Phil Parkinson admitted his players looked “tired and jaded” after Altrincham ended a highly-successful year with a rare failure against FC Halifax Town at The J.Davidson Stadium on Boxing Day.

A testing trip to second-placed Bromley on Saturday that ended in a creditable 2-2 draw appeared to take its toll as Alty struggled for the same intensity and went behind to two Halifax goals before reducing the arrears through Chris Conn-Clarke in stoppage-time in a 2-1 defeat.

It was a disappointing way to bring the curtain down on 2023, but Parkinson was adamant his players would be determined to make amends when they travel to The Shay to face Halifax again on New Year’s Day.

“We looked tired and jaded, and the Bromley game and the travel involved had to be a factor in that,” said the Alty boss.

“We looked like there was limited juice in the tank, but with a bit of rest and recuperation, we can get back to normal levels in time for New Year’s Day.

“We are far better than we have shown in this game. We have done fantastically well to get into the position we are in, and we don’t want it to slip through our grasp.

“I’m disappointed we couldn’t deliver in front of such a great turnout, but we just need to reset and go again.”

Parkinson has significantly bolstered his attacking options by welcoming back Dan Mooney from Southend United for a second spell with the Robins.

“Dan played a key role in helping us regain our National League status, and we are hoping he can make a similar impact again and help our ambitions of making the play-offs,” he said.

“He was a big fans’ favourite last time around, and I’m sure it won’t take him long to win the Alty faithful over again.

“He’s the type of winger I like to recruit.

“He has many qualities, but his main one for me is his bravery to embrace pressure and step up to the plate when its most needed.”