Farrell and Barlow score twice as Altrincham hit six at FC United to set up Notts County tie
Thursday 22 October 2026 · By Gareth Ellerby
Altrincham are through to the FA Cup first round after an emphatic 6–2 win at FC United of Manchester in Tuesday night’s fourth qualifying round replay at Broadhurst Park.
Their reward is a home tie against League One side Notts County at the J.Davidson Stadium, tie number 37 in Monday’s draw.
Neil Gibson’s side had to come from behind. They had controlled the opening exchanges, but Matty Grivosti put FC United ahead after 12 minutes with a 20-yard shot that went in off Harry Isted’s crossbar, according to the club’s match report.
Alty were level within three minutes. Leo Farrell danced through the home defence and finished low past Dan Atherton. Jimmy Knowles then put the visitors ahead on 31 minutes with a close-range finish from Sam Taylor’s low cross. Four minutes later, Farrell’s shot hit the post and Aidan Barlow tapped in the rebound, sending Altrincham in 3–1 up at half-time.
The second half brought more of the same. Taylor finished a move down the left in the 58th minute, Barlow scored his second seven minutes later, and Farrell completed his own double in the 69th minute from another Taylor cross. Niall Watson scored a late consolation for the hosts.
The club’s report confirms the scorers as Farrell and Barlow with two each, and Knowles and Taylor with one each. At least one newspaper report credited Knowles with two goals, but the club’s version is the one used here.
The crowd was 1,642, including 453 away supporters, a big travelling following on a Tuesday night. Altrincham received no bookings, and there were no red cards for either side. Kristian Dennis came off the bench in the 73rd minute, one of three changes made at that point.
It was a big improvement on the first meeting. The original tie at the J.Davidson Stadium on 17 October ended 0–0 in front of 3,005.
The Notts County tie has extra interest, because a number of Alty players have previously played for the Magpies. First-round ties are due to be played between Friday 6 and Monday 9 November. The Football Association says dates, kick-off times and television selections will be announced in due course, and the winners will receive £47,750 in prize money.
Gibson’s side are flying. He was named the Enterprise National League’s Manager of the Month for September on 14 October, and the BBC table shows Alty sixth on 24 points, with eight wins and five defeats from 13 games.
The league now returns with a big test. Altrincham travel to fourth-placed Yeovil Town on Saturday 24 October at 3pm BST. Yeovil are one point above them and also scored five in their own replay on Tuesday, beating Leatherhead 5–2.
After that, Altrincham host Kidderminster Harriers on Tuesday 27 October at 7.45pm and Carlisle United on Saturday 31 October at 3pm. Both are GMT, after the clocks go back on Sunday 25 October.
That is three games in eight days before Notts County arrive. On this evidence, Gibson has plenty of attacking options to rotate.
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.