Amid recent changes at Altrincham FC Women, we would like to offer supporters the following update.

Spencer and Timur Step Up

We are delighted to announce that Spencer O'Connor has been appointed as Head Coach of Altrincham FC Women.

Spencer has made a significant contribution to the Robins in the past two seasons, initially taking up the role of assistant manager during the 2024/25 season, during which Altrincham FC Women earned promotion from the Cheshire Women & Youth Football League, Premier Division. Alty Women also picked up their first trophy in club history, winning the 2025 Challenge Cup.

Last season, Spencer was appointed manager of the newly formed Elite u18 team, guiding them to an impressive 2nd-place finish in the Cheshire Women & Youth Football League, u18 Premier Division. The team capped off an excellent debut season by reaching the semi-final of the Cheshire Women & Youth Football League u18 Cup and the Cheshire FA Girls u18 Cup.

On his appointment as Head Coach of the first team, Spencer said:

"It's exciting, a different challenge and new sort of environment. I've been with the u18s, which is more of a development environment. Now coming into an enviornment where results matter, every game matters.

"Hopefully we can all hit the ground running in training sessions, because we all know each other, we know what we want to work towards and then in games it's the same stuff."

Spencer was assisted by Timur Zakirov for the Elite u18 team last season, and Timur will now step up into the role of Elite u18 Head Coach. We are sure supporters will join us in welcoming Spencer and Timur into their new roles.

Daryll and James depart

We can confirm the departure of Daryll Abrahams and James Findlow. Daryll joined the club as manager ahead our return to the North West Women's Regional League last season, leading the club to a very respectable 5th place, whilst taking the Robins on what was comfortably the best Women's FA Cup run in club history. Altrincham were the lowest ranked team to reach the third round, whilst only competition winners Manchester City matched Alty's five Women's FA Cup wins.

Head of goalkeeping, James, played a big part in the development of goalkeepers at first team and Elite u18 level, but also in bringing through junior goalkeepers. Lily Reynolds and Sophie Winton have stepped up from junior level to Elite u18, whilst Toni Williams has progressed all the way through to the first team. James leaves to take up an opportunity at a club higher up the pyramid.

Everyone at Altrincham FC Women wishes Daryll and James all the best for the future.

New Coaching Structure

The new Altrincham FC Women staffing structure is:

• Head of Football - Duncan Jones
• First Team Head Coach - Spencer O'Connor
• First Team Assistant Coach - Anisa Ali
• Elite u18 Head Coach - Timur Zakirov
• Elite u18 Assistant Coach - Natalie Rawlings

Three-point Deduction

We can confirm that Altrincham FC Women have received a three-point deduction in the North West Women's Regional Football League, Division One Central due to a player registration issue. 

Looking ahead, we are looking forward to the remainder of the season and are excited for what the future holds under the leadership of Spencer and Timur. Spencer will begin his tenure as first-team head coach against Wigan Athletic Ladies, and all support for him and the team will be greatly appreciated.

(Photos by Manon Benvavise)