ALTRINCHAM secured their status in the Vanarama Conference for a second season, with a 2-0 victory over Southport at the J.Davidson Stadium on Good Friday.

Despite falling to a 1-0 defeat at Gateshead on Easter Monday, there is still an opportunity of a top half finish, which would represent a very satisfactory first campaign back in the highest echelon of non-league football.

Nicky Clee scored late in the first half against the Sandgrounders, firing home from a very tight angle following a sublime James Lawrie pass and Jordan Sinnott doubled the lead from a free kick midway through the second half to record his first goal in Alty colours.

The Robins manager, Lee Sinnott, was clearly pleased to have secured the club’s league status with four games still remaining.

“Sometimes you need a get out of jail card but it is very pleasing to have done it ourselves, especially after our first half-dozen games, and I am delighted for a great bunch of lads.

"We're not finished yet and I have a points target to aim for. It was a strange game and sometimes, you get a bit more than you deserve”.

Altrincham’s clean sheet was achieved through a sound defensive performance & another fine display of goalkeeping by Stuart Coburn.

Sinnott felt that perhaps the team got less than they deserved at Gateshead.

He said: "They probably had more possession than we did, but Dave Parton has had just three shots to save.

"We created a few decent openings ourselves & the difference was one fine piece of play by Michael Rankine who took his goal very well.

"We hate losing, but results elsewhere didn’t do us too much harm on Monday and we now have an important game on Saturday, when a win would take us within one point of sixty points for the season.

"It’s been a long, hard campaign but we still have three important games left.”

Having travelled up to the North East, Alty’s next assignment is in the South West, with a five hundred mile round trip to Torquay on Saturday.