IN the fourth meeting of the season between the two Cheshire clubs, Altrincham snatched a well-deserved point with a stoppage-time leveller in a 1-1 home draw against Warrington Town.

On a soft pitch, which only survived a pre-match inspection thanks to hard work by the groundsman and volunteers, Altrincham were looking for a first win against the visitors after two draws and a defeat against them earlier in the season. But, after a decent start, Alty lost possession from a throw and Dylan Vassallo's shot evaded goalkeeper Tony Thompson's hands to give the visitors a 19th-minute lead.

With the referee producing five yellow cards in the first half, the game was not one for the purist.

Warrington's hard work successfully closed down Alty and, together with the playing surface, limited Altrincham's normally fluent style.

The hosts dominated the second half as Warrington adopted a 'what we have, we hold' approach after the interval.

Alty's clear sights of goal were few and their corners were comfortably dealt with by the Warrington defence.

The hosts' attacking threat was diminished when winger John Johnston was put out of the game by a bad foul as he advanced up the right wing.

But the Robins maintained the pressure on the Yellows as the cautions mounted up to nine by the final whistle.

The equaliser finally arrived in the second added minute at the end of the game.

James Poole's shot was half stopped by keeper Anthony McMillan but it had sufficient momentum to carry it over the line. With title rivals Shaw Lane drawing and Workington losing, the draw for Altrincham proved to be a valuable point gained as they continue to head the Evo-Stik Premier.

ALTRINCHAM: Thompson, Densmore, Hampson, Jones, Harrison, Moult, Johnston, Harrop, Hulme, Poole, Hancock. Subs: Peers, Miller, Richman, White, Sheridan.