Having started well and more than matched the hosts, Altrincham were stunned as Carlisle netted three times in an eight-minute spell in the first half. The first goal came after Matty Kosylo conceded a freekick and was booked as he tried to shepherd a ball out of play. The freekick was half cleared but AJiboye put his side ahead with his first league goal of the season (26 mins).

Four minutes later, Ajiboye got behind Jones from a long punt upfield and fed Armstrong who made it 2-0, jusyt beating hutchinson to the ball.

The third goal came as Embleton's cross was headed away by Sassi but into the back of Knowles and into the net for an own goal which was attributed to the centre-back (34 mins).

After a jittery few minutes, Alty stabilized and got to half time trailing 3-0.

Golden replaced Khan at half-time and Reddin came on soon afterwards for Kosylo.

Despite their heavy goal-deficit Altrincham had enjoyed nearly 60% of the game's possession by the hour mark, but without creating a threat up front.

After a multiple-passing move, Alty got a goal back as Knowles (right) headed in a Golden feed at the near post, making it 3-1 (69 mins).

But that was the limit of the comeback.

SCORERS:

• 26 mins: David AJIBOYE (Carlisle United 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 30 mins: Luke AMSTRONG (Carlisle United 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 34 mins: Dan SASSI (own goal) (Carlisle United 3 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 69 mins: Jimmy KNOWLES (Carlisle United 3 ALTRINCHAM 1)

REFEREE: Mr Scott Oldham

ATTENDANCE: 7,010 (284 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

After picking up four points from their last two games, Altrincham had made no changes to the starting eleven to face Carlisle United. However, Josh Grant was not able to remain in the squad as he is a loanee from Carlisle United and his place on the bench was taken by Joel Bailey.

The 20 year-old centre-back was recalled from a loan at Bamber Bridge during the week and was making his first appearance in a league squad for Altrincham..

Once again, team captain Lewis Baines was absent for reasons that were not clear. Still sidelined by long-term injury were Ross, Banks, Reed and Sass-Davies.

On the eve of the game Carlisle anounced the loan signing of Morecambe keeper Archie Mair and he was named on the bench today. Ex-Alty man Chris Conn-Clarke was missing, presumably injured, but Regan Linney started for the hosts.

LINE-UP:

CARLISLE UNITED (Pale blue with red and white stripes, blue shorts and socks) : 1. Gabriel Breeze, 5. Morgan Feeney, 7. David Ajiboye, 10. Regan Linney, 12. Ryan Galvin, 14. Elliot Embleton, 20. Alex Gilliead, 22. Josh Williams, 26. Bevis Mugabi, 29. Luke Armstrong, 27. Harvey Macadam. Subs: 13. Archie Mair, 3. Cameron Harper, 6. Aaron Hayden, 9. George Kelly, 16. Stephen Wearne, 18. Jack Ellis, 23. Charlie Wyke

ALTRINCHAM (Black shirts with yellow diagonals, yellow shorts and black socks): 30. Luke Hutchinson, 14. Matty Kosylo, 5. Jake Cooper, 34. Dan Sassi, 33. Eddy Jones, 8. Isaac Marriott, 28. Liam Humbles, 22. Tom Crawford (c), 7. Olly Crankshaw, 10. Otis Khan, 11. Jimmy Knowles. Subs: 25. Joel Bailey, 26. Anthony Forde, 17. Lucas Weaver, 20. Kahrel Reddin, 23. Tylor Golden, 27. Louie Fallon (gk), 40. Charlie Kirk

This was the ninth fixture in ten successive league games that seventeenth-placed Altrincham had found themselves up against a top-ten side. Fifth-placed Carlisle had been rested for a fortnight after their match had been postponed last time out.

REPORT:

In front of a bumper crowd Isaac Marriott kicked off the match.

Although Carlisle won the game's first corner, off Khan (4 mins), Alty soon responded with Crankshaw earning his side a flag-kick too (7 mins).

In fact, the visitors were soon dominating possession and the home crowd did not take long to become vocally restive (13 mins). But, for all their possession, Altrincham were not threatening to take the lead.

They did get in a rare shot but Crawford screwed his shot well wide from a Crankshaw feed (19 mins). Carlisle were equally goal-shy with Linney's skied shot as good as it got for them (20 mins).

The decisive moments in the game arrived midway through the half. Alty dealt with two successive corners, after which Kosylo, in attempting to chepherd the ball out of play, fouled Armstrong and got himself booked (25 mins).

The resulting freekick was cleared by Jones but the ball came to Ajiboye who netted with a low shot from the edge of the box against the run of play. It was Ajiboye's first league goal for the club (26 mins).

Five minutes later it was 2-0 as Ajiboye turned provider for Armstrong to score. A long ball dropped behind Eddy Jones allowing the low cross to come in frpm the right with Armstrong just reaching it before the onrushing Hutchinson. (30 mins).

Alty were shell-shocked and conceded a third goal moments later as Sassi's header appeared to find his own net off the back of team-mate Knowles (34 mins).

Remarkably goalkeeper Hutchinson had conceded three times without having to deal with any earlier threats to his goal.

Although Tylor Golden was warming up, Neil Gibson made no changes before the interval as Altrincham regained some equilibrium in the closing minutes of the half.

Carlisle did win a corner in the decreed two added minutes but the interval was reached at 3-0 to the hosts, a margin of lead they scarcely deserved having been booed by their own fans before they broke the deadlock.

Even one of BBC Radio Cumbria's reporters judged that Carlisle "were getting overrun before they scored"!

For the second half, Tylor Golden replaced Otis Khan, with Kosylo moving to midfield.

Altrincham continued to enjoy possession in the early period of the second half. The home crowd's mood was not improved when Williams was booked for a foul on Crawford (49 mins).

Soon afterwards, a Golden cross earned the visitors a corner but this came to nothing.

Alty now made a second change as Reddin replaced the booked Kosylo (52 mins). However, another Alty player was soon in the referee's book as a Golden foul earned him a caution (54 mins).

Following the freekick, Linney cut inside and he forced a save from Hutchinson (54 mins). Even as the hour mark approached, Alty's possession since kick off remained at 58% despite their three-goal deficit.

Soon after the midway point of the half, Alty enjoyed a multiple-passung spell at the end of which a cross by Golden from the right was converted by Knowles whose header at the near post was his seventh league goal of the campaign (69 mins). Of his previous six league goals only two of those had been scored in Altrincham wins and that ratio was not to be improved today.

Soon afterwards, Knowles did have another opening but he opted to shoot rather than feed a colleague and nothing came of the opportunity (71 mins).

Carlisle's first change brought on Ellis for Williams and Wearne for Embleton (72 mins).

Alty continued to enjoy plenty of possession with an off-target effort from Linney being Carlisle's bext effort at this stage (77 mins).

A third Carlisle change brought on striker Kelly for Ajiboye (79 mins) after which Linney was booked for a foul o Golden (82 mins).

With the game drifting on and the hosts largely content with their 3-1 lead, Alty made a triple changes. Weaver, Kirk and Forde replaced, respectively, Knowles, Marriott and Humbles (85 mins).

Altrincham did earn a late corner from a Weaver cross which the keeper parried away (89 mins). And Carlisle responded with an advance by Kelly to feed Wearne who forced a block by Hutchinson (90 mins).

Four added minutes were announced during which Harper replaced Linney and Wyke came on for Armstrong (90+2 mins).

More or less the final act of the afternoon was a third Altrincham booking with captain Crawford being the man whose name went into the book on this occasion (90+4 mins).

So ended a curious game in which Altrincham enjoyed 56% possession yet could only muster a single shot on target.

Three home fixtures follow over the next days against clubs outside the top ten but supporters will hope that there is no repetition of last season's run of four successive home matches which yielded but a single point!