Match Report

Hucknall Town had been knocked off the top of the table on Friday by Alfreton but the club was still enjoying its best ever season and had also opened its brand new clubhouse during midweek. The pitch was hard and bobbly after the recent dry spell and the game was played in bright sunshine throughout.

Alty manager Grahamn Heathcote was serving a suspension so was banned from the touchline. He watched the first half from behind the fence near the Alty dugout and the second half from the stand side of the ground.

TEAM NEWS

Alty included new striker Niell Hardy from Radcliffe Borough, who was returning after leaving Altrincham in 1998. The other new Moss Lane returnee, goalkeeper Stuart Coburn from Leigh RMI, was not in the side today as Manchester United's reserve keeper Ben Williams was completing his loan period with the Robins between the visitors' uprights. He was to have an eventful afternoon. Stephen Rose, who has a knee injury, was missing from the Alty starting line-up in a league game for only the second time since, coincidentally, our visit to Hucknall in August 2002.

Hucknall's keeper Stuart Nelson was suspended so making his debut was Tom Lindley, a young keeper loaned from Sheffield United. Town had this week released Lee Soar and John Burns but had recently signed a midfielder, Chris Burke from Congleton Town, who had knocked Hucknall out of the FA Cup. Burke started on the bench. Hucknall's Jon McCarthy was a Northern Ireland international who had moved from Port Vale to Birmingham in 1997 for £1.5 million. Danny Bacon had joined Hucknall following a loan spell last season from Mansfield Town - after being offered higher wages at the non-league club.

HUCKNALL TOWN (Yellow shirts and socks, black shorts): 1. Tom LINDLEY, 2. Alistair ASHER, 3. Dean BARRICK, 4. Nathan WINDER, 5. Roy HUNTER, 6. Craig GAUNT (capt.), 7. Danny MAYMAN, 8. Jon McCARTHY, 9. Gary RICKETTS, 10. Danny BACON, 11. Barry MILLER. Subs: 12. Gareth HOLMES, 14. James TEVENDALE, 15. Chris BURKE.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, white shorts, black socks): 1. Ben WILLIAMS, 2. Gary SCOTT, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX (capt.), 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Steven ASPINALL, 7. Peter BAND, 8. Ian CRANEY, 9. Niell HARDY, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Barry SHUTTLEWORTH. Subs: 12. Dave GARDNER, 14. Stephen ROSE, 15. Nick WELTON.

REPORT

Above: Niell Hardy (far right) wheels away after scoring- the ball is entering the net just to the left of Hucknall's no.4's shoulder.

Hucknall kicked off with five men at the back. After just two minutes Alty keeper Ben Williams sliced a clearance from an underhit back-pass. As McCarthy threatened to capitalise on it, Scott cleared the danger but went down injured. Almost immediately it was clear that he had suffered a serious injury; Gary has been suffering from tight hamstrings for some weeks and it appeared that his hamstring was the problem now. A stretcher was called and Gary left the pitch, sitting on it. Stephen Rose was called on as substitute to replace Gary at right-back (3 mins); he himself had missed some training this week with tendonitis. From the re-start Hucknall went close when a shot whistled over Williams's bar (4 mins). Alty then won a freekick from which Talbot headed an effort to Lindley's arms from Rose's kick. A Hucknall freekick, from the left by Barrick, evaded Williams but Ricketts's effort was cleared off the line for a Hucknall corner, on their left (6 mins). Ricketts and Bacon were keeping Mark Maddox and Gary Talbot busy but the Alty defenders were holding their own.

Gradually Altrincham began to get a firmer grip on their game and soon had a good chance. After Aspinall's free-kick had been cleared, the ball came back to the Alty midfielder and, from him, on to Hardy but his advance was halted by Hucknall's defence. Then, Rose and Aspinall combined to feed Craney on the right. The keeper Lindley spilled Craney's cross under a challenge and the ball fell for Hardy, though at an awkward height. Hardy's scissor-kick cleared the bar from 15 yards or so (16 mins). Almost immediately Rose fed Craney, on the right and Ian found Hardy, inside the box. Niell controlled the ball well, sold his marker a superb dummy, and drove a firm shot across Lindley into the far corner of the net to put Altrincham ahead with as good a goal as you could wish to see (17 mins).

Hucknall replied by winning two corners (22 and 26 mins). Between these Talbot conceded a freekick which was cleared. However, Alty had a good chance when Williams caught a cross well and his clearance came to Craney who went past Hunter skilfully and found Thornley but Rod's cross went to the keeper (30 mins). There followed a good Alty move, started by Aspinall, which ended with Thornley shooting just over the bar from left-centre (32 mins). Adams then picked up Shuttleworth's throw and returned the ball for Shuttleworth to put in a long cross from the left which caught Lindley back-pedalling to tip the ball out for an Alty corner on their right wing. This was cleared for another Alty flag-kick by Shuttleworth which was also cleared. Just as Alty were enjoying some pressure and looking fairly comfortable with their lead, a high ball was played into the Alty box. Williams rose and caught the ball cleanly but before his feet reached the ground he was caught by Rickett's vigorous challenge which dislodged the ball from his arms, leaving the big Hucknall striker with an easy chance to score, which he duly took, from 12 yards or so (37 mins). Referee Martin saw nothing wrong with the challenge and the goal stood.

From an Adams freekick Maddox soon won his side a corner on the left. Talbot met Aspinall's corner well but Lindley saved it. Then Bacon had a shot deflected narrowly over the bar at the other end for a Hucknall corner. The play once again switched and Alty won another corner after Hardy had got on the end of Rose's cross. Aspinall's corner was cleared out to Craney whose low shot was held by Lindley (44 mins). Then Bacon got behind the Alty defence but he scuffed his shot and it ran easily to Williams. The half ended with the scores level, which was not an unfair reflection of the proceedings, but the manner in which Hucknall had equalised was less then satisfactory.

Left: Gary Talbot rises above Gary Ricketts at Hucknall, as Shuttleworth and Rose look on.

After the generally entertaining first half, the second period was a disappointment, especially for Altrincham who fell behind four minutes into the half. Following a foul by Band near half way, Hucknall played the ball to the left and the resulting cross found Ricketts unmarked in the centre of the penalty area. His firm header was directed more or less straight at Williams but, somehow, the ball went through his grasp to give Hucknall the lead (49 mins). After a Band shot had been blocked, Craney soon shot narrowly wide when Talbot and Hardy combined to feed him (53 mins). Next, after the ball had evaded Adams, Ricketts threatened but McCarthy's resulting cross went to Williams. Hucknall now brought on Burke for Winder (58 mins). Hucknall enjoyed the better of the play now and when Thornley's tackle was late, the Alty striker conceded a freekick and was booked for the first time this season (63 mins). Soon, however, a blocked shot from Thornley gave his side a corner but Talbot was penalised for climbing from Shuttleworth's corner-kick. Immediately, Talbot was again penalised for climbing from Hucknall's resulting free-kick!

But then Talbot did well to find Thornley who surged up the middle-right of the pitch but sadly his intended pass for Craney was overhit and the opening went begging. At this point Gardner came on for Thornley (69 mins). Adams then saw off an attack in the Alty left corner and a ridiculous scene followed with each side claiming the freekick which the referee had awarded. It got as far as Alty retreating and McCarthy lining up the kick before the referee decided it was an Alty freekick and he was moved to book McCarthy for his understandable protests (73 mins). After some scrappy play Bacon got free but Williams made a fine save, to beat the ball out as he advanced off his line to meet the attacker. Alty now pressed forward but without creating any goal chances. As the game entered its last ten minutes Ricketts fed Bacon and he and Maddox clashed on the outer right front edge of the Alty box and both went down. As the home crowd called for a penalty, the referee showed no interest but as the two players got up, Maddox tripped Bacon as he threatened to get onto the loose ball and a penalty was awarded. There was some delay whilst referee Martin sorted out a spat between Ricketts and the Alty defence on the edge of the box as one side or the other tried to stop the other from encroaching. When Bacon finally strode up to take the spot kick, Williams produced an excellent save, diving low to his right to push the ball out for a corner (81 mins).

Alty were still unable to conjure up any serious threat to the home goal when Band challenged McCarthy and conceded a foul but his impetus took the Alty man head first into the concrete wall which is very close to the touchline at Watnall Road. After treatment Band suffered a triple indignity: he conceded a free-kick, was booked by the referee and immediately replaced by substitute Nick Welton who came on to bolster the Alty frontline (85 mins). Hucknall had a late chance when Ricketts superbly controlled a cross from the left and passed the ball inside to Bacon, in one movement, but the former Mansfield man shot badly over the top (87 mins). Alty gained a late freekick from 22 yards but Craney put it into the wall and Ricketts cleared.

After a good first half Altrincham were below par after the interval. Craney and Hardy were amongst those to have quiet second periods. However, the game could be said to have turned on the equaliser in the first half, which many a referee would have disallowed for the challenge on the Altrincham goalkeeper. In the end, however, no one could deny Hucknall the three points which took them back to the top of the table and left Altrincham still fighting to secure an automatic qualifying place for Conference North next season. The injury to Scott is also worrying, though Rose had a good game as his replacement at right-back. McCarthy was named Hucknall's man of the match.