Altrincham beat Warrington on penalties in the Cheshire Senior Cup before a trip to Harrogate
Wednesday 11 November 2026 · By Stuart Lumb
Altrincham came through a Cheshire Senior Cup first-round tie on Tuesday 10 November, drawing 1–1 with Warrington Town and winning 3–2 on penalties, before they turn back to the league with a visit to second-placed Harrogate Town on Saturday. Pharrell Brown scored in the first minute of first-half stoppage time, a debut goal, and Harry McHugh equalised on 46 minutes from halfway. Michael Acquah saved three penalties and Josh Dempsey scored the decider. Altrincham introduced five more academy players after 65 minutes, and there were several first-team debuts. Their next opponents in that competition are Runcorn Town.
The county-cup evening does not count in the National League table. Neil Gibson’s side remain seventh on 28 points from 16 matches, level with Yeovil Town and Worthing but behind them on goal difference, and two points ahead of Carlisle United. They hold the last of the play-off places. The BBC form line is WLWWDL.
Harrogate, on 32 points, are 12 behind unbeaten leaders Boreham Wood and three ahead of Southend United and Fylde. Saturday is therefore a meeting with a side already established just behind the leaders, and a test of whether Altrincham can protect their top-seven position against a direct rival. They were themselves out of the FA Cup after a penalty-shoot-out defeat by Notts County on 7 November, following a 2–2 draw after extra time.
After Harrogate, Altrincham visit Solihull Moors at 12.30pm on 21 November, host Wealdstone at 7.45pm on Tuesday 24 November, and go to Tamworth on 5 December. Solihull are 22nd on 13 points, four from safety, so that lunchtime fixture offers a different kind of examination from Saturday’s.
No National League match has been played since 31 October. First place is promoted automatically, and second to seventh go into the play-offs, with the bottom four relegated. Barrow, three points behind Altrincham with a game in hand, remain the most immediate threat to seventh place once the midweek and Saturday programmes resume.
The BBC table, last updated at 11:13 on 9 November, still shows Altrincham 7th on 28 points from 16 matches, with a record of 9 wins, 1 draws and 6 defeats. They have scored 24 and conceded 24, for a goal difference of zero. Those numbers have not changed since 31 October, because no National League fixture has been played in this window. The FA Cup, National League Cup and county cups do not count in the standings. Altrincham occupy the last of the play-off places.
The next league round is on Saturday 14 November, not an FA Trophy weekend. The scheduled matches are Carlisle against Boston, Eastleigh against Fylde, Gateshead against Barrow, Harrogate against Altrincham, Hartlepool against Wealdstone, Hornchurch against Tamworth, Kidderminster against Halifax, Scunthorpe against Worthing, Southend against Aldershot, Sutton against Solihull, and Yeovil against Boreham Wood. Woking against Forest Green, originally listed for that afternoon, is still postponed, with no new date announced. Gateshead against Tamworth also remains without a date.
Altrincham Football Club have played at Moss Lane since 1910. Sponsorship now bills it as the J. Davidson Stadium, but visiting supporters still know it as Moss Lane: a compact, old-fashioned National League ground on the corner of Moss Lane and Golf Road, postcode WA15 8AP. Official capacity figures vary with licensing, but you should expect a crowd of a few thousand rather than a packed bowl. The walk from Altrincham Interchange is about ten to twelve minutes.
When the fixture is segregated, away fans are placed in the Hale End, the open terrace behind the goal furthest from town. It is a proper standing end with crush barriers and a decent view, but there is no roof, so pack a coat. For bigger followings the club can open an overflow onto the Hale End section of the Popular Side, the covered terrace that runs the length of the opposite touchline. Seats, when offered to visitors, are usually in the Main Stand or the smaller Family Stand on the Moss Lane side. Those stands are not normally segregated. The Main Stand is a short, classic single-tier block astride the halfway line, with supporting pillars and tightish legroom. The Golf Road End, covered and closer to the town centre, is the home terrace.
Turnstiles for the Hale End are at that end of the ground. Check the club’s ticketing pages and buy an away allocation if segregation is advertised; pay on the gate is sometimes available but not guaranteed. Prices move season to season, so treat published away-guide figures as a guide only. The programme, The Robins’ Review, is sold on the approaches.
There is no public car park at the stadium itself. On-street parking is allowed except where yellow lines or cones say otherwise. The town-centre stretch of Moss Lane is one-way leading away from the ground, so you cannot drive in from Stamford New Road. From the motorways the usual route is M56 junction 6, A538 towards Hale and Altrincham, then Westminster Road onto Moss Lane; the ground appears on the right. Some Saturday visitors use the Aecom site further along Moss Lane when it is open. Coaches typically drop near the away turnstiles and park off Welman Way. From the Interchange, leave by the clock-tower frontage and take the first left into Moss Lane; keep walking until the stands appear on the left. Metrolink from Manchester is the simplest public-transport option; Northern Rail also calls at Altrincham but is slower.
Food inside is basic: a mobile canteen at the away end and a more permanent kiosk at the Golf Road End. On segregated days the Community Sports Hall bar at the Golf Road–Moss Lane corner is home fans only. It is a useful pre-match room when open to all, with screens and club-run proceeds. A Fan Zone serving craft ale sits at the Golf Road / Popular Side corner. A few minutes along Moss Lane, past the garage, the King George (JW Lees) is a reliable away-friendly pub with food and sport on television. Town-centre options around Goose Green include Costello’s and The Cheshire Tap. Opposite the ground there are convenience shops and a chip shop if you want something before you go in.
Moss Lane is a proper non-league ground: floodlight pylons, a telephone mast behind the Popular Side, and a pitch that sits close to the stands. Views from Hale End are honest rather than luxurious. Stewards are used to travelling support. Arrive early if you want a rail to lean on, and assume the weather will find you. Altrincham’s colours are red and white; the welcome is generally straightforward if you treat the place as someone’s home rather than a staging post.