ALTRINCHAM 1 GUISELEY 1

ALTRINCHAM inched another point nearer to safety in the National League with a hard-fought draw against Yorkshire club Guiseley.

The match only went ahead after hard work by volunteers and a 2pm pitch inspection by the referee.

And rain continued to fall throughout the 90 minutes, leaving a heavy but playable surface.

Already without the experienced Stuart Coburn, Shaun Densmore, Tom Marshall and Nicky Clee, Alty were dealt a further blow when Simon Richman was declared unfit to start.

And to compound their woes, left-back Adam Griffin could only complete 35 minutes before he, too, succumbed to injury. But broken-nose victim Luca Havern did return to the starting XI at centre-back after a month's absence.

The visitors had slightly the better of the first half but it was Altrincham who took a 43rd-minute lead.

Substitute Scott Leather fed striker Michael Rankine and he planted an impressive shot past young keeper Dan Atkinson from outside the box.

The Yorkshiremen responded with a 56th-minute equaliser.

After Josh O'Keefe had been penalised harshly near halfway, Guiseley's free kick led to a cross coming back in from Adam Smith, on the right.

Rob Atkinson had been left unmarked at the back post and he headed home the visitors' leveller.

A late push from Altrincham almost proved successful with, first, Damian Reeves's flick hitting the outside of the post and then Rankine hitting the bar from six yards from Reeves's pass, six minutes from time.

After the final whistle, Alty manager Lee Sinnott said: "I can't honestly say we had the win snatched away. A draw was a fair result".

This was Altrincham's fourth of sixth successive home games and they will be looking to improve on their points return from that sequence when Macclesfield Town are the visitors on Saturday week.

Alty have no game this Saturday owing to their scheduled opponents, Torquay United's, involvement in the FA Trophy.

ALTRINCHAM: Deasy, Sinnott, Havern, Holness, Griffin (Leather), Moult, Crowther (Reeves), Ginnelly, O'Keefe, Lawrie, Rankine. Unused subs: Williams, Margetts, Heathcote.