A hard-fought National League encounter at the J. Davidson Stadium between Altrincham and Oldham Athletic ended in a 1-1 draw. Oldham took the lead in the 23rd minute through a well-worked goal. A flowing passing move culminated in Dan Gardner slipping a precise through-ball to James Norwood, who calmly slotted past the Altrincham goalkeeper. The visitors’ early strike spurred Altrincham into action, but their increased intensity boiled over into frustration, resulting in a yellow card for Elliot Osborne just three minutes later for a rash challenge. The flurry of bookings continued with Oldham’s Jesurun Uchegbulam also cautioned before half-time. Altrincham sought to shore up their defence at the break, introducing Jake Cooper as a half-time substitute.
The second half began with both teams battling for midfield supremacy. The spate of cautions continued after the restart, with Altrincham’s Tom Crawford and Regan Linney, and Oldham’s Dan Gardner all entering the referee’s notebook in quick succession. Just before the hour mark, Oldham manager made a triple substitution, withdrawing Norwood, Gardner, and Uchegbulam, seemingly in an attempt to revitalise his side and protect their slender advantage. Altrincham also made changes, and it was their substitutions that proved decisive. Alex Newby, introduced in the 63rd minute, made an immediate impact, providing the assist for Regan Linney’s equaliser just five minutes later. Linney’s well-taken finish in the 68th minute ignited the home crowd and swung the momentum in Altrincham’s favour. The game remained fiercely contested, with further yellow cards shown to Emmanuel Monthe and George Wilson (Altrincham), and Tom Conlon and Reagan Ogle (Oldham) as both teams pressed for a winner. Despite the late pressure, neither side could break the deadlock, and the match finished 1-1. Having scored the equaliser, Linney was later replaced by Lewis Banks as Altrincham looked to consolidate their point. The draw sees Altrincham climb one place to 15th in the National League table, while Oldham remain in 8th.