ALTRINCHAM suffered late heartache as an injury-time goal meant they had to settle for a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw with Gateshead.

Although midfielder Simon Richman and left-back Adam Griffin returned to their starting 11, Altrincham were still missing five injured players from their squad to play Gateshead at the cavernous International Stadium.

Play was fairly even in the goalless first half. Alty's best chance fell to Damian Reeves but he was unable to make contact with Simon Richman's feed as he ran into the box.

Alty started the second half poorly and fell behind in the 49th minute.

They failed to close down a cross from the Gateshead left corner and Ryan Bowman headed home, unchallenged, from the centre of the box.

The next period of the game gave supporters little hope of an Altrincham comeback but things improved with the double introduction of widemen Bowerman and Clee in the 59th minute.

Clee, in particular, began to cause problems for the right side of the home defence.

It was his smart thinking that drew the visitors level. Having won a throw in the left corner, he quickly took it. Although the ball came out to Jake Moult, the midfielder's well-struck shot from 20 yards was pushed onto the bar by Russell. Rankine reacted quickly to nod the loose ball into the net in the 77th minute.

It got even better two minutes later when Bowerman scored from 10 yards as the home defence were unsettled by an attempted overhead shot from Richman inside the box.

But Altrincham could not hold on for what had seemed, for much of the game, an unlikely victory. In the second of what turned into more than five added minutes, substitute McLaughlin scored from outside the box, following the award of a somewhat dubious freekick.

This hard-earned point helped Alty remain in nineteenth position before they take a week off from league action when they entertain Chester in the FA Cup next Saturday (3pm)

ALTRINCHAM: Deasy, Sinnott, Leather, Havern, Griffin, Moult, Richman, O'Keefe, Lawrie, Reeves, Rankine. Subs: Williams, Davis, Heathcote, Clee and Bowerman.