Match Report

Before the game, Ian Craney received his England semi-pro international cap from last season's game in Belgium from the UniBond League's Duncan Bayley. The day was bright but had been punctuated by heavy showers. These held off during the game until the very final minutes.

TEAM NEWS

Today saw home debuts for both Stuart Coburn and Niell Hardy after their recent re-signings from Leigh RMI and Radcliffe Borough respectively. Both Mark Maddox and Stephen Rose were surprisingly declared fit after being injured at Hucknall and Hyde, respectively, but Dave Gardner (in Madrid) and Nick Welton (in London) were both unavailable. On to the bench came Paul Glynn, last season's Youth Team captain where he joined fellow 18 year-old Steve Lunt and Michael Reynolds. In the absence of the injured Gary Scott, Steve Aspinall again played at right-back, whilst the versatile Peter Band moved to right-midfield to allow Maddox to rejoin Gary Talbot at centre-back.

Burscough fielded a very young side in their first game since ex-Alty player Derek Goulding had been confirmed as their manager in succession to Shaun Teale. They included Darren Connell, on loan from Accrington Stanley.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX (capt.), 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Stephen ROSE, 7. Peter BAND, 8. Ian CRANEY, 9. Niell HARDY, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Barry SHUTTLEWORTH. Subs: 12. Steve LUNT, 14. Michael REYNOLDS, 15. Paul GLYNN.

BURSCOUGH (Green shirts and socks, white shorts): 1. John BAGNALL, 2. Carl MACAULEY, 3. Karl BELL, 4. Martin CLARK, 5. Stephen McNULTY, 6. Marvin MOLYNEUX, 7. Jeff UNDERWOOD, 8. John BLUCK, 9. Gary MARTINDALE, 10. Darren CONNELL, 11. Stephen BROWN. Subs: 12, Michael WHITE, 14. Kris McHALE, 15. Martin CROWDER.

REPORT

Mark Maddox, with back to goal, shapes to convert a nod on from Gary Talbot, extreme right, for the first goal.

Altrincham kicked off towards the Golf Road end, with their supporters behind that goal in fine voice. Rod Thornley got in a good early shot after a defensive error, but Bagnall saved well (2 mins). Immediately, Burscough went to the other end and came even closer to scoring, forcing a smart one-handed save by Coburn to his left. Then Thornley got behind the Burscough defence at the Golf Road end and, with the help of Peter Band, an Alty corner resulted on the right. Aspinall's accurate kick found Gary Talbot's head on the right front-edge of the box and his header, to his left, found his fellow centre-back Mark Maddox. With skill not normally associated with central defenders, Mark took the awkwardly high ball as he faced goal and swivelled to hook into the top right of the net to record, by far, Alty's earliest goal in a game this season (5 mins). Burscough's response was immediate as Brown got past Aspinall on the Burscough left and from his cross, Martindale headed narrowly wide.

Burscough were soon forced to make a change as Bell limped off to be replaced by White (11 mins). Gary Talbot, who had an excellent game, then cut short another Burscough attack at the cost of a corner (13 mins). This corner was cleared from the near post before Ian Craney went to the other end but his half volley from 25 yards was very wide (14 mins). Good skill from Shuttleworth almost set Thornley in on goal before a superb shot from Hardy from 15 yards crashed back off the inside of the keeper's left-hand post. Soon, Hardy won a corner as he continued to cause the visitors' defence serious problems. Aspinall's corner was scrambled away before a move involving Craney, Band and Hardy again threatened the Burscough goal.

However, Altrincham nearly gifted Burscough an equaliser when Talbot, shepherding a through-ball down the centre, knocked it over the advancing Coburn on the edge of the box. Coburn recovered to get a hand on it, but it dropped for Connell whose underhit shot was just cleared off the line, for a corner, by a magnificent effort from Steve Aspinall (21 mins). After this, from an Adams free-kick, Hardy glided past two defenders but his pass for Band was cut out as the entertaining play continued (23 mins). The next goal effort was a shot from Thornley from a fine lay-off by Hardy. This was well held by Bagnall, low down, to his right (26 mins). Then Thornley fed Hardy who, for once, miscontrolled the ball and a good chance went begging (27 mins). Maddox became the third Alty player to be lectured (after Rose and Adams) for a clear push on Martindale.

After 31 minutes Craney and Shuttleworth won their side a corner on the left which was cleared but soon, an overhead effort from Hardy needed a save from Bagnall (33 mins). Next, Brown won Burscough a corner on the right, which Talbot cleared to Brown who shot well over the bar (36 mins). After a scrappy few minutes, Alty assistant manager Dalton Steele called his side to "raise the tempo", whilst manager Graham Heathcote looked on from the directors' box, as he served the last match of his three-game touchline ban. Burscough now enjoyed some more pressure without seriously threatening the Altrincham goal. In fact, the next goal chance came for Altrincham when Aspinall's free-kick from the left saw Talbot's header just held by Bagnall but the keeper was awarded a free-kick (42 mins). Then, Shuttleworth's good cross from the left just evaded both Hardy and Band. Aspinall then did well to break up a Burscough move as the game went into its two minutes of additional first-half time.

Above: Niell Hardy (no.9), on right, scores goal number two.

The floodlights came on as the sky clouded over but after a few minutes of forward movement from Burscough, Bagnall was alert to intercept Craney's ball, intended for Thornley (50 mins). After a few more minutes of unremarkable play, Shuttleworth played a fine ball to Hardy who, in the right of the box, beat his man and drove the ball across goal from 12 yards into the far corner to maintain his goal-a-game record since joining Altrincham (56 mins). Coburn made a good catch as Burscough tried to reply and then Talbot cleared after a defensive scramble in the Alty box. Soon Maddox missed a cross from the Burscough right which came to Brown, on the left, but Maddox recovered well to half-block his shot which looped to Coburn (62 mins). Alty then put together a good passing move before Talbot had to stop another Burscough attack. The visitors now replaced Connell by McHale, the former Marine man, as play again went through a fairly routine period (66 mins). This pattern was ended when Maddox made a fine tackle and set Hardy running up the right. Niell unselfishly passed inside, to Thornley, whose shot from about 12 yards was hit wide of the far post (69 mins).

Burscough now went very close when a ball came across the Alty box and found Brown at the back post. His effort was brilliantly saved by Coburn's legs and Aspinall completed the clearance at the cost of a corner on the Burscough left (72 mins). This was cleared before Shuttleworth's shot from 25 yards at the other end went very wide. Following a clearance from a Burscough free-kick, a Linnets' player handled the ball about five yards inside the Alty half in a central position. Craney took the free-kick forward quickly and set Thornley advancing to the left-centre of goal. His shot was beaten out but fell for Hardy to convert from eight yards. Niell now has 4 goals in 3 games for Altrincham and he is already joint leading scorer with Rod Thornley this season. Reynolds, who had been waiting to come on, now replaced Thornley (75 mins).

There was then a brief brawl in the centre of the pitch after Maddox had fouled Bluck and both men reacted to prompt a melee. Afterwards, Mr Holdsworth booked the Altrincham captain (77 mins). Soon, from a Band clearing header, Molyneux shot just over the bar before his side brought on Crowder for Underwood (78 mins). Alty then won a corner which was cleared before Reynolds picked up the ball on the left and cut inside but his shot from 30 yards cleared the bar (80 mins). Soon Maddox was replaced by Steve Lunt, Ian Craney assuming the captaincy. Lunt went to left midfield as Shuttleworth moved to left back to allow Adams to go to centre-back (82 mins). Altrincham were now looking comfortable as they headed for their first home win of the season at the seventh attempt in a league game. A fine ball forward from Aspinall set Reynolds off but the ball was cleared before Paul Glynn came on to make his UniBond debut for Altrincham in place of Peter Band on the right (87 mins). Almost immediately Aspinall fed Reynolds who set Glynn chasing, on an overlap up the right wing. As Paul stretched for the ball, just inside the box, he slipped slightly and his resulting shot ran to the keeper (88 mins). The game then ended in lashing rain before Niell Hardy was awarded the man of the match champagne award.

ALtrincham deserved their win and in their new re-signings, Niell Hardy ansd Stuart Coburn, manager Graham Heathcote appears to have done two great bits of business. Stuart had relatively little to do but made one magnificent save whilst Hardy's close control and ability to turn defenders caused Burscough a lot of problems. This was Altrincham's first home clean sheet of the season and Coburn has yet to be beaten after 180 minutes of action. For Burscough it was their first scoreless match in ten games. The Robins rose two places to 16th in their quest to reach the Conference North qualification target of 13th in the League. If they can maintain this form, they should soon be able to reach there sooner rather than later.