ROBINS ARE ON A PARK ‘N’ RIDE

ALTRINCHAM boss Phil Parkinson says this season’s unexpected play-off push proves that the Robins are no longer just a stepping stone.

Now in their second season as full-time club, Alty began the weekend lying fifth in the National League and are one of just three sides to claim victory over runaway leaders Chesterfield.

They have also come through January without losing any of their leading lights – a far cry from this time last year when a raft of departures stripped the Robins of 75 percent of their goals, leading to a headlong tumble down the standings.

“January is always a nervous time for us,” says Parkinson, now in his seventh year as Altrincham boss. “Because that’s the type of team we are, isn’t it? We know we’re not the Mecca of football for everybody.

“Certainly before this season, I knew deep down that the only reason players came here was because we’d help them move on.

“But we’re showing season-on-season that we’re getting stronger and bigger in everything that we do. Players are still coming here with one eye on pushing on, but they’re also coming here with one eye on getting into the EFL with Altrincham. We’re not just a stepping stone now.”

Though painful at the time, Parkinson says last year’s mass exodus was the foundation of this season’s success. “When we realised how many players we were going to lose, we immediately thought ‘Right, let’s look at next season and what we can invest in that’,” he explains. “I often talk about the club having a model and a vision and that’s what it’s all about – looking beyond the next game and the next week to plan how you can grow and invest and make the club more appealing to talented players in the future.”

One of those for whom Altrincham held great appeal was Chris Conn-Clarke. The striker had scored ten goals in 33 games when League One Fleetwood controversially recalled the Northern Irishman from a loan spell at Moss Lane on the final day of last year’s January window.

He was immediately sent to Waterford, the Irish side that had been recently acquired by Fleetwood’s disgraced owner Andy Pilley.

Conn-Clarke – who publicly opposed the switch – flopped at Waterford and in the summer completed a club-record transfer to Alty, for whom he has since scored 15 times.

Headway

“One thing I pride myself on is recognising somebody who can be a really good player in our system,” says Parkinson.

“Chris is a good example of that, and his development is there for everybody to see. He was floating round a few different loans, not making much headway. But I could see he’d be good for us.

“He did really well when he came in last season, then got recalled to Fleetwood and sent to Waterford for political reasons.

“He struggled, which just goes to show that if you put a player in a team or an environment that doesn’t suit them, you won’t get the performances. If you put the right type of player in the right type of team, give them the environment and the nurture that they need, then you’ll see the kind of results you’re seeing with Chris now.”

So can Altrincham hold their nerve to secure a first-ever play-off berth in NonLeague’s top flight?

“I’d be disappointed if we didn’t now,” admits Parkinson. “I thought December and January was the real crunch time for us, but we’ve played all the top teams now, most of them twice.

“We’ve had a lot of success against those sides and we’re a match for anyone in this division so I do think we can sustain it.”