With 83 minutes on the clock Altrincham were leading 2-0 and heading comfortably for the First Round Proper of the Emirates FA Cup. At this point they made a quadruple substitution. On came the two new loanees Waters and Hinchy for their home debuts, as well as Reed and Ward. Off went Gale, Marriott, Golden and Osborne.

It took nearly two minutes to complete the changes as Harborough also made a swap. When play resumed, Waters almost immediately fouled the lively Arlott-John and was booked, just as quickly as he had been on his debut last Saturday, when he also saw yellow immediately after coming on from the bench, with dissent his offence on that occasion.

Following Kelly-Evans's freekick, Hutchinson had to make a good reaction save but the ball was not cleared and Kennedy nodded home to make it 2-1 (87 mins).

Buoyed by their goal, the Leicestershire side went for an equaliser. The announcement of eight added minutes gave them even more impetus as they were roared on by nearly 300 travelling supporters.

As that added time neared its end, Alty goalkeeper Hutchinson was hurt after flapping away a Harborough corner, another corner being the outcome. After lengthy treatment for Hutchinson and with Harborough's own keeper in the Alty box, the hosts failed to clear this second corner and Bees substitute, Putman, stepped in to make it 2-2 with the 100th minute starting to tick on the clock.

Cue mass celebrations for the Harborough team and the spectators before two more minutes were played which left the scores level, and a replay on Tuesday needed.

Earlier in the afternoon the game had started five minutes late after some farcicial scenes to repair a hole in the net at the Golf Road.

Altrincham gradually dominated the first half before Golden's advance on the left, aided by a ricochet, laid on a close-range goal for home Man of the Match, Reddin (38 mins). And when that lead was doubled by Knowles in the 50th minute, with Marriott instrumental in the build up, the outcome seemed to be settled. But it was not.

SCORERS:

• 38 mins: Kahrel REDDIN (ALTRINCHAM 1 Harborough Town 0)
• 50 mins: Jimmy KNOWLES (ALTRINCHAM 2 Harborough Town 0)
• 87 mins: Connor KENNEDY (ALTRINCHAM 2 Harborough Town 1)
• 90(+10) mins: Elliot PUTNAM (ALTRINCHAM 2 Harborough Town 2)

REFEREE: Mr Jamie O'Connor

ATTENDANCE: 1,812 (293 in awy section)

TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham had gradually increased their selection options in recent weeks as their four recently suspended players (Weaver, Crawford, Golden and, today, Reddin), were now available for selection.

However, Weaver was omitted from the squad as was fellow winger Kirk, and Matty Kosylo.

Also still missing from the squad were injured goalkeeper Ethan Ross and centre-back duo Billy Sass-Davies and Jake Cooper; none of the trio has kicked a ball in anger this season.

New rules mean they can still play for those clubs later in the FA Cup competition Proper despite appearing for Altrincham in a Preliminary Round.

From their last match Reed was dropped to the bench to accommodate the return of Reddin, and Osborne was restored to the starters in place of Hinchy

Harborough's only change saw the experienced Danny Newton replace Changunda at number 11.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white pinstripes, black shorts and white socks): 30 Luke Hutchinson, 2. Lewis Banks, 34. Dan Sassi, 4. Lewis Baines, 23. Tylor Golden 22. Tom Crawford, 6. Elliot Osborne, 8 Isaac Marriott, 20. Kahrel Reddin 11. Jimmy Knowles, 9. James Gale. Subs: 3. Sam Reed, 7. Olly Crankshaw, 10. Keaton Ward, 21. Jack Hinchy, 24. Sam Barnes, 27. Louie Fallon (gk), 29. Billy Waters.

HARBOROUGH TOWN (All yellow): 1. Elliott Taylor, 2. George Carline, 3. Josh Walsh, 4. Liam Dolman, 5. Connor Kennedy (c), 6. Alex Morris, 7. Devon Kelly-Evans, 8. Brady Hickey, 9. Riley O'Sullivan, 10. Ben Stephens, 11. Danny Newton, Subs: 12.Dempsey Arlott-John, 14. Andre Changunda, 15. Paul Malone, 16. Elliot Putman. 17. Luis Rose, 18. James Taylor, 19. Ben Williams

This was the first meeting of the two clubs and, before kick-off, it had the potential for an upset. Whereas Altrincham had not won any of their last six games (five defeats and one draw), Harborough were unbeaten in their league and had just progressed to the Fourth Round Qualifying of the Isuzu FA Trophy.

Harborough had reached Round Two last season where they were narrowly beaten at League One Reading, only losing 5-3 after extra time.

Alty's recent record at this stage of the FA Cup was execrable, four defeats in the last five years.

There was a five-minute delay to the start of this game when a gap was detected between the top of the net and the crossbar at the Golf Road end.

The attempts to repair it bordered on the farcical as no one could reach the gap even on tiptoe; attempts to reach the problem area were made by one man being lifted up and standing on another's hands and then by the intervention of the tall Dan Sassi, before a plastic chair was found to facilitate access.

For the visiting supporters from two levels lower than the National League, the situation, allied to the lack of alcohol for them, gave ample ammunition for chants of "sh*t ground, no beer".

REPORT:

When the game finally got underway, with Altrincham attacking the away end, Reddin was soon causing the visitors problems and won a freekick (10 mins). Golden's freekick, low to Banks, saw the Alty defender lift his shot disappointingly over the bar from about six yards (11 mins).

When Reddin and Stephens ended up on the deck in front of the dugouts as they fought for the ball, the Alty man accidentally caught the Harborough player as he got up. Stephens yelled and acted as if he had been shot with Mr O'Connor rightly unimpressed by his theatrical overacting.

Stephens then gave the main stand a protracted view of more of his seemingly unmarked upper thigh than the decent folk of a Cheshire market town would wish to see as he hammed up his outrage at not winning a freekick. This performance elicited the derision of the home spectators.

What with this episode and the earlier net-repair saga, it was in danger of turning into an afternoon of pantomime.

Thankfully, play became a more honest encounter thereafter as Altrincham soon won two corners in succession, From the first, won by Knowles, it took a goal-line scramble for the Bees to clear the danger (16 mins).

From the second corner, also taken by Osborne, Sassi's header was saved by Taylor. With Alty getting on top, Baines then badly sliced an effort well wide from 15 yards (18 mins).

But although Altrincham enjoyed plenty of possession in the succeeding minutes they posed no real goal-threat before a fine dribble by Reddin led to a corner (28 mins).

Though Knowles was clearly held in the box from this corner, no foul was discerned by the referee.

Next, a Crawford cross afforded Gale an opportunity from six yards but poor control let the striker down (29 mins).

Knowles won another corner soon afterwards before Stephens again tried to buy a cheap freekick with an exaggerated reaction to which Mr O'Connor again failed to succumb (32 mins).

Alty continued on top as a Gale 25-yarder narrowly cleared the bar (34 mins) but then Osborne gave away possession allowing Newton a shot from distance which also cleared the bar (35 mins).

Finally, Alty's pressure was rewarded as, aided by Marriott and a ricochet, Golden got to the left bye-line from where his lay-off was converted from close range by Reddin to give Altrincham the lead (38 mins)

Harborough responded with a shot, narrowly wide (40 mins). As half-time approached an impressive run by Knowles ended with him, too, firing over the bar.

In the single minute of added time decreed, Alty won a corner through Reddin but the whistle was blown before they could take it.

Alty started on top as Tom Crawford won his side an early corner and a Reddin dribble produced a second corner minutes later (49 mins).

Following the corner, Marriott's cross from the right was converted by Knowles towards the back post to make it 2-0 (50 mins).

Harborough responded with a four-man substitution as Putman, Arlott-John, Changunda and Malone came on for Hickey, O'Sullivan, Stephens and Newton respectively (56 mins).

Arlott-John immediately won his side a corner and was to prove a threat on the right-wing for the rest of the game (57 mins).

But before the corner could be taken, goalkeeper Hutchinson sat down in what seemed to be one of those increasingly used managerial ploys to gain a "time-out" to deliver a tactical talk. That was certainly what the away supporters behind his goal seemed to think was happening anyway (58 mins).

More good work from Knowles led to the ball coming to Gale but, not for the first time, his touch was poor and the chance had gone (61 mins). However, the striker made amends moments later when much better control allowed him a shot which flew narrowly wide (61 mins).

It was Knowles again who now won Alty a corner (62 mins) after which Sassi had a shot blocked before Marriott hit a 25-yarder over the bar as Alty's wayward shooting continued (63 mins).

Next, Arlott-John's impressive dribble seemed to have set up Changunda but a corner rather tha goal was the outcome. From the corner Hutchinson made a good stop, a rare bit of action for the young keeper as the visitors reacted well to the challenge of their two-goal deficit (67 mins).

After a stoppage for treatment, Reddin was replaced on the right wing by Crankshaw (72 mins).

Carline's long throws were a feature of the game and, this time, the projectile allowed Malone a shot which deflected wide (75 mins).

But though Harborough were not out of the game, Alty looked quite comfortable as the game approached its final five minutes.

At this point Phil Parkinson opted to make a quadruple substitution to see the game out. Home debutants Waters and Hinchy replaced Gale and Osborne respectively whilst Ward and Reed also joined the game in place of Marriott and Golden (83-84 mins).

Before play resumed Rose came on for Harborough's Walsh (85 mins).

Waters almost immediately fouled the tricky Arlott-John and got himself booked, emulating his speedy yellow card on his away debut the previous Saturday when he talked his way into the book moments after leaving the bench to join the game.

It was to prove a doubly costly foul as the card was followed by a goal for the visitors.

From the right, Kelly-Evans's freekick led to a smart save by Hutchinson but the ball then found its way to Kennedy who nodded it into the net to make it 2-1 (87 mins).

The referee computed eight added minutes which gave the visitors and their supporters an added lift.

Six minutes into that period, Arlott-John won a corner (90+6 mins). Taken from the right by Kelly-Evans, Hutchinson was only able to push the ball away and he ended up in the back of his net, with the award of a second corner being the outcome. Protracted treatment was needed for the keeper who seemd to have taken a knock to the side of his head.

When the delayted corner was taken Alty struggled to clear it and it fell for Putman to poke into the net. There were delirious scenes behind the goal with notonly the players on the pitch but the majority of the Harborough bench also racing sixty yards to celebrate with their fans (90+10 mins). The scorer was booked for his celebration.

So Alty had thrown away a two-goal lead and now face a tricky replay in Leicestershire as their winless run was xtended to seven matches.

Meanwhile, Harborough's unbeaten run in major competitions continued and their refusal to give up when defeat looked likely underlined their team spirit. Their substitutes improved their performance; Altrincham's did not have the same effect.