After this clash of two lower-half clubs, both found themselves statistically safe from relegation. But Altrincham made extremely heavy weather of securing the win, allowing Eastleigh to dominate the closing quarter of the game as, yet again, the Robins faded in the latter stages of a game.

The only goal of the afternoon arrived in the 18th minute when, from a Knowles pass, Humbles brought a fine save out of Eastleigh keeper McNamara but the ball was recycled and from a Kosylo feed Crawford netted.

Alty were largely comfortable rather than dominant before the weather and their performance deteriorated after the hour mark. Indeed, the Robins were greatly indebted for maintaining their lead to goalkeeper Hutchinson whose series of second-half saves earned him a deserved Man of the Match accolade.

In mitigation, seven Altrincham players remained sidelined by injury and two more were suspended for this match.

SCORERS:

• 18 mins: Tom CRAWFORD (ALTRINCHAM 1 Eastleigh 0)

REFEREE: Mr Zac Kennard-Kettle, who had reffed Alty's defeat at Halifax earlier this season.

ATTENDANCE: 1,621 (49 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

Nine players were unavailable to Neil Gibson today. Seven of them (Ross, Banks, Sass-Davies, Olson, Reed, Forde and Grant) were out of contention through injury whilst Barnes and Reddin were still suspended for this game.

Amongst those available to start, Neil Gibson made two changes with Golden and Kirk dropping to the bench as Crankshaw and Khan returned to the starting eleven.

Remi Raymond joined the bench for the first time since being named as a substitute by Phil Parkinson in six games at the start of the season, from where he had made two appearances. Remi has been on loan at Congleton Town this season.

For Eastleigh, former Alty man Josh Lundstram started.

LINE-UP:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with with white pinstripes, black shorts and white socks): 30. Luke Hutchinson, 14. Matty Kosylo, 34. Dan Sassi, 5. Jake Cooper, 33. Eddy Jones, 28. Liam Humbles, 8. Isaac Marriott, 10. Otis Khan, 22. Tom Crawford (c), 7. Olly Crankshaw, 11. Jimmy Knowles. Subs: 27. Louie Fallon (gk), 12. Kian Breckin, 17. Lucas Weaver, 23. Tylor Golden, 25. Joel Bailey, 28. Remi Raymond, 40. Charlie Kirk.

EASTLEIGH (Blue shirts and socks, white shorts) 22. Josh McNamara, 2. Richard Brindley, 28. Jayden Moore, 32. Jack Baldwin, 6. Temi Eweka, 27. Archie Harris, 17. Josh Lundstram, 24. Jordan Cousins (c), 25. Ricky Aguiar, 15. Harvey Saunders, 11. Aaron Blair. Subs: 21. Inih Effiong, 7. Kieron Evans, 4. Lloyd Humphries, 31. Niall Maher, 29. Barney Stone, 18. Angel Waruih, 30. Conor Underhill.

BACKGROUND:

Both sides were not mathematically safe from relegation at kick off though for Alty not to retain their status would have required some remarkable goalscoring feats from Brackley Town. At kick off Alty were 16th but Eastleigh were in 20th, the last position above the bottom four, though with a seven-point lead over the Saints.

REPORT:

For once Altrincham found themselves attacking the Golf Road end in the first half after Eastleigh had won the toss and elected to defend that end in the first half. A small number of loyal supporters gave the Hampshire club good support throughout the afternoon, despite a second-half soaking.

After Isaac Marriott had kicked off, an early advance up the left by Knowles saw him put in a dangerous low cross which went through the goalmouth without a team-mate anywhere in the vicinity (2 mins).

Altrincham remained on the front foot in the early stages but tehn Eastleigh's Blair dispossessed Jake Cooper as the Alty dfeender sought to see the ball out for a throw-in and the Eastleigh man's low cross, like Knowles's, went across the goalmouth unconverted (8 mins).

The theme continued a minute later as Knowles again got forward on the left and once more he delivered a low cross which no team mate was in a position to convert (10 mins).

However, the theme of low crosses continued as Knowles now located Humbles, whose well-struck effort was beaten out by McNamara, only for Kosylo to feed Crawford who found the back of the net with a deflected effort to make it 1-0 (18 mins)

Immediately following the goal, referee Kennard-Kettle caeme to the technical area and had words with both managers though Eastleigh's Richard Hill was the more animated of the two.

Despite Marriott putting a long-range effort well over the bar, Altrincham were looking comfortable before a mix-up at the back needed Hutchinson to act smartly to kick clear (25 mins).

Soon afterwards another kicked clearance from the Alty keeper was less effecive as the ball went straight to Josh Lundstram but he was closed down

Altrincham finally won a corner when a Crankshaw cross was headed out by Eweka and from the corner, taken short, an Alty appeal for hands went unanswered.

Alty now enjoyed plenty of comfortable possession but for some elements of the crowd there were too many sideways and backwards passes and insufficient incision as the half-hour was passed.

With the crowd largely subdued by the lack of excitement on the pitch, the game was nearing half time before a Crankshaw ball from the right dropped just a couple of yards from goal but Knowles was unable to get on the end of it and he was penalised by the referee for his attempt to do so (40 mins).

Moments later a foul by Crankshaw on Eweka gave the Spitfires a freekick, taken by Aguiar from the right, from which Cousins rose to head the ball cleanly but straight into Hutchinson's hands (42 mins).

In the two minutes of added time, Crawford got the ball from the right bye-line to Crankshaw but he shot wide (40+2 mins).

After a first half played in bright sunshine, clouds were gathering and the floodlights were on for the second half. Eastliegh made two changes for the second half as Waruih and Evans replaced Brindley and the captain, Cousins (46 mins).

Within two minutes Altrincham, no doubt prompted by some half-time encouragement from their management to increase their tempo, went close as Humbles played a one-two with Crankshaw before the mdfielder's well-hit shot prompted a fine save from McNamara (47 mins).

A low shot from Khan was then dealt with as Alty started the half well (49 mins).

But it was not long before Eastleigh threatened as Saunders lobbed the ball over Hutchinson before Jones cleared it from behind the keeper. Soon afterwards the visitors won a corner, after which a long shot from Aguiar cleared the bar.

Rain was now pouring down and swirling down the pitch towards the Eastleigh fans in the away end (53 mins).

Five minutes later a Humbles shot gained a corner as Alty remained comfortable with their lead but the next corner of the match went to the Spitfires (61 mins). However, it was Altrincham who went the closer to doubling their lead whena Humbles's ball towards the back post tempted Knowles to try and turn it into the net but he was unable to direct his effort whilst Crawford, immediately behind him, had been better placed to cpnvert the cross (67 mins).

The sun had now returned but Altrincham's performance was less bright as they allowed Eastleigh began to get on top. There were warning signs when Harris was allowed to advance unchallenged and his 25-yard shot forced a save from Hutchinson, after which the loose ball prompted a goalmouth scramble (72 mins). At this point Humphries replaced Aguiar for the visitors (72 mins).

Two Eastleigh corners soon followed, the latter of these being punched clear by Hutchinson. This prompted a swift counter-attack by Altrincham as Humbles fed Crankshaw but his shot was smartly blocked inside the box by a defender, giving Alty a corner which Crawford headed to the keeper.

Altrincham now made a double change with Golden replacing Humbles (76 mins) and Weaver coming on for Crankshaw (77 mins).

However, the immediate play after the change saw Eastleigh's Saunders twice force saves from Hutchinson, the latter of the two being an excellent stop, at the cost of a corner.

As a rainbow was seen over the away end, a stoppage was needed for treatment, in separate areas of the pitch, for Eweka and Marriott, the latter needing his left shin bandaged by physio Tom Cadman (83 mins).

When play resumed a fine cross from Harris was met by a bullet header from Saunders to which Hutchinson again responded with an impressive save, albeit at the cost of a corner (87 mins).

Oce again Alty's dip in performance at the end of games was manifesting itself. Next, just after Weaver had fired across goal from the left, Eastleigh introduced Maher for Baldwin (88 mins) after which Cooper was booked for holding on Blair just outside the box, to the left of the "D" (90+1 mins).

Five added minutes had been decreed and from the freekick for Cooper's foul, Humphries's freekick produced another fine save from Hutchinson, who was almost immediately announced as the man of the match.

But play continued as Eastleigh won another corner which the busy Alty keeper punched clear. That was to be the last real threat of an equaliser before the referee blew for time bang on the expiry of the five alloted minutes.

Alty had hung on for the three points but it was disappointing that they had faded so much in the final quarter of a game which they should have put to bed before half time.

However, both teams were able to celebrate survival in the National League at the final whistle.