Phil Parkinson insisted Altrincham are “not a million miles away” from hitting peak form after two Bank Holiday weekend defeats left them in 16th place in the National League with six points from five games.

A late penalty gave table-topping Eastleigh a 1-0 win at The J.Davidson Stadium on Saturday and an even later goal proved decisive on Monday afternoon as Forest Green Rovers sealed a 2-1 victory with virtually the last kick of an evenly-contested fixture.

Parkinson admitted he was “upset and frustrated” at seeing a point slip away at Forest Green, but insisted there were plenty of positives for his side to take into Saturday’s derby blockbuster with Oldham Athletic at The J.Davidson Stadium.

“We’ve had a really tough start to the season, but we definitely did enough to take a point from the Forest Green game and could count ourselves desperately unlucky to be undone by a penalty against Eastleigh,” said the Alty boss. “It’s the worst way to lose a game when there’s no time to get back into it, and I was upset and frustrated for all those fantastic fans who travelled down to support us.

“I was really pleased with the way we dictated the play and dominated possession in the first half, and we showed tons of energy to get back on terms. Tired minds and tired legs prevented us from making the right decision at the end, and that cost us.

“It was a lack of concentration or know-how, and against a good, experienced side like Forest Green, you’re going to be punished for that.

“But this is a young group of players who are learning some hard lessons on what this division is all about. We are not a million miles away, I’ve no doubt about that, and I hope the fans who were there on Monday can see that we are fighting every inch of the way to deliver what they want to see.

“There is no shadow of a doubt in my mind that we will get there.”