Match Report

SUMMARY:

After a disappointing first half from both sides, Alty were much improved in the second half, especially after the introduction of Kieran Lugsden and Colin Potts. Indeed, Potts was announced as Alty's Man of the Match after 80 minutes, only 23 minutes after coming on!

Alty got the reward for their second-half improvement when Potts's corner from the right was nodded on to Little who scored at the back post (67 mins). Gainsborough's only second-half threat came in the closing stages but the Alty defence held firm.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr I Smedley (Derbyshire)

Altrincham had already visited Gainsborough this season, for an FA Trophy game ,which ended in a 1-1 draw, before Alty won the replay. In the league match at Moss Lane, the first game of this season, Altrincham had won 4-1.

TEAM NEWS

Altrincham were without Steve Aspinall, who was watching the game with an ice-pack on his injured ankle, and both Colin Potts and Eddie Hussin were only fit to be on the bench. Both sides were without two players with broken legs, (Hallows and Rose for Alty, Caudwell and Bird for Trinity). Trinity also had Sherlock suspended.

Josh Mitten was again preferred to Kieran Lugsden up front for Altrincham whilst teenager Lewis Chalmers started his second game for the first team, on the left flank.

ALTRINCHAM: (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. George MELLING, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Mark MADDOX, 5. Gary TALBOT (capt), 6. Richard NORRIS, 7. Gary SCOTT, 8. Val OWEN, 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Jonathan MITTEN, 11. Lewis CHALMERS. Subs: 12. Eddie HUSSIN, 14. Adam BRINDLE, 15. Kieran LUGSDEN, 16. Colin POTTS, 17. Paul TILLEY.

GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY: (Blue shirts and socks, white shorts): 1. Jamie HOLMSHAW, 2. Ben PURKISS, 3. Adam BURLEY, 4. Wes PARKER, 5. Richard PELL, 6. Luke STATON, 7. Rob O'BRIEN, 8. Chris HURST, 9. John ROWAN, 10. Ryan MALLON, 11. Gareth GRANT. Subs: 12. Neil ALLISON, 14. Lee ELLINGTON, 15. Paul HUCKETT.

REPORT

A minute's silence in memory of a former Trinity chairman was observed before the Blues kicked off, playing into the bright sun. After Altrincham had both won and conceded early free-kicks, Trinity's O'Brien prompted Mallon to win a corner. Then, following a misdirected clearance by Coburn, Adams lost possession but O'Brien shot wide. Soon afterwards, Mallon fired over the bar (7 mins) as Gainsborough continued to have the better of the opening stages and won two more corners.

For Alty the back four was defending well, whilst in midfield Norris was again making good use of the ball. Up front, however, Little was seeing little of the ball, whilst Mitten again looked less than match fit. Scott was working hard but, on the left flank, Chalmers was finding it more difficult to get involved in the game than on his impressive full debut last week.

Next, Talbot survived a penalty appeal for an untidy challenge on a Trinity attacker in the Alty box. Soon after, Mitten lost possession and Trinity won their fourth corner. Talbot cleared this to Purkiss, whose shot went straight to Coburn (14 mins). Altrincham now began to put some passes together but without creating a clear chance. The match at this stage resembled an end of season affair but Alty boss Graham Heathcote was doing his best to fire up his charges. It was also easy to see how Trinity had been struggling to score goals recently as they failed to convert possession into chances.

Alty won their first corner when a shrewd pass forward by Norris set Little and keeper Holmshaw against each other. The Trinity number one got a foot to the ball to concede the flag-kick, which Chalmers took. Soon afterwards, Scott won possession well and from Mitten's resulting pass, Scott won another corner. Chalmers's corner-kick this time went to Holmshaw. Alty were then nearly embarrassed when their back-line seemed to stop for an expected offside and it was left to Coburn to palm a cross from Burley away to O'Brien, who was unable to hit the target from right of goal, though a corner did follow off Adams.

Adams was then in action at the other end, firing in a shot from 35 yards, which went wide (30 mins). After this, Maddox was lucky to escape censure for a foul as a Trinity "advantage" was played (35 mins). But both sides continued to labour in the warm sun until an efficient passing move by Alty ended in Little being caught offside (38 mins), as he was once again soon afterwards, when Mitten's hooked pass, from a Norris feed, set him free. Chalmers then won his side a corner from Norris's pass. Just before half-time, Little had a shot saved but was offside anyway. A foul by Maddox earned him a lecture but Staton's free-kick from 25 yards was easily caught, above his head, by Coburn. A generally disappointing first half ended, goalless, soon afterwards.

Altrincham played the second half looking into the strong sun but soon won a corner, from which the former Worksop keeper, Jamie Holmshaw caught Chalmers's kick. Altrincham were now looking more lively, after their half-time team-talk. But when Little got free on the right, after a Maddox clearance had come to him via Melling and Owen, the cross from the right into the goalmouth did not find Mitten (48 mins). A Maddox challenge on debutant Rowan, just inside the Gainsborough half on their left wing, saw the young striker go down holding his head after being accidentally caught by the Alty man's arm. Gary Talbot's pleading on behalf of his centre-back partner was to no avail as Maddox received his ninth caution of the campaign (50 mins). After a lengthy stoppage for treatment to Rowan, play resumed and soon afterwards the former Kettering man rejoined the game. A great tackle by Adams then saw off O'Brien, who was one of Gainsborough's brightest players this afternoon before Alty replaced Mitten with Kieran Lugsden up front (54 mins). Mitten had again looked to be struggling for pace and Lugsden's arrival marked the start of a greater harrying of the Gainsborough defence as the young substitute refused to give up anything as a lost cause.

Melling then stopped Grant's advance on the Trinity left as Alty manager Graham Heathcote continued to work hard to improve his team's performance. From a Melling throw, Little and Scott combined well and from Scott's excellent cross from the right corner, Little lifted his shot narrowly over the bar (57 mins). At this point, Colin Potts came on for Lewis Chalmers, who had worked hard but had not made the same impact as on his full debut on Easter Monday (57 mins). Potts was soon impressing on the right wing, Scott having moved to replace Chalmers on the left. Following a Melling throw, relayed to him by Lugsden, Potts got in a cross which was only just taken off Little's head by a good header from Purkiss (58 mins). Altrincham were now on top though Coburn did have to make a catch from Staton's 25 yard freekick, awarded for a foul by Melling.

Coburn did less well soon afterwards when he came and completely missed his punch from Purkiss's cross but the danger was cleared. Norris and Potts then interchanged passes before Potts teed himself up for a volley which just cleared the bar (61 mins). Grant did threaten for Trinity when he got past two tackles from Scott and Norris in midfield and found Rowan, but Talbot, who had a fine game, tackled well to clear the danger. Trinity now replaced Burley by Allison (63 mins) and almost immediately Owen conceded a corner, but this was eventually cleared. A long chase forward by Lugsden now won an unexpected throw for Alty but, from Adams's throw-in, Little sliced a shot very wide from the left (65 mins). Another Alty throw, by Melling, led to Little chasing a ball to the by line for which the defender was favourite, but Alty's leading scorer won his side a corner on the right, from which the game's decisive goal was to come. The corner, taken on the right by Potts, was met by a stooping header from Lugsden, who was near the penalty spot, which went towards the back post, where the unmarked Little rifled a shot into the net for his 33rd goal of the season (67 mins). Altrincham's second half performance had meant that the lead was deserved.

Trinity responded by bringing on Lee Ellington, who had a brief spell with Alty in 1999/2000 season. The Trinity striker had been suffering with a neck injury, hence his relegation to the bench for today's game. Meanwhile, the Alty boss Graham Heathcote told his team, "Reds, don't you let this go now!" as he exhorted them to maintain their hard won lead. Potts was soon causing more problems and, following a throw-in by Melling, he jinked past two defenders in the right hand corner to get in a cross which was cleared (70 mins). Lugsden too was keeping the defence on its toes as he chased everything. After a foul by O'Brien on Scott, Gainsborough brought on Huckett for Grant (78 mins). Owen, too, was battling hard in midfield and, after he had made an interception, Potts played a fine ball forward for Little but Holmshaw was out quickly to block.

Gainsborough did get the ball in the Alty net after a move up the right but from Mallon's cross, Allison had fouled an Alty defender and the flag went up to rule out a "goal" which Parker had netted from a central and possibly offside position (80 mins). At this point Potts was announced as Man of the Match for Altrincham, having clearly made an impression on the adjudicator in the mere 23 minutes that he had been on the pitch. Richard Pell picked up the home side's award.

Norris, who was having another good game, then fed Potts but, with Little racing forward, Potts delayed his pass just long enough for Little to be caught offside (83 mins). At the other end, Coburn caught a cross well from the left by O'Brien. But Alty soon threatened again when Lugsden made himself space neatly inside the box but lifted his rising shot just over the bar from the right of goal (85 mins). Another chance soon came Alty's way when a foul on Melling yielded a freekick, taken by Potts. He found Little, who laid the ball off for Owen who set up Scott for a shot but the Alty man lifted his shot well over the target (86 mins).

Gainsborough now mounted a late drive for an equaliser but Coburn produced an impressive one-handed catch when Purkiss's cross threatened to cause problems (90 mins). Mr Smedley found four minutes of added time and in the second of these Alty brought on Hussin for Little. Coburn was required to make a good punch clear from a Staton free-kick but Altrincham rode out the final minutes to preserve their lead and secure their fifth 1-0 away win in the league this season.