Altrincham FC won the cup after a match against Congleton where they won 4-1. Altrincham FC was previously known as Broadheath FC and it is thought that Cockram took part in the team's first competitive game under their new name, a Manchester League game at Hyde on September 5, 1903 where Altrincham won 2-0.

The player also competed in the Cheshire Senior Cup, home quarter-final, against Sale Holmfield where they won 1-0, and the semi-final at Nantwich which they lost 0-3. The medal can be found on eBay.

CSH VACANCIES

• Community Sports Development Officer
• Sales & Marketing Officer
• Cleaner

Details are on the CSH website.

FA CUP 2Q ROUND

• Att. 765: Stourbridge 2-0 St. Ives Town

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

Another Premier newcomer, Farsley Celtic, moved into fourth spot after beating bottom-markers Halesowen Town 3-1 at Throstle Nest... Workington AFC earned only their second three-point haul to date when Conor Tinnion`s 38th minute effort eventually proved enough at Borough Park against Hednesford Tow.

The two other matches both ended two apiece. Matlock Town found themselves a goal down in the 10th minute to Danny Mitchley for visiting Marine AFC...

Dave Carson put Whitby Town ahead at the Turnbull Ground against Sutton Coldfield Town after 20 minutes. Lee Smith levelled just before the break, only for Carson to net his second to restore the Seasiders` lead just shy of the hour-mark. But the Royals' stellar signing, former Sheffield Wednesday, Nottingham Forest and Coventry star Marcus Tudgay, equalised in the 84th minute."

OLD BOYS

In the FA Cup Greg Young scored for Buxton and at Blyth, Damian Reeves netted a last-minute winner for Shaw Lane.

TRANSFERS

• Joshua Samberg from Ashton United to Altrincham
• Jake Heath from Stourbridge to Barwell
• Ross Haig from TSV Victoria Clarholz (Germany) to Barwell
• Alexander Newby from Witton Albion to Clitheroe (loan)
• Joshua Brizell from Marine to Colwyn Bay
• Simon Lenighan from Shaw Lane to Glossop North End
• Luke Foster from Coalville Town to Goole AFC
• Callum Bullock from Chorley to Hednesford Town
• Richard Plant from Gloucester City to Hednesford Town
• Niall Flint from Scarborough Athletic to Matlock Town
• Alex Lingard from Wigan Athletic to Rushall Olympic
• Kristian Scott from Nuneaton Town to Rushall Olympic
• Wesley Atkinson from Notts County to Rushall Olympic
• Raekwon Smith from Orebro Syrianska (Sweden) to Rushall Olympic
• Morgan Bacon from Carlisle United to Shaw Lane (loan)
• Osebi Abadaki from Nantwich Town to Stafford Rangers
• Kieren Westwood from Stourbridge to Stafford Rangers
• John Cofie from Chorley to Stalybridge Celtic
• Thomas Tonks from Solihull Moors to Stourbridge
• Joseph Sinton from Barwell to Sutton Coldfield Town
• Marcus Tudgay from Coventry City to Sutton Coldfield Town
• Jamie Davis from Witton Albion to Warrington Town "

SUNDAY GAME

• Stourbridge v St. Ives Town

NEXT SATURDAY LEAGUE FIXTURES

• Altrincham v Grantham Town
• Coalville Town v Stalybridge Celtic
• Farsley Celtic v Barwell
• Halesowen Town v Warrington Town
• Mickleover Sports v Hednesford Town
• Nantwich Town v Ashton United
• Shaw Lane v Stafford Rangers
• Stourbridge v Lancaster City
• Sutton Coldfield Town v Buxton
• Whitby Town v Marine
• Witton Albion v Rushall Olympic
• Workington v Matlock Town

SATURDAY LEAGUE SCORES

• Att. 159: Coalville Town 2-1 Witton Albion
• Att. 218: Farsley Celtic 3-1 Halesowen Town (James Walshaw scored one of the Celtic goals)
• Att. 305: Matlock Town 2-2 Marine (Danny Mitchley scored one of the Marine goals)
• Att. 197: Whitby Town 2-2 Sutton Coldfield Town
• Att. 379: Workington 1-0 Hednesford Town

FA CUP SCORES

• Deeping Rangers 2 - 4 Kidderminster Harriers
• Salford City 1 - 2 York City
• Darlington 1883 0 - 3 South Shields
• Southport 0 - 3 Bradford (Park Avenue)
• Ossett Town 1 - 0 Atherton Colleries
• Newcastle Benfield 2 - 1 Ashton United (att 149)
• Warrington Town 1 - 1 Hyde United (att 429)
• Harrogate Town 3 - 0 Penistone Church
• Spennymoor Town 1 - 2 Gainsborough Trinity
• Handsworth Parramore 1 - 1 United Of Manchester
• Shildon 1 - 0 Altrincham (att 345)
• Scarborough Athletic 2 - 0 Sunderland RCA
• Blyth Spartans 1 - 2 Shaw Lane Association (att 543)
• Stockport County 1 - 0 Curzon Ashton
• Stalybridge Celtic 1 - 3 Chorley (att 551)
• Lancaster City 4 - 0 Droylsden (att 303)
• Stafford Rangers 1 - 0 Tamworth (att 782)
• Boston United 1 - 1 Haughmond
• Shepshed Dynamo 0 - 1 Nantwich Town (att 318)
• AFC Mansfield 0 - 0 Rushall Olympic (att 110)
• AFC Telford United 2 - 0 Barwell (att 541)
• Basford United 1 - 0 Mickleover Sports (att 217)
• Grantham Town 3 - 4 Alvechurch (a77 332
• Buxton 4 - 1 Chasetown FC (att 314)

PREVIOUS MEETING

Above: Alty line up at Shildon in 2012. Left to right: Havern, Rodgers, Reeves, Lawrie, Moult, Hall, Clee, Richman, Coburn, Doughty, Densmore.

The EvoStik League reminds us that when Alty travel to Shildon on Saturday there has been just "One previous FA Cup meeting won 3-0 by Altrincham, five seasons ago. It is four years since Altrincham last exited the FA Cup in the 2nd Qualifying Round whilst it is three years since Shildon last progressed beyond the 2nd Qualifying Round."

NON-LEAGUE DAY CAMPAIGN

The planned activity at the four clubs on Non-League Day will seek to encourage greater engagement with a diverse range of communities, including local residents, young people and more. In addition, players from all teams involved will wear t-shirts recognising Kick It Out and Fans For Diversity during the pre-match warm up.

Fans who go to a game on Non-League Day can get involved with Kick It Out`s work around the initiative by using the hashtag #OurNLD and including a picture of themselves at their respective stadium. Supporters are particularly encouraged to take images they feel celebrate the diversity of non-League support, whether that's related to age, disability, faith, gender, gender reassignment, race or sexual orientation.

Anwar Uddin, who leads on the Fans For Diversity campaign, is delighted to continue supporting Non League Day and believes this year's partnership work will be the most impressive so far.

'It's vital for the Fans For Diversity campaign to engage with supporters at all levels of the football, not just the professional leagues, and that's why I'm so pleased that we are able to continue promoting our messages of diversity and inclusion in non-League football. As someone who's played and managed in non-League, I firmly believe we have to keep working hard to tackle discrimination at this level and ensure it`s an environment that is welcome to everyone.'

Roisin Wood, Chief Executive of Kick It Out, is equally pleased... 'The Fans For Diversity campaign has been a powerful tool to encourage supporters to celebrate the diversity we have in football and I look forward to this year`s activities emphasising the message that our game is inclusive, we should all feel excited about supporting our local club.'"

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

The Dutchman received quite the introduction to non-League football when he came off the bench for his debut in the 2-0 win over Shaw Lane last Saturday. Meulensteen was on the receiving end of an elbow that saw [ex-Alty striker] Kieran Ludgsden pick up a straight red card. The PNE man then played the first 75 minutes of the 2-1 defeat at Ashton United on Tuesday night.

'He brings composure to the team in possession,' said Brown, who also had Josh Earl at Giant Axe last season. 'He’s got a lot of technical qualities and excellent game management. On Saturday he worked hard and took a few knocks but got up and got on with it. He made his full debut on Tuesday and we knew it was going to be physicality first and football second. He met the intensity of the game and his passing was positive and incisive and helped us go forward...

'The thing about moving up from youth football is the hustle and bustle of trying to get three points is different,' he said. 'He’ll get his chance with us and then hopefully he’ll go back to Preston a better player. In the meantime he can help us move up the table'".

Over at Witton Albion, "The Club are very pleased to announce that Morecambe F.C. have agreed to extend Ben Hedley's loan period with us for a further month. To date, Ben has made 8 league appearances in the initial month and, despite him living in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, settled in to his central midfield role'".

CHESHIRE NEWS

Player/coach Tom Shaw has taken interim charge and has already spoken of his desire to return to his original role. Shaw hasn't applied but plenty of others have...

Chester chief executive Mark Maguire has been 'impressed' by the quality of the the candidates and told the Chronicle that they now have a shortlist. 'It's been a hectic few days,' said Maguire.... 'The quantity and the quality have made it harder work, but that's a positive.. We received 120 what we would call serious applications and then there probably were about 300-odd not so serious', he added. 'We've started the process of shortlisting the candidates. Then it will be a case of scheduling interviews for the first part of next week... We will then interview with the view to making a decision by the middle of next week.'"

SUPER ROWLEY!

"Last Sunday saw the Ladies' first team welcome local rivals Northwich Vixens down to Mersey Valley in a fixture that had to be reversed due to their Lostock Gralam pitch having to have remedial repairs in one goalmouth.

On an inclement day, where we had sunshine, drizzle then heavy rain the game was entertaining, to say the least, for the sizeable crowd that had come down to watch our first league game of the season.

We started with a 3-4-1-2 formation with the emphasis for the players to take the game to the Vixens. This game also had some extra spice as we had signed right-back Aimee Hopkinson from them in the close season.

Some great football was on show throughout the team and we created plenty of chances for the forwards but they were saved or just missing the target. Just as we thought 'maybe one of those games', Megan Rowley scored the first goal of the match. She was on fire, and with prompting from the midfield and her partner up front Laura Kelly, they pulled Vixens everywhere and Megan scored two more for her hat-trick to make the half-time score 3-0.

The second half started much the same and, within five minutes, that girl Rowley latched on to another fine ball and scored the goal of the game that belied her young age. As she approached the onrushing Vixens keeper, she calmly lifted the ball over the keeper's head and into the goal to make it FOUR goals.

On 70 minutes we brought Megan off to rousing support from the home fans and Kate Bryan replaced her. On 75 minutes there was a superb mazy run by Georgia Plant, beating three players, before she squared the ball for Kate to run on, round the keeper and slot home to make it five.

Above: Megan Rowley nets her fourth goal. Image courtesy of Mike Ripley

The game itself was a good one to watch as, although we scored five, Vixens contributed a lot to the game and we wish them good luck for the rest of the season.

Player of the Match had to be young Megan who had an outstanding game but she was quick to heap praise on the rest of the team which she said 'made her job easy'.

Final score was...

• Altrincham FC Ladies 5 Northwich Vixens 0

Thanks go to all the supporters who came to support us on Sunday, we loved seeing you there. There is no game for the girls this Sunday (unless the league throw a surprise in), so it's back to action a week on Sunday as we travel over Cheshire to face Crewe Alexandra LFC.

The Gaffer".

FARES CUT, SO JOIN THE TRIP TO SHILDON!

All supporters are welcome on the trip, but a reminder that we don’t allow alcohol on any TASC transport and promote a family friendly atmosphere for all our passengers, as we welcome fans of all ages. Full details are on the away Away Travel page and seats can be booked in office hours on 0161 928 1045".

FULL STEAM AHEAD

OLD BOYS

It's an exciting role for an ambitious club, with the opportunity of enhancing the already strong reputation that FC Halifax has for developing players and progressing careers in to the Football League, Premier League and international football.

Young said, 'I have had a few battles over the years competing against FC Halifax Town in management roles but football management is now behind me. It will now be really nice to be working on the same side with such a progressive club and, personally, I am really looking forward to getting started and playing my part in bringing future success.”

The Derbyshire Times reports on former Alty player and assistant manager Graham Barrow, who is now assistant boss at League Two Chesterfield. Barrow has been linked with the vacant managership of Chester FC, where he has also played and managed in the past.

Spireites' boss Gary Caldwell commented "I've heard he's linked and he keeps telling me he's a Chester legend, so I'm not surprised by that. He's fully committed to what we are doing here... I wouldn't think there's a great deal of truth in it".

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

Lingard was the sponsors' Man of the Match on his debut on Tuesday evening. He is a 19 year-old left-back who was a professional at Wigan Athletic before being released at the end of last season. He joins us from Nantwich Town, where he moved to following his release.

Lingard joined the Latics as a nine-year-old and was a ball boy at the DW Stadium, progressing through their Youth system and featuring regularly for their U18 and Development sides, where he worked with our current Assistant Manager, Will Ryder.

Smith was on the bench on Tuesday as we have been waiting for International Clearance as he been playing for Örebro Syrianska in Sweden, following his release from Walsall FC as a two-year scholar. He is a powerful, ball playing defender, 19, who featured at Tamworth in their U21s, following his release from Walsall, before moving to Sweden."

EMIRATES FA CUP OPPONENTS: SHILDON

A report in the Northern Echo on their match in the previous round appeared before the draw pitted them against Altrincham. It stated "Shildon player-manager Danny Moore says that the Railwaymen would like 'anyone at home' after they beat Bottesford in the first qualifying round of the FA Cup on Saturday.

Moore’s main aim has been to reach the Second Qualifying Round, and hopefully pick up a lucrative tie against one of the big teams from the Vanarama National League North, such as Darlington, Spennymoor, York City or Stockport County.

'We don’t mind who we play, as long as we get a home draw,' he said. 'To consider that we have played three times to get to this stage, one of them away from home in difficult conditions on Saturday, has been a very good achievement. As a manager, I can’t ask for much more. Bottesford played a long ball game on a tricky pitch, but we stuck at it well. We battled hard, and I thought we deserved it in the end.

'We’re looking for a good draw now, and hopefully we’ll go into the next round with an unbeaten record still. We’ll be in the right mood for the game'...

Shildon got on top as the first half went on, and they went close through Matty Robson and Billy Greulich-Smith. They took the lead just after half time, when Greulich-Smith rose unchallenged to head in a Sam Hodgson corner from the right, and he was denied another on two occasions by the Bottesford keeper. Anthony Peacock then hit the post from close range, but Shildon held on for a place in the next round".

PHIL PROUD OF PLAYERS AND SUPPORTERS

Left: Alty celebrate Jordan Hulme's goal.

Q: Contentious refereeing decisions have been a constant theme this season, unfortunately, and tonight was no different, was it?

A: I'm a bit lost for words, and if I comment on the referee's performance tonight, I'll end up getting into trouble, so I think that says everything about it, really.

Q: Some of the decisions changed the game, didn't they?

A: Yes, massively. I felt it went from him giving nothing for us to about five of my players picking up yellow cards for nothing [Shaun Densmore and Jordan Hulme were booked]. That's how it felt. Then Max Harrop gets sent off because the ref is pressured by their players. Max has slipped, which wasn't surprising, given the conditions. He has left the ground and he has made contact, but he was trying to turn. Everyone could see that.

The referee, on reflection, knows there was no intent there, but he is saying it was dangerous play. Now, the thing with that is, when I spoke to the ref at our previous game, that is apparently only a yellow card, so I'm just extremely frustrated that Max should be shown a red. It did change the game massively, it swung it in their favour. It just felt like everything went Workington's way tonight.

Hey, listen, Workington worked really hard for the result, and I don't want to take anything away from them. They are a very tough team to beat at home, and their frontline were lethal. Maybe they've not been doing that of late, because they've had a few indifferent results, but you couldn't fault the way they performed tonight. As devastated as I am, I've got to put it into perspective a little bit. We've come three hours on a Tuesday night, which I think is ridiculous for lads at this level. It makes it even more of a tough place to come, and when you get decisions that ruin the game, it becomes even more of a bitter pill to swallow.

Even so, the lads gave everything they had, right to the very end, against all the adversity, and I was ever so proud of them. I was disappointed with some of the mistakes we made, in terms of getting back in the game and then switching off against a lad who scores 25 goals a season. We gave him too much time in the box, and you can't do that.

That was the only bit of the game where I could criticise my players. The endeavour, work-rate and willingness to keep going to the end was fantastic. Also, I just want to thank the fans who made the journey. I really was so pleased they stayed behind at the end and congratulated the players on their efforts. I think they could see the lads had worked ever so hard to get something out of it, and the players really appreciated that. That will go so far, with regards to the feel these players have for Altrincham. It made them feel wanted and loved, and that is important for them.

I know people will look at the scoreline and think we have been absolutely walloped, but that is not the case at all. There were two penalties, and I'm not arguing whether they should have been or not, because I need to have another look at them. But we seemed to be fighting everything tonight, the travel, the conditions, decisions going against us, plus a very good Workington team who worked really hard and got their reward by beating Altrincham, which everyone wants to do, it seems.

I have said that to my players. Everyone wants to beat us, everyone wants to knock us off our perch. I find that strange, considering the tough couple of seasons we've had, but everyone sees us as the big boys, the big scalp. We have embraced that so far, but it is still extremely frustrating when a game goes the way this one has, with regard to decisions. At the moment, we are just not getting the rub of the green.

Q: Have you spoken to the ref, and if so, what sort of response did you get?

A: I tried to but didn't get very far. It's frustrating, because there's not a lot you can do. There are some very good referees at this level. We just don't seem to have had them yet, and it is a sad state of affairs when most of our post-match interviews are focusing on the standard of officiating. Some people will say sour grapes, but the fact is I have been complaining along the same lines after we've won.

Q: One other point on the red card, should there have been some allowance for the conditions?

A: Of course, yes. Max has held his hand up over making contact, but he was trying to turn, and it should have been a yellow and a warning not to do it again. I don't know what the ref was thinking, but he was pressurised by their players massively. We try to encourage our lads to do things the right way, but it seems that doesn't get you anywhere, so you will notice me shouting quite a lot from the sidelines, because it feels like that is the only way you can have any kind of influence over the officials.

They don't seem to want to listen to reasoning from players who want to ask them a basic question. They would rather be screamed at and pressured into a decision, which is very frustrating.

Q: Presumably it will be a three-match ban for Max?

A: I need to see what the referee is putting in his report, but a straight red will mean three games, I imagine.

Q: On a brighter note, what an incredible goal by Max, the way he controlled the ball waist-high and flicked it past his marker in one movement before rifling it into the roof of the net?

A: That is what he can do. He is devastated in there, nearly in tears. He has come to us after sort of being in the abyss for the past year, because he has had some issues outside football he has had to contend with. I have always kept tabs on him, and I know he wants to do well for me. He is busting a gut to do well for Altrincham, and you can see in glimpses what he can do. He finished well at Barwell, and that turn he did for the goal tonight was something else.

I have no idea how he did it, it was ridiculous. He reminds me a bit of James Poole with some of the things he does and the way he can manipulate a ball. He is obviously a different type to Pooley, but he has got absolutely magical feet, and that is why it's so frustrating the ref couldn't use a bit of common sense. The lad had been twisting and turning all game, and that's what he was trying to do when he was sent off.

Q: What was said at half-time, because we came out for the second half a goal down and a man down yet controlled it for 20 minutes or so?

A: It was superb, the way we stuck to the game plan. I'm not going to divulge exactly what I said, because I don't want to put it in the public domain, but we gave them a bit of tactical information, and the lads were able to do it and put it into practice. We got ourselves right back in it, and my only complaint would be the goal we conceded after getting back on terms again. We let them off the hook after getting back to 2-2.

We didn't give ourselves the chance to get to that last 10-15 minutes, where we could maybe have consolidated. That's the only bit I could have a go at them about. For 20 minutes at the start of the second half, we footballed them off the pitch, but it doesn't count for anything if you switch off like we did for a split-second for the little ball over the top to the lad who's notorious for scoring goals. It's scandalous we gave him that much time, but that would be my only criticism.

We have travelled all this way and kept going at Workington right to the end, with a man short. That is what I ask of my players week-in, week-out, and I think the Altrincham fans who made the journey, as gutted as they will be and upset as they are going to be with the result, can see and appreciate that. I think the scoreline massively flatters Workington.

Q: The journey and heavy conditions will have taken its toll on the players, and the unbeaten run has gone as well, but will we still be good to go when we arrive at Shildon for Saturday's FA Cup tie?

A: 100 per cent, we will. It does take a lot out of them, and it's another six-hour round trip coming up, so that's something we need to take into consideration. We will look at giving them Thursday off or just having a light session, because there are going to be a lot of tired legs, and there are still injured players who will be touch and go.

I could have put James Poole on tonight, but if he pulls up in those heavy conditions, it would be ridiculous. We will see how he is for Saturday, and hopefully a fully recuperated James Poole will give us a big lift. James Jones didn't play tonight, so he will be fresh and will come back in.

Lewis Short (left) didn't play as long as he might have done. I wasn't planning on playing him at all tonight, but needs must with regards to how the game was going, and it nearly worked, putting him on. He should be fresher than some of the others. Maybe others might be ready to return, like Josh Amis. We will have to see how he is. We will regroup and see how players are. We will look after them, and the fitness guys will be in at the ground, giving rehab and recuperation to the lads who need it, and then we will go again on Saturday".

MAX HARROP BAN

REDS' REPORT

But it was an action-packed game that had a bit of everything despite the torrential rain that regularly increased in frequency throughout. There was still plenty of good football on show from both sides but Reds will be relieved and delighted to get the three points in the bag. Reds proved that they can be extremely clinical in front of goal and this time they put their chances away...

Reds had been on top for the majority of the early exchanges but Altrincham looked dangerous on occasion... But into the 24th minute and it was Reds who took the lead. Sam Joel saw his shot come back off a defender but it only went as far as Scott Allison who thumped the ball home to score in spectacular fashion....

But the visitors were not finished and Max Harrop stepped inside the defence and unleashed another superb shot which shot past Aaran Taylor and into the Workington goal to make it 1-1... It was getting increasingly lively with both sides causing problems in worsening conditions at Borough Park. A shot from Jake Simpson was blocked by the Altrincham keeper Tim Deasy but in the rain, it slipped from his grasp and went out for a corner. The ball was swept into the goalmouth but in the scramble, Calvert was hauled down and the referee pointed straight to the spot.

Up stepped Conor Tinnion and he put an end to Reds' poor run of spot kicks as he sent the keeper the wrong way and slid the ball into the back of the net.

Then a bad tackle from goalscorer Harrop on Anthony Wright saw Altrincham reduced to 10 men as the referee showed a red card with just three minutes of the half remaining... A mistake from the usually reliable Dan Wordsworth saw the ball skim into the path of Jordan Hulme. He just had the keeper to beat and despite Taylor coming out to narrow the angle of the shot, Hulme slid the ball past the keeper and into the net to level.

But Reds had the perfect answer as Tinnion took on the defence and brought the ball to the edge of the box where he lofted the ball over the visiting defence and left Allison with an easy ball to poke home from close range to take the lead back.

Workington saw some daylight in the scoreline when Sam Joel was played in by Scott Allison and he slotted home past the keeper... Joel was on the hunt in the box when he was brought down and the referee pointed to the spot for the second time. And with five minutes remaining, Tinnion stepped up looking for his second but this time Deasy went the right way and got a hand to the ball. But that man Allison was there again to slot home the rebound for his hat-trick and put Reds in the clear at 5-2".

After the match, the News & Star interviewed the Reds' manager. "A delighted Dave Hewson hopes his Workington Reds side has turned a corner with victory over Altrincham at Borough Park last night... It was a great win for Reds to secure just their second victory of the season...

Hewson said, 'This win will give us confidence and that little lift that you need. We were looking to turn a corner tonight and hopefully this is it... It’s been a difficult time the past few weeks. We told the lads to stick together and believe and they did that tonight and went out there and from 1-17 were magnificent.

'Altrincham are a great footballing side, they try and get the ball down and play and that gave us the licence to do the same. The game plan was to match them and more and we kept possession well. And, for once, I’m not saying we didn’t make the most of our chances because we did'

Scott Allison proved his worth with a superb hat-trick... Hewson added, 'Scott never loses his quality but maybe he was lacking a little in confidence. But his first was a wonder goal... Once we took care in possession and attacked with pace, we finished the game off'".

RADIO ROBINS AT WORKINGTON

Guidance for Listening to Radio Robins

There will be 4 ways to listen to Radio Robins via Mixlr

• a) The Radio Robins website. Open the page in any web browser and the broadcast should start automatically. Please note that the 4 Player Options (Windows Player | Real Player | Quick Time | Winamp ) will not work now.
• b) Download and install the Mixlr app on Android devices from the Google Play Store - start the app and search for 'Radio Robins'.
• c) Download and install the Mixlr app on Apple devices from the Apple Store - start the app and search for 'Radio Robins'.
• d) There is a temporary WIX website here.

MILES BUT NO SMILES

TUESDAY GATES

• Att. 116: Ashton United 2-1 Lancaster City
• Att. 217: Coalville Town 5-2 Hednesford Town
• Att. 172: Farsley Celtic 3-0 Grantham Town (James Walshaw scored one of Farsley's goals).
• Att. 208: Halesowen Town 1-3 Witton Albion
• Att. 315: Matlock Town 1-0 Mickleover Sports
• Att. 204: Nantwich Town 1-1 Marine (Danny Mitchley scored for Marine)
• Att. 192: Rushall Olympic 5-1 Sutton Coldfield Town
• Att. 206: Stalybridge Celtic 0-1 Buxton
• Att. 201: Warrington Town 1-0 Stafford Rangers
• Att. 241: Whitby Town 0-3 Shaw Lane
• Att. 339: Workington 5-2 Altrincham

Mike Garnett's statistics tell us that since 2000, Altrincham have played nine times (before this Saturday) in the Second Qualifying Round with five wins and four defeats being the outcome.

• 2000-1 MOSSLEY (H) 0-3
• 2001-2 FRICKLEY ATHLETIC (H) 4-1
• 2002-3 KENDAL TOWN (H) 1-0
• 2003-4 Lancaster City (A) 0-2
• 2004-5 FARSLEY CELTIC (H) 4-1
• 2011-2 WITTON ALBION (H) 0-2
• 2012-3 Shildon (A) 3-0
• 2013-4 Trafford (A) 1-2
• 2016-7 GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY (H) 3-2

OLD BOY

"FAT" FOES

WORKINGTON 5 ALTRINCHAM 2

Altrincham suffered a heavy defeat at a rain sodden Workington. Alty started the game weakened by injury, as Poole and Short were unfit to start whilst Amis, Miller, Richman and Taylor remained injured.

But the Robins made life even harder for themselves as they conceded two penalties and had Harrop sent off, forcing them to play with ten men for more than half of the game...

Match report here

TUESDAY SCORES

Tuesday 12 September 2017

• Ashton United 2-1 Lancaster City
• Coalville Town 5-2 Hednesford Town
• Farsley Celtic 3-0 Grantham Town
• Halesowen Town 1-3 Witton Albion
• Matlock Town 1-0 Mickleover Sports
• Nantwich Town 1-1 Marine
• Rushall Olympic 5-1 Sutton Coldfield Town
• Stalybridge Celtic 0-1 Buxton
• Warrington Town 1-0 Stafford Rangers
• Whitby Town 0-3 Shaw Lane
• Workington 5-2 Altrincham

MONTHLY DRAW WINNERS

Likewise, would D. Hulme also contact the Club to arrange his/here hospitality package? Many thanks.

The full list of winners is below...

• 6th: No.21 C Wragg (AFC Polo Shirt)
• 5th: 219: C Clancy (AFC Replica Shirt)
• 4th: 254: D Hulme (Hospitality Package)
• 3rd: 205: P Ripley (£25)
• 2nd: 59: J Skelhorn (£75)
• 1st: 476: J Robertson (£500)

REDUCED PRICES FOR SHILDON TRIP

“We are pleased to announce that thanks to individual contributions from all members of the Club's Board, the supporters' coach to Shildon will run and we are able to offer our passengers much discounted rates for the trip. Both TASC and the Board were aware of the financial impact of this third long trip in seven days and are delighted to be able to offer travel at a flat rate of £10 for adults, £8 concessions and £5 for U16s and those in full time education. The support at Barwell made a real difference to the players and we want to repeat it up in the North East. Times and fares are here

To book your place, please contact the Club on (0161) 928-1045, during normal office hours.

LAST TIME AT WORKINGTON

At the end of that season Altrincham were promoted via the play-offs whilst The Reds were relegated.

The Workington side that night was 1. Jonny Jamieson, 2. Valter Fernandes, 3. Kyle Brownhill, 4. Gavin Skelton. 5. Darcy O'Connor, 6. Stephen Hindmarch, 7. Phil McLuckie, 8. David Lynch, 9. Godwin Abadaki, 10. Anthony Wright, 11. Ben McKenna. Subs: 12. Joe Jackson, 14. Ben Hoskin, 15. Sam Smith, 16. Scott Allison, 17. Jamie Street

Altrincham's team comprised 1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (capt), 3. Adam Griffin, 4. Carl Rodgers, 5. Gianluca Havern, 6. Scott Leather, 7. James Lawrie, 8. Jake Moult, 9. Kyle Perry, 10. James Walshaw, 11. Nicky Clee. Subs: 12. Simon Richman, 14. Matt Doughty, 15. Greg Wilkinson, 16. Tom Marshall, 18. Russ Saunders. Of that squad, only Jake Moult was involved in Alty's game, last Saturday, at Barwell.

Mike Garnett's data reminds us of the full historical record of matches between the clubs:

• At home: P6-W4-D1-L1-F16-A6
• Away: P7-W3-D2-L2-F14-A6
• All: P13-W7-D3-L3-F30-A12

WORKINGTON'S LAST GAME

"In a match interrupted by a thunderstorm and eventually completed in three sections Reds twice took the lead, were pegged back each time by Jordan Hempenstall only to concede a controversial winner deep into stoppage time. It left joint boss, David Hewson, angry and frustrated after a great opportunity to register that elusive first away win was frittered away. How we can go from being in control and leading 2-1 to throwing it all away so late in the game is beyond me,' he said.

'The manner in which we conceded those late goals is worrying and things have got to change. We put our trust in the squad and take full responsibility for the results but players have to learn not to switch off.' Reds were well on top in the early stages, second best for a spell, took the lead for a second time only to collapse late in the game conceding two costly goals in the process.

When referee Ed Pidduck suspended play in the thirty-seventh minute, due to thunder and lightning, Grantham’s players couldn’t get back to the dressing rooms quick enough whilst Reds questioned the decision and seemed more reluctant to come off. Understandable, considering their dominance up until then. They were not quite the same when play eventually restarted, with the early half time break clearly disrupting their rhythm.

They had taken a thirteenth minute lead and carved out enough openings to double or even treble the advantage. James Earl headed them in front via one of eight first half corners... Simpson’s set pieces were causing Town all sorts of problems but, somehow, they survived further damage...

Grantham won their first corner in the fiftieth minute... Hempenstall headed a fifty-sixth minute equaliser for ‘The Gingerbreads’ when he met Meadows's cross from the right... It was against the run of play, somewhat, when Reds restored their lead after seventy minutes. The ball fell to Allison just outside the area and a crisp left-foot strike skimmed past Preston and into the net... The home side were awarded what appeared a soft penalty. Douglas was adjudged to have tripped Lee Shaw but there was [sic] no audible appeals from the hosts as Mr. Pidduck pointed to the spot.

Luke Shaw, no relation incidentally, stepped up but blasted his penalty high and wide, a welcome reprieve for Reds and a sense of justice for Douglas. But Town did level matters four minutes from time when Reds were caught day dreaming following a free-kick. The ball was headed back across goal and Hempenstall crashed the ball into the roof of the net from a yard out... Grantham sensed a victory. And, sure enough it came, two minutes into the four added for stoppages.

Top scorer, Lee Shaw, was clearly offside when he received the ball but there was no flag from the assistant. With Reds defenders appealing in vain for the decision, the Grantham striker made the best of his good fortune, advanced towards goal and guided the ball past Taylor for the late, late winner. The result left Reds languishing in 20th spot and without a win since the opening day...

Workington Taylor, Simpson, Symington, Wordsworth, Douglas, Calvert, Earl (Holt, 67), Wright, Ryan (Joel, 90), Allison, Tinnion. Substitutes – Smith, Mellen, Holliday (not used)".

MIDWEEK FIXTURES

• Stourbridge 2-1 Barwell, attendance 595. Kyle Perry scored Barwell's goal from the penalty spot

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

[Goalkeeper] Morgan Bacon joins Shaw Lane on a month's loan from SkyBet League Two side Carlisle United. Bacon, 19 last week, came through the Carlisle ranks to earn a one-year professional development contract in May this year. He’s previously spent time out on loan at Penrith... Dominic Brown-Hill has also joined the Ducks on a month's loan from Notts County. An 18-year-old versatile attacking midfielder, Brown-Hill also joins on a month's loan.

Shaw Lane also confirmed the signing of right winger Billy Whitehouse. The former Leeds United and Doncaster Rovers winger, who has also played for Alfreton Town, has had loan spells with FC Halifax Town and Guiseley AFC and made eleven first-team appearances for Doncaster before his move to Leeds."

In the Midlands, "Rob Smith, the new manager of Hednesford Town, moved to bolster his squad with the signing of two new players, with another heading to Keys Park this week. Joining the club are Joe Fitzpatrick and Conor Levingston... Fitzpatrick, 20, began his career at Wolverhampton Wanderers before moving to Mansfield Town. The Oldbury-born central midfielder spent time on loan at Sutton Coldfield before linking up with Worcester City and Boston United. He was most recently with AFC Telford United under Rob Smith and Larry Chambers's management.

Levingston joins on a month’s youth loan from Wolves... having earned a new one-year deal at Molineux earlier this year. Born in Ireland, Levingston was snapped up by Wolves at the age of 15 some four years ago.

Midfielder Jed Davies is joining Hednesford on loan from Tamworth for an initial period of one month... The Pitmen can also confirm that Phil Male and Andy Ling have departed the club following the change in management, but Smith has brought in Mark Swann to join the coaching staff."

SHILDON TRIP CONFIRMED

“We are pleased to announce that thanks to individual contributions from all members of the Club's Board, the supporters' coach to Shildon will run and we are able to offer our passengers much discounted rates for the trip. Both TASC and the Board were aware of the financial impact of this third long trip in seven days and are delighted to be able to offer travel at a flat rate of £10 for adults, £8 concessions and £5 for U16s and those in full time education. The support at Barwell made a real difference to the players and we want to repeat it up in the North East. We will have details of how to book on the website later today".

BARWELL AFTERMATH

Brian apologizes for the poor sound quality of short sections of this interview, in which Phil also reveals that Sam Sheridan's nose was broken during yesterday's game.

Also, the Radio Robins broadcast from the win at Barwell is available on Mixlr. Brian advises, "To listen, search for 'Radio Robins' on the Mixlr App and the recording is available under 'Showreel'".

Right: Sam Sheridan

BARWELL'S PERSPECTIVE

The game started evenly, with the visitors disappointed about the start they made to the game. Altrincham grew into the game quickly and were on top for most of the first half. Their first goal came on 17 minutes, when Max Harrop, who replaced James Poole in the starting line up at the last minute, swept home a rebound at the back post.

Altrincham's 100-or-so-travelling supporters made a difference to the game, and will certainly have given them a boost. The visitors' class was clear to see and they doubled their advantage five minutes before the break when Josh Hancock tucked home a great free-kick to double their lead.

Barwell made a double change at half time and fought back into the game well. This was rewarded shortly after the hour mark, when Kyle Perry slotted the ball home at the back post to reduce the deficit".

Barton manager Jimmy Ginnelly gave his views on YouTube.

LADIES' DOUBLE WINS

• CREWE ALEXANDRA DEVELOPMENT 0 - 9 CURZON ASHTON FC (TAMESIDE) WOMEN
• FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER 17 - 0 CITY OF LIVERPOOL
• LIVERPOOL MARSHALLS FEDS RESERVES 3 - 1 WARRINGTON WOLVERINES

Upcoming matches for Alty Ladies are...

• 24/09/17 CREWE ALEXANDRA DEVELOPMENT v ALTRINCHAM FC LADIES
• 1/10/17 ALTRINCHAM FC LADIES v WEST DIDSBURY AND CHORLTON

YOUTH FIXTURES

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

It came at Hurst Cross as heavy showers overnight and early morning put paid to Ashton United's home game with Halesowen Town.

The action continued elsewhere though with Lancaster City still unbeaten since winning promotion at the end of last season. Saturday saw them beat fellow newcomers Shaw Lane AFC 2-0 at the Giant Axe... Warrington Town top the early table after they beat another of the newcomers, Farsley Celtic, 4-2 at Cantilever Park.

Experienced forward Tony Gray gave the Wire a 27th minute lead that another well-travelled striker, James Walshaw, levelled from the penalty spot six minutes later. Connor Hughes's goal right on half-time restored the home side`s lead and 10 minutes into the second period, Gray made it 3-1 with his second. Paul Walker gave Celtic hope of a point when he pulled a second back with 68 minutes gone on the clock but a stoppage time penalty from Sean Williams sealed the Wire`s victory.

Grantham Town are second and they won by the odd goal in five at The Meres against Workington AFC. And the Gingerbreads had to come back from being a 14th minute James Earl goal down to win. Jordan Hempenstall eventually equalised 11 minutes into the second half, only for Scott Allison to restore the Reds lead with 20 minutes to go. But a second for Hempenstall in the 86th minute made it 2-2 and Lee Shaw popped up with a winner four minutes into time added on for the hosts.

Another promoted side, Witton Albion, are in the top three after a good 4-0 win at Marston Road against Stafford Rangers in front of a crowd of 445... Relegated Stalybridge Celtic pulled themselves up a couple of places in the lower reaches of the table after beating Stourbridge 3-1 at Bower Fold... Rushall Olympic find themselves bottom of the pile after a 4-1 home thumping by Nantwich Town...

The game between Matlock Town and Whitby Town looked to be drifting towards a 1-1 draw after Luis Rose's 73rd minute effort had cancelled out the Seasiders` 27th minute opener from Kieran Weledji before Mikey Roberts popped up with an 88th minute winner for Whitby.

Coalville Town were also away winners, 1-0 at Marine AFC, thanks to a 35th minute Nathan Watson effort. And Altrincham continued their climb up the table as they also earned an away victory. The Robins won 3-1 at Kirkby Road against Barwell, taking a 2-0 lead through James Poole [Max Harrop] after 17 minutes and Josh Hancock five minutes before the break. Former Alty striker Kyle Perry reduced the deficit after 64 minutes but a late stoppage time third from Tom Peers confirmed the Robins' win.

Hednesford Town sealed a 3-0 Keys Park success for returning bosses Rob Smith and Larry Chambers".

Also from the EvoStik League we read that "Match officials were taking no chances with the safety of players on Saturday as stormy weather and lightning hit the EVO-STIK League. Grantham Town's 3-2 home win over Workington at the Meres in Lincolnshire was one of the worst affected fixtures, lightning strikes forcing the players off the field for approximately 30 minutes either side of the break with the score at 0-0...

The EVO-STIK League also recorded its first weather related postponements of the the 2017-18 campaign when Ashton United's clash with Halesowen Town in the EVO-STIK League's top flight".

NEXT OPPONENTS: WORKINGTON

BARWELL 1 ALTRINCHAM 3

Match report here

Above: Mike Ripley's camera shows Jordan Hulme (no. 9) just about escaping with his life after he and goalscorer Tom Peers (second from left) are congratulated by team-mates following Alty's third goal at Barwell.

Below: And Jordan is still on the receiving end as the team salutes the sizeable contingent of away supporters at the end of the game. Image courtesy of Mike Ripley.

GATES

• Att. 221 Barwell 1 - 3 Altrincham
• Att. 236 Grantham Town 3 - 2 Workington (James Earl, Scott Allison)
• Att. 410 Hednesford Town 3 - 0 Sutton Coldfield Town
• Att. 221 Lancaster City 2 - 0 Shaw Lane
• Att. 237 Marine 0 - 1 Coalville Town
• Att. 372 Matlock Town 1 - 2 Whitby Town
• Att. 181 Rushall Olympic 1 - 4 Nantwich Town
• Att. 445 Stafford Rangers 0 - 4 Witton Albion
• Att. 306 Stalybridge Celtic 3 - 1 Stourbridge
• Att. 251 Warrington Town 4 - 2 Farsley Celtic (Sean Williams 90' penalty for Town and James Walshaw 33' penalty for Celtic)

SATURDAY FIXTURES

• Coalville Town v Witton Albion
• Farsley Celtic v Halesowen Town
• Matlock Town v Marine
• Whitby Town v Sutton Coldfield Town
• Workington v Hednesford Town

The Emirates FA Cup 17-18 - Second Round Qualifying

• AFC Mansfield v Rushall Olympic
• AFC Telford United v Barwell
• Basford United v Mickleover Sports
• Blyth Spartans v Shaw Lane
• Buxton v Chasetown
• Grantham Town v Alvechurch
• Lancaster City v Droylsden
• Newcastle Benfield v Ashton United
• Shepshed Dynamo v Nantwich Town
• Shildon v Altrincham
• Stafford Rangers v Tamworth
• Stalybridge Celtic v Chorley
• Warrington Town v Hyde United

Sunday 17 September 2017

• Stourbridge v St. Ives Town

TRANSFERS

• Jake Heath from Stourbridge to Barwell
• Ross Haig from TSV Victoria Clarholz (Germany) to Barwell
• Luke Foster from Coalville Town to Brighouse Town
• Alexander Newby from Witton Albion to Clitheroe (loan)
• William Mellors-Blair from Carlton Town to Coalville Town
• Dylan Forth from Ashton United to Glossop North End
• Joe Fitzpatrick AFC Telford to Hednesford Town
• Conor Levingston from Wolverhampton Wanderers to Hednesford Town (youth loan)
• Checkaine Steele from AFC Telford to Hednesford Town
• Melle Meulensteen from Preston North End to Lancaster City (youth loan)
• George Hassall from Shrewsbury Town to Marine (youth loan)
• Thomas Field from Gap Connahs Quay (Wales) to Marine
• Niall Flint from Scarborough Athletic to Matlock Town
• Callum Hawkins from Burton Albion to Matlock Town (work experience)
• Porya Ahmadi from Stalybridge Celtic to Mossley
• James Sloane from Witton Albion to Prescot Cables
• Wesley Atkinson from Notts County to Rushall Olympic
• Raekwon Smith from Orebro Syrianska (Sweden) to Rushall Olympic
• Morgan Bacon from Carlisle United to Shaw Lane (loan)
• Dominic Brown-Hill from Notts County to Shaw Lane (work experience)
• Billy Whitehouse from Alfreton Town to Shaw Lane
• Osebi Abadaki from Nantwich Town to Stafford Rangers
• Keith Briggs from Ashton United to Stalybridge Celtic
• Henry Eze from Rushall Olympic to Stamford
• Matthew Dodd from Hednesford Town to Stourbridge
• Lee Smith from Rushall Olympic to Sutton Coldfield Town
• Myles Mason from Preston North End to Sutton Coldfield Town (work experience)
• Luis Morrison Derbyshire from Alfreton to Sutton Coldfield Town (loan)
• Marcus Tudgay from Coventry City to Sutton Coldfield Town

BARWELL 1-3 ALTRINCHAM

And it was Harrop who put Altrincham ahead in the seventeenth minute when quick thinking by Short led to his throw giving Johnston a chance, which the keeper beat out towards the goalscorer.

After Stanley had brought down Hancock, the Alty man got up to hit a superb freekick into the net from 20 yards, five minutes before the interval.

Barwell made a double change at the break and got back into the game when Kyle Perry poked the ball home after 64 minutes, against his former employers.

However, after seeing off a brief period of home pressure, Altrincham finished the game well, with the hardworking Hulme manufacturing a goal for Peers in the fifth minute of added time.

Match report here

Right: Jake Moult outjumps Kyle Perry at Barwell.

FIXTURES

Friday 8 September 2017

• Buxton 0-2 Mickleover Sports att. 359

Saturday 9 September 2017

• Ashton United P-P Halesowen Town
• Barwell 1-3 Altrincham
• Grantham Town 3-2 Workington
• Hednesford Town 3-0 Sutton Coldfield Town
• Lancaster City 2-0 Shaw Lane
• Marine 0-1 Coalville Town
• Matlock Town 1-2 Whitby Town
• Rushall Olympic 1-4 Nantwich Town
• Stafford Rangers 0-4 Witton Albion
• Stalybridge Celtic 3-1 Stourbridge
• Warrington Town 4-2 Farsley Celtic

PHIL PARKINSON ON THE BARWELL GAME

"It’s back to Evo-Stik Premier Division action today as we travel to Leicestershire to take on Barwell, which is the first of three long trips that we have to undertake in eight days.

Barwell are a physical, competitive, very workmanlike, high-energy team, similar in many ways to Coalville, who we played a couple of weeks ago….this will be a difficult assignment. The manager, Jimmy Ginnelly, has been there a number of years and he has built a strong stable team, with a low turnover of players. They know how to use the pitch at the Kirkby Road Sports Ground to their advantage and have made a good start to the season, gaining eleven points from seven games, which puts them in eighth place, four points behind the leaders, Shaw Lane.

They are the joint-leading goal scorers in the division, having thumped Sutton Coldfield 6-0 on Tuesday night, that was their second trip there in four days as they beat the Birmingham side 2-0 in the Emirates F.A. Cup on the artificial surface at Coles Lane last Saturday, earning them a draw at National League North AFC Telford United next Saturday.

Kyle Perry has just joined the Canaries from Stafford Rangers. We all know what he is all about and he scored a terrific free kick on Tuesday night to get his goal tally for his new club up and running.

I was pleased to make F.A. Cup progress on Tuesday night against a very spirited Abbey Hey side. We really were quite shambolic in losing a three goal lead in the first game last Saturday, but we went about our job very well in the replay, playing at a high tempo from the off and if it hadn’t been for a wonderful display by their young goalkeeper, we could easily have had five or six.

On the injury front, John Disney had his ankle scan yesterday, so we are awaiting the results of that. Laurence Taylor and Simon Richman will both be missing today, they also have ankle injuries, so with a depleted group, Joel Bembo-Leta comes in to the squad for his first game. Joel played in the pre-season games against Stockport and Winsford, before joining Shaw Lane…he will be a very useful acquisition for us, having done well at Buxton last season.

Josh Amis (recovering from appendicitis) [pictured, right] could possibly be involved today. He has trained well this week and we will have a look at him before the game, before making a decision.

We are unbeaten in five league and FA Cup games and need a good haul of points from today’s trip and Tuesday night’s away game at Workington, to keep us in touch with the top end of the table. We are currently five points behind the leaders, Shaw Lane, with a game in hand".

FANS FOR DIVERSITY

OUR OPPONENTS, BARWELL

The opening exchanges were fragmented and nothing really between the teams. Gurjit Singh had been benched and new signing Lee Smith came straight into the team in central midfield. Barwell broke the deadlock when, in the 21st minute, Kyle Perry's cross was turned in by George Cleet.

With the match meandering along, we then had the big turning point. Sutton centre-back Jak Barnes was red-carded for a challenge that the referee deemed a foul and, as he was last man, the red card was inevitable. Salt was rubbed into the wound when Kyle Perry beautifully curled in from the resultant free-kick.

Apart from the odd half-chance, Sutton failed to create any significant opportunities to this point but were at least competing in a bitty contest... An already seething Sneekes ran onto the pitch quicker than former Sunderland manager Bob Stokoe did all those years ago... to angrily question the referee over his performance. Sneekes was in the face of the arbiter and certainly not holding back in his criticisms. Although initially the referee looked willing to let it pass, the outburst continued and the Dutchman was ordered to the stands for the second half.

The second half witnessed a Sutton implosion. Maybe not surprising given the club were a man down and rocked by seeing their manager sent off, but it was still a chastening experience for all connected with The Royals...

I gave Sneekes a bit of time to compose himself and he came back with a display of contrition, 'I let myself, the players and the club down by approaching the ref in the way I did. It just shows the frustrations I'm feeling at the moment'...

Brannon's Reflections:... Ten goals conceded over the three games is bad enough but the lack of clearcut openings is arguably an even bigger concern. We have had one shot on target in the last three second halves played at Coles Lane. A pity to see Hednesford, our next opponents, lose faith with our old boss Neil Tooth ahead of Saturday's game. We do, however, still get a chance to lock horns with formers players such as James Wren, Luke Rodgers and Jordan Nadat. The expectancy is high at Keys Park and players will need to impress the new regime".

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

Manager Keith Curle said, 'Part of Morgan's development is that he needs game time and we're hoping this move will bring that for him. He's working hard but there's nothing better than being in a competitive environment, where results matter, to help you to really start to push on'".

On the East Coast, Whitby Town "are delighted to announce the signing of Connor Dunlavey from Billingham Town. The left-sided attacker has been tracked by Chris Hardy for a number of weeks, who has finally landed the former Spennymoor Town man. He is renowned for his attacking play and running at players, going on a run of scoring excellent goals towards the back end of last season. The 22-year old, however, is not expected to feature for up to three weeks yet, after picking up a knock."

At Hednesford Town "The Pitmen return home tomorrow after three consecutive away games as we play host to Sutton Coldfield Town... The match has taken on extra significance in the last week following the re-appointment of Rob Smith as manager. He, along with Larry Chambers, will tomorrow have their second debut, almost seven years on from their first...

After suffering two defeats on the bounce, Smith will be looking to get his second era underway with a victory tomorrow. He said, 'I’m really looking forward to the game, especially with it being at home'...

The manager does however have injury concerns over Lewis Wright, Joe Ballinger, Kris Taylor and Devarn Green, all of whom will face late fitness tests to see if they can be involved."

Elsewhere in the Midlands, Rushall Olympic announce that "The Pics have added to our squad with the capture of Wes Atkinson. The 22 year-old hails from West Bromwich and is a versatile and athletic full-back or midfielder... His former clubs include West Bromwich Albion, where he came through the ranks, and Notts County, where he made 20 appearances in League 2. He can also count clubs such as Cambridge United, Eastleigh, Gateshead and Alfreton Town amongst his non-League experience."

Closer to home, the Warrington Guardian report that "Paul Carden says his Warrington Town side’s defensive work has been one of the most pleasing parts of their solid start to the season. Having only conceded four goals in seven games, Yellows have the best defensive record in the Evo-Stik Premier Division.

Furthermore, none of the efforts to have beaten [ex-Alty] goalkeeper Tony McMillan this campaign have come from inside the 18-yard box. Carden says it is not just the defenders in his team that deserve credit for their miserly record. 'We’re defending really well as a team,' he said. 'The back five have defended our area brilliantly, but the rest of the team are back there putting in blocks as well. If you look at the goals that have gone in against us, they are all great strikes'...

One player to come in for particular praise is Blackpool loanee Caleb Richards. The 18-year-old has played in several positions since arriving at Cantilever Park and Carden has hailed his attitude... 'Caleb has been outstanding since he’s come in. He works hard and there is a tenacity about him,' he said. 'He just gets on with things and that is what is most refreshing about him. The biggest compliment I can give him is that he just wants to play football. There aren’t many like that at his age who come from Football League academies. He’s played at right back, in central midfield and on the left wing since he’s been here, but he just gets on with it.'"

NW NEWS

Bala Town, Bangor City and Connah's Quay each receive €215,000 for reaching the First Qualifying Round of the Europa League. Of the estimated €2.65 billion gross revenue generated by the competitions, UEFA will distribute €1.718.7m, with €1,318.9m going to clubs in the Champions' League and the UEFA Super Cup and €399.8m to clubs in the Europa League."

EMIRATES FA CUP

This will allow audiences to watch the game live on their PC, mobile, tablet or connected TV. Matches will also be available live and on demand on BBC iPlayer".

NEXT GAME: BARWELL

Above: Kyle Perry is congratulated on his goal at Barwell in October, 2014.

Altrincham play their first ever league game against Barwell on Saturday. Alty's only revious encounter with the Leicestership club came almost three years ago in the FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round. On that occasion the Robins secured a 3-0 win with a goal in first-half injury time by James Lawrie being followed by second-half goals from Kyle Perry and Damian Reeves. Ironically, Kyle will be facing Alty on Saturday, having recently joined Barwell.

Alty's team that day was: 1 Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (c), 5. Gianluca Havern 16. Tom Marshall, 6. Scott Leather; 4. Jake Moult; 8. Simon Richman, 25. Peter Cavanagh, 11. Nicky Clee, 7. James Lawrie, 10. Damian Reeves. Subs: 9. Steven Gillespie, 14. Kyle Perry, 15. Greg Wilkinson, 17. Dave Parton 18. Sean Williams. 20. Joel Swift.

Of the 2014 team, only Jake Moult and Shaun Densmore are likely to be involved in Saturday's match, with the sole other Alty survivor of that match, Simon Richman, an injury doubt.

WE HAVE "PLAYERS I WOULD WANT TO WATCH", SAYS PHIL

Q: We played well again, with some really good passing moves at times, but ended up hanging on a bit, didn't we?

A: I wouldn't say hanging on exactly, but I know what you mean. It felt tense at the end because it was only 2-1. I was really disappointed we didn't score more goals, but you have to say their keeper was absolutely outstanding. Abbey Hey have got a very special lad on their hands there, and he was the big reason we were maybe in that position where there was a bit on tension in the final few after he made so many saves. What a contrast to the other end, where our keeper had nothing to do except pick the ball out of the net once, which has happened to us before.

I was frustrated at times with our end-product, but you've got to give Abbey Hey full credit for coming here and working their socks off to stay in the game. Their endeavour and willingness to throw themselves in the way of goalbound shots was something they can be proud of. If the keeper kept the score down with two or three outstanding saves, so did outfield players with some of the blocks they made.

Q: That was John Johnston (right) at his best, wasn't it - unstoppable on the night and two well-taken goals?

A: JJ has got everything you would want out of a winger and, as I've said before about my other front players, I have brought players here I would want to watch, and I hope the fans are enjoying watching them. You could see his confidence is high. His end-product was a lot better when he got to the by-line, and he looked a real threat all night. He took his goals exceptionally well, and he always looked like he was going to beat his man in a one-on-one, and that is what I want to see from our wingers. I ask them to look dangerous, deliver a final ball that's going to hurt the opposition and chip in with goals, and JJ certainly did all that tonight.

Q: The perfect scenario would have been a clean sheet to go with our attacking play, but then a deflection sends the ball spinning in the air and it drops for one of their players. Not only that, he looked offside, didn't he?

A: Yeah, you've just hit the nail on the head there. These things are going against us massively. It sounds like I'm making excuses, but I'm not. It happens in football where it doesn't go for you, but the good thing for us at the moment is, when it's not going for us, we are still winning games. This sort of thing has been happening since the opening day against Stafford, one shot out of nowhere and it's in the net. I don't remember Tim Deasy having a single save to make, but from a comfortable position at 2-0, there's suddenly only one goal in it.

I was disappointed the lead wasn't more than two, and I've told the boys that, but I still felt we were in complete control. Your opponents are always going to have a little spell, but that doesn't mean it was a close game. It wasn't. What it means is we have to be uber tight at the back with regard to minimising chances, but, again, I really didn't think they hurt us all game. Ultimately, it's about the result, and we have won 2-1. It should have been more, in fact, we should have scored five or six, but full credit to the lads for getting the job done and getting us through to the next round.

Q: On their goal, it was one of those where, as the ball dropped, you instinctively expected to see an offside flag, didn't you?

A: Yeah, you did, but as soon as it deflected up in the air, I just knew it was going to fall for one of their players, because of the way it has been going for us in those situations. My defenders did everything right. They squeezed the box high, but then it spins up and over them. The only question mark is over whether we could have reacted to it quicker, but the lads at the back were otherwise superb all night and didn't give them a sniff up to then. Neither should they, by the way, against that level of opposition, so I'm not saying they have done anything extra special. It is just so frustrating to have conceded after looking so comfortable.

Q: Overall, was it the reaction you were hoping for after your anger at Saturday's performance?

A: Yes, I'd say so. I expected to beat Abbey Hey, just as I did on Saturday. We were devastated at giving them a second bite at the cherry, and you could tell we wanted to make amends from the way we went at them. I'm sure coming here was a big event for the Abbey Hey players, something they'd be looking forward to, and people come to FA Cup ties because they want to see the minnows beating the giants. I hope it doesn't sound too far-fetched, saying giants, but compared to Abbey Hey we probably are. We are Altrincham, and everyone knows our history in this competition. I bet they wanted to spoil the party, but my boys have done a really professional job. That's five games unbeaten now, and it is all positive for me.

Q: Can you give us an update on the injury front?

A: That's the only thing that is sticking in my throat a bit, the amount of impact injuries we are getting. I keep going on about the officiating, but I am sick and tired of referees allowing heavy tackles on my players, then when one of ours barely touches one of theirs, it's a free-kick. I don't understand how some decisions are made and how other things are not punished. If things were dealt with properly, it would reduce the number of bad tackles in a game.

We are getting players stretchered off or helped off in nearly every game at the moment. On a brighter note, I thought Max Harrop (left) did exceptionally well when he came on. I thought he was a real threat. He's all about scoring spectacular goals, which he tried to do with that bicycle kick that flew over. He is very creative like JJ, but in a different way.

On the injured lads, with Laurence Taylor, we initially feared it could have been a break, because his ankle swelled up that badly so quickly, but thankfully it's not. It's a really heavy sprain, so it's probably going to be a couple of weeks minimum, unless he makes a miraculous recovery. Hopefully, Simon Richman is just another week away, while Josh Amis should be returning to training if a fitness test goes OK on Thursday (the 7th). Sean Miller is maybe two-three weeks away in terms of training, and we are going to be so much stronger for it when they all come back.

We are going to need that, because we've got a really tough programme coming up. This next month is going to be as tough as it gets, and we are really going to need our fans behind us, creating that special atmosphere for us. That would make such a difference for the lads and would help us cope with the demands of a really testing few weeks. It isn't going to be easy, so we need as much help as possible moving forward.

The other injuries from Saturday were James Poole and Ben Harrison, who were both on the bench tonight. James was probably 90 per cent, but I wasn't going to risk him. Ben said he was fit, but again I wasn't going to take a risk. I'm not willing to gamble on lads and risk losing them for five or six weeks. Saturday is a possibility for both, but we will have to check on them later in the week.

Q: Jake Moult was flattened by what looked a bad challenge late on, is he all right?

A: He's fine. I thought he was a hero tonight, just superb. I thought he hit the same levels he reached at Witton. He did the ugly things really well and won the majority of headers against a lad he had no right to win headers against. He was picking balls up and getting us going. It was a really good, solid performance from Jake again, he really held us together in there at times".

JOIN ALTY ON THE ROAD

TASC's Mark Eckersall advises "We now have the details for the Barwell trip on the Away Travel page. We're also really pleased to confirm that we have the numbers to put a coach on to Workington on the following Tuesday and even more so in that these games are two of our furthest fixtures, back to back, meaning two of our most expensive trips.

Our aim on all coaches is to break even at the end of the season. Your support of the travel is vital and the more who travel the lower we can price. We've managed to keep the Workington prices to just £2 more than they were on our trip there four years ago in 2013 and really appreciate all the names who have committed so far, still spaces left for both so book at the club from Monday lunchtime or at the Abbey Hey game on Tuesday."

RADIO ROBINS REPRISE

If you have not already done so, you can:

• Download and install the Mixlr app on Android devices from the Google Play Store - start the app and search for 'Radio Robins'.
• Download and install the Mixlr app on Apple devices from the Apple Store - start the app and search for 'Radio Robins'.

THE FA CUP, ALTY AND ABBEY HEY

"THE BACKGROUND

This is the first time Alty have entered the FA Cup at this stage since 1992, when we met Curzon Ashton on this ground and won 3-0 in front of a crowd of 594, beginning a run which saw the Robins defeat Chester City in a 1st Round Proper replay, featuring that goal by Clive Freeman, before bowing out to Port Vale. Prior to 1998 the stage at which a particular club entered the competition was determined by a very different set of criteria compared to the present system. Briefly, then as now clubs in the top two tiers (Premier League & Division 1 as then called, I believe) entered at Round 3; remaining Football League clubs entered at Round 1, along with the FA Trophy winners and runners-up from the preceding season and the two clubs judged most appropriate by the FA (which for example in 1995-6 included Alty, basically on the strength of having reached Round 3 the previous season).

Twenty clubs were exempt to the 4th Qualifying Round, essentially on the basis of their record in the previous few seasons, and most of the rest entered at the start of the competition. GM Vauxhall Conference clubs never took part in the preliminary rounds, being effectively exempt until the 1st Qualifying Round, and the same was to a degree true of the feeder divisions (NPL, Isthmian Premier & Southern Premier). These days it is of course league status which determines entry level – which makes fixture planning a good deal easier for League secretaries! We haven’t often staged replays at this stage of the competition. I can only find five such games in my records; the good news is that on each occasion the Robins have emerged victorious; once or twice it’s been tight – a 5-4 win over Glossop in 1919 and a 1-0 second replay victory against Marine in 1961 – but wins over Salford United in 1909, Hyde United (1935) and Buxton (1972) were more comfortable.

ABBEY HEY

THE COMPETITIVE RECORD: Played 1, Drawn 1, Goals For 3, Goals Against 3

Head out of Manchester on Hyde Road, past Belle Vue to Gorton and a signposted right turn just short of Debdale Park will lead you to Abbey Hey’s Goredale Avenue ground. The railway line at the far end leads to Marple and New Mills; Ryder Brow station is the closest to the ground. Although last Saturday’s encounter was our first competitive meeting we have a long history of pre-season friendlies dating back to 1999 (see the programme cover image kindly provided by Barry Pikesley); our guests managed a couple of draws along the way but most of the time Alty have been comfortable enough winners.

The comfortable clubhouse and changing rooms are to the left as you enter the ground; opposite is a covered area, a mixture of seats and standing accommodation. The rest of the ground is open flat standing, with ample parking available on the sunken grass area near the entrance and plenty of other space available.

The cycle path on the elevated but disused railway line behind the clubhouse side of the ground is of interest to railway buffs as it was formerly part of the Fallowfield Loop, which carried the old Harwich Boat Trains among others from Central Station (as it then was) to link up to the Sheffield line at Fairfield."

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

On Thursday the Pitmen announced that they were "delighted to announce the return of manager Rob Smith and his assistant Larry Chambers to Keys Park. Following the departure of Neil Tooth yesterday, the football club have moved quickly to bring back the popular former manager who was previously in charge of the Pitmen between 2010 and 2015.

Smith will be fondly remembered by Pitmen supporters as the manager who led the club back to the second tier of the non-league pyramid and bringing with it Conference football in 2013 following an eight-year absence. During his 271 games in-charge of Hednesford, Smith recorded a total of 151 victories with him guiding the club to Southern League Cup, Birmingham Senior Cup, Staffordshire Senior Cup and Northern Premier League play-off final titles.

Following his return to the club Smith had the following to say, 'It is obviously a massive surprise for us how quickly this has all happened. I still have a lot of feelings for this football club, even when I wasn’t involved, and when the chance came to return I couldn’t turn it down. I really can’t wait to get going now and we will be working towards Saturday’s game straight away.'"

For ex-Altrincham forward James Lawrie this will be his seventh managerial regime in just over a year after playing under three bosses and two interim managements at Altrincham last season.

The local Shropshire Star adds that the new managers "Smith and Chambers left the Bucks (AFC Telford Utd) in June, in a shake-up which also saw club chairman Ian Dosser leave... Hednesford parted ways with Tooth only seven games into the season". The Pitmen currently lie seventeenth in the table with eight points from seven games.

Altrincham's opponents next Tuesday, Workington "found draws hard to come by last season and it took them until their final home match to register the first. The problem then was not being able to convert a defeat into a draw. Now they are emerging as the league’s draw specialists and they cannot convert a string of ‘one pointers’ into wins.

Manager David Hewson is confident that will change and his upbeat mood [on Tuesday] suggested how pleased he was with the effort, commitment and good football produced against a very capable Warrington side. It was a tonic of a performance and a great response to Saturday’s disappointing Cup exit. But Warrington displayed great resilience when under constant Reds’ pressure and took the lead with their first attack of note, very much against the run of play. It took a sublime James Earl (pictured) equaliser early in the second half to salvage a well-deserved draw.

It is sometimes worrying when a team has nothing to show for a dominant performance and Reds’ supporters must have been concerned over their half time cuppa or pint. Town had survived a first half battering and were a goal in front. It was probably Reds’ only defensive lapse of the evening when they allowed, of all people, Tony Gray time and space to collect a cross from the right and send a superbly struck low shot into Aaran Taylor’s net...

But Reds were back on terms eight minutes after the break. Allison touched the ball into Earl’s path and he delightfully clipped the ball over [ex-Alty keeper] McMillan and into the top corner of the net from the edge of the area... Both teams survived a late scare. Taylor, keen to launch a quick counter attack, saw his clearance hit former Red, Joe Mwasile, with the ball rebounding towards goal. Taylor and Gray chased the loose ball with the ‘keeper making amends for what could have been an embarrassing blunder.

And Taylor was relieved when Gerard Kinsella’s late effort crashed into the side netting from an acute angle. Ryan, Calvert, Simpson and Douglas all made outstanding contributions for Reds but the sponsors nominated Tinnion as a deserved man-of-the match. His timely return to form coincided with Reds' best ninety minutes of the season.

Workington Taylor, Simpson, Symington, Wordsworth, Douglas, Calvert, Holt (Joel, 66), Earl (Mellen, 74), Ryan, Allison, Tinnion. Substitutes – Rowntree, MacDonald and Williams (not used)".

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

Barwell had a helping hand at Coles Lane, or foot to be precise, when George Cleet beat his own keeper to give the visitors a 21st minute lead. Eight minutes before the break, Jak Barnes was the last man as he fouled Kyle Perry just outside the edge of the box and Perry got up to whip his free-kick into the top corner to double Barwell’s lead.

Just 2 minutes into the second half, Eddy Nisevic ran down the left-hand side – in plenty of space – and fired the ball across the goalkeeper to make it 3-0. Eight minutes later, it was four. Ryan Seal bursting through on goal and scoring with a neat finish. The floodgates were well and truly open at this point, as Dec Towers made it a nap hand from close range on 58 minutes. Substitute Ryan Robbins finished off by slotting the ball through the goalkeeper’s legs with a few minutes to go, extending the lead to six and capping off a fantastic result for Jimmy Ginnelly’s men.

Stalybridge boss Steve Burr had hoped his team had turned the corner following success in the Emirates FA Cup last weekend but they suffered an amazing defeat, their sixth in seven league games, as Farsley Celtic produced a stunning comeback to gain revenge on the visitors for their cup exit. Celtic played some scintillating football in the opening 25 minutes to lead 3-0 with goals from Theo Bailey-Jones with two and Alex Honeyball. Farsley fought back with goals from Ben Atkinson after 24 minutes and James Walshaw 12 minutes later. But Liam Dickinson made it 4-2 to Celtic seven minutes into the second half.

However, Isaac Baldwin on 61 minutes and Walshaw again five minutes later pulled Farsley back on level terms and they eventually claimed the three points, thanks to Kurt Harris’ winner on 73 minutes.

Experienced striker Liam Hardy bagged another brace to help his Buxton side to a 3-1 win at the Weaver Stadium against Nantwich Town. The Dabbers led through a Joe Maguire own goal but Joel Stair did likewise at the other end to pull the Bucks back on level terms after 32 minutes. Hardy's first came four minutes later to send the visitors into half-time in front and he added his second and Buxton`s third just shy of the hour-mark.

Whitby Town managed to secure a last-gasp second win of the season to date at the Turnbull Ground against Ashton United. The visitors got off to a great start when Liam Tomsett put them in the lead inside the opening three minutes. Kieran Weledji equalised nine minutes before half-time and then Matty Tymon put the Seasiders ahead 20 minutes from time. A Niall McGoldrick own goal in the 87th minute had seemingly earned Ashton a point, until they conceded a stoppage time penalty which Dave Carson duly converted.

Warrington Town were looking to top the early table with victory at Borough Park against Workington AFC. But the Wire had to make do with a point from a 1-1 draw in which they led through Tony Gray`s 33rd minute opener until eight minutes into the second half when James Earl equalised.

Coalville Town recorded a third success of the new campaign, beating Matlock Town 2-1 at Owen Street. The Ravens led through Blair Anderson's 10th minute effort and added a second, thanks to Adam Yates's 33rd minute own goal. Shaun Harrad reduced the deficit four minutes after the break from the spot but the hosts held firm.

Bradley Grayson`s 28th minute goal earned Mickleover Sports their second win to date at home to Grantham Town while Halesowen Town looked on course to do likewise, leading Stafford Rangers through Oliver Finney`s 62nd minute breakthrough until seven minutes from time when Jack Sherratt earned Rangers a point.

It also finished 1-1 at Wincham Park between promoted Witton Albion and Marine AFC, whose James Edgar put them in front after 12 minutes, Will Jones levelling for the hosts four minutes after the break."

The EvoStik League reports that "Cup kings Stourbridge will be the last of the EVO-STIK League's flag-bearers to kick off in the next round of the Emirates FA Cup thanks to their cricketing neighbours.

The Glassboys have been forced to put back hosting St Ives Town in the Emirates FA Cup Second Qualifying Round by 24 hours to Sunday 17 September as the Saturday is the last day of the season for Stourbridge Cricket Club who share the War Memorial Athletic Ground with Gary Hackett's side.

Officials say any potential replay will be a 7.45pm kick-off on Tuesday 19 September... Hackett's side, who reached the Third Round proper of the world's oldest cup competition last term before going out at Wycombe Wanderers, were forced to kick off 24 hours after the rest of the EVO-STIK League's top flight on the opening weekend of the 2017-18 campaign after their cricketing neighbours were also playing at home that weekend.

He played against Alty in our first away game this season but now Matlock Town report that "goalkeeper Phil Barnes has retired at the age of 38. Barnes, a fans' favourite, was named as both fans and players’ player of the season last term after signing from local rivals Buxton in the summer of 2016 and leaves a big void for the Gladiators’ management duo to fill...

'It happened really quickly so we didn’t want to shout it from the rooftops,' said Kirkwood. 'Phil’s had to call it a day, physically it’s been getting a harder challenge for him at 38. He’s also been asked to do more hours at work, he’s got increased family commitments with a lad at an age when he wants to play and family must come first...

He’s a fans' favourite, so popular with the lads, we’ll really have our work cut out to find a suitable replacement.”

Alty's next opponents, Barwell tell us that "The Canaries swooped to a stunning 6-0 victory away at Sutton Coldfield Town this evening.... [At 4-0]... The floodgates were well and truly open at this point, as Dec Towers made it five from close range on 58 minutes...

Substitute Ryan Robbins slotted the ball through the goalkeeper's legs with a few minutes to go, extending the lead to six and capping off a fantastic evening's work for Jimmy Ginnelly's men.

BarwellFC Starting XI: Castle; Kay (Gilchrist 83'), Stanley, Townsend (c), Percival; Whitmore (Baldwin 70'), Julien, Towers, Nisevic; Seal (Robbins 70'); Perry. Unused subs: Story, Bates".

TUESDAY GATES

• Att. 137: Coalville Town 2-1 Matlock Town
• 215: Farsley Celtic 5 - 4 Stalybridge Celtic.
• 261: Halesowen Town 1 - 1 Stafford Rangers
• 235: Mickleover Sports 1 - 0 Grantham Town
• TBA: Nantwich Town 1 - 3 Buxton
• 103: Sutton Coldfield Town 0 - 6 Barwell
• 207: Whitby Town 3 - 2 Ashton United
• 267: Witton Albion 1 - 1 Marine
• 351: Workington 1 - 1 Warrington Town

OLD FOES

In January this year, he signed a new two-and-a-half year contract. The club have placed on record their sincere thanks to McCarthy, a thoroughly decent man who could not have worked harder to try and deliver success, and could not have shown more commitment to the community and the club. Tom Shaw, Dave Felgate and Calum McIntyre have been asked to prepare the team for the forthcoming fixtures."

Elsewhere, NL Daily tells us that "Guiseley have confirmed that Paul Cox is the successor to Adam Lockwood as the club's first-team manager. Cox left fellow Vanarama National League side Barrow last month. A club statement confirmed that "Once discussions had taken place with Paul it was obvious that he was our first choice to take over from Adam Lockwood. Paul is rightly regarded as one of the top managers at this level and we look forward to a long and successful period with him at the helm as we embark on our three to five-year plan where we intend to make sure that the club continues to thrive".

OLD BOYS

Emile Sinclair hit a hat-trick for Scarborough Athletic in their 5-0 win.

FIXTURES

• Lincoln United 4-4 Corby Town. Lincoln won on penalties.

LEAGUE CUP

• Chasetown 0-3 Market Drayton Town
• Colne 2-0 Clitheroe

NEW FIXTURE DATES

Altrincham FC enter the FA Youth Cup at the First Qualifying Round on Wednesday, 20 September with an away tie at Hurst Cross against Ashton United Youth. Kick off is at 7.45pm and prices are £3 for adults, £1 for concessionaries.

ALTY'S NEW SIGNING

The Altrincham manager promised reinforcements after seeing his squad further depleted by injuries to James Poole, Ben Harrison and Laurence Taylor in Saturday's 3-3 FA Cup draw at Abbey Hey.

He admitted numbers needed to be bolstered, after Poole and Harrison were withdrawn with slight hamstring concerns in the first half and Taylor was stretchered off with a damaged ankle in the second half, and the breakthrough came when Bembo-Leta signed forms at The J.Davidson Stadium shortly after Tuesday night's 2-1 replay win.

The 25-year old, who featured as a trialist in the pre-season games against Stockport County and Winsford, goes straight into contention for a competitive debut on Alty's return to league action at Barwell on Saturday.

Equally at home at right-back or in the centre of defence, the 25-year old can also operate up front, and his adaptability is exactly what Parkinson needs, as Alty bid to extend their current five-match unbeaten run.

'He is a versatile lad who can cover a number of positions, and that will give us the extra strength in depth we need,' said the Alty boss. 'Everyone knows the injury problems we've had, particularly among the full-backs, so it's good to have Joel on board.

'He will strengthen the squad, because apart from being a good defender, he can play centre-forward as well, as he demonstrated last season by scoring a good few goals for Buxton.

'On the injury front, we initially feared Laurence may have broken his ankle at Abbey Hey, because it swelled up that badly so quickly but, fortunately, he hasn't. It's a really heavy sprain, so it's probably going to be a couple of weeks minimum for him, unless he somehow makes a miraculous recovery.

'Simon Richman is hopefully just another week away, while Josh Amis should be returning to training if a fitness test goes ok on Thursday and Sean Miller is maybe two-three weeks away in terms of training, so isn't far off. We will be so much stronger for it when they are all back.

'We had James Poole and Ben Harrison on the bench tonight, but I wasn't going to risk them. James is probably 90 per cent, while Ben said he was fit. Even so, I'm not willing to gamble on lads and risk losing them for five or six weeks. Saturday is a possibility for them, but we will need to check on them later in the week.'

ALTRINCHAM v ABBEY HEY

Above: Lewis Short, facing camera, congratulates John Johnston after his opening goal against Abbey Hey. Image courtesy of Mike Ripley.

Once again Altrincham were unable to convert their dominance of possession and attacking momentum into a convincing scoreline but their much weakened side nevertheless won through to meet Shildon in the Second Qualifying round of the Emirates FA Cup. Altrincham's starting eleven was without Poole, Harrison, Taylor, Amis, Richman, Miller and Disney. Although Poole and Harrison were on the bench, they took no part in the match.

As on Saturday in the original tie, John Johnston was Alty's stand-out attacking player and he netted both goals in this replay. His first came from just outside the box in the 24th minute and his second was another low shot from outside the box, which made it 2-0 in the 65th minute. But, nine minutes later, Abbey Hey got back into the game when a Freakes shot hit a defender and looped towards the goalmouth where Blake, unmarked, scored from close range past the otherwise barely employed Tim Deasy, who had been restored to the Alty goal tonight.

Match report here.

LADIES' FIXTURE CHANGE

An added bonus is that our new Development Team has its first game at Mersey Valley at the same time on Pitch 2, so you get TWO games at the same time! Come down and support the girls in red and white!

JUMBO JOURNEYS: 747 FOR ALTY

• Saturday 8th: To Barwell (188 miles return) - our fourth longest away league fixture this season.
• Tuesday 11th: To Workington (294 miles return) - our longest away fixture of the season.
• Saturday 15th: To Shildon (265 miles return) - our FA Cup opponents.

That is a total of 747 miles of "Jumbo" journeys in a week!

LEAGUE FIXTURES

• Altrincham v Lancaster City POSTPONED due to Alty's FA Cup replay v Abbey Hey
• Coalville Town 2-1 Matlock Town
• Farsley Celtic 5-4 Stalybridge Celtic
• Halesowen Town 1-0 Stafford Rangers
• Mickleover Sports 1-0 Grantham Town
• Nantwich Town 1-3 Buxton
• Sutton Coldfield Town 0-6 Barwell
• Whitby Town 3-2 Ashton United
• Witton Albion 1-1 Marine
• Workington 1-1 Warrington Town

FA CUP GATES

• In 2002: 2Q v Kendal Town 513
• In 2016 2Q v Gainsborough Trinity 516
• In 1992 1Q v Curzon Ashton 594

FA CUP OPPONENTS - SHILDON

Alty's next opponents, Shildon, compete in the EBAC Northern League Division One which is classed as level 5 of the Non-League Pyramid, the same as the Hallmark Security League Premier Division in our area.

Currently, Shildon lie sixth in the division, unbeaten after four wins and two draws in their six games. All four wins have come away from home whilst, at Dean Street, both league games to date have ended in draws.

Their ground address is Dean Street, Shildon, County Durham, DL4 1EZ. The stadium is pictured, above, before our game there in September 2012.

For FA Cup matches, their admission prices are higher than their league charges and are £7 for adults and £5 for concessionary spectators. Under-12s are free with a paying adult. The match programme costs £2.

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

After spending time at Tamworth in pre-season, the Lambs signed Smith on a one-year deal. His progress was halted in the cruelest of ways at Gainsborough Trinity in September 2015; an off-the ball clash saw him stretchered-off and taken to hospital, where he was placed in intensive care and underwent an operation to have his spleen removed. He returned to action two months later, but struggled to work his way back into Andy Morrell’s plans and was allowed to join Sutton Coldfield on loan in September 2016 to gain first-team football.

A month later, he was re-called by Tamworth, but allowed to leave on a dual registration deal to join Rushall Olympic a month later. He left the Lambs at the end of the 2016/17 season and was swiftly snapped up by new Hednesford manager Neil Tooth, who had been impressed by Smith when he had taken him on loan at Sutton Coldfield the previous season.

Current Royals' manager Richard Sneekes said, 'Lee has been a long-term target for us and we thought we would see him with us for the start of the season but we couldn’t quite get the deal done and Lee joined Hednesford. It’s not worked out for him there with a limited amount of pitch time so we are delighted to get him on board now'".

Another player called Smith is in the news as Hinckley report that "Central defender Dominic Smith has today stepped up three levels to join Halesowen Town. Dom re-joined Hinckley in the summer after suffering injury problems following his initial departure, and quickly slotted back into the backline. Over the course of his two spells at the club, he made 49 appearances and scored six goals...

He said, 'It’s a chance I can’t turn down and, if I don’t take it, I may never know if I can play at a higher level or not'... He follows Lee Thomas, Ryan Seal, Javia Roberts, Chad Degville-Cross and Bekir Halil in joining a club at least two steps higher in the last few months, evidence of the club making great strides in moving players on to higher levels. In that time, Alex Penny has also become the first former AFC player to play in the Football League."

From the Yeltz we learn that "Halesowen Town have "moved to strengthen their squad by bringing in two new players. Dominic Smith Joins us from Hinckley, Dominic has a strong commanding presence as a central defender and has previously played for Wolves Sporting, Black Country Rangers, Leamington, Lye Town and Willenhall Town before joining Hinckley in 2014.

Walsall-born striker Matthew Hearsey joins us from Dudley Sports, Matt has played previously for Newtown and scored the historic goal that took them into the Europa League, he moved to Rushall Olympic in 2015 and since then moved on to Dudley Sports."

Our neighbours at Trafford FC "have made two signings. Firstly, Andy Langford makes a welcome return to the club after a short stay at Stalybridge Celtic. He is joined by winger, Jason St Juste on dual registration from FC United". 5 September 2017

ABBEY HEY BOSS ON ALTY GAME

'The way started it looked like we could lose six or seven, but when we got the second goal I think that gave the lads the boost to think "hang on we can do something here"', he said. 'We spoke at half time about how we weren't doing our job high up the pitch. The front line weren't pressing in the right areas and we were exposed at the back. But we sorted it out a little bit and, once we started pushing on to their centre backs, we got into the game a little bit more.

'I can't fault the lads for the way they came back, there are a lot of young players in that team and they did well'.

Now, with the replay at Moss Lane, Luke says that everyone at the club will enjoy the game. 'It's a massive result for us and for the club as well. For the lads to have the experience of going to somewhere like Moss Lane in an FA Cup tie is brilliant. We can go and enjoy it, and take the game to them a bit more. It's a great game for the whole club, and for the guys on the committee who have been here for years, I'm made up for them as well. It will be fantastic to go there and it will be a great occasion for everyone'.

Luke is also hoping that the confidence gained from the good comeback on Saturday will now translate into league points, as Abbey’s start to the season has been a bit inconsistent. 'You can pick apart certain games. At home to Widnes we weren't at the races, but it's been difficult because over the early games we were chopping and changing with injuries and people being away, and it was hard to get a settled side. We knew exactly where we wanted to strengthen in the summer, and we got Rhys Webb in from Cheadle, who was scoring for fun in the league below last season, and he's been a big plus for us, along with Rob Swallow from New Mills and Sam Freakes coming from Hyde.

'So we have had these lads coming in which is a plus for us, and we now we have a settled back four back like we had for the first game at Irlam. They've had four games together now and that familiarity at the back, you can't buy that. Keeping that solid base will give us half a chance, and the challenge now is to replicate the way we played in the second half (against Altrincham). The lads need to be aware now of what they have achieved over that 90 minutes, and also why they have achieved it as well.

'They can do it, it's just a case of making sure they are on it all the time'".

TUESDAY'S REPLAY

On Tuesday night (7.45pm), Altrincham entertain Abbey Hey for the replay of their Emirates FA Cup First Qualifying Round tie, which ended 3-3 in Saturday's original meeting at Goredale Avenue. It was agreed between the clubs, prior to the playing of the original tie, that normal admission prices would apply, both for the original game and for a replay, should one be necessary. Accordingly, admission prices for the game at the J Davidson Stadium are as follows.

Turnstile prices:

• Adults: £10
• Full-Time Students & Concessionaries: £7
• Aged 12 to 16 inclusive: £4
• Under-12: £1

Season ticket holders are reminded that in accordance with FA Cup practice, season tickets are not valid for this match.

The Hallmark Security League reports that "The draw for the Second Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup was made at Wembley Stadium, and the ties affecting our teams are as follows:

• Albion Sports v Ashton Athletic
• Mossley or 1874 Northwich v North Ferriby United
• Shildon v Abbey Hey or Altrincham

Ashton Athletic are the only one of our sides through at present and they will travel to Northern Counties East League side Albion Sports... 1874 Northwich will get a home tie if they beat Mossley in tomorrow's replay against North Ferriby United...

Abbey Hey are also involved in a Tuesday night replay and they will travel to Northern League side Shildon if they win that. Shildon reached the Second Qualifying Round last season, and last faced one of our sides in the FA Cup in 2014/15 when they beat Padiham. Their last meeting though against a Hallmark Security League side was last season when they were beaten in the Fourth Round of the FA Vase by Atherton Collieries".

YOUTH REPORT

Above: With keeper Matt Loizou in the background, left to right we see Alty defenders Connor Tolan, Will Hall and Ollie Okwundu during the first half against Prescot Cables.

There is a report on Sunday's abandoned Altrincham FC Youth match, here.

SHAW LANE GO TOP

• Shaw Lane 2-0 Rushall Olympic
• Stourbridge 2-0 Hednesford Town

FA CUP DRAW

The northern and Midlands draw, for 16 September, is

• 1 Salford City v York City
• 2 Darlington v South Shields
• 3 Southport v Bradford (Park Avenue)
• 4 Ossett Town v Atherton Collieries
• 5 Newcastle Benfield v Ashton United
• 6 Warrington Town v Hyde United
• 7 Harrogate Town v Penistone Church
• 8 Spennymoor Town v Gainsborough Trinity
• 9 Handsworth Parramore v FC United Of Manchester
• 10 Albion Sports v Ashton Athletic
• 11 Shildon v Abbey Hey or Altrincham
• 12 Scarborough Athletic v Sunderland RCA or Liversedge
• 13 Blyth Spartans v Shaw Lane Association
• 14 Mossley or 1874 Northwich v North Ferriby United
• 15 Stockport County v Curzon Ashton
• 16 Stalybridge Celtic v Chorley
• 17 Lancaster City v Droylsden
• 18 Stafford Rangers v Tamworth
• 19 Boston United v Haughmond
• 20 Shepshed Dynamo v Nantwich Town
• 21 Deeping Rangers v Kidderminster Harriers
• 22 AFC Mansfield v Rushall Olympic
• 23 Kempston Rovers v Hereford
• 24 Stratford Town v Redditch United
• 25 AFC Telford United v Barwell
• 26 Nuneaton Town v King’s Lynn Town
• 27 Kettering Town v Kidsgrove Athletic
• 28 Basford United v Mickleover Sports
• 29 Alfreton Town v AFC Rushden & Diamonds
• 30 Soham Town Rangers or Westfields v Leamington
• 31 Grantham Town v Alvechurch
• 32 Buxton v Chasetown
• 33 Stourbridge v St Ives Town

SAD END TO YOUTH MATCH

All at Altrincham FC wish Joe a full recovery from his injury.

PHIL UPBEAT BEFORE SATURDAY

I thought we would react to a poor first few results and we did... We worked hard to put right where we went wrong and we didn't panic. We desreved those three victories... Hopefully, we've turned a corner"

Of the fans he added, "I can feel them getting behind the management and the players and I'm so delighted with that".

LADIES OUT OF FA CUP

OLD BOYS

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

Had they not conceded a late equaliser at Sutton Coldfield on Tuesday week, Craig Hopkins and joint boss Glen Kirkwood would have reached the summit of the EVO-STIK League's top flight. Instead, they went into their August Bank Holiday programme in fourth spot but ended it down in 16th after a 2-0 defeat at Warrington Town on Saturday before suffering a 3-2 reverse at home to Grantham Town on Monday.

Hopkins isn't too despondent despite the blows but acknowledged that a return to winning ways is vital this weekend when they travel to Shropshire to meet Haughmond from the Midland Football League Premier Division in the First Qualifying Round of the Emirates FA Cup.

Hopkins said, 'It’s still early days, we’re six games in and there’s still nothing in it. We’ve had a really tough start and over the weekend played the two teams who are now in the top two. Up until Monday we’ve been pretty good, even at Warrington we were on top during the first half before being hit by those two quick goals before half time.

At Sutton Coldfield we were guilty of not putting the game to bed and also conceding two very poor goals in the first half...

Hopkins conceded that it was a below par display for the opening third of the contest against Grantham but insisted they quickly improved. 'For the first half hour nobody played well, everyone had a bad time of it but for the last fifty or sixty minutes we were the better side,' declared Hopkins. 'The damage had been done but we feel we should still have got something from our second half chances. Everyone was very disappointed afterwards, the lads were told about it but didn’t need to be told. We take it as a group, players, staff, Kirky and me, Coxy [Danny Cox], Soll [Adam Sollitt] and Mugga [Mark Mullins], we stand together as a group.'

Hopkins was also complimentary about Grantham, adding, 'We played against a very good side, probably the hardest working side in the league. We did that in the first five games but Grantham outworked us, their decision making was good and their finishing spot on.'

Hopkins told fans on Thursday that they will be striving to go one round further on Saturday than last season’s final qualifying round exit at Altrincham".

The Evo-Stik NPL Show for August is here.

"Player movements registered with the EVO-STIK League from Sunday 27 August to 11am on Saturday 2 September 2017...

• James Jones from The New Saints (Wales) to Altrincham
• Jonathan Diba-Musangu from Rochdale to Ashton United
• Ashley Frith from FC United of Manchester to Ashton United
• Christopher Lynch from Altrincham to Atherton Collieries
• George West from Stockport County to Atherton Collieries
• Kyle Perry from Stafford Rangers to Barwell
• Elliot Percival from Sheffield Wednesday to Barwell
• Ashley Jackson from Romulus to Bedworth United
• Christopher Budrys from Leek Town to Belper Town
• Anthony Danylyk from Leek Town to Belper Town
• Michael Samson from Morecambe to Clitheroe
• Lee Beeson from Spalding United to Corby Town
• Callum Chippendale from Boston United to Glossop North End
• Joe Wilcox from Frickley Athletic to Goole AFC
• Oliver Finney from Crewe Alexandra to Halesowen Town (youth loan)
• Cecil Nyoni from Alfreton Town to Halesowen Town
• Daniel Udoh from Crewe Alexandra to Halesowen Town
• Jonathan Beaumont from Leek Town to Kidsgrove Athletic
• Michael Conlon from Port Vale to Leek Town
• Lewis King from Mickleover Sports to Mickleover Sports
• Henoc Mukendi from Atherton Collieries to Mossley
• Justin Pickering from Curzon Ashton to Mossley
• Jonathan Higham from Leek Town to Newcastle Town
• Jordan Snodin from Alfreton Town to Ossett Albion (loan)
• Alex Ashby from Chester FC to Prescot Cables
• Elie Akobeto from Mansfield Town to Radcliffe Borough
• Marcus Poscha from Crewe Alexandra to Ramsbottom United
• Liam Sharpe from Loughborough Dynamo to Romulus
• Billy Spink from Toledo Villa (USA) to Romulus
• Khaellen Bailey-Nicholls from Wrexham (Wales) to Rushall Olympic
• Andre Landell from Michagan Bucks (USA) to Rushall Olympic
• David Norris from Salford City to Shaw Lane
• Bradley Masllan-Jones from Hull City to Spalding United
• Devante Reittie from Coalville Town to Spalding United
• Aidan Chippendale from Bradford Park Avenue to Stalybridge Celtic
• Thomas Brown from FC United of Manchester to Stalybridge Celtic
• Liam Dickinson from Bradford Park Avenue to Stalybridge Celtic
• Max Smith-Varnam from Barwell to Stamford
• Todd Jordan from Alfreton Town to Stocksbridge Park Steels
• Luyindula Kiembi from Chasetown to Stourbridge
• Bobby Moseley from Birmingham City to Sutton Coldfield Town
• Enock Likoy-Elumba from Chorley to Trafford

"SHAMBOLIC" SAYS PHIL PARKINSON

Angered at the way his players surrendered a 3-0 first-half lead, the Alty boss demanded a marked improvement in Tuesday night's replay at The J.Davidson Stadium and revealed he plans to strengthen his injury-depleted squad in the next few days. Here is the interview in full.

Q: How did we allow that to happen after being in such complete control?

A: It was shambolic, and I've told them in there it is completely unacceptable. From about the half-hour mark onwards, I thought Abbey Hey were the better team. It sticks in my throat saying that, but they just worked that much harder. I have told the lads it is completely unacceptable, and it has opened my eyes to one or two of them, with regards to how they performed today. It won't be accepted here. There is no way in this world we should be going three up and then allowing the other team to come back at us, particularly considering the difference in league status.

In the same breath, it is the FA Cup, and these things happen. As disappointed, frustrated and angry as I am, maybe we have to accept that's football, and people love football because these results have a habit of happening. You just don't want to be the ones on the receiving end, so it is essential now we come flying out of the traps on Tuesday and are absolutely at it.

Q: We were playing some great stuff, to be fair, up to and just after our third goal going in, so it must have come as a shock, presumably, that the whole pattern of the game could change so abruptly?

A: Listen, you can't keep legislating for one ball into the box and someone scoring off it. It's so frustrating. The second goal is preventable as well, and then suddenly you are up against it, and they could even have nicked it at the end. It is not acceptable for an Altrincham team, and we will take any flak that comes our way. The lads are fully aware they must improve in certain areas. We pointed out to them what they need to do better, but fundamentally it is individual errors that have cost us goals.

There was a lack of quality as well, because even though we have scored three goals, we could have had more. I'm not saying we should be coming here and winning five, six or seven, but if we had finished off more of the chances we created, it would have taken the pressure off. Really, though, it wasn't down to that. We scored enough to have won the game, but we need to defend better than that. There wasn't any great pressure, apart from a brief spell at the end, but when it was on us earlier, we didn't deal with it very well.

Much as I praised them the other day, and talked about some of the young lads at the back, they got found out a little bit today. They need to grow up very quickly if they want to play in this team, because I won't be accepting performances like that moving forward.

Q: How can the switch be flicked so easily to go from bossing the game completely to being pegged back and ultimately hanging on for a draw?

A: The goals gave them a lift, and we didn't react well at all to conceding. We were still in complete control when the first one went in, then the second came out of nothing, and suddenly there's only one in it. But we should still be able to see that game out, and it is extremely frustrating. I feel for everyone who has come to support us today, because they haven't come to see that. They expect better from us. We will put it down to a bad day at the office, but I won't be allowing that luxury again for too many of them. I will be looking to reinforce the squad, because injuries are affecting us a little bit, as you saw today, with key players going off. They are mostly niggly injuries, but they are all coming at once, so I'm going to have to strengthen.

I can't keep waiting, so people will be coming in at some point over the next week or so. Not masses, but the odd one or two to give us more strength in certain positions, because as well as lads have done shuffling into certain positions, that's maybe where we are getting found out a little bit. Maybe I need to react to that. In fact, there's no maybe about it - I will.

Q: Is there scope for bringing more players in?

A: Yes, of course there is. People keep questioning about whether players are on contracts or are non-contract, but I will be looking to do something. Unfortunately, when people come in, it doesn't mean others have to leave, but it does affect other things. People will come in, and we will strengthen, because I'm not accepting what I saw today.

Q: It's the life of a goalkeeper, I suppose, that any mistake is highlighted, but Tony Thompson (left) has presumably held his hand up over the second goal?

A: Yes. I mean, you could say that about any of them today, really. It's easy to point to Tony, because he makes one mistake or makes a bad decision or has a bad touch, and it ends up in the back of the net, but pretty much all of them today had bad touches or didn't do as well as they should have, but they had the luxury of as team-mate rescuing it for them. Tony knows he needs to do better, but so do 10, 11, 12, 13 others who played today. It's a big feather in Abbey Hey's cap, and full credit to them, because they absolutely worked their socks off to get something from the game.

It should have been dead and buried, but we gave them a lifeline before half-time, and they grabbed it.

Q: How galling was it to be hauled back to level terms by a penalty, considering we were denied at least one at the other end that looked clear-cut?

A: I feel like a broken record, answering questions about the officiating. Nothing will get done about it, so we've just got to get on with it. It's the level of football we are at, and it is extremely annoying. It certainly looked a pen for the equaliser, so there are no arguments from me on that one, but I thought Tom Peers should have had one as well when he was taken down from behind. All we can do now is move forward and make sure we finish the job at he second attempt.

I know this group of players. When they had a setback at the start of the season, they showed they have the character to respond in the right way, and I will be expecting the same again. At least we didn't fold when we were below-par in the second half, but let's be fair, we are saying that against a North-West Counties team, and without being disrespectful to Abbey Hey, we should be doing a lot better against them. Even so, full credit to them. I thought they were outstanding today.

Q: A manager always demands a reaction after a performance like that, but that goes double for you, I imagine, after the way we surrendered such a position of strength?

A: Yes, without a doubt. The biggest thing now is making sure we have a fully-fit squad to make the impact required. We also need to show more composure, because we should have scored more than three, while defensively, as a team not just individuals, we need to be a lot stronger mentally and physically. It was too easy at times for lads to get the wrong side or just shove one or two of our players off. It hurts me that we only drew, but there is no panic. I do believe in this group, but I am going to strengthen because I feel we are just a little bit weak in one or two areas, due to injuries.

Q: Finally, can you give us an injury update on those who picked up knocks today and those still on their way back?

A: They are all niggly little injuries, so it's hard to say. I would like to think the majority of them will be all right for Tuesday. I haven't had the chance to speak properly with James Poole yet, but he came off because he felt I slight hamstring twinge. It's nothing major, but he just felt it a little bit, and you have to be so careful with things like that. Ben Harrison was the same, the hamstring hasn't gone, but he just felt it a bit. The challenge on Laurence Taylor (right) didn't look good, but we need to assess him properly to get a clearer idea of how he is.

John Disney has had a scan, and we need to see how that went. Simon Richman may hopefully be only a week away, but it could be two, because it was a sprain, and you need the swelling to go down to see where he is up to, in terms of how much pressure he can put on the ankle.

When major players have to come off, regardless of the level you are playing at, it is bound to affect you. Coming in to the game, I gave Abbey Hey all the respect they were due by putting out a full-strength team, given what was available to me, so it wasn't a case of me or the players taking it lightly. We just didn't perform to the level we needed to. Injuries do play a part in that, but there is no way we are going to use that as an excuse. It just wasn't good enough, and it has to be better next time".

ABBEY HEY 3 ALTRINCHAM 3

Above: Alty line up a second-half freekick.

After 23 minutes Altrincham were leading 3-0 and in almost complete control of the match but by the end of the afternoon they were grateful for an Abbey Hey miss which would have dumped them out of the Emirates FA Cup at the first hurdle. And, to compound Alty's misfortunes, their already depleted squad lost another three players to injury; James Poole and Ben Harrison had to be subbed in the first half and, more seriously, Laurence Taylor was stretchered off in the closing stages.

Match report here

The teams will replay on Tuesday night at the J. Davidson Stadium (7.45pm) which now replaces the league fixture against Lancaster City scheduled for that night.

The official EvoStik site last night gave the gate at Abbey Hey v Altrincham as 381 whilst the Hallmark Security League quoted 371!

RESERVES' RESULT

FA CUP

Earlier new signing Liam Dickinson had given Stalybridge the lead before Farsley captain James Walshaw equalised just moments later with a superb finish."

Former Alty striker Danny Mitchley was sent off for two cautions playing for Marine against Ashton United in an FA Cup tie on Saturday. Marine lost 1-3 at home.

INTEGRO (LEAGUE) CUP

• Chasetown v Market Drayton Town
• Colne vs Clitheroe
• Scarborough Athletic v Sheffield FC

FA CUP 1st QUALIFYING ROUND

Right: James Jones is pictured at Abbey Hey.

Below are selected northern and Midlands fixtures only.

Friday 2 September 2017

• City of Liverpool 1-2 Nantwich Town

Saturday 2 September 2017

• Abbey Hey 3-3 Altrincham att 371 (NWCFL website) or 381 (NPL website)
• Albion Sports 3-2 Barnoldswick Town
• Ashton Athletic 2-1 Bamber Bridge
• Boldmere St Michaels 0-3 Chasetown
• Boston Town 2-0 Hednesford Town
• Buxton 3-2 Frickley Athletic att 242
• Cleethorpes Town 1-2 Atherton Collieries
• Colne 0-1 Lancaster City att 301
• Droylsden 4-3 Colwyn Bay
• Grantham Town 2-1 Holbeach United
• Halesowen Town 0-3 Basford United att 359
• Haughmond 3-2 Matlock Town att 236
• Hyde United 1-0 Kendal Town
• Kidsgrove Athletic 3-2 Clitheroe
• Lincoln United v Redditch United
• Loughborough Dynamo 1-3 Stourbridge att 262
• Marine 1-3 Ashton United att 324
• Market Drayton Town 1-5 Alvechurch (at Nantwich Town)
• Mickleover Sports 2-1 Hinkley
• Mossley 2-2 1874 Northwich
• Ossett Town 2-1 Consett
• Penistone Church 3-2 Whitby Town att 496
• Peterborough Sports 3-4 Stafford Rangers att 284
• Rushall Olympic 1-0 Potton United
• St Ives Town 1-0 Coalville Town att 203
• Scarborough Athletic v Workington
• Shaw Lane 3-1 Radcliffe Borough
• Shepshed Dynamo 6-1 Leek Town
• Skelmersdale United 1-2 Handsworth Parramore
• Stalybridge Celtic 2-1 Farsley Celtic
• Stratford Town 4-0 Newcastle Town
• Sutton Coldfield Town 0-2 Barwell
• Warrington Town 1-0 Grimsby Borough att 297
• Witton Albion 0-2 South Shieldsatt 534

PHIL'S UPDATE

Monday’s win at Witton, who were unbeaten to that point, was a marvellous display. The quality of our play in the first half and two wonderful strikes from outside the area from James Poole and Josh Hancock, were the obvious highlights but the performance in the second half, whilst not as eye-catching from an entertainment point of view, was just as pleasing to Neil [Sorvel] and me as the lads defended as if their lives depended on getting a clean sheet, which was richly deserved for a thoroughly professional display.

Tomorrow, we enter the Emirates FA Cup, with a First Qualifying Round tie at Abbey Hey, who finally saw off Maine Road on Monday night, after the original replay had been abandoned in extra-time due to a bad neck injury to one of their players, who thankfully is well on the way to a full recovery.

Incredibly, we had to replace four players playing at full-back during the two bank holiday games against Coalville Town and Witton Albion as Lewis Short, John Disney, Simon Richman and Shaun Densmore all came off injured. John Disney’s ankle injury is the most concerning. He is due to have a scan early next week, so we should know more then.

Lewis Short (tight hamstring), Simon Richman (ankle sprain) and Shaun Densmore (knee) must all be rated as doubtful for Saturday and, with seven substitutes in the FA Cup, I will be calling on a couple of the reserves, who I watched against Congleton Vale on Tuesday night. Max Harrop scored twice in that game and he is set to take some part tomorrow as well.

Sean Miller will start full training next week and Josh Amis is recovering well from his appendicitis, so hopefully, we will have greater strength in numbers to call on for what will be a big month, with nine games scheduled, starting tomorrow. Abbey Hey play in the Hallmark Security League, Premier Division and have also won at Irlam, as well as eventually overcoming Maine Road, to reach this stage. It’s a massive game for them and we will need to be at it to progress to Monday’s draw".

ABBEY HEY v ALTRINCHAM: BEFORE THE GAME

Altrincham have never met Abbey Hey in a competitive game before today, despite the two clubs' proximity to each other and both being more than 100 years old, (Abbey Hey were founded in 1902).

However, no fewer than twelve pre-season friendlies have been played between the clubs since 2000, all at Goredale Avenue. Of these, Altrincham have won ten and drawn two. The most recent match, in 2015, ended goalless.

In their six league and cup matches this season, Abbey Hey have won all three away fixtures but have yet to win at home. They lie 20th in the 23-team Hallmark Security League (NW Counties) Premier Division.

In addition to former Alty physio Alan Ainsley, who performs that role for Abbey Hey, other links between the clubs include Sam Freakes, an ex-FCUM player who was an Alty pre-season trialist in 2013. Two other Abbey Hey players, the twins Fabrice Bembo-Leta and Djenny Bembo, are elder siblings of Joel Bembo-Leta, who was an Alty trialist this summer.

The Hallmark Security League adds that "Of all non-league teams playing in the FA Cup, none strike fear into Football League sides as much as Altrincham. They hold the record knocking out more Football League sides than any other club in history with 17 'giant killings', however they are the giants in this encounter... They are entering the FA Cup at the First Qualifying Round for the first time [see below], so there is no real history in the competition to go off.

In the league, they currently sit in 10th place having won three of their six games... They have won their last three games... Josh Hancock has scored in all of those wins, and one weird stat is that of their eight goals scored this season, seven have been scored by a player whose name starts with the letter J! James Poole is another to look out for, as he has scored in their last two games also.

As for Abbey Hey, they have had a weird campaign so far. In the FA Cup they are great, winning at Irlam in the Extra Preliminary Round before beating Maine Road after both a replay and an abandoned game! In the league they have lost to Runcorn Linnets and Widnes at home, both without scoring, but a 2-0 win at Northwich Victoria on Saturday not only gave them a clean sheet, but also meant that they come into this game three games unbeaten themselves. Rhys Webb is leading scorer for Abbey Hey, including the winner on Monday in their win over Maine Road.

Abbey Hey have been the last remaining Hallmark Security League side in the FA Cup in two of the last five years having reached the Second Qualifying Round on both occasions. That is the best that they have managed in 16 previous campaigns. As for Alty, what do we say? Their best is the Fourth Round Proper, which came about in 1985/86 when they won away at top flight club Birmingham City 2-1. They have even earned replays against Tottenham Hotspur and Everton in the past. Even struggling in recent years as they have, they have still done great in the FA Cup, reaching the First Round Proper in four of their last five FA Cup campaigns."

However, FA Cup Factfile corrects Alty's FA Cup record by stating that "Altrincham hasn’t gone out of the FA Cup as early as the 1st Qualifying Round for 57 years, although it is 14 years since the club last entered the FA Cup this early".

LADIES' FA CUP DEBUT

OLD BOYS

Manager Michael Clegg has been working hard behind the scenes to sign Lynch and as he explains it’s a great addition to the squad. 'Chris is a massive signing for us. He is a lad with loads of experience; a true leader and someone who can really help us adapt to life in the Evo-Stik,' he explained. 'I go back a long way with Lynchy and he is the fiercest competitor there is. There was a lot of competition for his signature but he is coming to the stage in his career where he can’t really commit to loads of travelling but still wants to be in a side that’s wanting to achieve things. He lives two miles from the ground so this move suits both us and himself. I think it shows that this year we are looking to compete and enjoy ourselves and we are definitely doing that'".

Elsewhere, "On Thursday evening (31 August), Barwell Football Club "confirmed the signings of experienced striker Kyle Perry and young defender Elliot Percival... Perry, a 31-year-old striker, has played for a whole host of clubs - most notably AFC Telford United, Mansfield Town, Tamworth and Altrincham. He joins Barwell after spending last season at Stafford Rangers. Perry is a big number 9 who will certainly bolster Jimmy Ginnelly's options in the attacking third.

He is joined at Kirkby Road by 19-year-old full back Elliot Percival. The Leicester-born youngster came through the ranks at Leicester City, before signing for Sheffield Wednesday on a one-year professional contract and then deciding to make the step into men's football by signing for Barwell."

The Birmingham Mail reports that former Alty loanee "Ryan Shotton’s move from Birmingham City to Middlesbrough has brought to an end one of the transfer sagas of the summer. Middlesbrough first made their interest known in Shotton in July and lodged a bid of over £1 million that was knocked back by Blues, who have commanded double that fee for the 28-year-old central defender. Shotton hadn’t agitated for a move away from St Andrew’s and returned to pre-season training at the beginning of July optimistic about what Blues might achieve following the tests of the previous campaign.

Shotton had joined Blues permanently from Derby County for around £300,000 last summer and become a mainstay in the side under Gary Rowett, Gianfranco Zola and Harry Redknapp. Having started 43 of Blues’ 46 Championship games, Shotton had hoped his performances would be recognised with a new contract but that wasn’t forthcoming. There was interest from Bristol City in Shotton in June but the defender had no desire to trade the second city for the West Country and rebuffed their advances.

But Middlesbrough’s bid captured his attention, particularly when Redknapp told him he would be allowed to leave if Boro improved their initial offer to meet Blues’ valuation. Shotton understood the club’s reasons for not allowing him to leave once the bid was accepted in mid-August and waited for Blues to find a replacement. In the meantime, Shotton and his representatives agreed personal terms on a lucrative three-year contract at The Riverside.

Towards the end of his time at St Andrew’s, the defender understandably became frustrated. He was keen to play in matches against Burton Albion and Reading and was disappointed to be left out, disappointment that only increased as he watched his team-mates stutter to two defeats. Both Blues and Shotton wanted the deal to be done sooner and the outcome suits both parties. Blues have made a whopping profit on their outlay to sign Shotton from Derby and the player gets the opportunity to test himself under Garry Monk at one of the Championship’s promotion favourites.

Rarely are a club happy to lose a player to one of their rivals, but Blues are quite content with how this one has played out".

The Hallmark Security League new registrations include, at Charnock Richard, Andrew Dawber and at Sandbach United, Clayton McDonald, who recently played against us for Nantwich Town.

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

He made a total of 85 appearances for the Club, scoring nine goals... Matt made just six appearances for Hednesford in his stint at Keys Park, scoring twice... Manager Gary Hackett told us, 'I’m absolutely delighted to have Matt back, and he’s delighted to be back himself. He gives us something extra that we’ve perhaps been lacking so far this season.'

Although Matt is not Cup-tied, his signing was not completed in time to be eligible for Saturday’s Emirates FA Cup tie at Loughborough Dynamo...

We are also pleased to announce the signings of wide man Pierce Kiembi and midfielder Alex Solomon. Pierce, who had a run-out for us in pre-season two seasons ago, has most recently been with Chasetown, and numbers Bedworth United, Worcester City, Daventry Town and Bayer Leverkusen amongst his former clubs. He can play on either flank...

Alex can play in any position across midfield and appeared in a number of pre-season friendlies for the Glassboys, where he impressed with his work-rate. Both players will provide additional depth for the squad with the current injuries to Kayelden Brown, Connor Gater and Chris Knight restricting Gary’s options."

Witton Albion announce that they are "inaugural winners of the EVO-STIK League's newly sponsored FWP Architecture Fair Play Awards...

Witton Albion in the top flight, Colwyn Bay in EVO-STIK League North and four clubs in EVO-STIK League South with identical records, Cleethorpes Town, Corby Town, Gresley and Lincoln United, were unveiled at lunchtime on Friday as the best behaved clubs over the opening weeks of the season in August.

Thanks to the sponsorship of the Frank Whittle Partnership (FWP), the clubs are now in the running for a share of more than £5,000 in prize money the EVO-STIK League now hands out annually to the season’s best behaved sides to promote sportsmanship and fair play and back the Football Association's Respect campaign.

As in previous years, the overall winners in each division will collect £1000 with the runners-up banking £500 and the third-placed clubs £250 each. The best behaved club across the EVO-STIK League's three divisions will also be presented with the Peter Swales President's Cup by FWP at next June's annual awards night in Blackpool.

Preston-based FWP stepped up their support for the EVO-STIK League for the 2017-18 season to build on their 10 years of work as existing sponsors and partners. As well as backing the EVO-STIK League's fair play mission on the pitch, the sponsors are set to roll out a series of initiatives off it for all 68 clubs. Focusing on stadium development, they are set to include an online survey of the needs of clubs and regular updates on the latest industry news and schemes. Members will also get the chance to meet with FWP's experts throughout the campaign at regional meetings and other events led by the next annual showcase at Blackpool's Hilton Hotel in June 2018. Depending on the results of the upcoming survey, FWP are also considering laying on specialist seminars on stadium development for club officials.

August's winners topped the fair tables which are generated by a totting up of red and yellow cards divided by the number of fixtures clubs have played each month. Clubs must play at least four league games to be eligible for the monthly honours and where tied on points, marks awarded by referees for behaviour in the technical area by managers and coaches are taken into account...

Witton Albion needed their technical area marks to beat Farsley Celtic to first place in the EVO-STIK League Premier after the rivals both posted disciplinary scores of 0.83 for their five cautions in six outings since the season kicked off. With records of six cautions from six outings, Coalville Towns, Lancaster City, Stourbridge and Whitby Town are level-pegging in third spot."

[Altrincham actually had the lowest number of yellow cards in the opening six matches, with just four cautions - three of them being shown to Simon Richman! But Tom Hannigan's red card counted as three points, giving Alty a total of seven compared wuth Witton's six].

According to the Burton Mail, "Burton Albion's Jayden Cotterill has joined Matlock Town on a one-month youth loan. Under the terms of a youth-loan a player is permitted to train with his parent club, but turn out on matchdays for his loan club, in Cotterill's case Matlock...

Cotterill, who signed his first professional contract with the Brewers in May along with fellow academy graduate Jack Hallahan in May earlier this year, featured throughout pre-season campaign for Nigel Clough’s men. The youngster now makes his first steps into senior football with Matlock Town, and will be hoping to hit the same heights that Dinanga did last term when he notched 34 goals. Cotterill impressed when Albion played Matlock at Causeway Lane in pre-season, slotting in at right-back in the 2-2 draw with the Gladiators".

FA CUP ON RADIO MANCHESTER

NO REST FOR THE PLAYERS

The Robins are a Non-League heavyweight in the famous competition and after holding Everton and Tottenham to draws in the 70s, they famously went one better and beat Birmingham City in 1986. But FA Cup joy, and league cheer for that matter, have been in short supply in recent years.

Parkinson hopes this could be their season but first they must ensure they are not the story of the First Qualifying Round this weekend. The club travel to Abbey Hey and, after they beat Maine Road 2-1 on Monday, there’s hope ahead of North West Counties League side’s biggest game in years. Parkinson doesn’t want to be reading about a massive upset when he picks up his paper on Sunday morning.

He said, 'There were a few reasons that we came to Altrincham in the summer and one of them was the challenge of doing something special in the FA Cup. The 70s and the 80s were great years for the club and people still talk about how incredible those Cup runs were. I would like to create our own little bit of history, if it’s this season or next. That would be fantastic.'

Parkinson, who agreed to take over after leaving Nantwich Town in May, will give Abbey Hey and the competition every ounce of respect on Saturday. He said, 'There is absolutely no way we’ll be resting players. It’s too big a thing for us to even consider giving anyone an afternoon off. 'We’ll only be making enforced changes. The last thing we want is to be on the wrong end of a cup upset; there’s just too much riding on it to take any chances'".

JAMES POOLE INTERVIEW

EVO-STIK PREMIER NEWS

'Tickets for Troops' provides free tickets to members of the armed forces for a variety of sporting, musical and cultural events, offering serving personnel and those medically discharged from the forces since 2001 the opportunity to enjoy an event of their choice with friends and families.

In a statement announcing the initiative ahead of their next home game in the league against Stourbridge on Saturday 9 September, officials at Bower Fold said the free tickets must be booked through www.ticketsfortroops.org.uk with a requirement for fans to register their military details.

Stalybridge Celtic Community Development Officer, Mike Smith, said, 'It’s great that we can make these tickets available for members of our armed services who work so hard to keep us all safe. We look forward to seeing some of them throughout the season and hope they all enjoy their visit to Bower Fold.'

'Tickets for Troops' spokesman Robert Lupton said, 'Firstly, many thanks for the kind offer of tickets for our servicemen and women. The Evo-Stik League looks to be a very exciting league this season. The North West has a large percentage of current and ex-service personnel and we hope that Stalybridge Celtic FC can benefit from this kind gesture within their local community.'"