Match Report

REFEREE: Mr S Cummins (Runcorn)

This was Roly Howard's 1,900th match as Marine manager but only the 70th for Altrincham's manager, Graham Heathcote. Before kick-off Marine and Alty lay 12th and 13th respectively in the table. In contrast with last year's visit to Rossett Park, on a Tuesday night in gale-force winds and rain, today's Saturday afternoon game began in bright sunshine. However, as this shone down the pitch towards the stand, it made spectating difficult.

TEAM NEWS

Alty were again without captain, Mark Maddox (ill), as well as Barry Shuttleworth (injured). Compared with the side which won in the Trophy match last week, Stuart Wright came into the Alty starting line-up on the left, in place of Steve Lunt, and Niell Hardy started up front instead of David Holt who, with Lunt, was on the bench. Peter Band continued in central defence in place of Mark Maddox.

Marine keeper Peter Crookes was injured so Terry McCormick made his third league start of the season. Paul McNally was also out, so Dean Thurston came into the home side up front.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, white shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Peter BAND, 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Stephen ROSE, 7. Gary SCOTT, 8. Ian CRANEY (capt.), 9. Marcus HALLOWS, 10. Niell HARDY, 11. Stuart WRIGHT. Subs: 12. David HOLT, 14. Stephen LUNT, 15. Chris DOWNEY.

MARINE (White shirts, black shorts and socks): 1. Terry McCORMICK, 2. Paul CULSHAW, 3. Paul PROCTOR, 4. Will DOLAN, 5. James CONNOLLY, 6. Gary RANDLES (capt.), 7. Neil BLACK, 8. Eddie HUSSIN, 9. Dean THURSTON, 10. Tommy TAYLOR, 11. Steve WHITEHALL. subs: 12. Lee MULLIN, 14. Ian JOHNSON, 15. Dave THOMPSON.

REPORT

Altrincham kicked off with the troublesome setting sun behind them and won a corner in the first minute, through Hardy, on the right. McCormick punched clear when he might have caught the corner kick. After two free-kicks were conceded in quick succession by Rose and Craney in midfield, Altrincham attacked again and from Craney's feed, Wright's ball from the left almost found Hardy at the back post. Then Wright got past Culshaw but shot well wide and high, across the face of goal from the Alty left (5 mins). Rose then got in a shot from 25 yards from an attempted clearance by Randles but his effort went wide (7 mins). Play, however, was generally scrappy in the opening stages and it was not until the 14th minute that anything worthy of mention arose; then, Hardy got in a good volleyed shot from right of goal from Aspinall's pass but McCormick saved it.

Soon afterwards, a punt upfield saw Coburn rise with a Marine player. The keeper was unable to hold the ball and conceded a corner to Marine on their right, which was overhit. Craney did get past Culshaw but was closed off before he could pose too much danger, However, Marine then went close when Connolly found Thurston and his cross from the right found the unmarked Taylor whose goalbound header was tipped over the bar by Coburn, for a corner on the Marine left (18 mins). Alty responded when Talbot found Hallows who got the better of Connolly but his shot from 12 yards was underhit and was comfortably saved (20 mins). After Craney had conceded a free-kick for a foul on Hussin, with whom he was to clash several times during the game, Culshaw received treatment for a hip injury at the side of the pitch and was eventually unable to continue. However Marine played on with ten men and Black got the better of Adams on the Marine right to win a corner. At this point, Mullin replaced Culshaw for Marine.

Play was now largely in the Altrincham half and from a cross by Dolan, Taylor's effort at the back post was kept out at the cost of a corner on the Marine left (26 mins). Following this, Mullin sliced his long range effort very badly wide (27 mins). There was then a stoppage for lengthy treatment to Hallows who appeared to have been caught by Randles's arm but play resumed with a bounce-up (31 mins). Soon after this, Taylor fed Hussin who was brought down by Band just outside the Alty box and the Alty number four was booked for the fourth time this season (34 mins).

From the free-kick, 20 yards out, left of centre, Whitehall curled the ball superbly over the wall towards the top corner where Coburn, leaping to his right, made a fine save, knocking the ball onto the crossbar for a corner (35 mins). Marine continued to keep Alty on the back foot but when Black advanced menacingly into the Alty box, he pushed Band to concede a free-kick. In fact, the most dangerous moment for the Marine goal came from their own player, Proctor, whose header back to his keeper had McCormick scurrying to his right post to gather the ball. However, soon, Wright won Alty a corner which Aspinall took from the left, short to Adams, who was immediately closed down. However, Alty soon had the ball in the net when, following a throw on the left, Hallows went up at the back post with a defender and the keeper. The Alty man nodded the ball back into the far corner of the net but was adjudged to have committed a foul in the process and the "goal" was disallowed. This came just as three minutes of added time were announced. Referee Cummins played advantage when Craney was caught late but then awarded Alty a free-kick just outside the Marine box. McCormick just got to the free-kick before Band but the ball ran free to Wright who lashed it over the bar. Half-time arrived, seemingly, a minute before the supposed three minutes of added time had been completed and the crowd were left hoping for some better fare in the second period.

At the interval, Whitehall was replaced by Johnson due to a hamstring injury. Coburn was soon in action, coming out of his area to head clear. Soon afterwards Hussin seemed to foul Coburn as he went to punch clear and a Marine corner resulted, to the annoyance of the Alty keeper and of the Marine supporters, who claimed a penalty for handball. This was cleared and soon Hallows won his side a flag-kick at the other end. Talbot won the corner in the air but his effort was cleared. Band saw off Marine's next attack, hoofing the ball clean over the roof of an adjoining house. After a foul by Craney, he and Proctor went head to head but after a lecture, play resumed with a dropped ball. From this, Band played a good ball to Hardy on the left wing and he advanced before sending in a cross at chest height, which the stooping Hallows did well to head firmly into the net and give Altrincham the lead (51 mins). After the restart, Rose fed Hallows and his cross saw McCormick catch well under the bar under a challenge from Hardy. Hussin was then late in challenging Craney and was booked (53 mins). Craney seemed to exact revenge shortly afterwards but play was waved on to Marine's advantage, though Hussin complained to the referee about it. Craney next won Alty a corner as the game now assumed a flow which had been largely absent in the first half. McCormick caught the corner at the second attempt before Adams and Band saw off Marine's next attacks. Aspinall then made a superb tackle to block Johnson before Hardy found Craney at the other end but his shot, as he ran diagonally left towards goal, went wide (59 mins). Soon Coburn did well to claim a bouncing, loose ball in his box before a foul by Scott on Hussin gave Marine a free-kick from 20 yards. Dolan hit this poorly over the bar (64 mins). Band then performed more defensive heroics, heading clear from Dolan in the Alty goalmouth. From a Talbot clearance, Aspinall found Hardy and his cross from the right saw Wright fire in a firm, low shot which McCormick saved well at the foot of his right post, to concede a corner to Altrincham on the left. Talbot got in an excellent header from Aspinall's corner which McCormick saved magnificently at the cost of another corner. This one ended up as a Marine goalkick.

Taylor then made progress on the Marine left and won a corner when his cross was deflected just wide of his own goal by Band. From the corner, Hussin's header was well saved by Coburn. Then Craney picked up the ball near half way and advanced up the centre before firing a shot from 35 yards or more which cannoned back off the middle of the crossbar (69 mins). Next Rose shot wide from 25 yards as the openings continued to present themselves for Altrincham. At this point David Holt replaced Hardy up front for the visitors (70 mins). Almost immediately Holt got behind Proctor but his cross went to Connolly rather than a team-mate.

Thurston nearly equalized when his well-hit volley from the back post was brilliantly tipped over the bar by Coburn from 12 yards, for a corner which Band cleared. Hussin was in trouble again with the referee when he said something out of turn after a foul on Holt. Hallows then won Alty a corner but Marine threatened again when Scott conceded a free-kick 22 yards out from goal. Alty cleared this and successive attacks from Marine, including Scott's good clearance from Black which brought claims for a penalty but clearly was not (83 mins). Just before three minutes of added time were announced, Hallows was replaced by Steve Lunt for Altrincham and the visitors saw out the final minutes without too great danger of losing their precious lead.

The second half performance from Altrincham was excellent after a lacklustre opening 45 minutes and took Altrincham up to 10th in the table. Both goalkeepers made fine saves which kept the score down and the Altrincham defence performed well all afternoon. Hardy had his best game for some time and Craney had another good game in midfield whilst Hallows has now netted 4 goals in 9 starts. As they have no league game for three weeks, Altrincham can expect to drop down the table as other teams play league games, but they go into the Trophy match at Weymouth on 31 January on the back of a good second half performance this afternoon.