Words Harley Renshaw Picture Sean Walsh

Altrincham 3 FC Halifax Town 4

The Robins welcomed Halifax for their third National North League game of the campaign in a fixture that started at a frantic pace.

Altrincham soon began to take some control and play some good football in the final third, only to fall behind, against the run of play, after quarter-of-an-hour.

Halifax counter-attacked, and it resulted in a cross into the Alty area that left Taafe unluckily kicking the ball into his own net for the opening goal.

The Robins bounced back very well, playing some good football, with Watson, Renshaw and Weston getting a lot of the ball in midfield and frequently getting it out well to their two wingers.

As a result of this, Martin latched on to a chance and took the ball past the keeper before slotting into an empty net for a 27th-minute equaliser.

Soon after, Halifax started playing some good football and would have restored their lead but for a phenomenal save by Alty keeper Beddow (pictured in a recent FA Youth Cup tie).

Alty had to make a change after half-an-hour when Antoniades went off with a head injury, following a collision with the opposing full-back, to be replaced by Hough.

Further chances came for both sides, not least when Mannion beat his man from the left and hit a shot which was saved by the Halifax goalkeeper, but it remained all-square at the end of a tense first half.

The young Robins started the second half strongly and made one of several chances count in the 51st minute, when Martin set St Romaine for a cross to the back post which Mannion perfectly slotted home above the Halifax goalkeeper to make it 2-1.

It might have been 3-1 soon after, as Martin played Renshaw in, and the number 10 rifled a shot that was saved impressively. Soon after, another Alty chance came and went, as Renshaw  precisely played Martin down the line for a solid shot that was parried by the keeper, who was relieved no-one followed up to pounce on the loose ball.

When Halifax countered at pace, a cross from the right was mis-kicked by the opposing winger, only for the referee to controversially award a penalty that their number nine converted to make it 2-2 with half-an-hour to play.

Alty went for a triple substitution five minutes later, with Renshaw, Martin and St Romaine making way for Mattison, Knowles and Rowe. 

Lacking their earlier composure, the Robins were caught out when a throw-in was wrongly awarded to Halifax, and their winger skipped past Taafe before crossing for the number nine to finish clinically in the 75th minute.

Alty looked to have salvaged a draw when Mannion won a corner and Mattison met Watson's delivery with a good header to level matters at 3-3 with less than five minutes left.

The game was going both ways, like a basketball match, but it was Halifax who delivered the decisive blow when Alty lost possession on the right side of their own box and the visitors made them pay with another assured finish.

There were just seconds remaining, though Alty still found time to carve out one more chance, as, after some link-up play on the left between Mannion and Watson, a wonderful cross landed on Lecky's head, only for the keeper to make the save and deny the Robins a point. 

So, it ended in defeat to a good away side in Halifax, but the team battled very hard for a large period of the game and could count themselves unlucky not to get a positive result after a much-improved attacking performance in what was an end-to-end game.

Squad on the day:
Max Beddow
Raion Rowe
Kian Lecky
Jimmy Taffe
Chris Antoniades
Charlie Hough
Harry St Romaine
Harry Watson
Kian Mattison 
Joe Weston
Harley Renshaw 
Issac Mannion
Noah Lavin
Jacob Martin
Ryan Knowles
Callum McCormack