Words John Edwards | Pictures Jonathan Moore

Yeovil 0 Altrincham 0

No late alarms on the road for Altrincham this time, as a rock-solid Robins performance added another point to their Vanarama National League tally at a sunlit Huish Park this afternoon.

If there was any slight frustration for manager Phil Parkinson and his players as they boarded the bus home, it may well have been that only one point was accompanying them after the way they took the game to their hosts and controlled possession in the second half.

Even so, after the stoppage-time calamities that befell them at both Forest Green Rovers and Barnet, when a point appeared to have been secured on each occasion, it was a step in the right direction to be heading back up the motorway with something to show for their endeavours.

Yeovil fashioned the first shooting opportunity in the sixth minute after the ball reached Sonny Blu Lo-Everton 25 yards out to the left of the Alty area.

When the Yeovil forward jinked inside a challenge and let fly with a right-footed snap shot, it seemed to take Ethan Ross by surprise as the Alty keeper opted to punch an effort that was straight at him.

No matter, the attack was successfully repelled, and the Robins swiftly switched the focus to the other end, as Regan Linney cut in from the right but lifted his shot from the edge of the area high over the bar.

A brilliant defensive header by skipper James Jones rescued Alty in he 12th minute, following a cross from the right that looked destined for the head of Aaron Jarvis on the edge of the six-yard box.

Had Jarvis won the aerial duel, it would surely have resulted in an opening goal for the Glovers, but Jones rose above him with the most critical of interventions to flick it away from the lurking Yeovil striker.

It earned him the gratitude of his team-mates, but there was no credit from the referee, who mistakenly awarded a goal-kick, rather than the corner it should have been.

Justin Amaluzor's strength and persistence earned Alty a free-kick in a dangerous position in the 23rd minute, but Alex Newby's delivery sailed wide of the right-hand post.

Linney's goal-poaching talents usually come to the fore in and around the opposition penalty area, but he was nearer Alty's than Yeovil's when he tried his luck in the 27th minute.

Spotting Ollie Wright off his line, the Alty striker fired a shot from well inside his own half that briefly threatened to embarrass the backtracking Yeovil keeper, who finally managed to raise his arms with a couple of yards to spare and complete a comfortable enough catch.

Yeovil may well have felt they had edged the first 45 minutes, as the teams went in at half-time, but there had been few real alarms for a well-drilled Robins rearguard.

If Alty had found themselves pressed back for large chunks of the first half, they started the second period very much on the front foot.

When Newby cut the ball back across goal from the left in the 47th minute, Tom Crawford met it with a first-time shot on the turn that Wright kept out with a superb reflex save low down to his right.

Soon after, a link-up between Newby and Linney set alarm bells ringing in the Yeovil defence again, only for the final ball from Linney to elude his team-mate as it flashed in front of him.

On the hour, Alty produced the brightest attacking move of the afternoon so far, as Amaluzor seized possession inside his own half and started to motor through the gears.

That familiar combination of pace and power took him surging past two challenges, and when Yeovil finally slowed him down with a crunching foul, the referee's decision to play advantage allowed Linney to keep the momentum going with a fierce angled drive that the diving Wright turned away at full stretch.

Alty were dominating possession, but it was Yeovil who came closest to breaking the deadlock, against the run of play, when Michael Smith led a 76th-minute counter-attack deep into Alty territory and found himself having to choose between passing to a well-placed team-mate or going it alone.

He opted for the latter and almost won the game for his side with a floated effort that cleared Ross' straining fingertips but smacked against the bar.

Yeovil Wright; Little, Williams, Wannell, Pearson (Young, 79'), Worthington (c), Jarvis, Lo-Everton (McGavin, 77'), Sims (Nouble, 65'), Smith (Bernard, 89'), Cooper. Subs not used: Cousin-Dawson, Gould.

Altrincham Ross; Banks, Cooper, Osborne, Linney (Reddin, 87'), Newby (Kosylo, 86'), Amaluzor, Humbles (Nuttall, 77'), J.Jones (c), Crawford, Golden. Subs not used: E.Jones, Thompson, Bickerstaff, Randle.

HT 0-0

Goals None | None

Yellows Cooper 21', Smith 83' | None

Reds None | None

Referee Lee Swabey

Assistants Kevin Morris & Steven Plane

Fourth official Adam Ricketts

Attendance 2,838 (91 away)

Next Up

We renew rivalries with Boston United at The J.Davidson Stadium on Saturday, September 21st - kick-off 3pm.

Get your tickets here, book your hospitality seats here and grab a sponsorship package here - enjoy a thrilling Saturday afternoon with Altrincham FC.