Phil Parkinson has urged Altrincham fans to turn out in numbers and roar the Robins on as they bid to land a trophy at the second attempt at The J.Davidson Stadium tonight.

The FA Trophy ended in heartbreak for Alty, with a penalty shootout defeat to FC Halifax Town in the semi-final, but the Cheshire Senior Cup could provide a silver lining for Parkinson’s side as they take on Congleton Town in the final.

And the Robins boss feels home advantage could prove vital if Alty fans rally round and fill the ground with noise as they have all season.

“We have gone as strong as we can in this competition for a purpose, to give us a chance of silverware,” he said after Alty rescued a point with a 90th-minute penalty by Zak Goodson in a 2-2 draw with Torquay United.

“We haven’t been this far in the Cheshire Senior Cup for a decade, and I know our fans want to see us winning things, which is why I’ve been banging the drum about the importance of this competition to the players.

“When we have our pre-season photo taken, I want to see a trophy standing in front of the team. If there isn’t one, I’ll be asking massive questions of the players.

“What has our history been built on? Giantkilling, and Congleton will see us as a big scalp, so we’ve got to be ready for that. But I’m hoping fans turn out in numbers, and if they do, I’ll know how seriously we’re all taking it.”

Admission is £12 adults and concessions and £6 under-18s for tonight’s final (7.45pm), and there will be a cash turnstile on the night.

Alty’s beer festival starts at the ground tomorrow at 4pm, with plenty of attractions for children as well as adults, continuing on Saturday at 11am and culminating in Jake Moult’s testimonial on Sunday (1pm), a fitting tribute to the long-serving former Alty skipper.

Admission to the testimonial is £10 adults, £5 u16s with full details on the club’s website.

* Altrincham’s youngsters put in an outstanding performance to lift the Manchester FA Under-18s County Cup, beating Trafford 6-3 at FC United’s Broadhurst Park on Sunday.

Goals from Edson Cata (two), Owen German (two), JJ Kelly and Sheriff Njie sealed victory against a Trafford side reduced to 10 men at 5-1 down.