Defeat to Woking left Altrincham without a win in seven league games, from which just a single point has been gleaned. Indeed they have produced no wins inside ninety minutes in their last nine fixtures, if FA Cup games are taken into account.

Altrincham boss Phil Parkinson was dealt a poor hand over the summer when his three star players, Linney, Newby and Amaluzor, all moved on to "better things" and with goalkeeper Ross and centre-backs Cooper and Sass-Davies all unable to kick a ball in anger this season through injury, but his new recruits have to varying degrees not matched up to their predecessors.

Alty and Woking were separated only by goal difference at kick off but there was a bigger gap in their performances as the hosts failed to land a glove on Jaaskelainan in the Cards goal, apart from their one goal scored by Jimmy Knowles.

The Robins fell behind after 25 minutes when Kelly's cross from the left was guided home past teenage keeper Fallon, at the near post, by Ipswich Town loanee striker Ashley Boatswain.

Alty rallied and equalised eleven minutes later when Osborne's excellent through ball set Reddin racing to the bye-line on the right. His low cross was smartly turned into the net by leading scorer Jimmy Knowles.

The visitors went ahead in 42 minutes when a ball was played in from the right and Turner turned and slotted it past Fallon.

In the second half Alty laboured to pose any threat at the other end and their fate was sealed when Kelly got past Reed on the right bye-line and Alty's left-back tripped him to concede a penalty. Kelly himself sent Fallon the wrong way from the spot to make it 1-3 (83 mins).

Allowing the visitors fourteen shots of which ten were on target was an indicator of today's defensive performance but only having one shot on target out of a total of just four at the other end indicates there are problems at both end of the pitch.

After this fourth successive home defeat in the league, Alty remain 20th and face 21st club Braintree Town, away, next Saturday.

SCORERS:

• 25 mins: Josh KELLY (ALTRINCHAM 0 Woking 1)
• 36 mins: Jimmy KNOWLES (ALTRINCHAM 1 Woking 1)
• 42 mins: Jack TURNER (ALTRINCHAM 1 Woking 2)
• 83 mins: Josh KELLY (pnalty) (ALTRINCHAM 1 Woking 3)

REFEREE: Mr Andrew Miller

ATTENDANCE: 1,722 (96 in away section; barely half of last season's 176 on the opening day of that campaign)

TEAM NEWS:

Alty were without injured loanee keeper Luke Hutchinson who suffered concussion last Saturday, so teenager Louie Fallon made his first National League start, with fellow teenage keeper Max Beddow being named on the bench for the first time.

Lewis Banks was a surprise absentee, presumably injured, and loanee Billy Waters was also not in the squad for reasons that were unclear. Matty Kosylo also continued to be out of the squad though he was visible performing his coaching duties.

Jake Cooper, yet to play this season, was named on the bench as was team captain Lewis Baines who had been subbed at half-time in the FA Cup match in midweek. Charlie Kirk also returned to the squad after missing the FA Cup games.

In Banks's absence, Golden started at right-back and Osborne captained the side. Barnes replaced Baines as Sassi's centre-back partner.

Woking had keeper, Thomas Norcott, recalled by Reading in midweek but first-choice Jaaskelainen continued in goal, with experienced custodian Craig Ross on the bench. The Cards named only six substitutes

Ipswich loanee Boatswain, as well as Hinds and Turner all started after being subs in their FA Cup replay in midweek.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white pinstripes, black shorts and white socks): 30 Louie Fallon, 23. Tylor Golden, 34. Dan Sassi, 24. Sam Barnes, 3. Sam Reed, 22. Tom Crawford, 6. Elliot Osborne (c), 8 Isaac Marriott, 20. Kahrel Reddin 11. Jimmy Knowles, 9. James Gale. Subs: 4. Lewis Baines, 5. Jake Cooper, 7. Olly Crankshaw, 10. Keaton Ward, 21. Jack Hinchy, 40. Charlie Kirk, 41. Max Beddow (gk)

WOKING (Yellow shirts and socks, black shorts) 22. Will Jaaskelainen, 2. Aaron Drewe, 5. Timi Odusina, 3. Caleb Richards, 14. Tariq Hinds, 16. Tunji Akinola, 18. Jack Turner, 21. Josh Kelly, 23. Timmy Akinola, 24. Ashley Boatswain. 25. Jake Forster-Caskey. Subs: 4. Chinwike Okoli, 6. Jamie Andrews, 11. Matt Ward, 13. Craig Ross (gk), 30. Olly Sanderson, 34. Quincy Patterson.

19th placed Woking led 20th placed Altrincham on goal difference but the Cards had suffered a 6-2 FA Cup mauling at Brackley on midweek whereas Alty had just about got through their replay at Harborough Town after extra time, playing against ten men for more than two hours of game time.

Altrincham had taken a single point from their previous six league games, a draw last time out in the league halting a sequence of five straight defeats. Including their FA Cup ties, Alty had not won a game inside ninety minutes in their last eight outings.

REPORT:

On a dry but cloudy afternoon, Altrincham kicked off towards the away end, but it was the visitors who won a freekick and two early corners, the first of the flag-kicks arising when Knowles mistakenly let the ball run over the bye-line (2 mins). Fallon palmed the second corner onto the roof of his net.

Manager Phil Parkinson was more vocal in the early stages than is customary as he sought to end his side's poor run of form. The modern player's fetish for pitchside drinks reached absurd proportions when treatment for Marriott in just the fourth minute saw Gale and Crawford trot over to the technical area for liquid sustenance after a clealry dehydrating 200, or so, seconds of action.

So it was Woking who enjoyed the better of the opening exchanges but, after ten minutes, a slip by Richards allowed Reddin to get possession and feed Gale but he was closed down before he could shoot.

As usual Reddin was looking his side's most lively forward and he won his team their first corner, which came to nothing after being taken short. Reddin won another unproductive corner soon afterwards (13 mins).

The winger did less well soon afterwards when he lost the ball allowing Woking a long-range shot which Fallon pouched comfortably (15 mins).

Indeed Alty were to lose possesion with some regularity this afternoom, Reed being the next culprit, ceding possession twice in a minute (17 mins).

Hinds was lloking lively for Woking but, when he went down in the box, he was booked for simulation (23 mins). However, moments later, he was celebrating when his side took the lead. Advancing on the left Kelly got to the bye-line and his low cross was smartly guided into the bottom of the near corner of the net by Boatswain to make it 0-1 (25 mins).

Boatswain himself should have doubled the lead two minutes later when Woking got in a cross which the Ipswinc loanee met firmly with his head from a few yards out but Fallon made an impressive reaction save, beating the ball away with his raised left arm (28 mins).

Altrincham's Gale was then hauled down by Odusina on the front edge of the box, left of centre, but Osborne hit the resulting freekick into the wall (30 mins).

The hosts were slowly improving and, next, Crawford rode a couple of challenges to feed Gale but he could only find the side netting at the near post (33 mins). Odusina had surprsingly escaped a boking for his earlier assault on Gale but the visitors' captain was booked soon afterwards when he mauled Knowles (33 mins).

Alty then produced a well-worked goal, started by Osborne's superb through ball which Reddin chased. He just got to it before it went over the bye-line and his low cross was deftly turned into the net by Knowles to make it 1-1 (36 min).

But Woking continued to look the more dangerous overall as Akinola now rode a couple of challenges to fire a shot at Fallon (39 mins).

And the Cards retook the lead before the interval when a low ball from the right was chested down by an unmarked Turner who turned and fired past Fallon to make it 1-2 (42 mins).

Reed responded by winning the first of two successive corners for Altrincham but these again came to nothing. However, in the final of three added minutes, a Woking corner caused some consternation in the Alty goalmouth before the danger was cleared.

The Altrincham players left the field to a subdued response from their supporters.

Soon after the break Kelly was again causing the home defence some problems and Sassi soon found himself in the book (49 mins). Nect, Hinds, having been booked for diving in the first half was now brought down again in the box and had a more plausible case fpr a penalty this time but his earlier booking may have counted against him in the refereee's mind as play was waved on (51 mins).

Alty continued to be second best as Woking won three successive corners (56 mins). Before the last of these could be taken, Woking brought on Okoli for Odusina (57 mins).

The Robins were given a rare chance to shoot at goal when Golden was upended by Forster-Caskey, just outside the "D". The offender was booked but Knowles's freekick hit the wall before coming out to Crowther who fired over the bar from 20 yards (62 mins).

Altrincham soon made a triple substitution with Ward, Hinchy and Crankshaw replacing Marriott, Osborne and Marriott respectively (64/65 mins). Yet it was Woking who continued to be the more incisive as, next, a Timmy Akinola effort deflected to Fallon (68 mins).

Them Hinds fired narrowly wide (69 mins)> With the Cards looking comfortable, Sanderson replaced Boatswain (72 mins). Alty continued to labour and things got no better for them as Hinchy was harshly booked for a foul (76 mins).

Each team now made a change with Kirk replacing Reddin, who had had a much quieter second half, and Woking's Andrews replaced Forster-Caskey (76 mins).

Jaaskelainen continued to be unemployed as Altrincham lacked the guile to create a sight of goal, and Fallon also enjoyed a relatively quiet second half until Kelly got behind Reed and was brought down by the left-back near the bye-line on the Woking right. It was a clear penalty.

Kelly himself took the spot-kick, sending Fallon the wrong way to make it 3-1 (83 mins). The mood on the Alty terraces deepened further as their team laboured to create any real openings. At the back, Reed was now limping and he was subbed as the game went into four added minutes, Baines being his replacement (90+1 mins). This necessitated a shift as Golden moved to the left and Barnes went over to the right of the back line. So, Alty had sunk to a sixth defeat in seven league outings but had fortunatley remained just outside the relegation spots thanks to Braintree Town's loss at Solhull. But next week it is Altrincham who travel to Braintree with defeat for the Robins meaning they would drop into the bottom four.