Stafford Rangers 0
Altrincham 2
STAFFORD Rangers made it three defeats in a row as they eventually succumbed to league leaders Altrincham at Marston Road today.
Boro matched their high-flying visitors for the first hour, and could easily have gone into the break ahead.
But not for the first time this season, Stafford did not take their chances, and were made to pay when a simple through ball gave Jordan Hulme the chance to fire his team ahead.
And Alty wrapped it up 13 minutes from time when Ben Harrison pounced.
Neil Kitching made three changes from the last game - back on New Year's Day - as Richard Batchelor dropped out having left for Stourbridge. Osebi Abadaki and Mat Bailey moved to the bench as Kieran Morris returned from injury and was joined by Karl Hawley and Dan Westwood in an attacking 4-3-3 formation.
In a frenetic start to the game, Boro were pressing their opponents all over the field, but this also made them susceptible to the counter-attack.
Nevertheless, Stafford it was who had the greater number of chances in the first 45 minutes, though Alty spurned the best of them when James Poole fired over the bar.
Before that, McDonald, his stay at Rangers recently extended to the end of the season, had burst through and forced a fine diving save from Anthony Thompson. From the resulting corner, Jack Sherratt's effort from outside the box was blocked and Morris was denied from closer range on the rebound.
From another Boro corner, the Robins broke and were two-on-one, but Josh Hancock needlessly strayed offside.
After a quiet spell, it was then Rangers' turn ton outnumber their opponents in the box, but with Dan Westwood crying out for the cross, Hawley dithered and was dispossessed.
Hancock then burst down the right and hit a shot from a tight angle that Whitehouse had to tip over.
A lively five minutes ended the half as first Thompson-Brown pounced upfield and delivered a fine cross that Hawley met with a shot that Thompson smothered.
Then Sherratt won the ball on the edge of his own box and burst upfield, riding tackles before forcing another save.
And finally Alty broke in numbers, eventually setting up Poole for a glorious chance that he fired over the bar when it looked easier to score.
After a lively start to the second half saw Kai Davis make a decent run down the right, and see his cross cutr out by Thompson, ex-Ranger Jake Moult bought a free-kick on the left, from which James Jones eventually headed wide.
But on 61 minutes, Boro fell behind as Poole's through ball was not cut out and Hulme had the simple job of rounding Whitehouse before passing the ball into the net.
Boro rarely threatened an equaliser thereafter, Sherratt hitting a shot wide and McDonald firing into the side-netting after a good run and cross from Davis.
And in the 77th minute, Altrincham made their dominance count with a second as a throw on the right was not dealt with and centre-half Harrison found himself with time and space to beat Whitehouse, though the keeper got a hand to it.
There were a flurry of yellow cards in the final five minutes as both the referee and Stafford players lost their heads a bit, but the game had passed the hosts by some time earlier.
