Alty Have Their Benchmark Ahead Of Tough Run-In

The Robins slipped out of the play-offs on Tuesday night after being leapfrogged by Jimmy McNulty's side - but only on goal difference.

The defeat was their second to Rochdale in four games - their last coming in the FA Trophy at the start of March.

Altrincham - who lost in the play-offs last season to eventual Promotion Final winners Bromley - remain eighth and still in contention, but Parkinson feels their latest defeat has shown how far they are currently away from challenging.

He said: "It's not very often I come out and say it they [Rochdale] are ahead of us in every department at the moment.

"We've got a lot of improvements to do because if we do make the play-offs and come across these, we don't want to make the play-offs just to get beat.

"It's a bit of a benchmark game for us the next time we play them to show we can catch them up a bit because on and off the pitch we're not up to speed to what we need to do to beat a Rochdale right now and if we want to go up that's what we've got to achieve."

Home form will give even the most pessimistic Altrincham fan reason to smile.

The Robins have lost just once in the National League since way back in August but face some potentially tough games in the coming weeks.

Resurgent Aldershot Town pitch up first with title-hunting juggernaut Barnet seven days later - will that strike fear into them though? Not a chance.

"You look at the run of home games we've got. We've been very strong at home and we've got to be looking at taking maximum points but we're playing teams who are now reaching a bit of form.

"There's no easy games but we back ourselves against anyone at home."