FC Halifax Town 1 Altrincham 3

ALTRINCHAM completed a great week with a well deserved win away at FC Halifax Town, the second-placed team in the Vanarama Conference. Alty had yet to win away from home this season and lay in the relegation places before kick off.

After a quiet opening, Halifax went close when Pearson missed the target after being put clear. But, in the 34th minute, Alty took the lead with a superb strike from 25 yards by Nicky Clee. Town almost levelled before the interval when Hattersley's header hit the post but Altrincham had played very well in the first 45 minutes.

Despite a change at the interval, Halifax made little impression on a solid Altrincham back line. Alty doubled their lead after 77 minutes when substitute Kyle Perry noddded the ball, from the right, into the box. James Lawrie, whose wonder goal had seen off Macclesfield earlier in the week, made no mistake with a firm drive across the keeper into the far corner of the net.

It got even better for the 166 travelling fans just four minutes later.

Halifax had commited themselves too far upfield and were undone by a ball threaded up the middle which set Kyle Perry free. Despite the despairing challenge of two recovering defenders and the approaching goalkeeper, Glennon, Perry slotted the ball into the net to prompt celebrations at the Alty end and a sizable exodus from the Halifax section of the ground.

The Shaymen applied some late pressure and they did get a goal back in the 87th minute, when Boden headed home from a corner on the Halifax right. But this could not detract from a thoroughly deserved reward for a hardworking team effort by Altrincham.

The three points lifted Altrincham out of the bottom four in advance of their Tuesday visit to Grimsby Town. Alty's next home game is on Saturday at 3pm when Woking come to the J. Davidson Stadium.

Altrincham: Coburn, Densmore (capt), Leather, Havern, Griffin, Moult, Richman, S. Williams, Lawrie, Clee, Reeves. Subs: Marshall, Cavanagh, Wilkinson, Gillespie, Cavanagh