Match Report

SUMMARY:

In a rousing finish to the game Droylsden substitute Morris appeared to have stolen the points when he wrongfooted Band and lifted a fine shot past Coburn in the first minute of added time. But just seconds before the final whistle, Eddie Hussin scored the equaliser when he headed home an Adams corner - though Droylsden claimed that he handled the ball and/or caught a Droylsden player in the process. However, overall, justice was done as referee Haycock had failed to give as clear a penalty as you could see when Little was brought down when through on goal in the first half and earlier he also did not give a spot-kick in response to a strong appeal for handball. After Hallows had headed against the upright, Droylsden took the lead against the run of play when Salmon nutmegged Talbot and, though Banim badly mishit his resulting shot, the ball bobbled past Coburn into the far corner of the net (26 mins). Potts levelled with a good, low shot off the inside of the upright (66 mins). Alty drop to 6th but with games hand, can still go second if they win them.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr K W Haycock

Hard work by groundsman Peter Barry and manager Graham Heathcote had ensured that the match went ahead despite the incessant rain of the previous 24 hours. The league's best attack (Droylsden's) was today pitched against the best defence (Altrincham's).

TEAM NEWS

Mark Maddox had hurt his foot in a domestic accident so his place at centre-back was taken by Peter Band, who moved back from midfield. In midfield Gary Scott was in an unaccustomed central position whilst Eddie Hussin played on the left. Stephen Rose came into central midfield, whilst Stuart Coburn, still not 100% fit, kept goal again. Recent signing Stephen Torpey, from Prescot Cables, returned to the squad after being cup-tied last week.

Droylsden boss Dave Pace had threatened wholesale changes after his site exited the FA Cup last weekend and, on top of his tactical changes, he was forced to omit Craig Robinson through injury whilst David Cameron was fit only to start on the bench. Alty had faced Droylsden's new signing Jody Banim in his Radcliffe days but new faces for Alty fans were the Bloods' Stuart Howson and Peter Dogun.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1.Stuart COBURN, 2. Stephen ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Peter BAND (capt.), 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Gary SCOTT, 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Eddie HUSSIN, 9. Marcus HALLOWS, 10. Colin LITTLE, 11. Stephen ROSE. Subs: 12. Rod THORNLEY, 14. Peter WRIGHT, 15. Kieran LUGSDEN, 16. Steve TORPEY, 17. Stuart WRIGHT.

DROYLSDEN (Pale and dark blue quartered shirts, white shorts, blue socks)): 1. Paul PHILLIPS, 2. Carl REGAN, 3. Danny BYRNE, 4. Stuart HOWSON, 5. Garry BURKE (capt.), 6. Peter DOGUN, 7. Ged MURPHY, 8. Steve BRODIE, 9. Gavin SALMON, 10. Jody BANIM, 11. Scott WILLIS. Subs: 12. Carl SERRANT, 14. Gareth MORRIS, 15. Danny WARNER, 16. Ciaran KILHEENEY, 17. David CAMERON.

REPORT

The game started in dull but dry conditions on a pitch made soft by heavy rain over the previous week but especially in the last 24 hours of incessant downpours. Droylsden kicked off towards the 20/20 End but Altrincham got in the first effort at goal, a low header from Little which went wide (1 min). A fine header from Talbot dealt with a Droylsden freekick as Alty manager Graham Heathcote followed his recent practice of watching the first half from the stand. A fairly low key opening few minutes saw Droylsden settle marginally the better. However, Alty won the first corner after a good passing move had ended with a cross from Adams (7 mins). Play now became even with the two defences limiting sights of goal. But a low shot from Hallows caused Phillips some concern and the keeper only gathered the ball at the second attempt as it skidded off the greasy surface (10 mins). Hussin was looking industrious in the Alty midfield and, after a good build-up, he soon played a fine long ball forward which only just evaded Colin Little and ran to Phillips (13 mins)

Then Hussin put in a fine cross from the left which Hallows met well. Marcus saw his looping header leave Phillips stranded but come back off the inside of the far post (15 mins). Altrincham soon won a corner before Dogun earned a lecture for tripping Hussin. The resulting freekick by Rose came safely to Phillips (19 mins). Droylsden then threatened at the other end when Brodie's shot was deflected and bisected the space between Banim and Coburn to give Droylsden a corner on their left (20 mins). Altrincham replied with a corner of their own when Phillips elected to push Potts's cross over the bar when he could have caught the ball. Altrincham now had the upper hand and, when Adams fed Hallows, the latter fired in a great, swerving shot from 30 yards which Phillips could not initially hold, knocking the ball forward ten yards before he gathered it safely (25 mins). But then Altrincham gifted Droylsden a goal, against the run of play. Salmon slipped the ball through Talbot's legs in the outer part of the penalty area and found Banim who made something of a hash of his shot, mis-hitting it badly. The ball seemed to be rolling onto or just wide of the far post before it hit a divot and tucked itself just inside the upright to give Droylsden the lead (26 mins).

Hallows was soon in the wars when a Banim freekick hit him full in the face and not long afterwards he had to come off briefly for treatment to his right eye. When Potts's cross was taken off the incoming Hussin's path by a good intervention from Willis, an Alty corner was given. Potts's corner was poor but he fortunately won a second flag kick from the clearance. Phillips missed the corner ball but Little's shot hit a Droylsden player, prompting a strong appeal for a penalty for handball which the referee dismissed (30 mins). More controversy followed when a fine ball from Band set Little free and as he advanced towards Phillips inside the box, he was quite clearly brought down from behind just as he was about to shoot. To the amazement of the home fans, Mr Haycock waved play-on and almost immediately Droylsden won a corner at the other end.

Soon, Potts was felled by Murphy, who was booked. After Phillips had saved a low shot from Potts, he put the ball out of play and went down injured but resumed after treatment (39 mins). A robust and late challenge by Salmon on Talbot, as the Alty centre-half advanced into the opposition half, brought the Bloods' striker a lecture. After Droylsden had passed the ball around to wind down the clock to half time, Scott and Potts combined to feed Hallows for another crack at goal, which was saved. Marcus had now had three good strikes at goal (43 mins). As the first half drew towards added time, Droylsden won a corner but half time arrived with the score still to the visitors' advantage as rain started to fall on the proceedings. Referee Haycock and the yellow-flagged linesman left to a chorus of boos as a consequence of their failure to award the apparently clear penalty to Little during the first half.

With rain now falling, at half time Dave Pace brought in the former Bradford PA man, Carl Serrant at left-back. So, Byrne moved forward to replace Willis, the withdrawn player. With manager Graham Heathcote now on the touchline Altrincham attacked but their game at this stage lacked urgency- "You've got to work to make it happen", shouted the Altrincham manager to his team. No clear chances arose but Altrincham were keeping Droylsden on the back foot. Then Little turned well and fed Hallows who was clear of the defence with only Phillips to beat. But the Bloods' keeper made a good save to push the ball to his right for a corner from Hallows's shot (59 mins). When a Droylsden cross deflected off Rose, the visitors won a corner for themselves. Play then continued as Colin Potts came to the touchline to change his boots (60 mins). Another Alty chance went begging when Hussin found Hallows who fed Little but, on the edge of the box, the ball got under Little's feet. Next, after Rose's good interception, Potts was brought down 20 yards out in a central position. Altrincham used a rehearsed freekick routine which saw Little turn and shoot after the freekick had been tapped to him but his effort was deflected just over the bar and onto the roof of the net (63 mins).

Aspinall then did well to see off Banim before Droylsden brought on Kilheeney for Salmon (65 mins). With Steve Torpey being readied to come on for Alty, play stopped as Rose was treated for a knock. Play resumed and, via Little and Aspinall, the ball came to Potts who fired in a low shot from the edge of the box which went into the net off the base of the far post to level the scores (66 mins). Torpey now came on, replacing Talbot and forcing a reshuffle. Rose dropped into the centre-back slot vacated by Talbot as Hussin moved into central midfield. Torpey soon made a mark, firing in a rising shot from the left which cleared the bar from 20 yards (69 mins).

As Alty pressed forward, Little got past Serrant but the veteran defender pulled him back but escaped with a yellow card as another defender was inside him (71 mins). Hallows then got in another shot as Altrincham continued to dominate (72 mins). When Banim took a Droylsden freekick from 40 yards he not only missed the target but put his ball onto the top of the Golf Road roof. Aspinall was still taking goalkicks for his goalkeeper, who was given a pretty quiet afternoon by the visitors. Hallows went close yet again from an Adams cross, his header skimming wide off the top of his head (75 mins). Byrne did get in a shot from 25 yards at the other end, but it went very wide. Burke, who had a good game, continued to keep Alty at bay before Morris came on to replace Murphy after 78 minutes.

When Kilheeney reacted to being penalised for a clear foul on Rose, tempers rose for a moment (81 mins). Alty continued to press for a winner, and Torpey fired in another shot from 20 yards which went just wide of the far post (82 mins). Alty had a scare when Byrne was allowed to continue from a seemingly offside position but he shot wide. Coburn made his feelings known to the linesman who had failed to raise his flag. Droylsden now started to get forward themselves as play became end to end. Time was running out as Thornley came on for his first league appearance this season, the substituted player being Colin Little (89 mins). Three minutes of added time were announced and, almost immediately, from an Adams cross Hallows had at least his sixth good effort at goal; this time his header was well saved by Phillips (90 mins). Alty fans were then stunned as Morris collected the ball just outside the box and wrong-footed Band before firing a fine shot over Coburn into the far corner of the net (91 mins). Morris was the man who scored a screamer for Ashton against Alty two seasons ago so he clearly relishes playing against us.

With Alty facing the loss of their unbeaten home record, Edie Hussin was deservedly named Man of the Match. Rose, too, had a good game for Alty whilst Hallows had got himself into goalscoring positions on numerous occasions and on another day might have had a goal or two to his name. Alty won a corner as the game went into the last minute of added time after Potts's freekick had hit the defensive wall. From Adams's inswinging corner from the right, Hussin rose towards the back post to bundle the ball into the net, with a suspicion of handball. The linesman, whose flag had been raised, put it down again and the goal stood, which the home fans saw as only fair after the same official's failure to flag for a blatant first half penalty. In the aftermath of the goal, Hallows remained on the ground and as he was treated, Morris became involved in a fracas with the home fans on the Popular Side and was booked. Other Droylsden players mobbed the referee suggesting an offence by Hussin. Just seconds after play had resumed, the final whistle went and the Altrincham stewards had to form an escort for the match officials who had succeeded in annoying both sets of supporters; Altrincham's for their failure to award a penalty and Droylsden's for the late equaliser.

Altrincham will feel the more disappointed with the single point as Droylsden had few shots at goal compared with the numerous chances created by the home side. Though Altrincham remain the tightest defence in the league, the two goals conceded today doubled the number conceded in the league at Moss Lane this season and both involved defensive lapses. Nevertheless, Altrincham remain potentially in second place if they win their games in hand and they played a lot of good football this afternoon.