Phil Parkinson fired a warning to an out-of-sorts Altrincham frontline after they drew a disappointing blank against King’s Lynn Town and saw the Norfolk side snatch the points with two late goals.

After forcing the pace for much of the first half and hitting the bar through Ryan Colclough, Alty looked set for a quick-fire league double over the Linnets following a 3-0 home win over them a fortnight earlier.

But two goals in the last 10 minutes turned the tables the home team’s way and sealed a 2-0 scoreline that left Parkinson distinctly unimpressed.

“I was massively disappointed and didn’t hide from telling the players that after the game,’ said the Alty manager.

“I thought in the first half we played it perfectly, creating opportunities and actually controlling the game more than we did at our place.

James Hardy in action

James Hardy in action

“It was really disappointing not to score in that period, but I still felt we were the only ones who looked like going on to get a positive result. If they showed no real desire to come at us, it was because we were so much in control, but then the second half was such a contrast in terms of the quality we showed.

“It was so disappointing, and I let the players know afterwards that a performance level of that kind will not be tolerated at this club.

He added: “We still had opportunities at the end, but for whatever reason, we couldn’t finish on the day. It has been an issue this season. We are a goalscoring side, but we have needed too many opportunities this season. The forwards have to step up to the mark and show more efficiency with their finishing. It has to improve.”

The Alty boss already has one eye on next season, saying: “Neil Sorvel and I know exactly what is needed, and it’s something we are looking at now. We have shown we can compete at this level, but we know next season will be a lot tougher, because teams won’t be underestimating us, so we’ve got to make sure we are as strong as possible.”