Altrincham v Southend United: The New Season Starts Here
After a summer of transfers, friendlies, fixture lists, predictions and the usual hopes about what the next nine months might bring, competitive football is finally back.
The Shrimpers comfortably beat Altrincham 3-0 at Roots Hall last November. Four months later, the Robins returned the favour with a 1-0 victory at The J.Davidson Stadium.
Now the scores are reset to zero. A new season. New players. Fresh expectations. And the first three points of 2026/27 are up for grabs.
All About Altrincham
Altrincham enter the new campaign after finishing 13th in the National League last season with 57 points from their 46 games.
Their final record of 17 wins, six draws and 23 defeats perhaps tells the story of an inconsistent campaign, but there is one statistic Southend supporters should pay particular attention to.
Thirteen of their 17 league victories came at The J.Davidson Stadium. Away from home, they managed only four league wins.
So while 13th place might not immediately scream danger, this is not the sort of opening-day away fixture where you can simply look at last season’s league table and expect an easy afternoon.
Southend found that out themselves in March.
A Season Of Change
Altrincham’s 2025/26 campaign wasn’t simply a case of finishing in mid-table. There was significant change behind the scenes.
Long-serving management duo Phil Parkinson and Neil Sorvel left the club during October, with Neil Gibson and assistant Lee Jones initially arriving on an interim basis.
Gibson was subsequently handed the job permanently and now enters his first full season in charge.
That matters when assessing this Altrincham side.
This isn’t simply last season’s team starting again. Gibson has now had a summer to shape the squad around the type of football he wants to play.
Their recruitment suggests an emphasis on mobility, technical ability and attacking options, while retaining a sizeable core from last season.
They’ve Kept The Core
There could easily have been a substantial turnover at The J.Davidson Stadium this summer. Instead, Altrincham have managed to keep many of the players they wanted.
Tom Crawford
The club captain agreed a new two-year contract and remains an important presence in the centre of midfield.
Lewis Banks
Back to fitness after injury interrupted an impressive start to last season and likely to remain important down the right.
Jake Cooper & Sam Barnes
The two central defenders have both committed to the club again for 2026/27.
Eddy Jones
The left-back returned successfully from an ACL injury last season and provides both energy and attacking width.
Matty Kosylo
The experienced winger remains at Altrincham after six seasons with the Robins.
Charlie Kirk
The attacking midfielder has also remained at the club following his first season at The J.Davidson Stadium.
They join Jimmy Knowles, Kian Breckin, Anthony Forde, Otis Khan, Kahrel Reddin, Lucas Weaver, Louie Fallon and Remi Raymond in giving Gibson plenty of continuity.
That could be particularly important early in the season, when many sides are still trying to turn a collection of summer signings into a team.
Important Departures
It hasn’t all been about keeping players.
Isaac Marriott
The midfielder rejected a new contract and joined Barrow after making 164 appearances during four-and-a-half seasons with Alty.
Olly Crankshaw
Another player heading to Barrow. His departure removes 10 goals from last season’s side.
Tylor Golden
The full-back departed after 99 appearances and after being named Altrincham’s supporters’ Player of the Year.
Ethan Ross
The goalkeeper left following the expiration of his contract after making 72 appearances for the Robins.
Lewis Baines, Lucas Edwards, Sam Reed, Billy Sass-Davies and Yassine Toure were also among those released.
There has been genuine turnover, but Altrincham appear to have concentrated on replacing what they lost rather than ripping everything up and starting again.
The New Faces
Owen Evans
The 29-year-old goalkeeper arrives permanently from Barnet and brings considerable Football League and National League experience.
He looks set to begin the campaign as Altrincham’s number one and produced an impressive display in the final friendly against Manchester United Under-21s.
Kristian Dennis
At 36, Dennis brings experience and a long record of scoring goals across non-league and the EFL.
His value is likely to come where it matters most: inside the penalty area.
Aidan Barlow
The former Manchester United youngster arrives from Rochdale after being part of their promotion-winning squad last season.
He was quickly involved in pre-season, scoring against Macclesfield and Tranmere Rovers.
Sam Taylor
The 22-year-old former Tranmere forward spent much of last season on loan with Linfield and can operate centrally or from a wide position.
Liam Humbles
A new permanent signing but certainly not a new face to Altrincham supporters following previous loan spells.
He made 22 appearances and scored three times during his latest spell with the club.
Jack Hinchy
Another returning player. The midfielder previously spent time on loan with Altrincham from Notts County and has now joined permanently.
Pre-Season: Mixed Results, Positive Finish
If pre-season results told us exactly how a season was going to unfold, football would be considerably easier. Thankfully, they don’t.
The five goals conceded against Macclesfield distort those defensive numbers considerably.
More importantly for Gibson, Altrincham responded by ending the summer with consecutive victories.
One Concern From Their Final Friendly
At the time of writing, we’re not going to speculate about the extent of the injury, but with the league opener arriving just eight days later his availability is clearly something to watch.
The Men Southend Need To Watch
There are several potential threats in this Altrincham team, but Jimmy Knowles immediately stands out.
Knowles finished last season as Altrincham’s leading scorer and found the net twice during pre-season, including the winner against Manchester United Under-21s.
Lucas Weaver offers another mobile attacking threat, while Aidan Barlow has made an encouraging start following his arrival.
Tom Crawford brings leadership through central midfield, while Kristian Dennis, Charlie Kirk, Otis Khan and Matty Kosylo give Gibson several different attacking options.
This doesn’t look like a side Southend can afford to allow time on the ball around the penalty area.
The Full-Backs Could Be Important
Lewis Banks is back to full fitness after injury disrupted his excellent start to last season, while Eddy Jones returned from a serious ACL injury and successfully established himself back in the side.
Both can give Altrincham attacking width.
If they are encouraged forward, Southend will need to deal with them. But there may also be opportunities behind them.
Opening-day games are rarely played with complete caution, and if Altrincham’s full-backs push high up the pitch, the space they leave could become an area for the Shrimpers to exploit.
Last Season’s Meetings
You couldn’t have asked for two more contrasting results.
Perhaps the most relevant lesson from those two games is very simple.
What happened at Roots Hall won’t matter on Saturday. And neither will what happened here in March.
What Should Southend Expect?
Probably a side that wants to play rather than simply frustrate.
Gibson’s summer recruitment points towards an energetic team capable of moving the ball quickly and attacking with several different types of player.
They have pace. They have experience. They have players comfortable in possession. And they have plenty of continuity from last season.
Their vulnerability may come when games become open.
Altrincham conceded 65 league goals last season and the 5-2 pre-season defeat against Macclesfield demonstrated that there can still be space to exploit when they are pushed backwards or lose their defensive shape.
Southend should have chances. The important bit is taking them.
Three Things For The Shrimpers
Jimmy Knowles
There were several candidates, but we’re going with Jimmy Knowles. Last season’s leading scorer has already found the net twice during pre-season and scored the winner in Altrincham’s final friendly. If chances fall inside the area, he’s somebody Southend will need to keep very close to.
The First 90 Minutes
Nobody wins promotion in August.
Nobody gets relegated on the opening weekend either.
But after weeks of discussing recruitment, formations, friendlies and what might happen, Saturday finally gives us something rather more useful.
Actual football.
There will almost certainly be surprises across the National League this weekend. Teams tipped for promotion will lose. Teams written off before a ball has been kicked will win.
That’s this league.
For Southend, the objective couldn’t be much simpler.
Go to a difficult ground, put in a performance and start the season positively.
Three points would be rather nice as well.
Final Word
This feels like a genuinely interesting opening fixture.
Altrincham finished in the bottom half last season, but their home record says far more about the challenge facing Southend than 13th place does.
They’ve kept a strong core, added experience in Owen Evans and Kristian Dennis, brought in younger attacking options such as Sam Taylor and added players Gibson already knows in Liam Humbles and Jack Hinchy.
They also finished pre-season with victories over Tranmere Rovers and Manchester United Under-21s.
Southend shouldn’t fear them.
But they certainly shouldn’t underestimate them.
Nine months of National League football begins at The J.Davidson Stadium.
The waiting is over.