Words John Edwards | Pictures Jonathan Moore

Morecambe 2 Altrincham 1

Charmed existence off the pitch, charmed existence on it. No wonder Morecambe fans were pinching themselves when the final whistle sounded at the Mazuma Mobile Stadium this afternoon after a turn of events few of them could have predicted.

Fresh from seeing their club escape extinction by the skin of their teeth, it looked for all the world like being the toughest of introductions to life in the Enterprise National League as their team endured a battering at the hands of a dominant Altrincham, up to and beyond the 90-minute mark.

When the fourth official's board indicated 10 minutes of added time, all seemed lost, as Alty continued to pepper their goal.

Surely they couldn't survive, but having perfected the art of escapology with a takeover no-one expected to reach fruition, they did it again by not only holding on in the face of a fierce Alty bombardment but breaking clear in the 98th minute to steal the unlikeliest of victories.

What a cruel blow substitute Daniel Ogwuru's late, late winner was for an Alty side who had gone behind early on but equalised through Jimmy Knowles in the 35th minute and got stronger and stronger in an increasingly one-sided second half.

It was hard to take for Phil Parkinson and his players, but more of the same, with the key added ingredient of a sharper cutting edge near goal, will surely bring a more deserving outcome against Solihull Moors at The J.Davidson Stadium on Monday afternoon.

The home side went in front in only the sixth minute, though it was slightly against the run of play after two promising early raids by the Robins.

First, skipper Lewis Banks released Kahrel Reddin down the right with a perfectly-weighted pass in the second minute, and the winger whipped in a dangerous low cross that had to be dealt with by the Morecambe defence.

When Reddin picked out Charlie Kirk on the left of the area in the fifth minute, the Alty forward tried his luck with a rising effort that was safely clutched by keeper Archie Mair.

The importance of applying a finishing touch to some enterprising approach play became all too apparent seconds later when Morecambe took the lead.

After advancing towards the Alty area and cutting inside Dan Sassi, Ben Tollitt saw his first shot blocked by Luke Hutchinson but made no mistake with the rebound from close range.

The Robins showed no sign of wilting after that unwanted early setback and almost capitalised on a wayward pass by Mair as the home keeper attempted to play the ball out from the edge of the area in the 22nd minute.

The defender he was aiming for was quickly dispossessed, allowing Knowles to steady himself for a low drive that Mair just about kept out with a sprawling save low to his right.

There was a reprieve for Alty in the 25th minute when Harrison Panayiotou seized on a defensive error but somehow managed to clear the bar by a distance with only Hutchinson to beat.

The Robins made the most of it soon after with another illustration of why Phil Parkinson describes Knowles' finishing as 'second to none'.

Alty's summer signing burst clear down the right and made the most of the space that opened up before him by drilling a low drive unerringly beyond Mair to level the scores.

There could be no disputing that the Robins had done more than enough to go in on level terms at the break, though they could easily have finished the half in front after a flash of brilliance from Reddin in the 45th minute.

Shaping to hit a first-time left-foot volley from the edge of the area, a last-second change of mind by the lightning-quick winger completely hoodwinked his marker and opened up room for a right-foot shot that flashed narrowly wide.

Alty almost punished more indecisiveness by Mair in the 51st minute, as the home keeper hesitated over clearing his lines and gave Kirk the chance to block his kick, only for a team-mate to come to his rescue at the expense of a corner.

At the other end, two minutes later, Alty were indebted to Ward for getting his head in the way of a ferocious volley by Gwion Edwards that looked destined for the top right corner of the Robins net.

Morecambe were enjoying a decent spell of possession around the hour-mark, but Alty really should have gone in front for the first time in the 65th minute.

After surging towards the right bye-line and looking up, Reddin deliberately picked out Kirk with a perfect cutback that the Alty forward sidefooted over with the goal at his mercy.

Substitute James Gale's strong, purposeful frontrunning was to the fore in the 79th minute, as he brushed off a challenge and delivered a low cross that just eluded Reddin and Knowles as both Alty players flung themselves at it in the hope of getting a decisive touch.

Alty had been the dominant force for much of the second half, but the way they were again thwarted in the 84th minute was typical of how luck was going against them.

Reddin brilliantly turned Jake Cain on the right corner of the area, only for the Morecambe player to cynically grab his shirt and haul him back. Cain was booked, but the free-kick came to nothing, leaving Alty to rue Reddin being denied a possible shooting opportunity by an infringement bang on the edge of the area rather than just inside it.

So the pattern of Alty pushing for a second goal continued right into the 10 added minutes.

In one incredible double escape for Morecambe in the 92nd minute, Gale had a goalbound effort blocked in a crowded six-yard box and Reddin saw his follow-up effort somehow parried by Mair as it flew through a forest of legs.

Seconds later, Gale hooked  a close-range opportunity over, and, two minutes after that, Knowles cut in from the left and saw a cleverly-disguised shot just miss the near post and nestle in the side netting.

Unbelievably, though they looked to be on their last legs, Morecambe broke from deep inside their own half in the 98th minute, and when Tollitt teed up Ogwuru, the substitute fired a low shot beyond the reach of Hutchinson.

There was still time for Alty substitute Matty Kosylo to volley a chance over from the edge of the six-yard box - confirmation, if it were needed, that it wasn't our day.

Morecambe Mair; Hendrie, Conte (Ogwuru, 77'), Francillette, Edwards, Panayiotou, Cain, Lewis, Williams (Campbell, 68'), Tollitt, Songo'o (c). Subs not used: Scales, Dobson, Fairclough.

Altrincham Hutchinson; Banks (c), Marriott (Osborne, 67'), Ward (Kosylo, 75'), Knowles, Reddin, Crawford, Golden, Barnes, Sassi, Kirk (Gale, 67'). Subs not used: Reed, Raymond, Weaver, Fallon.

HT 1-1

Goals Tollitt 6', Ogwuru 90'+8 | Knowles 35'

Yellows Edwards 24', Williams 44', Cain 84', Mair 90' | Marriott 6', Kirk 26', Reddin 90'+10

Reds None | None

Referee Oliver Mackey

Assistants Joe Simpson & Oliver Nolan

Fourth official Ben Wyatt

Attendance 3,730 (246 away)

Next Up

A quick turnaround for Bank Holiday Monday's Enterprise National League clash with Solihull Moors at The J.Davidson Stadium (3pm).

Get your tickets here OR upgrade to hospitality for a Bank Holiday special rate of just £40 (including your match ticket) here.