Altrincham eventually seal progress to FA Cup first round

Harborough Town 0 - 3 Altrincham F.C

Altrincham booked their place in the FA Cup First Round with a win over Harborough Town, eventually breaking down the resistance of the Southern League Premier Central leaders.

Author | Adam Devlin

Stadium | Beehive Stadium

In front of a lively crowd, the Robins faced 10 men for almost the entire match but were made to work hard for their victory in this Fourth Qualifying Round replay. They ultimately prevailed, securing a meeting with Slough Town in the next round.

The contest appeared to swing decisively in Altrincham’s favour after just four minutes when Harborough striker Riley O’Sullivan was shown a straight red card for a challenge on stand-in goalkeeper Louie Fallon, deputising for the injured Luke Hutchinson.

If the dismissal was expected to settle the tie early, it did quite the opposite. Harborough responded with admirable resolve, defending stubbornly and showing remarkable spirit as they battled to stay in the game, only to tire as the contest moved into extra time.

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Altrincham carved out a series of chances throughout the 90 minutes, with Lewis Banks firing over from close range in the first half and volleying wide in the second, while Jimmy Knowles was denied by a fine low save from Elliot Taylor.

The breakthrough in extra time

KNOWLES PUTS US AHEAD!!! ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/4bJ7wh0oM8

— Altrincham FC (@altrinchamfc) October 14, 2025

Knowles finally made the breakthrough in the 98th minute, reacting sharply to score his seventh of the season and silence the home crowd. Sam Read doubled the lead soon after the extra-time interval with his first goal for the club, before Knowles added a third, rounding the goalkeeper and slotting home his second of the night.

It was a job well done for Altrincham, who now turn their attention back to National League duties at the weekend before resuming their FA Cup journey in early November.