Scores were locked at nil-all at half time as Altona struggled on the slow, sandy pitch.

The usual brilliance of former national league player Mathew Higgins and skipper Matthew Guest was negated.

But Altona rallied in the second half, opening the scoring through striker Aidan Hicks.

This spurred the home side into action and an equalising goal was scored. It was game on.

Altona looked like it was going to struggle to break the deadlock before Aidan Hicks popped up again, scoring his second goal with a scrappy rebound from the goalkeeper's pads.

The goal seemed to sink the bottom-placed United.

Tyson Priddle pressured his opponent into a turnover, and sprinted into the scoring circle with a cracking strike to put the game beyond reach.

Coach Darren Duff was rapt with the win. "This win was vital for us and sets us up for the rest of the season," he said.