Sunday's final day of the National League season includes a fixture with very little on the line at Moss Lane, with Altrincham hosting Yeovil Town.

The two sides find themselves separated by just one point and one place in the table heading into match 44, with the visitors having slid down the table during a poor calendar year.

Match preview

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A strong finish to the campaign has seen Altrincham climb to within a point of Sunday's opponents, after recovering from a mid-season slump either side of the New Year.

The Robins enjoyed a fantastic opening to the season and were surprisingly making a charge for the playoff places, but consistency ultimately cost them and momentum was lost leading up to Christmas.

However, Phil Parkinson's side have lost just three times in their last 14 outings - all of which have arrived away from home at promotion-chasing sides.

Therefore, Sunday's hosts head into the final game on the back of a nine-game unbeaten run in front of their own supporters, six of which have ended in victory.

So despite Altrincham being winless across their last three fixtures, there is plenty of momentum still to be utilised within the home camp at Moss Lane on the final day.

Victory would see the home side leapfrog their opponents in the table, and depending on Southend United's result at home to Torquay United, an impressive 12th-placed finish could well be secured.

Meanwhile, just one win from their final eight games, and just five in total since the turn of the year, has resulted in Yeovil's season petering out very disappointingly.

A strong start to the 2021-22 campaign had the Glovers well in the mix for the playoff places, but a poor 2022 has left them down in midtable ahead of the final game on Sunday.

A six-game losing streak across all competitions started the downfall from Boxing Day onwards, and although that run was ended by a 1-0 victory at Woking in January, Darren Sarll's side then followed that up with a further nine games without victory.

Sarll has since departed for Woking in March, and after Charlie Lee had taken up the job on in a caretaker role since then, it has been confirmed on Friday that the latter has departed ahead of Sunday's showdown with Altrincham, with midfielder Josh Staunton instead overseeing the final day on a temporary one-game basis.

A rare bright spark was at least enjoyed last time out against Boreham Wood at Huish Park however, with Morgan Williams and Luke Wilkinson netting in a second-half comeback to draw 2-2, which effectively ended their opponent's playoff hopes in the process.

Staunton will be looking for his side to follow that up with another positive performance on Sunday, before the new permanent boss in the summer looks to pick his players up ahead of a more consistent campaign next season.

Team News

Having made history with his first-team debut off the bench last weekend, Ryan Morton will be pushing for his first start for Altrincham on the final day.

The youngster became the first Robins academy product to appear for the senior side when he replaced Kole Hall in attack for the closing stages of the 1-1 draw at Bromley.

Shaun Densmore, Connor Hampson, Josh Hancock, Tom Hannigan, Jake Moult, Anthony Thompson and Andy White are not expected to play a part, with it being confirmed that all seven players will be leaving the club at the end of the season.

As for the visitors, Staunton will be tasked with picking his first and only starting 11 in his brief temporary spell in charge of Yeovil.

Max Hunt is almost certain to miss the final day after suffering a setback in his recovery from a lengthy absence caused by an ankle injury.

With only two players said to be under contract for next season ahead of a summer upheaval, many players could be playing their last game for the club at Altrincham.

Altrincham possible starting lineup:
Gould; Southern-Cooper, Ferguson, Jones; Perritt, Osborne, Marriott, Pringle; Mooney, Hall; Morton

Yeovil Town possible starting lineup:
Smith; Robinson, Barclay, Wilkinson, Williams; Everton, D'Ath, Worthington; Knowles; Yussuf, Neufville

We say: Altrincham 2-1 Yeovil Town

With the hosts in such excellent home form of late, we can see them coming out victorious against a Yeovil side enduring a turbulent time.

The visitors are not only struggling on the field, but this week's change in temporary manager off the pitch is unlikely to help matters either, so we are predicting for Altrincham to pounce on the uncertainty to come away with all three points.

Written by
Matthew Tranter

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