Match Report

REFEREE: Mr A D Hutchinson

Altrincham were playing Southport for the second time this season, having already enjoyed a pulsating 2-2 draw at Haig Avenue. The Robins had won their last two games (v. Hyde and Burscough) and kept clean sheets in them too, whilst Niell Hardy was attempting to score in his fourth successive game since re-joining Altrincham.

Southport had changed their manager since our previous meeting with Liam Watson, the former Runcorn boss, now in charge of the Sandgrounders.

TEAM NEWS

Alty captain, Mark Maddox, was out injured tonight, so Peter Band moved to centre-back. Right-back Gary Scott also remained sidelined by injury so Steve Aspinall continued in that defensive role.

Southport, our opponents tonight, like Alty, have injury problems. These included striker Lee Ashcroft, who is expected to be missing for a month. Steve Soley was out with a groin problem, but Mark Byrne's hamstring injury had improved to allow him to start tonight

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

SOUTHPORT (All yellow): 1. Steve DICKINSON, 2. Jimmy WILLIAMS, 3. Paul BYRNE, 4. Neil WHITWORTH, 5. Tony HALLAM, 6. Steve PICKFORD, 7. Barry JONES (capt.), 8. Liam McGUIRE, 9. Peter THOMSON, 10. Peter WRIGHT, 11. Lee MULVANEY. Subs: 12. Lee CLITHEROE, 14. Graeme ATKINSON, 15. Tony EVANS.

REPORT

The game started in pouring rain which continued throughout the 90 minutes. After just 20 seconds, Southport won the game's first corner, which Rose cleared. Southport's lively start continued as another attack ended in a shot, deflected narrowly wide by Pickford, after Mulvaney had got behind Gary Talbot. Rod Thornley then charged down a defender but the ball ran to keeper Dickinson. Although it was the visitors who were forcing the early pace, Alty won a corner when Thornley found Reynolds on the right. However, Shuttleworth's underhit corner was a disappointment as it hit the side netting (9 mins). A fine header by Rose then saw off Mulvaney's cross at the cost of another corner, which Coburn caught cleanly (10 mins). Hardy did get in a header at the other end but it went very wide as he was jostled. Next Craney won Altrincham's second corner. Talbot won Aspinall's corner kick in the air but the ball came out to Reynolds whose effort from 22 yards ran easily to Dickinson (12 mins). With Graham Heathcote watching from the directors' box, despite his touchline ban having ended, Wright then headed onto the top of the net for Southport.

Out of nothing, a screamer from almost 40 yards from Hardy only just cleared the visitors' bar at the Golf Road end (14 mins) before Stuart Coburn entertained the home crowd with a neat body swerve as he dribbled the ball clear in the Altrincham box. Altrincham were now improving after Southport's initial pressure. Ian Craney soon advanced up the middle and got in a superb shot from the edge of the box which Dickinson did very well to tip out for a corner, as he dived to his right (18 mins). From Aspinall's well-struck left-side corner, Talbot (left) timed his far post run brilliantly and powered a downward header towards goal, which bounced up onto the underside of the crossbar and into the net to record his first goal of the season (19 mins). Gary became the 11th different Altrincham player to have scored this season.

Southport soon responded with a corner on the left which Thomson headed wide but the former Lancaster and NAC Breda striker did much better soon afterwards when he got behind the defence on the Southport left-centre but Coburn made a fine block at the near post to keep him out. Band then cleared another Southport advance before Aspinall received a booking for a bad challenge on Jones, who needed treatment (24 mins). Another 25 yard effort from Craney then flew just over the Southport bar (27 mins), as the entertaining first half continued. Following a Southport offside Reynolds swept a good ball to Hardy but, for once, the Alty striker's control let him down.

Southport won another corner when a shot deflected off Craney (33 mins) but Altrincham replied with Adams starting a flowing move forward, via Rose and Craney, who found Thornley. Thornley was fouled as he collected the ball some 30 yards out but the ball ran to Craney who was just advancing to the edge of the box when, simultaneously, the referee blew for the foul on Thornley and Craney himself was brought down. Altrincham were left with a freekick much further out than might have been the case and Thornley underwent lengthy treatment before resuming (35 mins). After some delay, Hallam was booked for the offence. Craney laid off the resulting free-kick to Aspinall, whose well struck shot from 25 yards just cleared the bar - this was Alty's fourth long-range shot to have gone close so far.

Altrincham were now getting the upper hand and they won a corner which Dickinson caught, from Aspinall's flag-kick. Then, a poor pass from Hallam went to Rose whose feed to Thornley saw the Alty's captain's low shot well saved by Dickinson (41 mins). Jones was then booked for a trip on Reynolds on the Alty right and soon after this Thornley got to the by-line but his cross was mis-hit (44 mins). Half-time came with Alty a goal ahead after weathering Southport's early sustained attacks. The new centre-back partnership of Band and Talbot was dealing with everything that came at it, including the threat of Thomson, whilst Aspinall and Adams were also doing a good job at the back.

The rain continued to come down as Altrincham kicked off towards the 20/20 End. Southport had the better of the opening minutes till a fine passing movement from Altrincham up the right, and started by Craney, saw Hardy put in a cross which was cleared (50 mins). However, Southport continued to press forward and hemmed Altrincham back into their own half for several minutes. Altrincham now brought on Gardner for Reynolds on the right flank (56 mins), but Southport almost immediately won two more corners.

Altrincham's supporters continued to sing loudly for their team as the home defence and midfield was kept busy stemming the Southport attacks. A measure of the team's success was that Southport possession was rarely turned into a shooting opportunity and Coburn had relatively little to do - though Dickinson at the other end was even less employed. Graham Heathcote was now down on the touchline shouting to his team to try and get forward out of their own half (62 mins). Adams now made a fine tackle to stop Mulvaney before Craney was harshly penalised, to concede a free-kick 25 yards out. McGuire drove this over the Golf Road roof into the road beyond (65 mins). Finally there was some respite for Altrincham when Thornley got in a shot at the other end, but it went wide (68 mins). This was Rod's last act as he was taken off to be replaced by Nick Welton in the Alty attack. A minute later Clitheroe came on for McGuire for Southport (70 mins). After a long ball had bounced over Band for Wright to toe-end a shot at Coburn, Adams had to make a crucial clearing header. Then a big, kicked clearance from Coburn bounced over the Southport defence and Welton, who had read the bounce better, got in to lift the ball over the bar (75 mins).

Adams was again alert to cut out a cross at the cost of a corner. This came out to Williams whose blistering 25 yard shot came off the Alty crossbar and came out to a colleague whose low shot across the goalmouth was cleared (77 mins). A mistake by Hallam set Hardy advancing on goal but, instead of shooting, he tried to find Welton, only for Whitworth to intercept (78 mins). Following a free-kick, Southport won another corner following which Whitworth's nod to Mulvaney led to the no.11 hitting the side netting from left of goal (82 mins). Southport now surprisingly replaced the threatening Thomson by Evans. Following this, Welton was tripped as he was about to break free but the referee saw no foul. Soon, after the ball had gone out of play for a throw near the Blue Cannon Stand, Hallam clearly used his arms to push over Hardy. The referee went to speak to his linesman at great length before finally brandishing Hallam's second yellow card, followed by the inevitable red (85 mins). This signalled the end for Southport as Altrincham soon won a corner, rather luckily, when Craney's sliced shot got a deflection. Altrincham saw out the final minutes without any serious alarms to record their third successive win, after victories over Burscough and Hyde United. Despite the foul weather the two sides served up a highly entertaining game. The third consecutive clean sheet will also have pleased the management and it was fitting that a defender received the Man of the Match award, namely Peter Band. Only four teams have conceded fewer goals than Altrincham this season and two of those have played fewer league games. As the Youth Team had sponsored the game, Peter was fittingly given his champagne by Youth Team captain Alex Frost and coach Neil Thomason.

Altrincham moved up to 15th and ever closer to the vital 13th place which will qualify them for Conference North next season.