An unchanged Altrincham, arriving on the back of a third successive victory, started well at Woking, going close early on through Aidan Barlow. But things went wrong when Woking scored with their first shot on target by Ward, arriving to convert a ball into the box at the back post (21 mins).

Ten minutes later it was 2-0 when Marquis lost his marker, Jake Cooper, to net on his first league start for the Cards at Kingfield.

Sam Taylor was then adjudged to have handled the ball from a cross from the right-by-line and Marquis netted the resulting penalty (37 mins).

A shell-shocked Alty did pull a goal back just before half-time when Barlow, towards the back post, tapped in a Kosylo cross from the right (45 mins).

Wishful thinking about a comeback was utterly banished on the hour when Timi Akinola banged in a twenty-yarder.

The final nail in the coffin saw Evans punch away the ball only for it to be recycled to Syla who made it 5-1 (71 mins). To add to Altrincham's woes, goalkeeper Evans, for the second time this season, had to be substituted with what appeared to be a leg injury.

The game died the death after that as a chastened Alty's thoughts turned to the midweek visit to the JDS of Hartlepool United.

SCORERS:

• 21 mins: Matt WARD (Woking 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 26 mins: John MARQUIS (Woking 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 27 mins: John MARQUIS (penalty) (Woking 3 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 45 mins: Aidan BARLOW (Woking 3 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 60 mins: Timmy AKINOLA (Woking 4 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 71 mins: Roy SYLA (Woking 5 ALTRINCHAM 1)

REFEREE: Mr Daniel Blades

ATTENDANCE: 2,226 (58 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham were unchanged, which meant that Lucas Weaver was again missing from the squad for unclear reasons as were the long-term injured absentees; Charlie Olson (hamstring), Eddie Jones (hamstring), Owen German (ruptured achilles) and with uspecified injuries, Anthony Forde and Kristian Dennis (unspecified injury). Kian Breckin was a seventh absentee today, reportedly being ill.

So Remi Raymond replaced Breckin on the bench'

Woking made four starting changes as O'Brien, Putman, Tim Akinola and Odusina came in to the eleven.

LINE-UP:

WOKING (Red shirts, black shorts and socks) 22. Will Jaaskelainen, 5. Timi Odusina, 6. Shadrach Ogie, 4. Chinwike Okoli, (c), 26. Steven Turner, 23. Tim Akinola, 10. Aiden O'Brien, 8. Roy Syla, 11. Matt Ward, 21. Jaiden Putman, 32. John Marquis. Subs: 30. Anthony Georgiou, 13. Craig Ross (gk), 7. Harrison Sohna, 16. Tunji Akinola, 25. Jake Forster-Caskey, 18. Liam Dulson, 9. Josh Kelly

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow shirts with black chest band, black shorts, yellow socks): 1. Owen Evans; 14. Matty Kosylo, 5.Jake Cooper, 2. Lewis Banks, 15. Sam Taylor, 22. Tom Crawford (c), 8. Liam Humbles, 7. Otis Khan, 10. Aidan Barlow, 23. Charlie Kirk, 11. Jimmy Knowles. Subs: 4. Jack Hinchy, 12. Kian Breckin, 13. Andy Firth (gk), 21. Reuben Lopata-White, 20. Kahrel Reddin 28. Kane Hemmings, 24. Sam Barnes

BACKGROUND:

After three defeats to start the season, Altrincham went into this game on the back of three successive victories whilst Woking lay second from bottom after winning just once in six previous league outings..

REPORT:

Altrincham kicked off on a sunny afternoon in Surrey and they were to dominate the opening stages.

As early as the second minute Kosylo and Crawford got the ball to Barlow who forced a double save from keeper Jaaskelainen as the Alty man advanced into the right-centre of the box. A corner was the outcome, on the right, immediately followed by another Alty corner, on the left (3 mins).

Moments later Crawford was flattened inside the box but the referee waved play on. Alty's attacking force was concentrated on the left, with Taylor impressing in particular and shortly afterwards Turner was booked for a foul on the Alty left-back (15 mins).

Alty went close again afer a Kirk freekick gained the visitors their third corner of the match (19 mins). Following this Crawford had a shot blocked and Taylor was clattered without being awarded a freekick.

But Woking then scored, completely against the run of play as an aerial ball from the left was met by Ward towards the back post and he netted to give his side a 1-0 lead (21 mins)_

More slack marking then saw Woking double their lead as a ball from their right by Ward was met and converted by Marquis who had got the wrong side of Jake Cooper (26 mins).

The Robins continued to concentrate their attacks on the left with two crosses from Kirk coming in but both remained unconverted (29 mins).

Altrincham then suffered bad luck as Putnam got in a cross from the right by-line which struck Taylor's right arm and, in these days of lack of intent being irrelevant, the hapless defender was deemed to have conceded a penalty, which Marquis despatched, sending Evans the wrong way, the keeper diving to his left. So it was 3-0 (37 mins).

As half-time approached Kosylo put in a good cross from the right which Barlow converted from close range at the back post to make it 3-1 (45 mins). In the decreed two added minutes, Alty won a couple more corners but nothing came of them but their goal had given them some hope of a comeback in the second half.

After kicking off the second half, Woking won an early corner (46 mins) but Altrincham went closer to scoring when, from a Kirk cross, a stretching Crawford at the back post could only steer his effort across rather than at goal (49 mins).

At the other end an O'Brien shot was comfortably saved by Evans (55 mins) before Taylor won his side a corner. However, Kosylo then got himself booked for a deliberate trip as Ogie outpaced him in midfield (58 mins).

Evans was then fortunate as he came out of his box to clear but almost got stranded but the danger did not pass as Woking recycled the ball which now came to Akinola who hammered a shot into the net from 20 yards with Evans flat-footed by what appeared to be a deflection (60 mins).

For Alty, Khan's wild shot from 25 yards or so cleared the bar comfortably with a series fo substitutions soon following. First, Alty made a triple change as Hemmings, Lopata-White and Barnes replaced Kirk, Kosylo and Cooper respectibely (65 mins). For their opponents' part Dulton repaced Woking's Marquis (66 mins).

Soon, two Woking corners were won, the latter from a 20 yarder which Owen saved to his left (71 mins). The corner led to a header which Evans punched away. However, the ball was relayed back into the box where Syla scored with a header at the back post, making it 5-1 (71 mins).

Woking followed up their fifth goal wih a triple substitution o fthier own, as Georgiou, Forster-Caskey and Kelly replaced Ogie, O'Brien and.Akinola (73 mins).

Then Evans gathered a low ball before immediately signalling that he needed to be subbed, presumably for a leg injury. It was the second time the keeper had needed to be replaced already this season. On came Andy Firth in goal whilst Hinchy also came on or Khan in midfield (76 mins).

The game was drifting and soon broken up by yet another stoppage as Sohna replaced Ward for Woking (79 mins). PLay was drifting uneventfully towards its inevitable conclusion as Firth comfortably saved a long shot (84 mins). In the closing stages two Alty corners bracketed a Woking corner as the game went into six added minutes which produced no real excitement and no change to the score of 5-1.