Altrincham FC, 
J. Davison Stadium,
Moss Lane,
Hale,
Altrincham,
WA15 8AP

Altrincham FC, nicknamed The Robins, was were originally founded in 1891 and have been known by their present name since 1903. While their fortunes have risen and fallen over the decades, their golden era came in the 1970s.

Some of the club’s most famous days have come in the FA Cup, where Alty built a fearsome reputation as non-league giant-killers. In 1974/75 they held Everton to a third-round draw at Goodison Park before narrowly losing a replay hosted at Old Trafford. They also held Spurs to a third-round replay in 1978/79 and did the same with Orient in 1979/80. Their best FA Cup run came in 1985/86, when they reached the fourth round. The club also lifted the FA Trophy in both 1978/79 and 1985/86, and finished runners-up in 1981/82.

Altrincham still hold the record for the most Football League sides knocked out of the FA Cup by a club that has never played league football – 17 in total – with scalps including Sheffield United, Blackpool, and Birmingham City.

It was no surprise, then, that The Robins were invited to be among the founding members of the nationwide fifth tier – the Alliance Premier League – when it was created in 1979. Of that original cohort, only Boston United, Wealdstone, and Yeovil Town join them in the 2025/26 National League. Alty were champions in each of the Alliance’s first two seasons but, with no automatic promotion to the Football League in place at the time, were denied the rewards their form deserved.

In 1980, they came heartbreakingly close. Under the Football League’s re-election system – where the bottom four clubs in Division Four had to retain their place via a vote – Altrincham were beaten to a league spot by Rochdale by a single vote. Despite having been led to believe they had secured enough support, promotion never materialised – a sliding doors moment in the club’s history. The sad story is told in some detail here, but an executive summary might include the suggestion that traffic jams and one allegedly over-refreshed club chairman may have played a part.

Altrincham is to the south-west of Manchester, about four miles from Manchester Airport. It’s a road journey of about 139 miles from Nailsworth, with a journey time of around 2 hours 40 minutes.

By Supporters Club Coach – this is by far the cheapest and easiest way to travel. For information about Away Travel, including precise details of pick-up locations – look here. For this match, the departure times are The New Lawn – 2.30 pm, Sainsbury’s Dudbridge – 2.45 pm, Stonehouse Brunel Way – 3.00 pm

The prices for coach tickets to this match are as follows (Supporters’ Club members get a £3 discount): Adults £35, U-16 £20, U-11 £10

To book a seat with the supporter’s club discount, please call 0333 123 1889  on Monday, Thursday, or Friday at 11am to 2pm.  Please try to book early.

By Car –

For those coming by car from the south, you’ll need to leave the M6 at junction 19 and get onto the A556, following signs for the M56 but not taking it. Instead, get onto the B5161 and follow the signs. If you’re coming from the north then it is junction 20 of the M6, which is for the M56. You leave that at junction 7 and then take the A56 for Altrincham, following the signs from there.

There is no parking at the ground itself, but you can park in the car park of Aecom over the road. You can also park on nearby roads, but as it is a residential area, keep your eye out for traffic restrictions.

By train – Altrincham station, which serves as an interchange for trains, buses, and Metrolink trams in the town, is about a 15-minute walk from the ground.

There are hourly connecting services from Stroud, typically requiring changes at Cheltenham Spa, Birmingham New Street, and either Manchester Piccadilly or Stockport. The journey takes around 3 hours 30 minutes. For an evening match, a return to Gloucestershire isn’t feasible without an overnight stay – in what is a charming and appealing market town.

While a standard adult return ticket (valid overnight) costs around £127, this can be reduced by as much as one-half through judicious use of split ticketing and advance purchase tickets. Depending on timing, it can be quicker or more convenient to take the more frequent Metrolink tram between Altrincham and Manchester Piccadilly, rather than the hourly rail service, for that part of the journey, although this requires an additional payment.

Last season’s match at Alty was on a cold and rainy January Saturday. For a lot of the time, it looked like a match to forget for Rovers fans, with the Robins taking an early lead. Some inspired substitutions in the second half changed matters for the better, but it wasn’t until injury time, thanks to Christian Doidge, that Rovers drew level, gaining a hard-fought point.

Alty finished a slightly underwhelming ninth in the National League in 2024/25, with 17 wins and 64 points, having spent around a quarter of the season in the play-off spots. Having finished fourth the previous season, when they were knocked out by eventual champions Bromley in the promotion play-off semi-finals, this was a little disappointing. The club remains ambitious and has made clear that reaching the EFL is a key objective.

Manager Phil Parkinson has bolstered the squad over the summer with several new signings, including goalkeeper Luke Hutchinson (loan from Bolton Wanderers), left-back Sam Reed (Sheffield Wednesday), centre-back Billy Sass-Davies (Hartlepool United), midfielder Keaton Ward (Boston United), and forwards James Gale (Mansfield Town) and Jimmy Knowles (Accrington Stanley).

Alty have a very mixed start to their current campaign: the unexpected 2-1 defeat by a Morecambe team still in the process of formation grabbed some headlines, but this has been accompanied by victories over Aldershot Town, Solihull Moors, Gateshead and Sutton Utd; and defeats at the hands of Rochdale, Hartlepool Utd, Eastleigh, Boreham Wood and Carlisle.

Phil Parkinson – not to be confused with the Wrexham boss of the same name – has been at the helm of Altrincham since April 2017, appointed on the eve of the final game of a relegation season that saw the club drop into the Northern Premier League Premier Division. He arrived from Nantwich Town, where he had transformed a struggling side into promotion contenders and guided them to the FA Trophy semi-finals in 2016.

As a player, he came through the youth systems at Crewe Alexandra and Reading, before a short spell at Port Vale. He made over 200 appearances for Nantwich, captaining the side to FA Vase glory in 2006 and overseeing promotions from both the North West Counties League and the NPL Division One South.

Parkinson led Alty to promotion from the NPL Premier Division at the first time of asking, then to the National League via the play-offs in 2020, after a strong National League North campaign in 2018–19. After a trio of mid-table finishes in the fifth tier, Alty reached the play-offs in 2023/24 and narrowly missed out again in 2024/25.

He’s also overseen some impressive FA Trophy runs – most notably in 2022/23, when Alty beat Wrexham en route to the semi-finals (losing on penalties to Halifax Town), and in 2024/25, when they reached the quarter-finals before being edged out by Rochdale.

The official crest of Altrincham FC is based on the historic coat of arms of the former Altrincham Municipal Borough Council, which was in use from 1937 until the borough’s abolition in 1974, when the Cheshire town became part of the Metropolitan Borough of Trafford in Greater Manchester. The unicorn and lion represent two prominent local families, while the wheatsheaves and cogwheel symbolise the area’s agricultural roots and industrial heritage, as well as referring to its location in Cheshire. A second lion, positioned atop the crest, carries a banner featuring a Horn of Plenty—a nod to the town’s old motto, Pax et Abundantia (Peace and Abundance). Beneath the crest appears the motto Altrincham en avant, officially translated as “Altrincham Leads The Way.”

The club has resisted calls to simplify or modernise the logo, acknowledging it as “one of the more complex and intricate designs in English football”.  However, they have introduced streamlined or alternative variants that are more suitable for use on casual wear and merchandise.

Some of the simplified or alternate variants of the crest

• National Trust’s Dunham Massey Hall & Gardens – Dunham Massey | Cheshire | National Trust
• Runway Visitor Park (Alll things aviation including a Concorde, Nimrod etc.) – Park Information | Runway Visitor Park
• Art with Heart (Art Museum) – Art With A Heart Art Centre in Altrincham, Cheshire is a not for profit organisation
• Stubborn Mule Brewery (micro brewery) Stubborn Mule Brewery® – Fiercely Independent Beer
• Altrincham Market – Altrincham Market (@altymarket) • Instagram photos and videos , ALTRINCHAM MARKET (2024) All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos) (tripadvisor.co.uk)
• Stamford Shopping Area – https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g190739-d18542732-Reviews-The_Stamford_Quarter-Altrincham_Trafford_Greater_Manchester_England.htm

• Angela Cartwright – American Actress who played Brigitta Von Trapp in 1965 film ‘The Sound Of Music’ was born in Altrincham. She also starred in the 1960s TV series ‘Lost in Space’ which must have made getting to matches difficult.
• Stone Roses members Ian Brown & John Squire went to school in Altrincham.
• Born in Altrincham – Ex-footballer Nicky Summerbee (Swindon, Man City, Sunderland) whose Father Mike Summerbee, Swindon, Man City, England footballer,  was originally  from Stroud. Stand outside Stroud Post Office and what do you see?
• Paul Young, the Sad Cafe & Mike and the Mechanics one (not the ‘Wherever I Hang My Hat is Home’ one he never hung his hat and called Altrincham home) lived in Altrincham until his death in 2000.
• Chris Bonnington, the mountaineer.
• David Gray , singer/songwriter.  Gray doesn’t just like Robins but all birds as in 2024 he became a Wetlands Trust, including Slimbridge, Ambassador so presumably he has visited the Stroud area. Gray actually supports Man United and has been  a guest football match summariser on BBC Radio Five Live.