Altrincham FC Women’s nine-match unbeaten run came to an end as they were beaten by Crewe Alexandra Women and exited the Alliance Design & Print Cup at the first round stage at Partington Sports Village.

The visitors started like a train, completely dominating the early stages of the game and Gracie Foster opened the scoring with a perfectly placed low drive from 20 yards, that was just a couple of inches inside the post.

Alty’s case wasn’t helped by very early injuries to Matilda Whitehead & Ashley Jones, but to the team’s credit, the players worked their way back into the game, before the Alex doubled their lead after 25 minutes, through their impressive striker, Emilia Edwards.

When Kyia Lancaster scored the goal of the game, with five minutes of the half remaining, cutting inside from the left wing before finishing exquisitely from 20 yards, into the top corner, it seemed as if Daryll Abrahams' side were heading for a heavy defeat, but his team showed resilience & courage to compete with the strongest opposition faced this season.

It was remarkable that there were no further goals after the break, as both teams carved out a number of opportunities & whilst there was never a point in the second half where a comeback looked to be a realistic possibility the Robins can be pleased with their performance and left the field with a better understanding of what will be required, should promotion be achieved in the medium term.

Left back Isabella Moss & recent midfield signing from Nantwich Town, Sophie Hall, made strong contributions, while Milla Jacobson was at the heart of most of the numerous chances created.

For the second week running, Milla Jacobson was named the Radio Alty Player of The Match.