Match Report


LEIGH R.M.I(0) 1
ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

F.A. Trophy 3rd Round game,
played on Saturday, 15 January, 2005
at 3p.m.


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    SUMMARY:

    Altrincham advanced to Round 4 of the FA Trophy and gained £4,000 in prize money with this ultimately deserved win at Hilton Park. After a disappointing first half from Alty, in which Leigh missed several chances, the visitors were much improved in the second half. They took the lead after 80 minutes when Little laid off a cross from the right to Maddox and the centre-back showed great composure as he blasted home from the edge of the box. Alty doubled their lead when Lugsden chased down Leigh keeper, Mann, whose mis-hit clearance went to Little, 40 yards from goal. Little drove the ball low from that distance and it just crossed the line as the embarrassed keeper raced back to his line (85 mins). But Alty allowed a Leigh side including three debutants to get their first goal in five games when Reed converted a nod-on from fellow-debutant Douglas-Pringle (90 mins). And the singing from the Alty fans throughout the match was marvellous!


    SCORERS

  • 80 mins: Mark MADDOX (Leigh RMI 0 Altrincham 1)
  • 85 mins: Colin LITTLE (Leigh RMI 0 Altrincham 2)
  • 90 mins: Michael REED (Leigh RMI 1 Altrincham 2)

    REFEREE: Mr P. Canadine


    ATTENDANCE: 401
    BACKGROUND:

    Leigh RMI had won just one league game all season and had failed to score in their previous four games. New manager Geoff Lutley had placed his faith in youth and produced three new young players as debutants for today's game. In contrast, Alty arrived at Hilton Park unbeaten in their last eight cup and league games but wary of a side which, despite its abysmal league record, was nevertheless playing at a higher league level than they were.

    The day of the match was dismal and heavy rain set in during the first half making the playing surface very soft. Nevertheless the pitch was in good condition especially considering that it is also the home to Leigh Centurions rugby league team. The gate of 410 was far in excess of the 251 who had turned up for Leigh's last game in the Conference National. But many of the crowd were from Altrincham and certainly all the sound came from the visitors' vocal supporters.


    TEAM NEWS

    RMI included a number of ex-Altrincham youth players in their squad even though one such player, Mark Drew was suspended, after seeing two red cards in his brief Conference career to date. The other ex-Alty youth players named in the squad included starters Graham Tench and Ian Taylor, whilst on the bench were Lee Shillito (recovering from flu), Ben Ashmole and Liam Coyne. Leigh produced three debutants for this game. Michael Reed was finally making his debut after being signed from Penrith, having been prevented from playing for Leigh earlier by the floods in his home area in the Lake District. Daniel Douglas-Pringle had just been signed from Chorley whilst Phil Doughty had just arrived on a month's loan from Blackpool. Chris Simm was returning to the side after injury.

    Alty had no injury problems, apart from the long-term absence of Stephen Rose. Marcus Hallows was again on the bench despite his good scoring record this season, as Rod Thornley again partnered Colin Little up front.


    LINE-UPS

    LEIGH RMI (Red and white striped shirts, red shorts and socks): 30. James MANN. 2. Chris LANE, 15. Andy ROSCOE, 6. Phil DOUGHTY, 4. Gareth STOKER, 11. Warren PEYTON, 14. Chris SIMM, 17. Graham TENCH, 8. Daniel DOUGLAS-PRINGLE, 7. Michael REED, 32. Ian TAYLOR. Subs: 19. Ben ASHMOLE, 20. Liam COYNE, 22. Daniel MORTON, 25. Lee SHILLITO, 28. Michael WARWICK.

    ALTRINCHAM (All yellow) 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Eddie HUSSIN, 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Val OWEN, 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Gary SCOTT. Subs: 12 Marcus HALLOWS, 14. Kieran LUGSDEN, 15. Peter WRIGHT, 16. Sean SMITH, 17. George MELLING.


    REPORT

    The game was barely ten seconds old when Hussin committed a crude challenge on Stoker, who reacted angrily. Referee Canadine gave the Alty captain a deserved lecture and Leigh a free-kick. Leigh had the first attempt at goal when a header at goal was fielded by Coburn (4 mins). Douglas-Pringle was making an early impression on the right of midfield as Alty laboured in the opening stages. Alty finally stirred themselves after eight minutes when a good turn by Little led to a cross which Scott headed comfortably wide of the back post (8 mins). Soon Coburn had to come out to win a heading duel with Douglas-Pringle (13 mins), before the same Leigh player's first-time, hooked shot went narrowly wide as Alty looked second best.

    Rain now started to fall and soon got heavy enough to drive virtually all of the vocal Alty fans, standing in the open behind the Leigh goal, to retreat to the cover of the stand. Leigh soon threatened again when Simm, Douglas-Pringle and Tench combined but Owen managed to see the ball out at the back post to concede the first corner of the game to Leigh, on their left (19 mins). The echo off the stand roof increased the volume of the constant singing and chanting of the Alty fans who far outnumbered the home spectators. But their side was still labouring on the pitch as Coburn had to hack clear when Aspinall got himself into difficulties as he attempted to dribble across his own penalty area. Referee Canadine was giving some strange decisions but belatedly Alty put together an impressive and incisive move when, following Coburn's clearance, Thornley fed Little, to his left, and his low drive was almost diverted into his own goal by a Leigh defender but gave Alty a corner on their right flank (27 mins).

    But Leigh had a better chance soon afterwards when a clearance from Coburn came back towards the Alty goal and Simm, in the clear, should have done better than shoot wide of Coburn's right upright (30 mins). Alty replied with a good move when Little fed Thornley, ahead and to his right. Thornley, in turn, found Potts advancing into the box from the right but Potts lashed his shot across goal when he should have hit the target (31 mins). Owen was not having a happy time in midfield and his error gave Reed a shot from 20 yards which hit the target but without enough venom to worry Coburn (32 mins). Leigh continued to enjoy the better of the half and soon won another corner. From this Douglas-Pringle's header led to a melee in the Alty box. As half-time approached Alty continued to stutter on the increasingly slippery surface and Adams's slice into touch as the 45 minutes came to an end summed up their game so far. Mr Canadine somehow found two extra minutes in a half during which no trainer had been seen. During this time Scott was flattened after the ball had gone but the referee chose to ignore this and half-time arrived with the game goalless and Altrincham, so far, not in their stride.


    Half-Time: LEIGH RMI 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

    With rain still falling, Alty started the second half the better and won an early corner through Thornley, after a fine pass by Hussin from an Owen feed. However soon Leigh had another opportunity to go ahead but Simm produced a poor shot, which went wide. Then Owen, who was now becoming more influential, started a move which ended with Little's header wide, from Aspinall's testing cross from the right (49 mins). Next, Leigh threatened on the right and a clear trip by Maddox earned him a yellow card (51 mins). The vocal support for Alty continued unabated and eventually Little won his side a corner. But Potts's corner was too near to Mann who caught the ball comfortably (57 mins). The game still lacked quality as Aspinall sliced an intended cross behind the goal only for Thornley to produce an equally poor cross cum shot which went high and behind the goal (67 mins). Nevertheless, Alty were playing better than in the first half and keeping Leigh away from their goal. A great tackle by Maddox stifled Leigh's next attempt to attack. Soon an interception by Owen saw the ball come to Little and, stretching, the Alty striker's shot from right of goal struck the outside of the post (71 mins). Leigh committed a number of robust tackles and when Scott was tripped by Simm, the Leigh man was lucky to evade a booking. At this point each side made a change with Ashmole, a former Alty youth player, replacing Simm for Leigh and Lugsden coming on for Alty in place of Thornley (74 mins).

    A dreadful waist high challenge by Peyton on Potts, near the touchline, led to a deserved booking for the RMI man, and soon afterwards Alty won a corner as they now dominated proceedings (75 mins). But Coburn still had to be alert to race out and beat Ashmole to a through ball. Then a very late challenge on Hussin led to a booking for Tench (78 mins). But Alty soon took the lead when Adams and Hussin combined on the left and the ball came across to Little in a central position on the edge of the box. He laid the ball to his right where centre-back Maddox was in an uncommonly advanced position just outside the box, on the right, front edge of the box. The defender coolly gathered the ball before driving a controlled drive firmly past Mann to put Alty ahead with a well-taken goal (80 mins). Alty were now dominant but Potts was labouring with an injury. Lugsden was soon flattened by another strong challenge from Leigh and though a Leigh player kicked the ball away some 60 yards, referee Canadine chose to ignore this. Coburn then fooled around and risked a booking for time wasting as he went on hands and knees to gather the loose ball. To a chorus of "You're going down with the Northwich", from the Alty fans, Leigh now looked a beaten side. Indeed from a freekick by Aspinall, Talbot's header fed Little who put the ball in the net only for the goal to be ruled offside (83 mins). But Alty did double their lead after 85 minutes when Lugsden chased down Mann as he went to kick clear and though the keeper got reasonable distance on the clearance, the trajectory was low and the ball came to Little forty yards out in a central position. The Alty striker controlled the ball quickly and fired a low shot at the vacant net. Mann raced back to his line from the right-hand edge of his own box but was unable to stop the ball crossing the line before he arrived back in his goal (85 mins). It was a very well taken goal by Little, his 20th of the season.

    But Leigh did not give up and Douglas-Pringle held his head in his hands as he missed a sitter, failing to connect with a cross from the left. Alty then brought on Wright for the hobbling Potts (87 mins). As the ninety minutes ended, Hallows got ready to come on but just then following a throw on the left, a cross came over which Douglas-Pringle nodded on for Reed to slot home at the back post and make it 2-1 (90 mins). That put paid to any plans to bring on Hallows. As injury time ticked by, Peyton shot just wide from 25 yards. But Lugsden had a great chance to wrap things up for Alty when a ball up the middle set him one on one against Mann. The keeper stood up well and caught Lugsden's attempted chip over his head (90+3 mins). Despite a late corner, Alty held on as the referee somehow found almost four minutes of added time.

    After a sluggish first half, Alty had dominated much of the second period and deserved their win. But for a team with just one league win this season, Leigh did not look a dispirited side but they paid the price for squandering several first-half chances which might have made Altrincham's task more difficult. After a quiet first-half, Owen and Hussin became more influential whilst up front, Colin Little continues to show the class that gave him an extensive league career before arriving at Moss Lane.


    Full-Time: LEIGH RMI 1 ALTRINCHAM 2