in which Reed shot straight at the keeper (90+3 mins) in what proved to be Alty's last decent chance (90+3 mins).

Indeed it could have got worse as Pierre got the better of Sassi only for Hutchinson to save well with his legs.

It was Eastleigh who won the match's last corner before the final whistle confirmed a hugely disappointing outcome for Altrincham against a less than overwhelming Eastleigh side.

Alty dropped to 16th after four defeats in six outings this season but this was a match they should have won given their first-half superiority.