Danny Murphy was missing, presumably injured, but Alex Hay and Mark Ward who were also substituted on Saturday at Bishop Auckland were both in the starting line-up for this match. Transfer-listed Leroy Chambers made only his third start of the season and Mark Maddox took over from Talbot as captain. Stuart Scheuber, a substitute here, now becomes the only player to have been involved in every Altrincham game this season. Hyde fielded a strong side with Simon Yeo showing no signs of his recent fall from scaffolding.

Debutant Morgan and first-time starter, Daniel, were prominent in the opening stages for Altrincham whilst Hyde's Yeo and Hanson were also much in evidence. Bennett had another shaky moment early on when a fine cross-ball from Ward let in Hay, on the left, for a firm shot which the Hyde keeper needed two attempts to gather (5 mins).

Altrincham were not having it their own way, however, for Yeo got free after Maddox had been beaten to the ball but the Hyde striker's cross was cleared. A foul on Matty Taylor, just outside the box allowed ex-Alty man, Paul Robertson, to fire in a free-kick, just over the bar (7 mins). The pacey start to the game continued and it was also good to see the much maligned Leroy Chambers contesting for possession in these early stages.

Robertson was soon threatening Coburn's goal again when, after a slick give and go, he received the ball back but could only produce a weak shot from inside the box (11 mins).

The end to end play continued with Chambers getting goal-side of the defence and producing a good shot which Bennett did well to tip out, to his left, for a corner (13 mins). Both this corner and one won by Hyde, shortly afterwards off Gallagher, came to nothing. The ex-Nuneaton man, Dave Hanson was proving a handful for Maddox and the Alty man was also soon in trouble for felling Simon Yeo, 25 yards from goal, to the right of centre. Robertson's free-kick led to a Hyde corner on their left off an Altrincham head. The corner was cleared and Scheuber soon had to intercept a move involving Lawrie, Smith and Band.

Play again switched to the other end with a fine cross by Gallagher, from the right, finding Hay's head off which the ball skimmed for a goal-kick (19 mins). Former Northwich youngster, Lawrie replied by combining with Smith, on the right wing, to set up a shot from Yeo which rose over the bar from 20 yards out (20 mins).

Attacks were traded again; first Chambers was dispossessed in the box from a Daniel cross from the left, then Hanson got the ball to Robertson for a 25-yarder over the bar (25 mins). Hyde now applied some pressure but after a fine tackle by Maddox led to the ball falling for Robertson, the Hyde man's shot needed two attempts from Coburn to hold it (30 mins).

Robertson got yet another shot in at Coburn after a Hyde move up the right found him on the left side of the penalty area. His shot beat Coburn but cannoned back to safety off the keeper's left upright. The Hyde pressure continued with a Yeo header, which went narrowly wide for a corner.

Mark Ward tried to prompt a retaliatory attack via Hay but the ball was soon back in Hyde's possession with Paul Taylor unleashing a long-range shot which was just too high to trouble Coburn. However, Gallagher gave the home side some encouragement when he slid in to win the ball well just outside the Hyde penalty area. The ball came to Daniel, whose shot was deflected out for an Altrincham corner on their right (38 mins).

A move up the right-side of Altrincham's defence ended with Lawrie feeding Band, whose shot was easily held by Coburn. Gallagher, Daniel and Morgan then linked for the left-back to get in a high shot from an off-balance position (39 mins). It was now Altrincham's turn to try to turn possession into a goal but successive moves broke down without threatening Bennett, except when Hay stooped to head the ball as the Hyde keeper arrived, a goal-kick resulting. However, a foul by Glendenning allowed Robertson another free-kick but the ball came through from this to Coburn.

Following a clearance by Bennett, Morgan misjudged a ball in the air and found himself the wrong side of his opponent near the half-way line towards the Alty left touchline. In trying to recover, he fouled the Hyde man and the quickly taken free-kick set Yeo free up the right. His cross was initially cleared but only as far as Richardson who knocked the ball past Coburn from near the edge of the penalty area, to give Hyde the lead (44 mins). Hyde's fast forward movements just about merited the half-time lead which this goal gave them but the game, so far, had been fairly even and entertaining with no stoppages at all for physios to treat injuries.

It was still Hyde who looked the more threatening and a mix-up between Ward and Maddox allowed a cross to come in from the right, which Coburn caught but lost when a Hyde man collided with him. The ball ran out for a Hyde throw (57 mins). The best that Altrincham could muster in the first segment of the second half was a header over the bar by Chambers from a slightly overhit cross by Gallagher (61 mins). It was at this point that the first stoppage of the game for injury occurred, with Smith the victim.

After Mark Ward had been dispossessed, Hyde went forward through Richardson and Lawrie before Robertson and Hanson combined to allow in Yeo for a fine header which was narrowly wide of the target (63 mins). With Altrincham hemmed in their own half, a limp shot from Gallagher and an offside against Chambers, following preparatory work by Crowe and Landon, were the best moves that the home side could muster (66 mins). Gus Wilson now replaced the injured Smith for Hyde before Chambers caused some home cheer by robbing Paul Taylor and running at goal. However, the ball ran out for a goal-kick.

A superb drag-back by Glendenning set up Altrincham's best move to date, with a Chambers cross finding Craney whose fine shot from close range was well saved by Bennett. Paul Taylor, who moments before had crashed onto the pathway beside the touchline but had played on, now needed treatment. Glendenning, Crowe, Gallagher and Landon then tried to launch an attack but this ended in a goal-kick to Hyde (70 mins). Hanson was then replaced by Jody Banim for the visitors as Altrincham belatedly began to assert their home advantage.

Glendenning in particular was having a fine match and Gallagher was beginning to make inroads up the right wing. A cross from Gallagher, following a build-up by Crowe, Ward and Chambers, reached Landon's head but the ball went out for a goal-kick (74 mins). A third stoppage for treatment to a Hyde player now arose, in this case for Richardson.

Although Altrincham were now enjoying more possession, Hyde were not ready to surrender and, indeed, after a mistake by Morgan, Yeo obliged Coburn to go full length to beat out a shot (76 mins). Altrincham were now throwing men forward, leaving only three at the back, with Crowe operating in midfield. A sustained passing movement ended with an over-ambitious chip by Landon from 25 yards which caused Bennett no difficulty.

Coburn, however, had to be even more alert, rushing to the edge of his box to produce a headed clearance of which Gary Talbot would have been proud (79 mins). Mark Ward was now prompting Altrincham's forward movements and from one of these, Craney was fouled about 27 yards from goal. But, as Hyde made another substitution, bringing on ex-Robin Stuart Walker for the goalscorer, Richardson, it looked as if time was running out for Altrincham (82 mins).

After Yeo had scythed down Ward, the ball came to the player-manager from Chambers. Ward's high looping ball into the box was well punched out by Bennett, under pressure (85 mins). After a weak effort from Craney, Bennett kicked the ball into touch to allow the Hyde physio back onto the pitch yet again, to attend to Paul Taylor once more. Just when it looked as if Hyde would bag all three points, Ward took a throw on the right, some 40 yards from goal. Chambers and Morgan combined well before the ball came to Glendenning in an advanced position. He interchanged passes with Landon before producing a good shot into the Hyde net from a central position, about ten yards from goal (89 mins). Altrincham's efforts in the final twenty minutes had merited the equaliser.

Considering this was a much-changed Altrincham side, the result was satisfactory and the game gave Mark Ward the chance to play some of his fringe squad members, whilst resting a number of his regulars. Steve Morgan showed some good touches at left-back but James Glendenning had a particularly good game. In this match he became the 17th different Altrincham player to score this season. Once again, however, for periods of the game the Altrincham forward movement lacked invention and Bennett in the Hyde goal had little to do in the second half until the latter stages. Mario Daniel confirmed his promise in the first half and Mark Ward himself began to show his class in the latter stages of the match. The next game in this competition for Altrincham is away at Ossett Town, next Tuesday.