Torquay United make the long 249-mile journey up to Altrincham this weekend knowing that they could be relegated from the Vanarama National League if they lose and results go against them.
The Gulls’ recent run of good form took a big hit in the week away at play-off candidates Chesterfield. They suffered a 5-1 defeat, a result that has also affected Torquay’s goal difference.
Torquay are three points adrift of Maidenhead United and York City and with a much worse goal difference than both sides. They had won five on the bounce before the hammering at Chesterfield.
It would be remarkable if Torquay do manage to stay up. If they do take it to the last match of the season then they will have to get a result at home to table-topping Wrexham in the final match of the season.
Meanwhile, that Torquay result on Tuesday night means that Altrincham’s place in the fifth tier for next season is confirmed, despite their woeful recent league form.
It was always unlikely that Altrincham would be dragged into a late relegation scrap but they have slowly dropped down the league in the last couple of months where at one stage they might have had one eye on the playoffs.
The Robins let slip a lead again on Tuesday night to Dagenham & Redbridge and ended up drawing 2-2 at the J Davidson Stadium. It stretches Altrincham’s winless run to five matches. They will be hoping for better in their last league home match of the season. Altrincham does play the Cheshire Senior Cup final on Thursday against Congleton Town at Moss Lane.
The last match between the two sides earlier in the season was a thrilling 4-4 draw at Plainmoor, Torquay’s ground. Altrincham was 4-3 up in the 96th minute before 10-man Torquay equalised in the 97th minute thanks to Dylan Crowe.
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Team News
Tuesday night saw the return of Albanian winger Egli Kaja to the squad for the first time in two months. With on-loan Man United striker Joe Hugill not having a huge impact, it will surely be him who is left out from the last squad and Kaja taking his place.
The main decision that Torquay manager Gary Johnson will have to make will be whether Tom Lapslie continues in place of Asa Hall who was not in the squad for the Chesterfield match.
It has not been confirmed yet the issue with Hall but if he is injured then either Lapslie or Ali Omar will play.
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Likely Lineups
Byrne, Welch-Hayes, Parritt, Baines, E Jones, Lundstram, Marriott, Oyedele, Kaja, Linney, Hulme
Torquay United
Halstead, Hall, Lawrence, Moxey, Evans, Donnellan, Dawson, Stobbs, Jarvis, Collins, Nouble
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Key Players
Altrincham
Regan Linney has been one of the few Altrincham players putting in consistently good performances. The 25-year-old attacker scored last weekend away at Dorking and so far has five goals from 16 appearances since joining in February from FC United.
Linney had already notched up an impressive 25 goals from 33 appearances for FC United in the Northern Premier League before leaving.
Torquay United
Aaron Jarvis has been in good scoring form for lately and has 15 goals so far this season. The striker scored a hat-trick last weekend against relegation rivals York City in a 3-2 victory, his second hat-trick of the season.
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Match Details
Where is the match being played?
The match takes place at the J Davidson Stadium, the home of Altrincham.
When is kick-off?
The match will kick off at 3pm BST.
How can I watch?
Tickets can be purchased from the Altrincham website.
The match can also be followed on Radio Alty, with streaming available on NationalLeagueTV.