Match Report

REFEREE: Mr R L Metcalfe

A good crowd had gathered for the first league match between these rivals at Moss Lane for a decade. This was to be Alty's last home game for four weeks.

TEAM NEWS

Marcus Hallows's bruised foot had recovered and, for the first time in four league matches, he started the game, with Colin Little moving to the left to accommodate him. However, Val Owen was missing, with flu, and Steve Torpey had been released after being on the bench at Marston Road. So, Gary Scott moved into Owen's central midfield berth. During the warm-up Alty fans got an early sighting of new striker, Josh Mitten, who is currently suspended.

Stafford were without the suspended Lovatt, whilst the ill McAughtrie was replaced by Dodd at number two; Heath was also out, ill, but Rangers' captain, Wayne Daniel, had overcome an injury to play. Former Alty winger Jamie Phoenix got his first league start for Rangers and Craig Wilding also came into the side. Both the Rangers' manager and the assistant manager (Phil Robinson and Dave Norton) were named on the substitutes' bench.

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

STAFFORD RANGERS (Black and white striped shirts, white shorts and black socks) : 1. Stuart TOMLINSON, 2. Alan DODD, 3. Dennis PEARCE, 4. Craig SMITH, 5. Wayne DANIEL (capt.), 6. Nathan TALBOTT, 7. Lee DOWNES, 8. Jamie PHOENIX, 9. Neil GRAYSON, 10. Craig WILDING, 11. Robin GIBSON. Subs: 12. Danny EDWARDS, 14. Richard BEALE, 15. Gary FIFE, 16. Phil ROBINSON, 17. Dave NORTON.

REPORT

After a minute's silence for the victims of the Asian earthquake and tsunami, a well-supported Stafford side kicked off towards the 20/20 (Hale) End but were immediately caught offside. After a few minutes of uninspiring play down the Popular Side as one throw-in followed another and as the players struggled to get to grips with a pitch which, in places, was sodden and dead and, in others, was wet and skiddy, Alty won a corner after Aspinall and Potts had combined on the right. This corner-kick came out to Talbot whose mishit shot led to a throw-in, left of goal, for Altrincham. At this stage the rain had eased considerably.

Thornley than passed to Adams who was caught very late on the ankle by a bad challenge from Phoenix near the Alty left touchline, some 35 yards from the Stafford goal. The referee gave a freekick but took no more action than to have a brief word with Phoenix, much to the annoyance of Alty boss Graham Heathcote, whose publicly stated New Year's resolution had been to be calmer on the touchline! But Graham had good reason to berate the official on this occasion. Phoenix had had a short career at Alty in 2002/03 when, after impressing on his debut, as a sub, against Marine, he was given a starter's shirt for the next game, in the FA Cup against Kendal Town. However, he was sent off for pushing over an opponent and was released immediately afterwards. After treatment Adams limped off under the current rule which requires the injured party to leave the field after treatment whilst the offender stays on the pitch (5 mins). Phoenix was soon surging forward to a chorus of boos from the home fans before the referee penalised Hussin in midfield. Rain now lashed down once again (8 mins).

With puddles now forming on the pitch and a paddy-field developing in the corner nearest the Family Stand, conditions were getting more difficult. Soon, Phoenix further annoyed the home fans by going down theatrically to gain a freekick from Talbot (12 mins). After a few more minutes of play, which was badly hampered by the conditions, Hallows was fouled to give Alty a freekick just outside the front edge of the box, to the left of goal. Potts's freekick was met by a diving header from Thornley near the penalty spot but his glancing effort went narrowly wide of the far post (17 mins).

Then Stafford went close after a good move up the right had ended with a low cross by Gibson which just evaded the incoming Wilding inside the box (19 mins). Conditions were now monsoon-like as a pass from Scott got stopped in the mud. Both managers had complained about the snowy conditions at Stafford on Boxing Day but the surface there was far preferable to this. Next, after Thornley had won possession, the ball went, via Hallows, to Potts whose cross from the right was half-taken by Tomlinson under a challenge fom Thornley, which was penalised (26 mins). At this point the already heavy rain became twice as torrential and the referee immediately took the players off. He indicated that he would give the bad weather five minutes to subside and he duly returned to inspect the pitch soon afterwards before declaring conditions unplayable. Few could argue with his decision. Both teams came out onto the pitch to salute their fans with the more adventurous players diving full length in the mud and sliding yards across the pitch to underline the sodden conditions.

As so often happens, the rain then eased a little and by 4.15pm had stopped but the pitch was unplayable.

MATCH ABANDONED AFTER 27 MINUTES.