Words Brian Flynn Pictures Jonathan Moore and Darren Woolley

Three games into the new campaign, forty-three to go, Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson gives us his views on two arduous away trips, travelling almost eight hundred miles in total to Surrey and Berkshire.

Last night at Maidenhead, we got exactly what was asked for and the players delivered.

James Jones comes back into the team and scores the winning goal and keeps a clean sheet. What a return.

We stayed positive whilst licking our wounds over the weekend. We reminded the lads who we are and what’s expected from us this season and they showed quality and resilience to execute a well-deserved win.

Alan Devonshire’s side are always a difficult team to beat at York Road and it took a special strike last season and another excellent set piece settled it for us this time. Elliot Osborne was at the heart of both goals, last September with a piece of quick thinking, that was capitalised on by Chris Conn-Clarke and last night, a sumptuous free kick delivered to James Jones, who outwitted his marker before planting a far post header across the goal and into the bottom corner.

We probably created more chances than we have done there in the past. Alex Newby in the first half was so close to scoring with a high-quality effort and Max Haygarth should have scored, midway through the second half, when he went through one against one with the move of the game.

Last Saturday’s very heavy defeat at Sutton was a hard one to take.

Neil Sorvel and I were very happy with the first twenty-five minutes where we more than matched them and got into some really dangerous areas.

What followed was sixteen minutes of madness where three individual errors cost us the game, which you just can’t do much about from the sidelines. At 4-0 it was over by half-time, which was disappointing, but it was the second game of the season away at one of the league favourites, who have been playing in League Two for the last three seasons. I think if the individual errors don’t happen it’s a completely different second half.

We are still a work in progress and maybe still nursing a play-off hangover subconsciously; not that you can tell around the camp. I believe in the group, they’ve been hurt by the result but we couldn’t feel sorry for ourselves, with the Maidenhead game taking place just three days later.

I know when we click we’ll be the team every one associates with Altrincham. I can see signs of it already.

I did say we are missing a couple of big players at the start of the season and when we get everyone back we’ll look a different animal.

Finally, we’re all hugely grateful to the 133 travelling fans at Sutton on Saturday, including a sold-out coach organised by Union Golf Road. To see 65 Alty fans at Maidenhead last night, following such a heavy defeat, was a magnificent effort and we applaud every one of you!

Thank you! 

Phil