Match Report


ALTRINCHAM (1) 1
STAFFORD RANGERS (0) 0

Nationwide North Match,
played on Tuesday, 8 March, 2005
at 7.45p.m.


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    SUMMARY:

    Alty completed their first double of the season with this 1-0 win over an impressive Stafford side whose main weakness was an inability to hit the the target. The winning goal was a well constructed move from defence which saw the ball come from Aspinall, through Hussin, to Thornley on halfway. He found Potts on the right, ahead of him, and the winger's low, drilled cross was met by a finely timed run from Marcus Hallows who swept the ball into the net (29 mins). In a very entertaining game, Alty put aside the absence of suspended top-scorer Colin Little and stalwart centre-back Gary Talbot (away in Germany, working), to give another impressive display and extended their unbeaten league run to 12 games. Rangers' Wilding saw a header come back off the underside of the bar in the second half but otherwise Coburn was relatively unoccupied. Marcus Hallows was named Man of the Match but young centre-back George Melling had another fine game alongside a limping but determined Mark Maddox, whilst Kirk Hilton again showed his class in a brief sub's appearance.


    SCORERS

  • 29 mins: Marcus HALLOWS (Altrincham 1 Stafford Rangers 0)

    REFEREE: Mr D. Unsworth


    ATTENDANCE: 601
    BACKGROUND:

    This was a replay of the game abandoned after 27 minutes on New Year's Day when 870 spectators turned up; tonight there were only 601 but, considering that Manchester United's game on TV had attracted some of our floating local support and that Chelsea v Barcelona was also live on TV, the gate was very respectable and swelled by a decent Stafford following. The match was played on a pitch which had had its first artificial watering since Christmas


    TEAM NEWS

    Both teams had their leading strikers out, suspended - Colin Little for Alty and Neil Grayson for Rangers. Both sides had further absentees as well - Alty's Gary Talbot was away in Germany with work commitments whilst Stafford had Lee Downes, Dennis Pearce and player-manager Phil Robinson injured. However, ex-Alty winger Jamie Phoenix, at first reported to have suffered a broken leg last Saturday, was fit enough to assume his customary position on the Stafford bench.

    For Alty, Chris Adams had overcome his hamstring problem to play and young George Melling replaced Talbot at centre-back. Marcus Hallows, replacing Little, started his first league game since the abandoned match on New Year's Day.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. George MELLING, 6. Eddie HUSSIN (capt), 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Val OWEN, 9. Marcus HALLOWS, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Gary SCOTT. Subs: 12. Jonathan MITTEN, 14. Richard NORRIS, 15. Kirk HILTON, 16. Kieran LUGSDEN, 17. Paul TILLEY.

    STAFFORD RANGERS (Black & white striped shirts, white shorts, black socks): 1. Will SMITH, 2. Craig McAUGHTRIE, 3. David NORTON, 4. Chris SMITH, 5. Wayne DANIEL (capt.), 6. Craig LOVATT, 7. Nathan TALBOTT, 8. Robert HEATH, 9. Danny EDWARDS, 10. Craig WILDING, 11. Robin GIBSON. Subs: 12. Alan DODD, 14. Jamie PHOENIX, 15. Richard BEALE, 16. Alex GIBSON, 17. Alex GIBBONS.


    REPORT

    Stafford kicked off, defending the Debbie Dawson (Golf Road) End, but it was Alty who had the first good chance when Adams, Hallows, Owen and Potts started a move which ended with Hallows being tackled just inside the box and the ball running to Thornley. His attempt to place a shot into the corner of the net to the keeper's left ended with his scooping the ball over the bar (90 secs). However, Stafford settled the quicker of the two sides with the speedy Gibson looking a threat, at first, on the right. Indeed from a Gibson cross, the ball was cleared to McAughtrie whose low shot was clutched to his chest by Coburn (4 mins). For Alty, Marcus Hallows was looking sharp and working hard on his recall to the side and he almost got on the end of a Potts ball which ran on to goalkeeper Smith. Stafford replied with a shot by Gibson which came to Coburn.

    Another Stafford attack ended with Wilding firing high and wide from 20 yards (8 mins) and, by now, Graham Heathcote had joined Dalton Steele on the touchline for Altrincham. Melling was settling into an assured game at the back for Alty in only his second league start. Altrincham went close after 15 minutes when a foul on Thornley yielded a freekick on the Alty left, taken by Aspinall. His freekick from 25 yards out was dropped by Smith under pressure from the incoming Hussin but a defender cleared the ball as it headed towards the line. Moments later an Owen feed gave Hussin a left-foot volley from more than 30 yards which went only narrowly wide of Smith's right upright (16 mins). Indeed, Altrincham were now improving after their slow start and a freekick and two throw-ins maintained the Alty pressure. They were also beginning to play the ball around to feet at the back rather than launching first-time balls forward.

    Soon, Hallows almost breached the offside trap but was just caught by the linesman's flag as he shot, when behind the defence (23 mins). At the other end a Gibson effort was blocked. Alty created a good chance after 27 minutes when, from Adams's throw 25 yards out, the ball came via Melling and Maddox to Hallows, whose neat lay-off set up Thornley for a shot which struck a defender. The game was providing the crowd with good entertainment as it swept to the 20/20 End where an effort by Wilding struck an Alty defender and prompted appeals for handball which were ignored by Mr Unsworth. Alty then produced a superb move to open the scoring. From Aspinall's pass, Hussin fed Thornley, just inside the Stafford half on the right. He, in turn, relayed the ball further forward and right to Potts whose early, low and firmly driven cross was met perfectly by Hallows's run up the middle and the tall striker swept the ball past Smith to make it one-nil (29 mins). It was Marcus's 11th goal this season in 20 starts (and 12 sub appearances).

    Soon after this, Owen picked up a loose clearance and from 22 yards fired just over the bar. But Stafford responded and it took a good sliding tackle from Maddox to halt their advance up the middle. After another patient Alty passing movement, Heath sliced a clearance out for an Alty corner on the left. Hallows was penalised for impeding the keeper as Potts's corner came in. Alty enjoyed some more possession but when Stafford came forward in response, an attempted cross from the right by-line hit the stretching Maddox who emerged limping badly with an injury to his right leg. However, the Alty centre-back played on (36 mins).

    Hallows's knack of getting into shooting positions was evident again when Smith's punt came to Owen and fed Hallows for an early, low shot which went narrowly wide with the keeper beaten (38 mins). There was then a bit of silliness when Owen committed a minor foul on Gibson and the fiery winger picked up the ball and prodded Owen in the chest with it before taking the freekick (40 mins). Following the freekick, Gibson's 20 yard shot was deflected for a corner, on the right. From the corner, Heath had a good chance but scooped over the bar from 12 yards as Stafford again showed a lack of precision in their finishing (42 mins). The entertainment continued in this well fought contest but Maddox continued to limp markedly as the interval approached. After a Hussin-prompted attack had been halted, Adams made a fine diving header to clear at the other end. Next, McAughtrie and Wilding progressed up the right and got the ball to Gibson, who got behind Maddox and from his cross from the right, Heath shot at goal only for Aspinall to clear off the line by Coburn's right post (44 mins). But Alty held onto their lead to the end of the one minute of added time though Stafford will have felt they did enough to be on level terms at that stage.


    Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 STAFFORD RANGERS 0

    A limping Maddox emerged for the second half underlining the spirit that has made him such a popular figure at Moss Lane. Alty put themselves under some pressure when Potts was first dispossessed near half-way and then, gave away a freekick in attempting to win the ball back. But moments later, Potts received a punt from Rangers' keeper Smith just inside his own half and tried an ambitious shot from nearly 50 yards which the keeper caught comfortably. Alty's next threat was a surge up the middle by Hussin, followed by a passing move which ended with Thornley's overhit pass for Hallows, which went to the keeper.

    Alty then had a narrow escape when, first, Potts dallied on the ball and lost possession to Talbott who advanced up the left. Owen covered well and Potts regained possession on his own by-line, left of goal, only to give the ball straight back to Edwards. His prompt cross evaded Coburn and found Wilding whose header came back off the underside of the crossbar with the player claiming a goal. But the ball was cleared and no goal given (52 mins). At this point, Jamie Phoenix, who had been preparing for some minutes, came on for Norton. In his preparations Phoenix had remembered to go back to the bench and put on a pair of unnecessary black gloves but had forgotten to remove the golden chain around his neck. The linesman spotted this but Phoenix, unable to remove the necklace with his gloves on and seemingly disinclined to take them off, had to get a member of the managerial team to fumble round his neck to remove the offending jewellery whilst the game was held up (53 mins). Bobby Charlton never had such problems. Needless to say, during this pantomime, Phoenix was jeered by the home crowd who have something of a mixed view of the Stafford winger since his brief appearance for Altrincham a couple of seasons ago when he got himself sent off on his full debut and was immediately shown the way out of Moss Lane.

    However, Phoenix was soon impressing with his speed and ball control on the left wing but his final delivery was erratic. As Stafford pressed for a leveller the impressive Daniel cleared and via Phoenix the ball came to Wilding who shot over the roof of the Debbie Dawson (Golf Rd) end by a good 20 feet - and his shot was wide as well (58 mins). When Rangers attacked again soon afterwards, Melling cleared well but was tripped by Chris Smith and needed treatment (61 mins). Alty remained on the back foot as Edwards shot wide (63 mins).

    Alty boss Graham Heathcote told his front men "You two up front, get switched on" as it looked as if Alty might face a defensive 25 minutes to the final whistle. But Alty then got forward themselves when Melling fed Owen who won a freekick. From Aspinall's kick, just inside the Alty half the ball eventually went for a corner, won by Hallows off Chris Smith. Potts's corner came through the box to Hallows whose firmly hit shot was well held by Will Smith (66 mins). Soon afterwards play was stopped for Mr Unsworth to lecture Daniels, presumably for a verbal offence. Hallows once again got into a good position from Adams's pass but this time his first touch allowed the ball to run ahead and out for a goalkick. "Step it up" shouted the Alty manager and his team responded. But Stafford were proving their own worst enemies when, again, a decent shooting chance ended up in the Golf Road behind the goal, from Gibson (70 mins). Alty replied when a skilful clearance by Hussin found Potts and then Thornley who fed Hallows for another shot which went across goal from the left but narrowly wide of the far post (71 mins).

    Norris replaced Owen in central midfield (72 mins) and, after Phoenix had been fouled by Maddox, a melee developed and Maddox was booked - and conceded a freekick 25 yards out (74 mins). With Potts having been on the left for some time in the second half, Alty had been favouring that wing but they made a change of player with Kirk Hilton replacing Potts on the left (74 mins). Any thoughts that Hilton was purely brought on to display his defensive skills were soon dispelled when he got the ball from Daniel and advanced up the middle, feeding Thornley, who unfortunately got the ball under his feet inside the box (77 mins). Alty had now weathered the Stafford pressure of the middle period of the second half and from a Melling pass Aspinall fired in a 30 yard dipping shot which required careful watching by Smith in the Rangers goal as he gathered it (78 mins).

    With Alty looking fairly comfortable, Thornley picked up a booking when he blocked the Stafford keeper's clearance and was adjudged to have used his hands (80 mins). Each side then made a swap with Jozzer Mitten replacing Hallows and Dodd coming on for Rangers' Wilding (81 mins). After Edwards had fouled Scott, Hilton's freekick from 25 yards out on the right tested the keeper and forced him to tip the ball over the bar at the back post, for a corner (86 mins). Following the corner, Norris slashed a shot over the bar from 12 yards (86 mins). There was then a bizarre incident when Phoenix felled Hussin, who sportingly offered a handshake to the offender. The petulant Phoenix made a very obvious show of not responding to the proffered hand and, when the Alty fans justifiably booed him for his childishness, Phoenix went even further down the road of immaturity by pulling up his shirt to expose his manly chest to the main stand. Had he done this in the Carling Premiership he would have been booked for incitement but in the Nationwide North he escaped without censure other than from the jeering crowd in the main stand (89 mins).

    As added time started, Talbott went down injured and play was stopped. After treatment, Mr Unsworth awarded a contested bounce-up (90+2 mins). A minute later the final whistle went, with Marcus Hallows being announced as a popular Man of the Match. This had been a very entertaining game and had Stafford been more accurate in front of goal might well have ended as a draw. But Alty, too, created a sizeable number of chances and the only surprise was that the crowd saw only one goal from the match. Alty have now gone 12 league matches unbeaten and have consolidated their sixth position, a springboard from which a victory in one of their games in hand could take them up to second.


    Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 STAFFORD RANGERS 0