ALT EXCURSION BY CORP SMA FOLLOWED BY START OF APCH TO WRONG RWY.

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WHEN ABOUT 32 NM SW OF ACY; MY DEST; ON IFR FLT PLAN AND CLRNC DIRECT ACY AT ASSIGNED ALT OF 9000'; I REQUESTED LOWER ALT. CTLR RESPONDED WITH 'ROGER MAINTAIN 8000;' AND I ACKNOWLEDGED 'SMA MAINTAIN 8000' AND STARTED MY DSCNT TO 8000'. SHORT TIME LATER AS I APCHED 8000' THE CTLR ASKED ME WHY I WAS AT 8000'. I TOLD HIM HE CLRED ME TO 8000' AND HE RESPONDED THAT HE DID NOT. HE THEN TOLD ME TO MAINTAIN 8000' AND CONTACT ACY APCH CTL. SUBSEQUENTLY I WAS CLRED FOR VISUAL APCH; RWY 31; AND SWITCHED TO ACY TWR. AS I WAS DSNDING ON NORTHEASTERLY HDG APCHING RWY 4 EXTENDED CENTERLINE THE CTLR REQUESTED CLOSE IN APCH AND LAND SHORT. AT THIS TIME I OBSERVED ACFT TAKING OFF ON RWY 13 (THE WIND WAS NORTHERLY AT 6 KTS) AND I ASSUMED THIS CLRNC TO EXPECT LNDG ON RWY 4. AS I TURNED LEFT TOWARDS RWY 4 CTLR ADVISED THAT I APPEARED TO BE LINED UP FOR RWY 4. I THEN REALIZED THAT HE STILL WANTED ME TO LAND ON RWY 31 AND I TURNED BACK AND CONTINUED MY LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RWY 31 AND LANDED ON RWY 31. RECOMMENDED ACTIONS: TO IMPROVE PLT/CTLR COMS THE CTLR SHOULD USE STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY; IE; 'DSND AND MAINTAIN 8000;' AND PLT SHOULD REPEAT: 'LEAVING 9000 FOR 8000.' THE CTLR SHOULD LISTEN TO READBACK TO INSURE CORRECT COMPLIANCE WITH HIS CLRNC. DURING LIGHT WIND CONDITIONS WHEN MULTIPLE AND OPP RWYS ARE USED; THE LCL CTLR SHOULD ISSUE TFC IN OPP DIRECTION TO THE ACFT CLRED FOR APCH ON THE SAME RWY (IE; RWYS 13 AND 31) AND ALWAYS REPEAT THE RWY TO USE WHEN AMENDING CLRNC SUCH AS 'MAKE CLOSE IN APCH AND LAND SHORT' TO PREVENT POSSIBLE CONFUSION; PARTICULARLY WHEN OPP END OF RWYS ARE USED.