In a fairly even first half, nevertheless Alty had to weather five corners and several freekicks. Ironically, the visitors took a 44th minute from the Robins' first corner when Jake Cooper (right) netted with a fine volleyed effort, from towards the back post.

In the second half, Altrincham withstood a period of pressure before getting back into the game. They won a penalty from a corner but Howe missed it, allowing Maxted to save with his legs (84 mins).

Deep in added time Reed fed Howe who got behind his defender, rounded the keepr and netted to make amends for his penalty miss (90+5 mins).

The win, just their thord away from home in the league, lifted Altrincham up to fourteenth and was their first double over another team this season.

SCORERS:

• 41 mins: Jake COOPER (Brackley Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 90(+5) mins: Declan HOWE (Brackley Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 2)

REFEREE: Mr Robert Massey-Ellis

ATTENDANCE: 862 (88 in the away section)

TEAM NEWS:

In midweek, Altrincham had faced Tamworth with nine players sidelined by injury or by injury-precautions taken ahead of a game on a plastic pitch. The list comprised six existing absentees in Ross, Banks, Sass-Davies, Breckin, Khan and Olson, to whom were added Crankshaw, Jones and Grant. With both Sassi and Golden dismissed in midweek, and therefore suspended today, there were potentially eleven absentes, all but two of whom were from the defensive unit. However, Crankshaw, Jones and Grant all returned for today's match so there were "only" eight absentees today.

In all, Altrincham made four changes for the game. Golden and Sassi were suspended, whilst Forde and Reddin dropped to the bench. Into the eleven came Jones, Crankshaw, Grant and Humbles.

On the morning of the match Brackley announced two loan signings. Midfielder Joe Andrews arrived on a one-month loan from Peterborough United as well as winger Aidan Elliott-Wheeler on loan from Championship side Oxford United. The latter started, the former was on the bench. Newton was out suspended and Wodskou moved to the bench to accommodate Elliott-Wheeler and Haynes.

LINE-UP:

BRACKLEY TOWN: 1. Jonny Maxted, 19. Zak Lilley, 5. Kyle Morrison, 12. Michael Nottingham, 11. Matt Lowe, 10. Morgan Roberts, 17. Aidan Elliott-Wheeler, 23. Shane Byrne (c), 8. Zak Brown, 37. Ryan Haynes, 29. Kian Harratt. Subs: 3. Riccardo Calder, 6. Gareth Dean, 27. Connor Hall, 20. Joe Andrews 4. Jack Price, 13. Alastair Worby, 15. Ben Wodskou

ALTRINCHAM: 30. Luke Hutchinson, 14. Matty Kosylo, 5. Jake Cooper, 6. Josh Grant, 33. Eddy Jones, 22. Tom Crawford (c), 28. Liam Humbles, 8. Isaac Marriott, 7. Olly Crankshaw, 11. Jimmy Knowles, 9. Declan Howe. Subs: 3. Sam Reed, 24. Sam Barnes, 26. Anthony Forde, 17. Lucas Weaver, 20. Kahrel Reddin, 27. Louie Fallon (gk), 40. Charlie Kirk

BACKGROUND:

This was a second successive away game for Altrincham and the first meeting at National League level between two former National North rivals, following the Saints promotion last summer, after six failed play-off attempts.

At kick-off, Brackley Town lay one point and a single place below the 18th placed Robins, albeit with two games in hand, after both clubs had lost in midweek. Whilst Altrincham were losing 5-1 at Tamworth and having two men red-carded, The Saints lost 2-1 at Wealdstone and had one man sent off.

Since the reverse fixture at Altrincham, Brackley manager Gavin Cowan had moved on to manage Shrewsbury Town. So today the Saints were managed by recent appointee Andy Whing.

REPORT:

After their disastrous trip to Tamworth in midweek, Altrincham were back on the road again but this time they were playing on grass as they faced last season's National North champions, Brackley Town.

The Saints kicked off and, in the sixth minute, won a corner from a Nottingham cross which came off Liam Humbles. And, soon afterwards, it was the same Alty midfielder who had to clear the ball smartly after a Brackley man had been allowed a free header from Haynes's corner kick.

One of Brackley's two new loan-signings, Eliott-Wbeeler, soon threatened the Alty goal again but his shot went narrowly wide. In the first half in particular, Altrincham were not to help themselves by conceding too many freekicks and corners, with Kosylo's foul on Elliott-Wheeler the next case in point (10 mins).

Humbles was much involved in the early stages and, this time, at the other end as he got in shot which Morrison blocked, though Maxted also had the situation covered (13 mins).

The shot signalled an upturn in the visitors' performance with, next, Humbles being involved again as his cross skimmed off the head of Kosylo inside the Brackley box (17 mins).

Brackley's response was to get Roberts into the Alty box but Jones executed a fine sliding tackle to halt the danger, albeit at the cost of a corner (21 mins). After this, a home shot from distance flew narrowly wide of the target.

But Altrincham soon threatened at the other end when, who else but Humbles fed Howe, whose low shot was stopped but not held by Maxted (23 mins). So by the halfway point of the half the game had been fairly even overall but the hosts had shaded it.

Soon it was Brackley who came the nearer to taking the lead when a fine shot by Haynes from 25 yards forced a fine tip onto the crossbar from Hutchinson (26 mins). The ball bounced down off the bar but did not cross the line.

This incident was followed by a Brackley corner and then a freekick conceded by Crankshaw's push on Roberts.

Another home corner was won, with Hutchinson punching clear Haynes' ball which he had curled into the box (34 mins). It was Humbles again who had to concede a further corner after 38 minutes as the visitors' defence was again put under pressure from a set piece (38 mins).

Next, Cooper was booked for a poor challenge on Elliott-Wheeler (41 mins) before Altrincham got themselves forward with Knowles having a hot blocked before a Crankshaw effort was cleared by Lilley.

Jimmy Knowles then won Altrincham's first corner of the afternoon, after five had been conceded at the other end. Taken by Jones, from the right, the inswinger was met at the back post by Cooper, who belied his centre-back status with a fine volleyed finish into the far side of the net to give Altrincham a precious lead (44 mins).

Two added minutes did not alter the score.

Altrincham kicked off the second half but it was the hosts who started on the front foot. However, play was soon halted as Haynes needed treatment. Play brefly resumed with Brackley a man short before Haynes could be replaced by Calder (53 mins).

The half did not improve for Altrincham when the dependable Grant picked up a booking for a foul (55 mins), before a Nottingham cross produced another home corner (56 mins). With Haynes out of the game, Roberts took over the corner-kicking duties. Soon after this Roberts was fouled by Knowles, as Alty again put themselves under set-piece pressure.

The self-inflicted Brackley pressure on the visitors continued when Howe fouled an opponent but Altrincham got to the hour-mark with their lead intact. Soon afterwards, Humbles had to concede not just one but two further corners (63 mins). At this point the corner count was 8-1 in the Saints' favour.

Both sides soon made changes; Reed and Redin joined the game in place of Humbles and Crankshaw (67 mins) whilst Wodskou came on for Brackley's Harratt (68 mins).

A rare Alty corner came and went before a long throw from Nottingham caused some concern to the Altrincham defence. Reed earned himself an almost immediate booking, the defender having now picked up five yellows in just 9(+8) appearances this season (71 mins).

But things now began to look up as the Robins enjoyed a period of ascendancy. Firstly, Kosylo and Knowles combined to feed Howe who forced a fine save from the keeper (73 mins). But on the sidelines both managers now found themselves yellow-carded, with Andy Whing seeming to be particularly wound up (74 mins).

Then Alty went close to scoring as Reed's pace got him forward and his cross just evaded Reddin in the goalmouth (77 mins). But play soon stopped for treatment to Marriott's ankle. Brackley took the opportunity to make a double change with new loanee Andrews, and Hall, replacing Byrne and Simmonds (80 minutes).

After that stoppage, a fine shot by Knowles earned a corner off a defender (81 mins).

From the corner, Crawford had the ball in the net but the whistle had already gone and Mr Massey-Ellis awarded a penalty to Altrincham for a foul that he had spotted. As Knowles had not converted Alty's last penalty, the duty fell to loanee Howe.

His low shot was not good enough and Maxted's leg blocked the spot-kick, leaving the score at 0-1 (84 mins).

Soon Nottingham got himself booked (85 mins) before Lowe failed to convert a good chance, firing wide (87 mins).

Six added minutes were proclaimed and, in the second of these, Altrincham brought on Forde and Barnes for Kosylo and Knowles.

In the fifth added minute Reed again got forward on the left and fed Howe. He left his marker on the ground before advancing to round the oncoming Maxted and slotting the ball into the empty net to atone for his penalty miss and wrap up a 2-0 away win (90+5 mins).

There was still time for Hall to pick up a booking (90+8 mins) before the game concluded.

So, Altrincham had secured just their third away win of the season and the three points had lifted them four places to fourteenth in the National League. Having played more fixures than many other teams, they cannot yet be sure of staying in the division but the picture certainly looked a lot more healthy at the final whistle than it had been some two hours earlier.