OK, todays lesson is as follows
If a wire has shorted and the connector is FUBAR, replacing the connector is not the only thing you should be looking at.
There are TWO ends of any wire and a shorted one may have damage elsewhere other than the obvious melted end ...... the other end may have got hot and melted too
Reconnecting the other end will then produce a good connection and result in the alternator actually getting its charge to the battery
DOH!
and
PHEW
Thanks for the advice chaps