Another lengthy journey awaits the Robins this Saturday, as they head for the Essex coast for what is sure to be another tough test on their travels. Here, JOE WARD brings you everything you need to know, including ticket and travel information, in his usual match preview.

Altrincham are back on the road in Vanarama National League action when we travel to fifth-placed Southend United on Saturday (kick-off 12.30pm).

The Robins sit just five points below the play-offs going into Saturday’s match, following a thoroughly-deserved victory against Eastleigh last time out.

Recent signing Elliot Newby continued his perfect start to his second loan spell at the club after he made it three goals in as many games to open the scoring. One of his attacking partners, Ryan Colclough, later sealed the victory to make  it a return of seven points from three games for Phil Parkinson's side.

The anticipation begins to build as we prepare for a lengthy away trip to Roots Hall. The Shrimpers head into the game off the back of two defeats in a row, beginning with a loss at home to Gateshead United, ending their 11-game unbeaten streak in the league.

Southend then fell to the hands of Aldershot Town in their last game, losing 2-0 away from home. The back-to-back defeats could potentially increase the chances of Alty returning from Essex with something to show for our efforts. Let's hope so!

Manager’s Views.

Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson caught up with Brian Flynn last Saturday following our 2-1 victory over Eastleigh at The J.Davidson Stadium. 

About The Opposition

After spending 101 years in the Football League, the former Championship side dropped to the National League for the 2021-22 season, amidst financial problems.

They finished their first campaign in the National League just one place above Alty in 13th. However, they have started this season in much better form and look to be pushing for a place in the play-offs.

Manager Kevin Maher, who joined the club as head coach in October 2021, seems to have found a winning formula after taking his side on an impressive 11-game unbeaten streak in the league. The run included draws at home to both Wrexham and Notts County, establishing Roots Hall as something of a fortress.

Nevertheless, Gateshead’s shock victory over the Shrimpers paved the way for Aldershot to shatter Southend’s seemingly impenetrable home record with a 2-0 victory last Saturday.

Whilst a dark cloud continues to hover over the club off the pitch, following financial troubles, the players have continued to do their talking on it. Former Robin Dan Mooney scored the club's last goal, contributing to a strong attacking force.

Winger Callum Powell leads the scoring charts with seven in 17 appearances.

Nonetheless, he has been unable to find the net in his last three games.

Skipper Nathan Ralph returned to the side in their last game for the first time in two months, following a toe injury. In a post-match interview with the club, the 29-year-old said: “We’re not going to be doom and gloom this week; we’re going to be at it and focusing on the next game”.

As focused as they may be, the hosts will surely have a difficult task keeping Parkinson’s boys quiet. With a revitalised run of form, the Robins head into Saturday's encounter on a three-game unbeaten run and will look to extend that with a win on Saturday.

Three points could take us to 13th place in the table and potentially turn up the volume of recent murmurs about possibly challenging for a play-off place, though a glance at last season's results against our latest opponents underlines the challenge awaiting Alty.

Recent Meetings

National League 21/22:

Southend United 2-0 Altrincham, 19th March 2022

Altrincham 1-2 Southend United, 27th November 2021

Ticket Information

Adult - £18

Senior (60+) - £13

Student - £13

Young Person 17 – 22 - £13

Emergency Services - £13

Disabled - £13

Junior 9 – 16 - £8

Child – under 8 - £3

Please note: payments can only be made in cash at the turnstiles.

Matchday and Travel Information

Supporters are reminded that kick-off has been brought forward to 12:30 pm after the National League decided to avoid a potential clash with an England Round of 16 World Cup match.

Turnstiles will open from 11 am.

There are four seats remaining free of charge on our minibus that is heading to Southend. It will depart from The J. Davidson Stadium at 6am Saturday morning.

Please only book a seat if you are travelling, as not turning up on the day may mean that you will deprive someone else of the opportunity to use the minibus service.

Tickets can be booked here.

Match coverage

Radio Robins is broadcasting full live commentary on RadioAlty. The broadcast starts at midday, and the commentary team is Ben Edgson and Laurence Howarth.

You can listen to Radio Robins on RadioAlty in any of the following 4 ways:

Listen live on RadioAlty https://streams.radio.co/s4d51ef3bf/listen

Listen live on RadioAlty https://www.radioalty.co.uk/listen.html

Download and install the RadioAlty app on Android devices from the Google Play Store.

Download and install the RadioAlty app on Apple devices from the App Store.

In addition, there will be full coverage of the match on our social media channels.