Altrincham secured a hard-fought victory at the J. Davidson Stadium, overcoming Brackley Town in a thrilling encounter that saw the visitors rally late. The match, officiated by Greg Rollason, ultimately finished 2-1 to the home side.
The Robins took an early lead in the eighth minute through James Gale, who was assisted by Dan Sassi. The first half was punctuated by a yellow card for Altrincham’s Matthew Kosylo in the 29th minute. Crucially, Brackley Town saw their manager, Gavin Cowan, dismissed following a second yellow card for foul and abusive language in the 30th minute.
Altrincham doubled their lead shortly after the interval, with Tom Crawford finding the net in the 48th minute. The assist came from Elliot Osborne.
Despite being a man down and having their manager sent off, Brackley Town showed commendable spirit. They made tactical adjustments, bringing on Connor Hall as a substitute in the 59th minute, replacing Danny Waldron, and Justin Donawa for Callum Stewart.
The reward for their persistence came in the dying moments of the match. In the 96th minute, Connor Hall, who had come on as a substitute, scored a crucial goal for Brackley Town, assisted by Scott Pollock.
The match saw a number of substitutions from both sides as they sought to influence the game. Altrincham brought on Jimmy Knowles and Keaton Ward in the 62nd minute, and later Isaac Marriott in the 70th minute, Oliver Crankshaw in the 81st minute, and Lucas Weaver in the 81st minute. Brackley Town had already made their substitutions earlier in the second half.
The result sees Altrincham climb to 13th in the English National League standings with 23 points from 19 games, having been in 15th place before this fixture. Brackley Town, meanwhile, remain in 17th place, also on 20 points but having played one game less, having been in 16th prior to kick-off. The win extends Altrincham’s unbeaten streak to four games, while Brackley Town’s losing streak now stands at two.