In this lunchtime match Altrincham moved up to sixth in the table, having been as high as fourth before the afternoon kick-offs were completed.

They played some slick, passing football in the opening quarter of the game and got their reward when central defender Lewis Banks, inside the box, finished off a smart move of nine or ten passes on the left, by slotting home Jimmy Knowles's well measured return pass (28 mins).

But the Robins were unable to build on that lead and had a scare just before the interval when the Shots had the ball in th net but it was ruled to have been offside (45+1 mins).

The hosts did not heed that warning and within some twelve seconds after the restart Aldershot had equalised through Tuma.

Aldershot then kept Alty on the back foot for a period and around the hour mark they missed two excellent chances to go ahead.

However, Altrincham belatedly roused themselves and when Knowles smart flick put Barlow in on goal, Oldusanya's clear foul gave Altrincham a penalty. As well as players and the keeper delibreately delaying the spot-kick, he offending player then refused to leave the pitch before finally being coerced to depart.

Barlow himself took the penalty, sending the keeper the wrong way and restoring his side's lead (82 mins).

Against the ten men Altrincham added a third goal in added time when Khan's excellent surge into the box and low cross from the left laid on a tap-in for debutant loanee substitute Farrell who, otherwise, had had a quiet debut from the bench.

The win meant that Altrincham equalled, for the second season running, what had been a record since 1927 of playing 13 games without a draw from the start of the season.

SCORERS:

• 28 mins: Lewis BANKS (ALTRINCHAM 1 Aldershot Town 0)
• 46 mins: Basik TUMA (ALTRINCHAM 1 Aldershot Town 1)
• 82 mins: Adam BARLOW (penalty) (ALTRINCHAM 2 Aldershot Town 1)
• 90(+3) mins: (ALTRINCHAM 3 Aldershot Town 1)

REFEREE: Mr Martin Woods

ATTENDANCE: 1,876 (207 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

By the end of last Saturday's match at Boreham Wood, The Robins were without nine of their squad through injury (German, Jones, Olson, Dennis, Forde, Evans, Hemmings, Humbles and Knowles). Today, Dennis and Knowles were fit to play, the latter assigned to the bench whilst Knowles started up front.

Alty gave a debut to new goalkeeper Harry Isted, as Andy Firth re-assumed his voluble role as coach from the substitutes' bench. The other change saw Barlow drop to the bench as Reddin started. Dennis made a first appearance in a matchday squad since joining last summer, being assigned a place on the bench alongiside new loan signing Leo Farrell. Weaver and Raymond dropped out of the squad

For The Shots there were three changes as Efete, Tuma and Wyllie started in place of Dinanga, Peart and Oladunjoye. Of this trio only Dinanga retained a place in the squad against one of his former clubs.

LINE-UP:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white sleeves and trim, red shorts and white socks): 34. Harry Isted, 14. Matty Kosylo, 21. Reuben Lopata-White, 5.Jake Cooper, 2. Lewis Banks, 15. Sam Taylor, 22. Tom Crawford (c), 7. Otis Khan, 20. Kahrel Reddin, 23. Charlie Kirk, 11. Jimmy Knowles. Subs: 4. Jack Hinchy, 12. Kian Breckin, 9. Kristian Dennis, 10. Aidan Barlow, 24. Sam Barnes, 13. Andy Firth (gk) 39. Leo Farrell.

ALDERSHOT TOWN (Military green shirts, black shorts and black): 1. Nick Hayes, 2. Michee Efete, 5. Kiki Oshilaja, 6. Dominic Odusanya, 10. Basil Tuma, 11. Hakeem Sandah, 12. Michael Stickland (c), 18. Nino Adom-Malaki, 20. Marcus Wyllie, 23. Conor Lawless, 29. Anisius Lewis. Unused Subs: 13. Charlie Patmore (gk), 3. Ollie Harfield, 4. Jacob Borgnis, 7. Tristan Abrahams, 9. Marcus Dinanga, 16. Jack Matton, 17.Tyrese Dyce, 20. Marcus Wyllie, 27. Jordan Alves

BACKGROUND:

Altrincham lay three points and four places above Aldershot Town at kick off, with The Robins having dropped to sixth place following their defeat at league leaders Boreham Wood last time out.

Before kick-off three of the players not involved today, Eddy Jones, Joel Bailey and Lucas Weaver, completed laps around and up and down the pitch.

The Aldershot manager today was Scott Davies, whose Slough Town had knocked Alty out of the FA Cup in one of Neil Gibson's first matches as interim boss of Altrincham last season.

REPORT:

On what was to be a largely sunn but breezy afternoon interrupted by occasional brief showers, Alty kicked off towards an away win populated by a commendable 207 away fans who had made the lengthy trip from Hampshire for this lunchtime kick-off.

Altrincham started brightly and for the first quarter of the match were to play some of their best footbal of the season, with slick passing much in evidence. On the sidelines, substitute goalkeeper and coach Andy Firth was as vocal as ever, easily out-shouting the management duo of Neil Gibson and Lee Jones, hopefully his instructions came from the same page of the training manual as his bosses'!

The first clear sight of goal came when Crawford advanced up the centre-right channel and tested Nick Hayes with a firm shot (9 mins). Soon afterwards, a fine passing move culminated in Alty winning the afternoon's first corner off Adom-Malaki.

Goalkeeper Hayes was soon in action again when a fine long ball from Kisylo almost played in Knowles but the keeper just reached the ball first (12 mins).

Efete's foul on Knowles earned him an early booking (14 mins) but the resulting freekick, from 30 yards out, flew comfortably over the bar from Kirk.

Knowles soon won another corner for his side (16 mins). Further back Reuben Lopata-White was impressing before some smart footwork from Kosylo fed Reddin on the right and the winger gained his side another corner (22 mins).

Next Reddin fed Knowles, whose ball from the right won a further corner as Altrincham dominated (24 mins). But a rare inursion into the Alty box by the Shots saw Isted win a freekick as he smothered the ball.

Altrincham finally got a reward for their dominance when a multi-passing advance on the left culminated in a one-twp between Knowles and Banks inside the box from which the centre-back scored with a low effort (28 mins)

The visitors responded by winning their first corner of the afternoon on the half-hour mark. Their neat corner routine led to a low shot which Isted saved comfortably (31 mins).

A crude challenge on Crawford by Sandah earned a freekick but no card from Mr Woods (33 mins).

After taking the lead Alty had now allowed Aldeshot into the game more, rather than pressing home their advantage. As half-time approached further pressure ensued when a sliced clearance by Cooper gave the Shots a corner and led to Isted having to make a save to a low shot towards his near post (40 mins).

Cooper then picked up his fourth yellow card in his last five matches and a suspension-inducing fifth card of the season as he tugged back Wyllie (41 mins).

But Altrincham then had a good chance to double their lead when Kirk and Taylor combined up the left and prompted a melee in the Shots box with the ball coming out to Crawford who, with his back to goal, swivelled but shot over the bar when he probably had more time to compose himself (44 mins).

In added time, Aldershot had the ball in the net but, to Altrincham's relief, their celebrations were cut short by an offside flag (45+1 mins). Manager Scott Davies was believed to have been red carded as he went down the "tunnel" for the interval after expressing dissent over the offside decision.

But the disallowed goal was a warning to Altrincham that they had allowed the visitors back into the match.

The warning was not heeded as the visitors kicked off and netted within twelve seconds through Tuma (46 mins). The kick off had gone back to the keeper, whose long punt was laid off from the by-line on the right of the Alty goal for Tuma to score.

Alty were now on the back foot, with all eleven home players occupying their own final third of the pitch. The pressure manifested itself as Banks was now booked for a foul, as his side started the half poorly (48 mins).

Two Shots' corners soon followed with Tuma looking particularly dangerous on the Aldershot right (50 mins).

Alty finally gained some repite eight minutes into the half as Reddin's cross deflected out for a home corner, at which point Reddin was replaced by debutant loanee Farrell. Reddin was clearly unhappy to be withdrawn (53 mins). (p> Knowles moved to the right to accommodate Farrell as the central striker. Next, an excellent run by Kosylo ended in a foul by Odusanya who was booked (55 mins).

Sandah was soon more fortunate as he somehow evaded a booking for felling Jimmy Knowles (57 mins)

Aldershot then spurned two good chances to seize the lead. First Tuma steered a shot wide before the same player's excellent play set up Lawless but, with a clear sight of goal, he lifted his effort well over the bar from 15 yards (62 mins).

Altrincham did put together some resistance when a Kirk cross from the left was just too high for Farrell, who was finding it difficult to get into the game (63 mins).

Former Alty striker Marcus Dinanga was a substitute for Aldershot and he now replaced Lewis (66 mins)

As this transaction took place, Isted rushed to the touchline near the technical area to receive some treatment to his right knee which appeared to be taped up.

Back on the pitch, Taylor was having a difficult time with Tuma on the Alty left before the game ticked into its final quarter but it was Lawless who was to win the Shots' next corner as the visitors looked the more likely to score at this stage (68 mins).

The visitors now introduced Abrahams for Wyllie (75 mins) before a Kosylo feed allowed Farrell to gain his side a corner but Kirk's flag-kick was poor (76 mins).

Another Alty change brought Barlow onto the field in place of Kirk (78 mins) and when, soon afterwards, Knowles slipped a ball through for Barlow to advance in the centre of the box, he was brought down by Odusanya.

After a pause by Mr Woods, a penalty was awarded and Odusanya was shown a red card.

There then followed farcical scenes as Aldershot players blatantly tried to delay the taking of the penalty and the miscreant refused to go off, before sauntering at a snail's pace vaguely towards the touchline but stopping well short of it. The fourth official seemed unable to intervene whilst the referee was engaged in setting up the spot kick. To the derision of the home supporters Odusanya finally got off the pitch but his blatant dissent and timewasting were deserving of further sanction which he is unlikely to receive in retrospect.

Finally Barlow stepped up and sent Hayes the wrong way from the spot to restore Altrincham's lead (82 mins). From the restart the Shots immediately tried to catch Isted off his line but he was well placed to thwart that plan.

Borgnis now replaced Sandah as Aldershot sought to minimize the impact of the red card for Odusanya (83 mins).

Five added minutes were decreed as Lewis Banks was named the Man of the Match. But Alty had the last word as Khan burst forward into the left of the box and his low ball from the left reached Farrell at the back post who had little more than a tap-in to make it 3-1 (90+3 mins).

With everyone else near the top of the league winning their games, Alty remained sixth on completion of Saturday's later kick-offs in the National League.