Altrincham twice led by two goals before throwing the game away in the closing stages just as they had a week earllier at Aldershot Town.

Altrincham took a sixth-minute lead when the two players brought in to the side combined well as Jimmy Knowles (right) converted a pass from Lucas Weaver.

After a long injury stoppage for a Telford player, Allen-Hadley, Knowles netted again, firing into the top of the net to make it 0-2 (37 mins). The two-goal lead was retained to the interval despite more than eight added minutes being played.

Telford started the second half well and made it 1-2 in the 53rd minute when George sprang the offside trap before lobbing the oncoming Hutchinson. Alty then found themselves under the cosh.

However, against the run of play Olly Crankshaw's curling shot made it 1-3 (68 mins).

Then with Alty looking comfortable, two goals in two minutes made it 3-3 as Armson scored after a corner before Stenson fired home a superb winner aginst a mentally fragile Altrincham (82 mins).

In added time Stenson smashed home a fourth goal for Telford. Alty have now exited all three cup competitions this season, in each case to lower ranked opposition.

SCORERS:

• 6 mins: Jimmy KNOWLES (AFC Telford United 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 37 mins: Jimmy KNOWLES (AFC Telford United 0 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 53 mins: Adan GEORGE (AFC Telford United 1 ALTRINCHAM 2)
• 68 mins: Olly CRANKSHAW (AFC Telford United 1 ALTRINCHAM 3)
• 80 mins: Jimmy ARMSON (AFC Telford United 2 ALTRINCHAM 3)
• 81 mins: Matt STENSON (AFC Telford United 3 ALTRINCHAM 3)
• 90(+3) mins: Matt STENSON (AFC Telford United 4 ALTRINCHAM 3)

REFEREE: Mr Matthew McQuillan

ATTENDANCE: 1,167

TEAM NEWS:

Manager Neil Gibson referred to nine injuries to his squad in the days before this match.

Altrincham were without a litany of injured players in Ethan Ross, Sam Reed, Billy Sass-Davies, Sam Barnes, Lewis Banks and goalkeeper Louie Fallon. whilst Kahrel Reddin was reported to be ill. Billy Waters was also missing despite having returned to Alty to complkete his loan from Oldham Athletic.

For this FA Trophy tie, Neil Gibson made two changes to the starting line-up. In came Lucas Weaver for Charlie Kirk and Jimmy Knowles replaced James Gale.

On the bench, recent signing Mikey Stone came in for Jack Hinchy who has returned to his parent club Notts County.

Telford made one change as Hilton replaced Williams in the starting eleven.

LINE-UPc:

AFC TELFORD UNITED (White shirts, black shirts and socks): 12. Josh Gracey, 25. Ammar Dyer, 10. Jamie Meddows, 16. Oliver Cawthorne, 4. Jordan Piggott, 6. Alex Fletcher (c), 18. Khanya Leshabela, 24. Remi Walker, 11.Dylan Allen-Hadley, 9. Matty Stenson, 17. Rhys Hilton. Subs: 21. Ola Lawal, 19. Adan George, Jimmy Armson, Edward Elewa-Ikpakwu, 2. Jahdahn Fridye-Harper, 7. Charlie Williams

ALTRINCHAM (Black shirts with yellow diagonals, yellow shorts and black socks): 30. Luke Hutchinson, 5. Jake Cooper, 34. Dan Sassi, 4. Lewis Baines (c), 23. Tylor Golden, 22. Tom Crawford, 8. Isaac Marriott, 10. Keaton Ward, 7. Olly Crankshaw, 17. Lucas Weaver, 11. Jimmy Knowles. Subs: 6. Elliot Osborne, 14. Matty Kosylo, 9. James Gale, 28. Mikey Stone. 33. Eddy Jones, 40. Charlie Kirk, 41. Max Beddow (gk)

After throwing away three points at Aldershot last time out, Altrincham were looking to improve on their away form which had seen just one win in their five previous matches in all competitions.

The two sides had last met shortly before Covid struck in early 2020. Since then the Bucks had dropped to step three of non-League football before regaining National North status for the current season. They lay 13th in that division at kick-off today, with Altrincham 15th in the National League itself.

REPORT:

Altrincham kicked off and the game got off to a scrappy opening. But shortly after Baines had seen off a Hilton incursion into the Alty box (4 mins), Altrincham took an early lead.

Weaver advanced and played in a low cross which Knowles allowed to run across him before finding the back of the net (6 mins).

The visitors should have doubled their lead soon afterwards when Crankshaw fed Ward but his effort went poorly wide (9 mins). Even worse was to follow when, from a Weaver shot which was parried away, Crankshaw screwed an effort so wide from eight yards that it went for a throw-in (15 mins)

With Telford offering very little, the chances kept coming for Altrincham and, next, a well-hit shot from Knowles drew a fine save from Wolves loanee keeper Gracey, at the cost of a corner (22 mins).

As the second half progressed, Telford improved with Hilton and Leshabela firing shots wide in quick succession (27 mins)

Soon afterwards there was a five-minute stoppage for Hedley-Allen to be treated for what appeared to be a head injury (29 mins).

After the resumption, with Hedley-Allen off the pitch, Crawford fed Golden who forced a save from Gracey with the ball running via Weaver to Knowles who netted for the second time, his shot rising into the net to make it 2-0 (37 mins).

Hedley-Allen was now formally withdrawn and replaced by George who brought the hosts back to full strength (38 mins). Alty looked comfortable at this stage with the Robins earning a corner as the 45 minutes mark approached.

Nothing came of this and seven added minutes were computed, which ran into an eighth minute during which Altrincham won another unproductive corner (45+8 mins).

Cranston replaced Hilton at the break for the Bucks who, no doubt stimulated by Kevin Wilkin's half-time team-talk, started the second half with more intensity than they had shown for much of the first period.

But a mix up over a back pass involving Cranston and Gracey gave Altrincham a gratuitous corner (51 mins). Following this, Telford broke forward and sprang the offside trap allowing George to get free and, as Hutchinson advanced, the Telford man clipped the ball over the Altrincham keeper to make it 1-2 (53 mins).

The next ten minutes saw Altrincham absorbing a lot of pressure with Hutchinson having to make a fine save shortly after the hour-mark (62 mins).

Cooper found his way into the referee's book for a foul (67 mins) but then, against the run of play, Altrincham regained their two-goal lead when Crankshaw's curling wffort was defLected past Gracey to make it 1-3 (68 mins).

Immediately, Osborne replaced Marriott in midfield (69 mins). However, an excellent effort from Stenson, who evaded a couple of defenders, almost reduced the arrears but HuthcinsoN produced a fine, low save to his left (71 mins).

Manager Wilkin now brought on the experienced Armson for Walker (72 mins) before Neil Gibson responded by withdrawing Weaver and Ward for Charlie Kirk (74 mins) and, after more than year's injury absence, Eddy Jones (75 mins).

Altrincham were looking fairly comfortable with their two-goal lead before Leshabela won his side a corner. From this Armson's glancing header made it 2-3 (80 mins).

Before Alty supporters could take in what had happened Telford had scored again as a mistake by Osborne allowed Stenson to fire into the bottom corner to make it 3-3 (81 mins). Just seven days earlier Alty had been leading against Aldershot Town after 89 minutes only to lose the game to two late goals but surely they had learnt their lesson?

Leshabela finally picked up the yellow that his combative performance had suggested was likely (88 mins) before the fourth official signalled seven added minutes.

In the first of these Kevin Wilkin brought on Wiliams for the recently booked Leshabela and, just two minutes later, the home crowd rejoiced as Stenson smashed home a shot from outside the box which went into the top corner of the net off the underside of the bar (90+3 mins).

Neil Gibson's reaction earned him a red card and, having just returned from a touchside ban, the Alty boss faces a further punishment.

A booking for Tylor Golden and Telford's Fletcher followed (90+7 mins). The drama continued to the very end as Alty did have the ball in the net from Jimmy Knowles but it was ruled out for offside (90+9 mins).

And so for the second time in seven days Altrincham had thrown away a potential win in the closing minutes of a game. Alty have now exited their third cup competition of the season, all by losing to a lower league club.

They certainly need to buck up their ideas now as they face all of the top four in the next seven matches. Looking further ahead, Alty face ten teams in the next eleven fixtures who are above them in the table. The only exception is game 26 against Morecambe.

The sequence is: Rochdale (H) (currently 1st), FC Halifax Town (A) (11th), York City (H) (4th), Morecambe (H) (22nd), Hartlepool United (A) (8th), Forest Green Rovers (A) (2nd), Boreham Wood (H) (5th), Carlisle United (A) (3rd), Yeovil Town (H) (14th), Wealdstone (H) (10th) and in game 33, Woking (A) (9th) before they welcome another team below them (Braintree Town)