Manchester Central crashed out of the Murray Trophy on Saturday suffering a disappointing 4-1 defeat

The scoreline was generous to the away side, considering Central were dominant for large periods of the game, especially in the first half.

The home side were made to rue their chances, wasting multiple gilt-edged chances in the first half, where they really should have gone ahead.

It was a balanced first half of football, with the away side starting quickly and Central could not get their foot on the ball. It only took nine minutes for the visitors to strike first, as the ball was bundled in from close range following a brilliant reflex save by Daniel Whiting.

The goal kicked Central into life, creating numerous opportunities, including one three minutes after the opener, as top scorer Fuhad Kasali found himself in on goal, only to uncharacteristically blaze over the bar.

The following 20-minute period involved a flurry of glorious opportunities for the home side, where they really should have levelled and potentially took the lead, but the Altrincham Hale keeper was a wall in between the sticks, stopping Central at every turn.

At the end of this period, Central came closest to levelling the score, when a corner was delivered on the left-hand side, where captain Elliot Regan rose highest and struck a terrific header towards the top corner, only to be denied by a defender on the line.

Only five minutes later, Central were made to rue those missed chances, when a costly handball by Dan Dolling gave the referee no choice but to point to the spot.

That error was made to pay by the Altrincham Hale forward, who confidently smashed the ball into the roof of the net to double their lead with only a few minutes left of the half.

And to add more salt to their wounds, the away side got a third before the whistle blew, which was a goal that the home side could have done without conceding so late in the half.

It was a goal that manager Chris Tomkinson would not want to watch back, as the back four switched off and gave the man in the middle too much time to set his feet and pick his spot, as he struck a low effort into the far corner from 25 yards out.

Then came the half time whistle, which gave a scoreline that nobody would have predicted considering the balance of the half, in which Central had numerous opportunities to get back in the game but failed to capitalise and were punished ruthlessly by the away side.

It was a half where Central just could not put the ball in the net, despite a chunk of their chances being gilt-edged. Manager Tomkinson would have had to produce a miraculous team talk for his players to get back into the game.

As if on cue, the home side came flying out of the blocks, as within a few minutes, top scorer Kasali produced a lifeline. He was found down the left channel, and without hesitation he squared up the defender and drove at him, cutting in on his right foot and blasting a special strike past the helpless goalkeeper.

It was exactly what Central needed, a goal early in the half giving them plenty of time to try to look for two more that would level the tie.

Kasali remained a constant threat throughout, creating more problems for Altrincham Hale, as he breezed effortlessly past a couple of defenders, but his effort was tame as he only could hit the side netting.

The home side continued to push for the remainder of the half, but failed to create anything significant, in fact it was the away side that forced Whiting into a couple of top saves late in the game.

With just under 20 minutes to go, Altrincham Hale took advantage of tired Central legs, as their striker was played in on goal, only to force a good stop by Whiting.

And just 10 minutes later, Whiting was called into action again, as he parried a strong effort from the right-hand side onto the bar, once again keeping Central within arm's length.

But with only a few minutes left, Altrincham Hale sealed the victory, when their tricky winger broke through on goal on the right, producing a composed low finish into the far corner, ultimately ending Central’s cup run early.

After the game, Central manager Chris Tomkinson had this to say; "It's a disappointing result obviously. I thought we created the better chances, Fuad would have normally slotted away those two chances but the Altrincham keeper pulled off fine saves." "I think the penalty comes at a crucial time which disrupted the flow of our game, I'm not too sure what Kaine could have done to prevent giving it away but, I can't fall the lads one bit. Shame about the result but we move on" "We can turn our full attention now to the final four league games where it's all about taking three points every game. If we do that we have a very good chance of finishing in the top five promotion spots. Still plenty to play for without a doubt"