Words John Edwards | Pictures Jonathan Moore

Altrincham 2 Braintree Town 1

It was a touch nervy at times near the end, but Altrincham were full value for a crucial win that kept Neil Gibson's side motoring towards the top half of the Enterprise National League table.

Some of the attacking play for much of an afternoon beset by torrential rain bore the stamp of a side looking upwards, rather than nervously over their shoulders, as the Robins scored two goals and created enough clear-cut chances to have bagged two or three times as many.

A 66th-minute strike out of the blue breathed new life into fourth-from-bottom Braintree, but Alty stood firm and denied them an equaliser, most notably when Tylor Golden pulled off a goalline clearance that said everything about his unflinching commitment to the cause.

Braintree were first to threaten in the fifth minute with a low left-wing cross that would have presented an unmarked Lewis Walker with a gilt-edged opportunity eight yards out, but for Josh Grant stretching out a leg to intercept it with the timeliest of blocks at the expense of a corner.

Luke Hutchinson comfortably saved a close-range header from the  resulting flag-kick, and Alty were soon venturing up the other end as Tom Crawford advanced towards the Braintree area seconds later.

In the absence of a challenge, as Braintree players backed off, the Alty skipper let fly from 22 yards, only for a defender to take the sting out of the shot and enable keeper Mason Terry to save with ease.

An early breakthrough seemed likely, and when it duly materialised in the eighth minute, it went they way of the Robins.

Olly Crankshaw wrong-footed his marker on the left with a swift change of direction that opened up space for a cross into the area.

Jimmy Knowles met it with a header that Terry blocked with his foot, and as the ball broke free, Declan Howe was on hand to bundle it over the line.

In driving rain, it was the ideal start for the Robins, and there was nearly a second goal to celebrate in the 12th minute, as Crankshaw once more showed why he is such a difficult opponent to pin down.

Seizing possession in a more central area this time, the winger twisted and turned before setting up Golden for a low drive that fizzed narrowly wide of the left post.

There was no question of resting on laurels for an Alty side whose sole aim was to keep taking the game to their opponents, and there was another close call for the relegation-threatened visitors in the 16th minute.

Howe did superbly to turn his close marker in a tight spot on the right of the area, and he almost capitalised on the opening it created with a fierce left-foot shot that Terry parried with a full-length dive to his right.

Terry was tested again in the 30th minute after great perseverance from Matty Kosylo earned Alty a free-kick in a central position 30 yards out.

Crankshaw took responsibility with a firmly-struck effort that had the over-worked Terry plunging low to his left to turn it away one-handed.

As the Robins kept their foot on the gas, Isaac Marriott was thwarted in similar fashion, another low effort from distance being kept out by an outstretched left hand belonging to the Braintree number one.

Alty were denied a second goal in controversial circumstances in the 39th minute after Howe turned and hit a shot that took a deflection on its way into the net.

The celebrations were well underway when a belated offside flag cut them short.

It appeared that the linesman, after some deliberation, decided the deflection had been off Crankshaw, apparently in an offside position, but video replays suggested it was a Braintree defender that the ball brushed against on its way past Terry.

With Crankshaw and Knowles both having close-range efforts kept out by Terry in the following couple of minutes, Alty had good reason for feeling aggrieved at going in only one goal to the good  when the half-time whistle sounded soon after.

Alty wasted no time ensuring their dominance was reflected in the scoreline at the start of the second half.

Just 50 seconds in, Crawford sent Howe scampering down the right, and when the on-loan striker clipped the ball into the middle, Crankshaw met it with a first-time shot that hit the inside of the post and rolled over the line off the back of the diving Terry.

Crankshaw took the plaudits, though it will surely have to go down as an own goal, given that the ball would not have crossed the line but for hitting the unfortunate Braintree keeper.

Despite conditions that were getting worse by the minute, Alty continued to turn on the style, Howe once more being frustrated by Terry after latching on to a Kosylo through ball and unleashing another on-target attempt.

In the 57th minute, Howe sent Crankshaw sprinting down the left, and when he cut inside and hammered a shot towards the far corner, it took another combination of reflexes and agility from Terry to keep the ball out of his net.

A minute after that, Knowles picked his spot from 15 yards, only for Braintree to be bailed out on this occasion by a handily-placed defender on the line.

Alty were looking full of enterprise and energy going forward, and they were switched on at the back, too, as Eddy Jones exemplified on the hour with a superb sliding block to nullify a goalbound shot from Sahid Kamara.

Out of nowhere, Braintree pulled a goal back in the 66th minute when the ball broke to Taylan Harris, and he drilled a low shot inside the near post.

Suddenly, the visitors scented the possibility of salvaging an unlikely point, and Hutchinson had to react smartly to turn a deflected effort from substitute John Akinde round the post in the 73rd minute.

With just five minutes left, Alty were indebted to Golden for a remarkable goalline stop after Goran Babic set his sights from near the penalty spot and curled a shot beyond the reach of Hutchinson.

It wasn't beyond the reach of Golden, thankfully, as the Alty defender stretched every sinew and somehow managed to get enough of his head on the ball to divert it on to the bar.

As goalline heroics go, it was right up there with the most spectacular you are likely to see all season.

It was also enough for Alty to safeguard their lead and see out time for a thoroughly-merited win, one that might have been more emphatic but for Terry once more excelling with another flying stop from Howe deep into stoppage time. 

Beeline VIP Travel Man Of The Match Tylor Golden

Altrincham Hutchinson; Grant, Crankshaw (Reddin, 70'), Marriott, Howe, Knowles (Kirk, 82'), Kosylo (Humbles, 85'), Crawford (c), Golden, Jones, Sassi. Subs not used: Weaver, Barnes, Forde, Fallon.

Braintree Terry; Francis-Clarke, Clampin (Omrore, 56'), Langston (c), Vennings, Harris, Walker (Akinde, 56'), Cooper (Kamara, 56'), Pinnington, Drake (Massiah-Edwards, 79'), Thorpe (Babic, 42'). Subs not used: Blunkell.

HT 1-0

Goals Howe 8', Own Goal 46' | Harris 66'

Yellows Marriott 86' | Kamara 76', Babic 90'+3

Reds None | None

Referee Niall Smith

Assistants Jason Roberts & Wayne Gray

Fourth official Abid Hussain

Attendance 1,603 (47 away)

Next Up

We head for Tamworth on Tuesday night for an Enterprise National League clash under the lights (7:45pm).

Get your tickets from our hosts here, away travel from Union Golf Road here OR join us in The John King Lounge for our watch party (free tickets here).