Words John Edwards | Pictures Jonathan Moore

Altrincham 0 Wealdstone 1

A third successive home defeat, an unthinkable statistic earlier this season, may have further dented Altrincham's play-off hopes, but there were some crumbs of comfort on another frustrating evening for all concerned at The J.Davidson Stadium.

Regan Linney will be back for Non-League Day at home to leaders Barnet on Saturday, for one thing, after completing a three-match suspension, and, for another, Alty weren't the only ones to falter on a night that also featured shock home defeats for Gateshead, FC Halifax Town and Rochdale.

It means the Robins remain just one point behind seventh-placed Rochdale and five behind Gateshead, who have played a game more than Alty.

The play-offs are still on, though it goes without saying an upgrade will be needed on levels that went unrewarded against Aldershot on Saturday and again tonight when Wealdstone's clean sheet was only truly imperilled when an outstanding effort from Matty Kosylo cannoned off the angle of bar and post 10 seconds from the end.

The opening 20 minutes passed with little by way of a serious goalscoring opportunity, but Alty had looked the likelier, and the first chance worthy of the name duly went their way in the 22nd minute.

Kosylo rolled the ball back to Lewis Banks, who picked out Justin Amaluzor with a defender breathing down his neck on the edge of the area.

A typically effective spin by the Alty winger took him past his close marker, but the finish that followed was off-target as he blazed his shot over the bar.

The Robins continued to press and went close again in the 27th minute after Banks set up Kosylo on the right for a low cross that looked perfect for Alex Newby, in space on the left of the area.

Alty's attacking midfielder met it with a firmly struck shot that appeared to hit Luca Gunter, rather than the Wealdstone keeper making any instinctive move to stop it flying past him. Either way, it was scrambled behind for a corner that came to nothing.

Wealdstone stunned Alty with a goal out of nothing in the 47th minute.
Dom Hutchinson latched on to a ball down the right and crossed towards the near post, where Alex Reid managed to squeeze a stooping header between Rob Lainton and the upright.

Parity should have been restored in the 51st minute after a clever flick by Kosylo put Banks in a great position to look up on the right of the area and single out Amaluzor with a pinpoint cutback.

The Alty winger was ideally placed near the penalty spot to despatch the low cross beyond Gunter, but, possibly mistrusting the uneven surface, his shot lacked conviction and was easily gathered by the Wealdstone number one.

A minute later, the Robins threatened again as Kosylo took aim from outside the area and fizzed a shot narrowly wide.

Just as Alty were pushing for an equaliser, they were almost rocked by a second Wealdstone goal in the 66th minute when Enzio Boldewijn let fly with a rising drive that Lainton tipped over.

When a mishit Kacper Pasiek clearance only reached Boldewijn 25 yards out in the 77th minute, the Wealdstone forward fired in a shot that Lainton saved well, diving to his right.

It was proving a frustrating second half for the Robins, who were still struggling to make inroads into a well-drilled Wealdstone defence when the fourth official's board was raised to signal eight minutes of added time.

Seven minutes and 50 seconds elapsed before Alty at last produced a moment worthy of a goal, as Kosylo took a George Wilson pass infield from the left before unleashing a ferocious swerving drive that looked for all the world as though it was going to salvage a point for the Robins until it crashed against the crossbar with the keeper beaten all ends up and bounced away to safety.

Harvey Nichols MOTM Lewis Baines

Altrincham Lainton; Banks, Baines (c), Cooper, Osborne, Newby, Amaluzor (Wilson, 66'), Kosylo, Crawford (Reddin, 66'), Bickerstaff (Weaver, 76'), Pasiek. Subs not used: Marriott, Griffiths, Ansen, Olson.

Wealdstone Gunter; Cook (c), Dyer, Boldewijn, Kretzschmar (Cesay, 85'), Randall-Hurren (Carayol, 71'), Hutchinson (McAvoy, 65'), Reid, Grant (Mariappa, 55'), Sohna, Walker (Ashford, 73'). Subs not used: Georgiou, Baptiste.

HT 0-0

Goals None | Reid 47'

Yellows Cooper 56' | Dyer 69', Mariappa 90'+1

Reds None | None

Referee Alan Dale

Assistant Thomas Wall & Ciaran Fidler

Fourth official Ben Robinson

Attendance 1,435 (37 away)

Next Up

It's Non-League Day. Vanarama National League leaders Barnet are the visitors to The J.Davidson Stadium for a 5:30pm kick-off, beamed around the world on DAZN.

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