Club Background

The forerunners of Altrincham FC were Rigby Memorial Club and Broadheath FC but very little is known about these antecedents. The club we have today took the name Altrincham in 1903 and moved into Moss Lane in 1910, were it still remains.

Pre-World War I Altrincham played in first the Manchester League and then the Lancashire Combination. After the war when football restarted in 1919 the club became founder members of the Cheshire County League, and there it remained all the way through to 1968.

That year Alty became founder members of the Northern Premier League in which they played for eleven years, never Champions but mostly towards the top end each season. By the late 1970s they were becoming quite a powerhouse in Non-League football, holding both Everton and Tottenham Hotspur to 1-1 draws away at their grounds in the FA Cup Third Round (both replays were lost) and winning the FA Trophy in 1977-78, defeating Leatherhead 3-1 at Wembley.

Their best NPL finish, as runners-up, in 1978-79 coincided with the formation of the Alliance Premier League for the following season so Alty were one of the twenty founder members (along with ourselves). This was to herald the club’s Golden Age, back-to-back Champions in 1979-80 and 1980-81, and two more Wembley appearances in the Trophy, losing 0-1 to Enfield in 1981-82 and winners 1-0 over Runcorn in 1985-86. That season they’d also joined one of the most exclusive clubs in football, becoming only the second Non-League team to defeat a top flight club away from home in the FA Cup (since the introduction of the round exemption system in 1925-26) when beating Birmingham City 2-1.

Moss Lane is very much one of those mix & unmatched stadiums one sees a lot of in Non-League, with bits accumulated over the years.
Moss Lane is very much one of those mix & unmatched stadiums one sees a lot of in Non-League, with bits accumulated over the years.

Amidst all this success there was one huge set back. In 1980 they came within one vote of election to the Football League, losing out 26-25 to Rochdale. To rub salt into the wound, the Grimsby Town delegate had gone to the wrong room and the Luton Town delegate mixed up the time of the meeting and arrived too late. Both clubs had previously committed that they would vote for Altrincham. It was the closest they would get. The following season, candidates again after the second Alliance title, the old-boy network closed ranks and their vote dropped to 15.

In the late 80s and into the 90s the glory days were over. There was one third and one fourth placed finish, but mostly Alty were resoundingly mid or lower-mid table until in 1997-98 a particularly bad season saw them relegated out of the Conference back into the Northern Premier League. It took them two seasons to get back up, NPL Champions in 1998-99, but they only lasted a single campaign before going down again. This time it would take them four seasons to get out of the NPL, and then it was through the creation of the Conference North not by a promotion.

The first season of the Conference North in 2004-05 Altrincham finished fifth to make the play-offs, where victories over Nuneaton Borough and Kettering Town saw them promoted to Conference National. They were never competitive at this level but clung on for six seasons mainly by a series of strokes of luck (for them). For three seasons in a row they finished in the relegation places but were saved each time. The first time, Canvey Island resigned under financial pressures and Scarborough were demoted; the second, Boston United were kicked out; and the third, Halifax Town went bust and were liquidated. Such escapes could not go on for ever and in 2010-11 Alty finally were relegated.

Moss Lane.

Three seasons, with one failed and one successful play-off campaign, saw them up again but only for two seasons, finishing 17th and then relegated in 2015-16. This time the fall continued and finishing bottom of National League North they were relegated again the following season, back into the Northern Premier League.

Champions at the first attempt, Alty missed out on the dream of a double promotion when Chorley knocked them out in the 2018-19 play-offs. The next season, back in the play-offs again, it was success: beating Chester, York City and then Boston United in the Final.

The 2020-21 campaign saw a 17th place finish; and last season they were again comfortable in mid-table but never looking like seriously challenging. As a response to the last three decades of bouncing up and down the divisions, never managing to consolidate in the Non-League top flight for any length of time, the Altrincham board has decided the club is in a healthy enough financial position to go full-time for the first time in its history. Our visit for the final fixture last term was thus the end for the Robins as a part-time side; when we arrive at Moss Lane in August full-time opposition awaits.


We’ve Met Before

Previous Results for Yeovil Town First Team vs Altrincham

22/09/1979 Home APL W 3-2 1850 Green(3)
07/04/1980 Away APL D 1-1 2038 Scott
18/10/1980 Home APL D 1-1 1543 Green
04/05/1981 Away APL L 1-2 2864 Giles
17/10/1981 Home APL W 2-1 1271 Beck, Platt
19/04/1982 Away APL L 1-7 1244 Brown
25/09/1982 Away APL L 1-4 1002 James
23/03/1983 Home APL W 2-1 896 Bell, Benjafield
12/11/1983 Away APL L 1-2 1031 Payne
21/04/1984 Home APL L 1-2 1040 James
15/09/1984 Away GOLA L 0-2 1172
01/12/1984 Home GOLA L 1-2 1401 Thorpe
02/12/1988 Home CONF L 2-3 2324 Randall, Whittingham
01/05/1989 Away CONF D 2-2 569 Wallace, Quinn
30/09/1989 Home CONF D 0-0 2132
27/01/1990 Away CONF L 1-2 767 Spencer
06/10/1990 Away CONF D 2-2 635 Spencer 28, 70
22/12/1990 Home CONF L 2-3 2099 Carroll 4, McDermott 43
24/08/1991 Away CONF L 1-2 927 Carroll
02/05/1992 Home CONF W 2-1 1919 Spencer(2)
13/02/1993 Home CONF W 1-0 2198 Spencer
20/03/1993 Away CONF W 2-1 722 Wilson, Spencer
09/10/1993 Home CONF D 0-0 2917
19/03/1994 Away CONF L 0-1 870
20/08/1994 Home CONF L 1-3 2032 Spencer 30
14/01/1995 Away CONF W 3-1 808 Wilson(2), Spencer
21/08/1999 Home CONF W 3-0 2214 Patmore 28, Foster 43, Hayfield 62
29/04/2000 Away CONF D 2-2 792 Steele 33, Bent 67
13/02/2021 Home NLP W 2-0 0 Murphy 64, Dagnall 80
22/05/2021 Away NLP L 3-4 600* Sonupe 56, Quigley 69, Lee 72
12/10/2021 Home NLP D 1-1 1640 Quigley 57
15/05/2022 Away NLP W 1-0 2123 Knowles 16
20/08/2022 Away NLP D 2-2 1621 Linton 8, Toure 70
28/02/2023 Home NLP D 1-1 2106 Maguire-Drew 78 (pen)

(* Covid-19 restricted attendance limit, with no away fans allowed.)

Results Summary For Yeovil Town First Team vs Altrincham

Home Away Overall
W D L F A W D L F A W D L F A
7 5 5 25 21 3 5 9 24 37 10 10 14 49 58

Club Statistics

RECENT RESULTS

06/08/2022 Maidstone United Home NLP D 1-1 1717 Conn-Clarke 45
13/08/2022 Bromley Away NLP D 0-0 1618
16/08/2022 Maidenhead United Away NLP L 0-2
20/08/2022 Yeovil Town Home NLP

LEAGUE ATTENDANCE STATISTICS

Highest League Attendance: 1,717
Lowest League Attendance: 1,717
Average League Attendance: 1,717

CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS

Games Without A Win: 3 Games Without A Home Win: 1
Games Without An Away Win: 2 Games Without Defeat: 0
Games Without A Home Defeat: 1 Games Without An Away Defeat: 0
Games Without A Draw: 1 Games Without A Score Draw: 2
Games Without A No-Score Draw: 1 Games Without Scoring: 2
Games Without Conceding: 0 Home Results Sequence: D
Away Results Sequence: DL Overall Results Sequence: DDL

 


Club Information

Credit: The Alty Files.

Address : J. Davidson Stadium, Moss Lane, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA15 8AP.

Telephone Number : 0161 9281045
Email : office@altrinchamfootballclub.co.uk

Chairman : Bill Waterson & Lawrence Looney
Ground Safety Officer : Nigel Bunce
Club Secretary/General Manager : Paul Carter
Press/Media Officers : Brian Flynn & John Edwards
Team Manager : Phil Parkinson

Capacity : 6,085
Seated : 1,323
Covered Terrace : 3,328
Uncovered Terrace : 1,434
Record Attendance : 10,275 – Altrincham Boys v Sunderland Boys, English Schools Shield, 28/02/1925.

Colours : shirt red and white stripes, shorts black with white trim, socks red
Nickname : The Robins or Alty
Programme : £3.00

Ticketing

Altrincham had some problems with its stadium capacity licence last season on safety issues which required some substantial reductions and consequent shifting about of supporters for a while, but that appeared to have been eventually sorted and one hopes will see no reoccurrence this campaign. Away fans get the Chequers End (a.k.a. Hale End) which is a 16 step open terrace holding 1,434. Entry is through turnstiles 1-4. Purchases can be made via the club’s on-line ticket portal. Not found any indication of a surcharge for buying at the ground on the day. A small section of undercover seating is usually allocated for those that need to sit (no price difference). The stadium has a no drum policy (should anyone have been considering bringing one).

Doesn’t seem very long since we were last at Moss Lane (J. Davidson Stadium) – and of course it isn’t, our final trip last term being the second away journey this campaign, Saturday 20th August, 3.00 p.m.
Prices have risen £2 for adults and £1 across the concession categories, except for Under 12s which sees no increase.

Prices:
Adult: £19.00
Concession (Over-65, Students, NHS Workers): £15.00
Junior (12-18): £7.00
Child (under-12): £2.00


Official Away Travel

The Green & White Supporters’ Club is running away travel to Altrincham on Saturday, August 20th, 3.00 p.m. kick-off.

Details are as follows:

Members: Adult £32; Concession £30
Non-Members: Adult £35; Concession £33
Coach departs Huish Park: 7.45 a.m.

To book, call Paul Hadlow on 07736 044570 or email him on paulhadlow@outlook.com.

If you are getting in touch by email, please make it clear which match you are booking for and that you give your full name, the names of people that are travelling and a contact telephone number.

You may be asked to pay a £5 deposit to reserve your seat.


Directions To The Ground

General
Altrincham is at the south-west corner of Greater Manchester (though within the historic shire boundaries of Cheshire). It’s c. seven miles off the M6. The ground is about half a mile East of the town centre.  If training it the nearest railway stations are Altrincham and Hale, both 0.7 of a mile (so a little under 15 minutes walk) from the stadium. However if making the journey by train from any distance away you’ll have most likely come in to either Manchester Piccadilly or Manchester Victoria from where the Metrolink Tram system (see below) may be the better option down to Altrincham, as there’s only one train an hour on a Saturday (departing 39 minutes past the hour, journey times 30 to 36 minutes via Stockport, by Northern Rail) out of Manchester Piccadilly.

If arriving by public transport you’ll probably be getting off at Altrincham Interchange (for rail, tram and bus – though some bus routes do have stops a little closer to the ground). If wanting to go to the town centre before heading to the stadium, exit towards the West. If heading straight to the ground, use the footbridge to exit East. Then, after about 100 yards of negotiating passage through the Manchester Storm Ice Hockey Stadium/Leisure and Sports Centres complex, turn right when reaching Oakfield Road. At the first set of traffic lights, turn left in to Moss Lane. Walking for about 7 or 8 minutes along Moss Lane will bring you to the stadium.

By Road
Moss Lane is 220 miles from Huish Park with the M5/M6 the obvious route of choice. Exit the M6 at Junction 19 (signed Manchester and Airport). Take the A556 and follow the signs for Airport and M56. When arriving at the Junction 8 roundabout do NOT take the M56 but stick on the A556. Stay in the left hand lane (ignoring the option to follow the main A556 route swinging off right for Junction 7 of the M56). This will then bring you down to Bowden Roundabout.

At Bowden Roundabout take the second exit for the A56 (Dunham Road). After about one mile, at the first set of traffic lights, turn right on to the B5160 (Park Road, signed Bowdon/Hale). Keep following as the B5160 becomes the B5161 (Langham Road) and then the B5163 (Ashley Road). At the roundabout, unless you wish to go straight on to the town centre, take the second exit on to A538 (Hale Road).

After about half a mile (having passed through two sets of traffic lights) at the first mini-roundabout go left on to Queen’s Road. At the next mini-roundabout turn right on to Stamford Park Road. Two hundred yards along, at the next mini-roundabout, turn right in to Moss Lane. You will see the stadium immediately to the left.

Parking
There is no parking available at the ground for supporters. On-street parking around the area is plentiful (obviously follow the requirements of yellow line and traffic cone exclusions where they occur).

By Rail
There’s industrial action currently scheduled for Saturday August 20th. If it goes ahead one of the lines expected to be severely restricted is the West Coast Main services, which would limit rail options for this away trip considerably. Those departing from Yeovil may have some limited services (at present a possibility of changing at Basingstoke and taking a CrossCountry train north from there still exists on the timetables) but rather expect the reality is even these may disappear. For Glovers based in London and the South East the options are even worse, with very little expected to be running out of Euston.

By Tram
Altrincham (Interchange) is the terminus on two of the eight branches of the Metrolink Tram system, so it will conveniently almost certainly say “Altrincham” on the front of the tram if a service is going there. Direct services to Altrincham can be picked up from both Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria stations as well as other stops around the city centre, e.g. St Peter’s Square. Journey time from the centre is around 30 minutes. There’s no timetable, but one can expect a service about once every six minutes on a Saturday (though like buses it’s not unknown for two to come along – as they’re using the same track hopefully only almost at once – followed by a longer gap) from stops served by both lines, once every twelve if served by one. You can’t buy a ticket on the tram, so unless you are a regular in the Manchester area and have a contactless travel payment card make sure you get a ticket from one of the machines at the tram stop before attempting to board.

By Bus
The buses from central Manchester to Altrincham are cheaper than the tram but slower. Typical journey time is around 45 minutes but this can stretch up to an hour when traffic is heavy. On the buses one can buy a ticket from the driver. A multitude of bus services go to or pass through Altrincham. Transport for Greater Manchester Map 12 displays the routes and numbers to look out for (PDF reader needed).

By Taxi
Some numbers for Altrincham taxi services can be found here and for central Manchester more generally here.


Web Resources

Web Sites
The Alty Files – this is an excellent Unofficial Site*, the sort a number of clubs used to have but which have gradually tended to vanish over the years as the audiences have shifted to pretty pictures and video clips or the authors have aged and moved on or died off. Designed for people who still like to read proper literate stuff it has a massive archive of material – news items, opinion pieces, match reports etc. etc. – from the year 2000 onwards; as well as all sorts of stats and historical pieces going back to 1945. Reminds me of a certain late lamented Yeovil Town website. Love it! (* Some of the archived material is from a period when it acted as the club’s Official Site and should accordingly be approached with that consideration in mind.)

Altrincham FC – Ye Gods, fan friendly and actually has useful easily accessible information. If only all Official Sites could be like this… It’ll never catch on!

Altrincham FC – Official Twitter account of the Robins.

Local Press

Sale & Altrincham Messenger – has a dedicated section with a decent amount of Alty coverage.

Altrincham Today – also covers the local club.

Manchester Evening News – very occasional coverage of Alty; appears to believe there are a couple of other clubs in the area deserving more attention… Salford City and FC United of Manchester (no, not really those two).


Food & Drink

General
Manchester has a reputation for an exciting nightlife and a thriving modern beer scene. There’s been a massive redevelopment and regeneration of the city centre in the last few decades. It is only fair to point out that Altrincham is not Manchester, and has the excitement one would expect in what is very much just a suburb these days. It’s about eight miles out from the city centre. The population is something over 50,000 though as an outsider you’re going to have no idea where the town begins and ends as Greater Manchester is pretty much one continuous conurbation. Most of the establishments below are clustered reasonably tightly in central Altrincham to the west of the station/Interchange and thus around fifteen minutes or so walk from the ground. The only pub really close to the stadium is The King George (below) which is in Moss Lane itself and just a couple of minutes walk from the away end.

Obviously there are a multitude of eating places around the town centre to suit many different preferences and pockets. Local knowledge (thanks to Garreth Aspinall) recommends Pix Pizza (19 Shaw’s Road, WA14 1QU), Sugo Pasta Kitchen (22 Shaw’s Road, WA14 1QU), Porta Tapas Bar (50 Greenwood Street, WA14 1RZ) and Mustard Diner (5-7 Shaw’s Road, WA14 1QU) as good value and among the better outlets in their respective fields in the area.

Club Bar

The club bar is not the one Yeovil fans who went in 2000 or earlier may remember. A new one, called the Community Sports Hall, opened during the 2014-15 season at the north-west corner of the ground. This may or may not be available to visiting supporters pre-match depending on the host club’s judgement; but is no longer accessible to away fans once they have entered the stadium when games are segregated.

The Fan Zone planned for the 2021-22 season never happened as the club ran in to wider issues concerning the state of the stadium, leading to various restrictions being imposed on ground capacity, and the money earmarked got diverted to sort those out. A scaled back plan has been resurrected for 2022-23 but it is not expected to be opened before September so won’t be available when we visit.

There is no alcohol on sale in the away end. A kiosk there, which is CASH ONLY, serves pies, burgers, hot dogs, chips, mushy peas, and hot and cold drinks.

Local Pubs

Belgian Bar: Town centre. Around 15 keg lines of Belgian (well what did you expect given the name) and other continental beers, plus wide range of bottles of the same – though recently has begun to introduce a few beers from UK ‘craft’ breweries. Food is also in the style of bars in Belgium. One word of warning: couple of comments seen that if one accepts table service –   even if only drinking and not eating – rather than walking up to the bar, that is deemed sufficient to add a 10% service charge to the bill. Outside table area to the front. Another where the opening hours listed differ in different places but the most likely seems to be: closed Monday; opening at noon the rest of the week; closing 11.00 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, midnight Thursday to Saturday and 10.00 p.m. Sunday. 15 minutes (0.8 of a mile) walk from the ground.
Belgian Bar, 40 Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1RZ. Tel: 0161 9416800. Map: Belgian Bar.

Bier Cell: Twenty-five yards from Belgian Bar (above). A new entry as doesn’t open on a Sunday (when we last visited Altrincham). Was purely an off licence before adding a micro-pub aspect. Opening hours – who knows? – seen at least three sets of completely different times. Saturday is from noon (or maybe 11.00 a.m.) to 7.30 p.m. (or 9.00 p.m.); and that’s before one starts looking at the shambolic confusion of information for other days of the week. Really do not understand how businesses can be so slipshod and negligent about what one would have thought should be THE most important thing for them: accurately informing customers when they can enter and hand over actual MONEY! Anyway, should you be less irritated than me, and decide to overlook this offhand insulting approach to customer service and give it a go: it does stock interesting beers, with some that are not that easy to find in the UK.
Bier Cell, 34b Greenwood Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1RZ. Tel: 07482 809334. Map: Bier Cell.

Cheshire Tap: Has a website that (still) just says “Coming Soon” but does provide a link to a Facebook page. Bigger than its frontage suggests, being thin but long, it’s a Freehouse that mostly focuses on beers from small independent breweries in Cheshire and Greater Manchester. Expect to see offerings from the likes of Mobberley, Twisted Wheel, Red Willow etc. and from central Manchester craft breweries; more occasionally sources from wider afield. For the less adventurous has some mainstream stuff too, such as Birra Moretti and Guinness. Sports TV, children allowed until 8.00 p.m., sizable courtyard to rear. Four lines on cask and around double that on keg. 0.8 of a mile (so around 15 minutes walk) from the stadium. Opens from noon every day (except Monday when it’s 4.30 p.m.), closing at 11.00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday.
The Cheshire Tap, 36 Railway Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 2RE. Tel: 0161 9297810. Map: Cheshire Tap.

Costello’s – tap for Dunham Massey brewery.

Costello’s Bar: One of a small chain of three bars that act as the Taps for Dunham Massey Brewing Company (John Costello is founder and Head Brewer). This one is in Altrincham centre whereas the other two are in Warrington. There are nine hand pumps with the large majority always occupied by Dunham Massey beers though offerings from other small local micro-breweries do crop up. The five keg lines are Estrella, Pravha and Freedom Lagers, a Schneider Weisse Wheat Beer and Inch’s Cider by Bulmers. Disabled access, external patio area with heaters. Opens noon every day, closing 11.00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and 1.00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 0.7 of a mile (so around 15 minutes walk) from the ground.
Costello’s Bar, 18 Goose Green, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1DW. Tel: 0161 9290903. Map: Costello’s.

Jack In The Box: A joint ‘craft’ outlet venture with Manchester’s Blackjack Brewing Co., a micro-brewery I rate highly. Stocks some of their beers and others from micros around the UK – four cask and eight keg lines + bottles and cans. This closed entirely during the pandemic, and its reopening didn’t seem to include Sundays when we visited last May so wasn’t included in the guide then. It now appears to be fully operational again, though definite details are in short supply. Best estimate of opening times is noon (possibly 11.00 a.m. on Saturday) to 10.00 p.m. most days. Around 15 minutes (0.8 of a mile) walk from the ground.
Jack In The Box, Altrincham Market Hall, 20-24 Market Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1SA. Tel: 07917 792060. Map: Jack In The Box.

King George: Nearest pub to the ground, a couple of minutes walk from the away end. Owned by JW Lees & Co brewery it naturally mainly features its beers, with two on cask and a number of their keg lines. Serves food from noon, up to 10.00 p.m. Monday to Saturday and until 8.00 p.m. on Sunday. Disabled access, family friendly, Sports TV, external patio area, large car park. Opens from 11.00 a.m., closing 11.00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday and midnight Friday and Saturday.
The King George, Moss Lane, Hale, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA15 8BA. Tel: 0161 9045921. Map: King George.

Libero: Smallish ‘craft’ beer joint serving interesting selections of one cask and six keg beers + bottles and cans from UK and European breweries. Opening hours 5.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m. weekdays, noon – 11.00 p.m. Saturday & Sunday. Sports TV (but bills itself as “not a sports bar, it’s a craft beer bar that shows sport”). 15 minutes walk from the ground.
Libero, Unit 2A Kings Court, Railway Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 2RE. Tel: none listed. Map: Libero.

Malt Shovels: A Samuel Smith’s Brewery owned pub. Sam Smith’s outlets only serve Sam Smith’s own ales, lagers and ciders; you will find no other brands in them. On the plus side this means cheap prices, usually almost at Spoons levels; on the minus side, a host of bizarre rules and regulations, the extent of full enforcement being something of a moveable feast depending on how much the tenants are wiling to risk cranky curmudgeonly brewery owner Humphrey Smith dropping in unannounced (as is his wont) and punishing them – or even shutting the pub entirely if everything is not to his liking. The brewery produces just one real ale, Old Brewery Bitter; all the rest of its offerings are keg. Multi-room hostelry with disabled access, children allowed until 7.30 p.m., darts, pool table, outside patio area. Opening hours: 1.00 p.m. – 11.00 p.m. Monday to Thursday; noon – 11.00 p.m. Friday and Saturday; noon – 5.00 p.m. and 8.00 p.m. – 10.30 p.m. Sunday. Towards northern end of the town centre, 0.8 of a mile (so around 15 minutes walk) from the ground.
The Malt Shovels, 68 Stamford Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1EY. Tel: 0161 9282053. Map: Malt Shovels.

Old Roebuck – Timothy Taylor features.

Old Market Tavern: Former coaching inn dating way back. Eight hand pumps almost always occupied by changing beers from small independent local(ish) breweries. Keg appears to be from multi-nationals. Range of bottled Belgium beers. Sports TV, pool table, beer garden, big on live music. Appears may do food, but no clarity on what and when. Just under one mile from the football stadium. One of those with different opening times scattered all over the place, but most agree Saturday is noon to midnight.
Old Market Tavern, Old Market Place, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 4DN. Tel: 0161 9277062. Map: Old Market Tavern.

Old Roebuck: Traditional multi-room pub dating back to the 19th Century towards the north-west of the town centre and just under one mile (20 minutes walk) from the football stadium. Four hand pumps with something from Timothy Taylor almost always on; and changing offerings from various other breweries cropping up. Keg is from the multi-nationals. Wide ranging fairly typical ‘pub fare’ menu served lunchtimes (noon – 3.30 p.m.) and early evenings (5.30 p.m. – 8.30 p.m.). Disabled access, family friendly, Sports TV, large decked outside area with shelters and heaters. Opening hours couldn’t be simpler: noon – 11.00 p.m. every day.
The Old Roebuck, 42 Victoria Street, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1ET. Tel: 0161 9282755. Map: Old Roebuck.

Pi Bar – craft beer.

Pi Bar: Modern ‘craft’ beer establishment in the centre of town spread over two floors with three cask lines, eight keg lines and a large range of bottles and cans. The website, its Facebook Page and Untappd beer menu are all kept up to date with what’s on and what’s coming. Small beer garden/smoking area to rear. Opening 2.00 p.m. weekdays and noon at weekends. Closes 10.00 p.m. Sunday to Thursday, 11.00 p.m. Friday and Saturday. 15 minutes (0.7 of a mile) walk from the ground.
Pi Bar, 18 Shaw’s Road, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1QU. Tel: 0161 9299098. Map: Pi Bar.

Rustic: Opened 2015. A two floor establishment in the ‘craft’ style with three hand pumps (independent micro-breweries), eleven keg lines (mix of small independents and mainstream industrial) and a range of bottled/canned beers. Food served is of the Sliders, Burgers, Tacos, Loaded Fries type. Opens from 4.00 p.m. weekdays (3.00 p.m. on a Friday) and noon at weekends, closing 10.00 p.m. Sunday and Monday, 11.00 p.m. Tuesday to Thursday, 0.30 a.m. Friday and Saturday. 15 minutes (0.7 of a mile) walk from the ground. It’s a small (in terms of staffing) independent business, so if planning on rocking up as a large group wanting to eat as well as drink they politely request you give them a warning phone call in advance.
Rustic, 41 Stamford New Road, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1EB. Tel: 0161 9289190. Map: Rustic.

Station Hotel: From the name one might expect to find it right outside the railway station / Interchange… and that’s exactly where it is. Owned by Blind Tiger Inns, a small Pubco with 17 outlets scattered around the North-West, it sponsors and is the official pub for the Manchester Storm Ice Hockey club which plays just the other side of the tracks. Three hand pumps (offerings most usually from Theakston) and around ten keg taps (multi-national brands). Has Sky & BT Sports on big screens, pool table and darts, beer garden. Disabled access. Opens from 10.00 a.m. every day except Sunday when it’s an hour later, closing 11.00 p.m. Monday and Tuesday, and at midnight the rest of the week. A 0.7 of a mile walk (so around 12 minutes) from the ground.
The Station Hotel, 44 Stamford New Road, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 1EJ. Tel: 0161 3021411. Map: Station Hotel.

Unicorn: Altrincham’s Wetherspoon. Not quite as centrally located as is usual for Spoons, being towards the southern edge of the town centre, a third of a mile from Altrincham Interchange and 0.7 of a mile (15 minutes walk) from the stadium. Also somewhat unusually for a Wetherspoon, it’s a purpose built pub rather than a building conversion. Opening from 8.00 a.m. every day, closing midnight Sunday to Thursday, 1.00 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Step free access, children welcome until 9.00 p.m. (but only if having a meal), outside pavement area to front.
The Unicorn, 1-7 Ashley Road, Altrincham, Greater Manchester, WA14 2DP. Tel: 0161 9264610. Map:Unicorn.


Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You: Lancastrians are far more open friendly types than the miserable grumpy tykes the other side of the Pennines. And get Mancunians on to the subject of football and they won’t shut up.

Top-Tip: Spend as much of your day out as possible in central Manchester rather than Altrincham. Alty isn’t too bad (given some of the desperate places we now have to suffer down in the National League), but central Manchester is far better.

Local Amenities: Not very many. The Ice Dome is home to a professional ice hockey team. The council has apparently recognised that the town has rather fallen by the wayside as other areas in Greater Manchester have forged ahead and has some investment and development plans, but nothing much has happened yet.

Other Points Of Interest: Greater Manchester’s only Michelin starred restaurant was in Altrincham for those who liked to experience how mushy peas could be elevated, but it closed in 2009.

[No responsibility is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice.]