Altrincham emerged victorious from a dramatic National League encounter at The Lamb Ground, edging past Tamworth 2-1 in a match punctuated by late drama and a flurry of cards.
The first half saw Altrincham dominate possession, though clear-cut chances were at a premium. The referee was kept busy, issuing yellow cards to Altrincham’s Regan Linney in the 35th minute for a foul, and to teammate Tom Crawford shortly afterwards for a similar offence.
The second half proved a much more open affair. Alex Newby, who had already been booked in the 55th minute, broke the deadlock for Altrincham in the 61st minute, assisted by Justin Amaluzor. Tamworth responded by introducing Dan Creaney and Tom Tonks in an attempt to find an equaliser. However, it was Altrincham who struck again in the 78th minute, with Amaluzor turning goalscorer, assisted by Jake Cooper. The game took another twist just a minute later when Tom Crawford received his second yellow card, reducing Altrincham to ten men. Buoyed by their numerical advantage, Tamworth pressed forward and finally found the net in the 94th minute through substitute Dan Creaney, assisted by George Morrison. Despite a frantic finish, which saw Creaney and fellow substitute Ben Acquaye booked in injury time for Tamworth, Altrincham held on for a hard-fought victory. Altrincham also made late substitutions, with Max Haygarth and Liam Humbles replacing Jake Cooper (not Newby as previously stated) and goalscorer Alex Newby respectively.
The result sees Altrincham climb to 9th in the table with 18 points from 12 games, while Tamworth remain in 17th place with 14 points from 11 matches. The match marked the first league meeting between the two sides in three seasons.