Zak Goodson’s late equaliser helped Altrincham overcome Wrexham on penalties.
After going behind to an early Lewis Baines goal, Wrexham led the majority of the game through a snap double from Jake Bickerstaff.
Goodson’s goal at the death, enabled the Robins to go to penalties, where Toby Mullarkey wrapped up the game with the final penalty.
Phil Parkinson named eleven changes to his side who battled hard to beat Bromley, but the starting team remained undoubtedly experienced.
After a dominant opening display from Altrincham, they would take the lead after ten minutes through Baines. Chris Conn-Clarke's initial effort cannoned off the crossbar, with Baines ready amongst a crowd of bodies to head home in the tenth minute.
It appeared as though Baines had a second just two minutes later, but the offside Marcus Dinanga tapped the ball in on the line to rule out the goal.
After multiple corners, captain Jordan Hulme saw his effort tipped onto the crossbar by a fast-reacting Rob Lainton. The ball then hit the hip of Toby Mullarkey, who, under pressure from Harry Lennon was unable to tap the ball home before Reece Hall-Johnson slid to clear the ball on the line.
With twenty minutes gone, Wrexham were under great pressure with no outlet.
The Red Dragons’ first opportunity came in the 21st minute, when Dave Jones showed off his class to feed Sam Dalby on the edge of the box. However, the striker’s tame shot was saved comfortably by Ollie Byrne in goal.
This move would be a sign of things to come for Wrexham.
After spilling the ball twice from a Wrexham corner, Byrne allowed James Jones to fizz an effort at goal, where Bickerstaff was lurking to direct the ball into the net with 24 minutes gone.
Just three minutes later, a poorly directed Eddy Jones header on the halfway line would see Bickerstaff run onto the ball. The striker would then burst past and hold off Altrincham’s James Jones to slot the ball past a helpless Byrne.
Out of nowhere, Wrexham had flipped the game on its head, courtesy of Bickerstaff.
The rest of the half ebbed and flowed between the two sides.
Conn-Clarke would go closest at the end of the half, as a persistent run down the by-line saw him snap a shot straight at Lainton. The Wrexham keeper then spilled the effort right onto the boot of Hulme, whose reactionary shot was matched by Lainton to keep Wrexham’s lead intact.
Half time would be called and Parkinson’s FA Trophy eleven would take a lead into the break.
A fizzing effort from James Jones on the hour mark was bound for the top corner, but Byrne dived heroically to his right to palm out the arrowed effort.
Liam McAlinden smashed an effort grazing the top of the goal in the 72nd minute. After shifting onto his left foot on the edge of the box, McAlinden launched his foot at the ball, seeing it move from left to right just over the crossbar.
The game seemed to be drawing to a close, as any Altrincham shot seemed to be magnetically drawn into the hands of Lainton.
An off-balanced McAlinden clearance in the 89th minute saw the ball fall to Goodson on the edge of the Wrexham box. The midfielder then redirected the ball into the Wrexham goal, with the sprawling McAlinden and Lainton helpless on the goal-line.
Penalties would therefore decide the fate of this game.
Bickerstaff would step up to take first and his raised penalty was met by the hand of Byrne to push the ball out of the net.
Conn-Clarke and Goodson would both skip and roll their penalties into Lainton’s net. Hall-Johnson would then sky his penalty, before Josh Lundstram produced a carbon-copy of this effort.
The score would now be 2-1 to Altrincham after three penalties each. Both sides would continue to score the remainder of the penalties and so it would be the Robins progressing to the Fourth Round and not Wrexham.
Wrexham Starting XI: Lainton (GK), Hall-Johnson, Cleworth, Butler (James 85'), Lennon, McAlinden, Dave Jones (Austin 77'), James Jones (C), Cannon, Dalby, Bickerstaff
Subs not used: Calderbank-Park (GK), Dan Jones, Dan Davies, Milner, Cushion
Altrincham Starting XI: (4-3-3): Byrne (GK), E.Jones, Marriott, Mullarkey, Baines, Lundstram, Hulme (C) (Pringle 67’), Conn-Clarke, James Jones, Dinanga (Jennings 75’), Kaja (Goodson 58’)
Subs not used: Osborne, Gould, Jordan
Referee: Scott Tallis
Attendance: 2,526 (985 Wrexham fans)
Altrincham Bookings: Pringle foul (67’)
Wrexham Bookings: Lennon foul (62’)