Match Report

SUMMARY:

Alty again came unstuck on their travels as they lost away from home for the third time by a 2-1 margin. Before Runcorn had taken the lead, Altrincham had been playing well but when a clearance came back to Nicky Young, the former Vauxhall man blasted it past Richard Acton (right), who was back in goal in the absence of Stuart Coburn (28 mins). Disaster struck after 35 minutes when Talbot's badly underhit back-pass was intercepted by Young who left Acton with no chance (35 mins). On the stroke of half-time a freekick from Adams was nodded across goal by Talbot and from wide of the back post Hallows knocked the ball back and it deflected off Ellis for an own goal to make it 2-1 (45 mins). Despite plenty of second-half possession, Alty created few clear openings in the Runcorn defence, the best being in the last minute of added time when Hallows sliced wide from Little's knock-on.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr P Dunn

After their heavy defeat last week at Ashton in the Carthium Cup, Altrincham were looking for a win tonight which would take them up to second place in the league. This game had been deferred from Saturday due to the use of the Halton Stadium for a rugby league play-off match. For their part, Runcorn had lost just once in their last twelve home games.

TEAM NEWS

With Stuart Coburn out of action, Altrincham were fortunate to have the services of Richard Acton once again, the club having secured his international clearance to allow him to play as Richard is currently the Bangor City goalkeeper in the League of Wales.

Compared with the Ashton game last Monday, Alty showed five changes. Apart from Acton replacing Ian Senior in goal, Rose, Torpey, Scott and the injured Hardy were not in the starting line-up tonight. In their places were Adams (fit again after injury), Maddox, Potts and Hallows.

RUNCORN FC HALTON (Yellow shirts, green shorts, yellow socks): 1. Tony McMILLAN, 2. Steve CARRAGHER, 3. Matty McGINN, 4. Ged NOLAN, 5. John ROBERTSON (capt.), 6. Peter ELLIS, 7. Mike GARRITY, 8. Lee PARLE, 9. Nicky YOUNG, 10. Carl RENDALL, 11. Ged COURTNEY. Subs: 12. Kieron DURKAN, 14. Lee KISSOCK, 15. Robbie MOORE, 16. Leon WILLIAMS, 17. David NESS.

ALTRINCHAM (All yellow): 1. Richard ACTON, 2. Stephen ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Peter BAND (capt.), 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Eddie HUSSIN, 9. Marcus HALLOWS, 10. Colin LITTLE, 11. Peter WRIGHT. Subs: 12. Stephen ROSE, 14. Gary SCOTT, 15. Steve TORPEY, 16. Barry SHUTTLEWORTH, 17. Kieran LUGSDEN.

REPORT

The biggest league crowd of the season at the Halton Stadium, by some margin, was treated to strong vocal support from the Golf Road supporters as the game got under way on a night of persistent misty rain. Runcorn won a corner in the first few seconds and, following this, Runcorn were caught offside but Acton, nevertheless, made a good save from Rendall as the ref's whistle went. Alty responded with two corners of their own inside the first five minutes. The game carried on at an initially lively pace with Runcorn enjoying the better of the opening minutes before Alty got marginally the better of the proceedings over the next twenty minutes.

After a Potts shot had gone wide, a deep cross from the same player landed on the top of the Runcorn net (10 mins). Next, Rendall was again caught offside but had put the ball in the net before play was halted (14 mins). For Alty, from a Runcorn mis-pass to Hallows which led to a Potts cross from the right, Peter Wright got in an overhead shot which was not too far over the bar (15 mins).

For Runcorn, Young fired in a well struck effort from 25 yards which Acton did very well to hold as it skidded off the moist surface. At the other end, Hussin fed Wright on the left and his cross was fumbled away by McMillan for a corner. The corner, by Potts, was half cleared but came back into the box where a great diving header by Maddox was glanced towards the far corner but McMillan made a very good save at full stretch, to his left, to concede another corner. From this Maddox got onto Potts's kick but headed wide of the near post (27 mins). But just as Alty had the upper hand, Runcorn scored. Up the centre of the pitch, Young's first effort came back off a defender but the Runcorn number nine gave Acton no chance with his follow up which he blasted home from the edge of the box (28 mins).

After the restart, Runcorn won a corner but the game then went through a rather poor period with plenty of head tennis and mis-placed passes. This spell of indifferent play culminated in Runcorn's second goal. Acton played the ball routinely out to Adams at left-back. He played the ball inside to Talbot who attempted to return it to his goalkeeper but seriously underhit his back-pass. Acton had no chance of getting to the ball as Young stepped in to drive it into the net (35 mins). Runcorn were now in control and Alty's promising early work had been replaced by more tentative play. But, after a Runcorn corner had been cleared, Alty put together an excellent passing move involving Little, Hussin, Talbot and Wright which took them from one end of the pitch to the other. The move ended with a diving header from Hallows to meet Wright’s cross but the ball went over the bar (42 mins). Acton then had to leave his box to clear from Young before Alty won a freekick 40 yards out to the right. Adams took the free-kick, left-footed, curling the ball onto Talbot’s head towards the near post. Talbot got the ball across goal to beyond the back post where Hallows attempted to turn into the net from a very acute angle. The ball struck the legs of Ellis at the near post and went into the net to make it 2-1 (45 mins). Second later the half-time whistle sounded and Altrincham could count themselves unfortunate to be trailing.

The first incident of note in the second half was when Nolan got Little in a headlock and was deservedly booked (49 mins). There was then a lengthy stoppage for Colin Potts who appeared to have taken a blow to the chest or neck area (52 mins). After further treatment off the field Potts returned to the game. Play was now less fluent than in the opening period of the first half, with a lack of goalmouth action. So, Graham Heathcote attempted to shake things up by replacing Wright with new signing Steve Torpey on the left wing (58 mins).

Just after the hour Mark Aspinall found Little, who delivered a testing cross which was volleyed narrowly over the bar by the incoming Band. After Acton had made a comfortable save from Young, Alty replaced their second wide man, with Potts giving way to Scott on the right (64 mins). Soon after this Acton did very well to stop a wickedly deflected shot from Garrity with his legs. Then, at the other end, Hallows fed Adams, whose cross was met by a good header from Little but McMillan saved well (67 mins)

After Acton had saved a 25 yard free-kick the rain intensified and Alty again went close as Band headed Hussin's cross just wide (71 mins). Altrincham were enjoying most of the possession and a corner soon followed for them. Sadly, Torpey wasted the corner with a low, underhit effort which was easily cleared. Manager Graham Heathcote was now at pitchside having spent the earlier part of the game in the stand and he was clearly getting exasperated by his side's lack of passing movements at this stage.

A bad tackle by Courtney on Aspinall earned him a merited yellow card, just inside the Alty half, and at this point Runcorn brought on Durkan for Young (77 mins). When Runcorn won a free-kick soon afterwards, Acton produced an excellent save to tip Courtney's effort over the bar for a corner. But Alty's evening was summed up when Little and Hallows collided going for the same ball in the Runcorn box. Alty now made their third change with Maddox giving way to Rose at centre-back (80 mins). The substitute soon started distributing the ball well but Runcorn were keeping the Robins at bay. The best effort in the next few minutes was a 20 yarder from Aspinall which was easily saved. Rose was then very harshly booked as he got the ball on the right inside his own half but Durkan went down under the challenge. It was Rose's first "offence" after coming on six minutes earlier.

Referee Dunn upset Alty again when he got in the way of a Little pass and from the rebound Aspinall sliced a shot well wide. Scott, Aspinall and Little then combined well before being pulled up for offside as four minutes of added time were announced. Runcorn were now defending in depth but on the break Durkan got past Rose at half-way and headed for goal, pursued by Scott. Acton came out well and blocked Durkan's shot with his legs (93 mins). But there was still time for Alty to grab a point. After Band had fed Adams on the left, his cross was relayed by Little to Hallows, to the right-centre of goal but Marcus sliced his shot well wide from the edge of the box. Seconds later the final whistle sounded.

Altrincham had started the game well but after falling behind they lost their cohesion and too many passes in the second half went astray or were played up field without finding their target. Hussin, who had a very good opening half was kept quieter in the second and once Potts had gone off any threat from the Alty flanks was muted. As in all three of their away defeats in the league, Alty could well have got at least a point from the game but the second goal, gifted to Runcorn, proved one too many to match.