Match Report

SUMMARY:

After a nervous start, Alty were just getting into their stride when Grays went ahead through the unmarked Hooper's close range effort from a cross from the left by the impressive teenager, Mitchell Cole (17 mins). Grays went 2-0 up when captain Stuart Thurgood's under-hit effort somehow beat Coburn after Oli's cross was nodded down to the Grays' captain by Battersby (33 mins). Alty had not done themselves justice in the first half but then dominated most of the second half. Indeed, had Norris's close range header gone in from Thornley's cross from the right after 48 minutes it might have been a different outcome. But Alty Man of the Match Rod Thornley pulled one back on the hour when he twisted well to score from Scott's cross from the left. But from virtually their first chance of the second half, Grays again finished clinically when Martin scored after a slick move (72 mins). Alty made it 3-2 from the spot, through Colin Little, after a handball by Nutter (79 mins). But another sharp movement, yet again on the left, saw Griffiths's shot somehow go through Coburn to make it 4-2 (84 mins). Alty had given Grays a fight but it would be difficult to argue with the outcome as the full-timers gave away possession less than Alty and also took their chances whilst the Robins spurned two or three good openings.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr M Haywood

The two sides had never met before, despite each having more than 100 years of history apiece. Grays, a full-time side, arrived at Moss Lane 12 points clear in Nationwide South with a game in hand whilst Alty were on a run which had totalled fifteen games without defeat in league and cup matches. The game went ahead despite plenty of rain at the back end of the week but the pitch, though soft and sanded, played well. Grays brought with them a sizeable contingent of good natured supporters and it was good to see that no segregation was applied.

TEAM NEWS

Alty were without left-back Chris Adams, who has a recurring groin problem, so Gary Scott switched to that position. Richard Norris started in left midfield, which is not his favoured position, but otherwise the Altrincham side was unchanged. Despite signing for Woodley Sports recently, Richard Acton was on the Alty bench as sub-goalkeeper. Grays were without the suspended Brennan and Stuart but included Cole and Thurgood, who had both been in the England squad in the recent non-league international against Holland, though illness had prevented Cole from playing in that game.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks) 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Gary SCOTT, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. Gary TALBOT, 6. Eddie HUSSIN (capt), 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Val OWEN, 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Richard NORRIS. Subs: 12. Kirk HILTON, 13. Richard ACTON (gk), 14. Marcus HALLOWS, 15. Kieran LUGSDEN, 16. George MELLING.

GRAYS ATHLETIC (All sky blue.): 1. Ashley BAYES, 2. Joe BRUCE, 3. John NUTTER, 4. Tony BATTERSBY, 5. Lee MATTHEWS, 6. Stuart THURGOOD, 7. Dennis OLI, 8. Gary HOOPER, 9. Steve WEST, 10. John MARTIN, 11. Mitchell COLE. subs: 12. Leroy GRIFFITHS, 13. Carl EMBERSON (gk), 14. Vill POWELL, 15. DALY, 16. Ade OLAYINKA.

REPORT

Altrincham kicked off towards the Golf Road but made a very jittery start as Colin Little immediately gave the ball away to an opponent. Light rain also started to fall just as the game got underway. Stuart Coburn was the first keeper in action as he had to make a save from a low shot (2 mins). Grays were soon showing their pedigree with some crisp passing as they went forward and Alty were not helped by the first of several debatable decisions by referee Hayward, when Owen was penalised near half way. Alty had an early injury scare when Norris needed lengthy treatment to a left-leg injury, as the rain eased off. Potts soon earned a lecture for a foul on Martin, but the Alty man was annoyed at what he saw as an over-done roll-over by the Grays man (7 mins). Alty then made a great counter-attack after Coburn had made a good catch from a Hooper cross. His instant throw-out to Potts saw the Alty man advance up the right and he only just failed to get on the end of Val Owen's return pass before the ball went over the by-line to the right of the Grays goal (9 mins).

There was a worry for Alty when Talbot attempted to shepherd a through-ball back to his keeper but Coburn was slow to come off his line and Hooper nipped in and it took a fine block from Scott to prevent a goal (12 mins). However, Alty then almost took the lead themselves when Potts teed himself up for a dipping half-volley from 30 yards out which only just went wide of Bayes's right hand stick (13 mins). Alty were now beginning to settle and Little had a great chance to put the Robins ahead when Aspinall set the Alty striker in on goal, in the outer right of the Grays box. But, instead of shooting, Little tried to round the last defender, only for West to stick out a foot and take possession away from him (16 mins). Soon, Thornley was brought down on the edge of the box but no offence was seen by Mr Haywood. However, Grays took the lead when an Aspinall clearance went to Nutter and, via Cole's cross from the left, the ball came to Hooper who was given too much space and time in the centre-left of the Alty box and he knocked the ball past Coburn to put the Essex side ahead (17 mins).

When Scott was tripped by 17 year-old Hooper, Alty got a freekick but the offender escaped without a lecture but his team-mate West was given a talking-to when he upended Thornley just outside the Grays box soon afterwards. Potts curled the freekick over the bar from 20 yards (25 mins). West was again lectured when he fouled Aspinall but it was Alty's Mark Maddox who was the first player to be booked when he was judged to have fouled Hooper just outside the Alty box (30 mins). After treatment to Hooper, Coburn saved the freekick without too much difficulty but soon Grays doubled their lead when a move on the left saw Oli's cross nodded down by Battersby for Thurgood to pick his spot. Though not cleanly hit, Thurgood's low effort had enough power and accuracy to beat Coburn to his right (33 mins).

As play resumed a physical edge entered the game as the two captains, Hussin and Thurgood clashed and it was the Alty leader who was booked - for the ninth time this season (36 mins). Alty continued to give the ball away unnecessarily and from one such instance Aspinall lost possession and Cole and Battersby combined slickly as a consequence. It took a goalmouth clearance from Owen to see off the danger from the impressive visitors, whose full-time status was making a difference (38 mins). Grays then had to replace the previously injured Hooper by Griffiths (40 mins) as they continued to enjoy the better of the play.It then needed a fine block from Maddox to stem another attack (43 mins). But, despite their two-goal lead, Altrincham were creating at least as many goalmouth chances as their opponents and another one arose when Norris started a move which ended with his feeding Thornley, to his right. Rod's shot beat the keeper but was cleared, near the line, by a defender at the back post for a corner on the Alty left which was taken by Potts (44 mins). Following this, Thornley got in a very decent overhead bicycle-kick shot from the edge of the box but Bayes tipped it over the bar for another Alty corner, this time on their right flank. Potts played this corner low and diagonally to the incoming Aspinall but his run had been tracked by an opponent and his presence forced Aspinall into a hurried shot over the roof of the terraces into Golf Road. Three minutes of added time were played, with both sets of fans still supporting their sides vocally. But an entertaining first-half ended with the visitors desevedly ahead, though 2-1 would not have been an unreasonable scoreline, given the chances created by Altrincham.

Altrincham almost had a dream start to the second half when, after 48 minutes, Norris started and ended a fine Alty move. The ball went via Hussin, Potts and Aspinall to Thornley who from the right edge of the box did well to get in a good cross for Norris. The incoming Norris stretched ahead of a challenge to head the ball but, from close range, could only nod it onto the roof of the net rather than convert the chance. But Altrincham were now taking the game to their opponents with more conviction than they had shown in the first half.

Howevr, they continued to lose possession more regularly than their well-drilled opponents who were finding their men better, as was to be expected from a full-time outfit. Indeed, after Little had given the ball away, Aspinall was drawn into a late challenge on Martin near half-way and was booked (51 mins). There was then a long stoppage for treatment to Cole who seemed to have twisted his leg. Next, a Potts volley from 20 yards was blocked by a defender but eventually the Robins got their reward when Potts, Talbot and Hussin played the ball out of their half to Thornley on the left. He found Scott whose advance was checked but he took a step back before crossing the ball to Thornley, who had moved into the box. Thornley gathered the ball well and turned neatly inside a defender before striking a well-placed, low shot across the keeper and into the left-hand corner of his net from about 15 yards to make it 2-1 (60 mins). The goal gave Alty more belief and they continued to take the game to their opponents. After Talbot had headed the ball, a goalbound volley from Little hit a defender to win a corner and, after this had been cleared, Potts fed Little who advanced into the box and jinked past two challenges but his threat was eventually seen off by weight of numbers from Grays (66 mins). Then, from a Potts freekick, Bayes droped the ball but the challenge from Thornley had been illegal and a freekick was awarded. (67 mins).

Grays were now looking a bit ragged at the back and a panic clearance gave Alty another corner, which was itself cleared as the Alty supporters continued to sing their side's praises. But Grays then won a corner at the other end when a Cole effort was deflected out of play. After Altrincham had been much the better side for the first 25 minutes of the second half, Grays put together a slick passing movement involving Cole, who had seized on a loose ball from Aspinall towards half-way, and Griffiths. Grays again advanced up the left and, as Alty backed off, Martin scored well with a low shot from 12 yards or so which entered the corner of the net to Coburn's left (72 mins).

Alty made a double change with Hallows and Hilton coming on for Norris and Aspinall (74 mins). Hilton went to left-back, with Scott moving to right-back. Potts then took a frustrated kick at a Grays player and could have little complaint at his booking in the Grays left corner of the pitch - Alty's fourth booking. Altrincham continued to try and get back into the game and won a corner through Thornley. Following this, as Thornley challenged for possession just inside the right edge of the box, Nutter handled the ball and before the referee could confer with the flagging linesman, Thornley had picked up the ball for a penalty to be taken. Nutter and colleagues protested at length and after some delay Little prepared to take the spot-kick, as regular penalty-taker Aspinall was now off the pitch. Keeper Bayes cavorted around on his line but dived to the right as Little smashed the ball into the opposite corner of the net for his 27th goal of the season (79 mins).

Alty looked well capable of getting a draw out of the game as they now pressed forward again. At last, Mr Hayward booked a Grays player, for a verbal offence though who it was was not completely clear whose name he took as he had words with both Martin and captain Thurgood (84 mins). Martin looked to be the likely recipient. But with Alty allowing this incident to break their concentration, when play restarted they immediately conceded a fourth goal as another quick, passing move on the left gave Griffiths a shot from 12 yards which Coburn would have saved nine times out of ten but, this time, the ball seemed to go through him into the net (84 mins). Grays had had two decent openings in the second half and had scored from them both to underline that clinical finishing makes such a huge difference.

Altrincham continued to press and won a corner, which Bayes caught from Potts. Five minutes of added time were played during which Rod Thornley was named as a deserved Alty Man of the Match. Litle had a late chance when he got into the box but the ball got under his feet and the chance went, even though the ball then came to Thornley, but his shot from the left was beaten out by Bayes (90+3 mins). Grays then had a late threat when Cole shot just over the bar from a tight angle (90+5 mins) and in the closing seconds a diving header from Battersby went only narrowly wide of Coburn's left post - but 5-2 would have been harsh on Altrincham.

Grays had shown the difference between a well-paid, full-time outfit and Altrincham's hard-working part-timers. As Gary Scott was to say after the game, the difference between the sides was not fitness but sharpness and first-touch, generated by Grays' being a full-time outfit. Whereas, as Gary explained, Altrincham players meet for about an hour or two a week for training on a Thursday night, Grays have the whole week to hone their understanding of each other's play and also their skills.

Whilst Alty's first half performance was disappointing, when they took the game to Grays in the second half they had the visitors' defence wobbling but they got out of trouble with their clinical passing and finishing to keep their noses in front. Indeed, apparently Grays' keeper Bayes had not conceded two goals in a match since joining Grays till today. Altrincham can be proud of reaching the last 16 for the second year running but they wish their Essex opponents, deserved winners on the day, and their friendly fans - many of whom stayed in the club bar after the match - good luck in the quarter finals and beyond.