In a scrappy match of 34 fouls and seven yellow cards for Alty (including one for manager Neil Gibson), it was ultimately referee Aaron Jackson who determined the outcome with the award of a very soft penalty to the hosts which Alex Reid converted (83 mins).

In a goalless first half Altrincham were the better side against a misfiring Pools but the Robins showed their customary lack of punch up front and failed to convert superiority into a lead.

Pools were improved in the second half and they missed a couple of decent chances before the referee harshly awarded a spot-kick against Sassi for a challenge on Reid for which the Pools man did not even seem to appeal.

Weaver had a great chance to equalise in added time but skied the ball over the bar from a cut-back by Kosylo.

The single-goal defeat, their sixth on the run in all competitions, cost Altrincham a further drop in the table as they swapped places with Boston United on goal difference and now sit 17th, ahead of the later fixtures today.

SCORERS:

• 83 mins: Alex REID (penalty) (Hartlepool United 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)

REFEREE: Mr Aaron Jackson

ATTENDANCE: 5,314 (152 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham had experienced eight changes of personnel since the New Year with Mikey Stone, Billy Waters, Keaton Ward and Elliot Osborne all leaving the club with four new arrivals coming in, namely Josh Grant, on loan from Carlisle United, Otis Khan, Liam Humbles (on loan from Rochdale) and Anthony Forde. Today, Khan and Forde started with Humbles and Grant named on the bench. The Robins had not kicked a ball in anger since 30 December.

Cover-goalkeeper Louie Fallon had recovered from injury and was restored to the bench. The hosts' keeper Evans had been recalled by Millwall so newly signed custodian Hayes, signed in midweek from Southend United, started today.

Altrincham team captain Lewis Baines was not in the squad and neither was Kahrel Reddin who was said by the club to have a "knock". Charlie Kirk was promoted from the bench as Kosylo and Marriott moved in the opposite direction.

Hartlepool's Cameron John had been red-carded the previous Saturday, when Pools lost 4-0 so he was missing today. John was replaced by Parkes who captained the Pools today.

LINE-UP:

HARTLEPOOL UNITED (White shirts, blue shorts and socks) 23. Nick Hayes, 2. Jay Benn, 4. Tom Parkes (c), 5. Maxim Kouogun, 6. Reiss McNally, 14. Nathan Sheron, 15. Jack Hunter, 18. Jamie Miley, 11. Luke Charman, 19. Alex Reid, 10. Adam Campbell. Subs: 30 Joe Aungiers, 24. Pharrell Brown, 28. Matty Daly, 8. Nathan Ferguson, 17. Sam Folarin, 9. Danny Johnson, 40. Adam Smith.

ALTRINCHAM (Black shirts with yellow diagnonals, yellow shorts and black socks): 30. Luke Hutchinson, 23. Tylor Golden, 5. Jake Cooper, 34. Dan Sassi, 33. Eddy Jones, 26. Anthony Forde, 22. Tom Crawford (c), 40. Charlie Kirk, 7. Olly Crankshaw, 10. Otis Khan, 9. James Gale. Subs: 6. Josh Grant, 8. Isaac Marriott, 14. Matty Kosylo, 17. Lucas Weaver, 11. Jimmy Knowles, 27. Louie Fallon (gk), 28. Liam Humbles

This match had been moved to luchtime kick-off to faciltate a live stream by DAZN. Pools supporters were celebrating their recent change of ownership before kick off.

Both teams came into the match in poor form. Altrincham had not played for nearly three weeks owing to a postponement and a blank Saturday caused by the club's failure to progress in the FA Trophy.

Alty had lost their last five games, (four league games and a Trophy tie) and had only won twice away from home all season. They were also the league's third lowest scorers away from home.

REPORT:

Altrincham kicked off and a poor mispass from Sassi gave the hosts the first shot of the afternoon but it was a poor effort (4 mins). The Pools were soon putting themselves about with a series of fouls and Sheron picked up an early caution (5 mins). The same player escaped further consequences soon afterwards for another foul, tis time on former Pools man, Crawford. Another foul felled Khan but it was Alty's Kirk who ended up in the book for some reason (10 mins).

Although Altrincham were looking the better of the two sides they were still prone to give the ball away cheaply, with Sassi and Forde the next two to transgress in this manner (15 mins). Things improved a bit when Forde's freekick from the left was tipped away less than convincingly by the home keeper (24 mins)

Next, after a Charman foul, a Forde freekick came back off Sassi's head to Kirk who, from just outside the box, hit a shot narrowly wide (29 mins).

But Forde did not do so well when he now lost the ball, allowing Hunter to advance upfield but, fortunately for Alty, he hit his shot wide, to Hutchinson's right (30 mins). Mr Jackson's inconsostent performance then saw him ignore the clearest of fouls on Crawford.

Three successive Alty throw-ins epitomised a scrappy game. Campbell's freekick did not raise the standard as he badly overhit the dead-ball but, after Golden had lost possession, Hartlepool gained the first corner of the afternoon (41 mins).

Mr Jackson then awarded a goalkick after a Crankshaw effort had been touched by the keeper before it went out of play for what should have been a corner (44 mins).

However, Crankshaw went close again, soon afterwards, when his shot from the left was saved at the near post to earn a corner which the referee actually awarded this time (45+1 mins). An eventful few minutes for the winger now saw Crankshaw go into the referee's book (45+2 mins).

So the first half ended goalless. It had been a poor quality affair but one in which Altrincham had been the better side as a few boos from home supporters confirmed as the teams left the pitch.

The stats showed six shots by Alty to three from the hosts, who had committed 12 of the games 19 fouls in the first 45 minutes.

However, the early period of the second half showed a shift in momentum with Alty now the side on the backfoot. A delected shot by Sheron produced an early corner (48 mins) and, when Crankshaw hot a poor pass inside to opponent Miley, it took good defending from Cooper to halt the Pools player.

A foul on Sassi earned Charman a booking (51 mins) before a poor throw in by Jones put Khan under pressure and he lost possession, allowing Hartlepool to get a shot in at goal which Hutchinson did well to save at the cost of a corner (54 mins).

A foul on Reid by Jones soon earned the left-back a booking (57 mins) as Alty remained on the back foot at this stage. The referee continue to use his notebook as McNally was booked for a foul on Khan (61 mins). Play was far from fluid and yet another stoppage ensued for another Alty freekick, following which Crankshaw shot at goal from the left forcing Hayes to fumble the ball away (64 mins).

in keeping with the match itself, the ball now went flat and had to be replaced, after which Crawford became the fourth Alty man to see yellow (67 mins).

Next a freekick was glanced to Hutchinson by the head of Charman (69 mins), after which Pools made two changes, with Daly and Folarin replacing Hunter and Campbell (73 mins).

Following a home corner which came to nothing, Khan was replaced by Marriott and Grant came on for Forde (75 mins).

After a sequence of some twenty Alty passes, a Crawford shot hit a defender (78 mins) but Hartlepool responded with good work by Folarin on the right which gave Daly a shot which skimmed the bar (79 mins).

With the match seemingly drifting to a goalless draw, Mr Jackson stunned Altrincham by awarding a penalty as Sassi and Reis went down together near to the penalty spot. Reid did not seem to appeal but Mr Jackson pointed to the spot (81 mins).

Jackson then compouned Alty's displeasure by booking goalkeeper Hutchinson, presumably for delaying the spot-kick.

Alty's nemesis on several occasions previously, Alex Reid, converted the penalty to give Hartlepool a lead they scarcely deserved (83 mins).

Alty made a double swap with Weaver and Humbles replacing Gale and Golden (88 mins).

Five added minutes were decreed. In the third of these, Kosylo got to the rightby-line and laid the ball inside to Weaver who contrived to clear the bar comfortably from a very presentable chance to equalise.

After the whistle, Neil Gibson came onto the pitch and spoke to the referee, in what seemed from the outside to be a respectful manner but Mr Jackson took exception and flashed his 11th card of the afternoon at the visitors' manager. Alty had now been on the receiving end of seven of those cards despite losing the foul count during the game 20-14.

With the later kick-offs to come, Alty had already dropped a place to 17th on goal difference.