Match Report

SUMMARY:

Above: An Alty corner has just come in from left, as George Melling receives the ball, in front of massed Alty support at the 20/20 End.

With Harrogate losing today, a win for Alty would have virtually assured them of a play-off place but it was not to be. Alty missed at least four good chances in the first half and in the second half did not manage to create as much but nevertheless still had a couple of good opportunities to take the points. Redditch keeper Anstiss made some excellent saves and his defence kept Colin Little quiet to frustrate Alty in front of their biggest gate of the season. Losing captain Eddie Hussin injured after just two minutes of the game did not help and a nine-minute stoppage late in the second half, when one of the linesmen went lame, also interrupted the flow of the game but Redditch had several good chances of their own.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr K J Mattocks

This was Alty's last scheduled home game before the final match of the league season at Hucknall next Saturday. Alty started the match in fourth place and a win today and next Saturday would have guaranteed a place in the play-offs.

Watching the game from the directors' box was Manchester United striker Alan Smith, no doubt persuaded to come along by United masseur and Alty striker, Rod Thornley.

TEAM NEWS

For Alty, Steve Aspinall and Kirk Hilton were unfit to play but Mark Maddox returned to the starting line-up, displacing George Melling, who was on the bench. So Gary Scott continued at right-back and Richard Norris started on the left of midfield in place of Hilton. Paul Tilley came into the squad once again, on the bench. Redditch had only three subs and were without suspended leading scorer, Norman Sylla.

ALTRINCHAM: (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Gary SCOTT, 3. Chris ADAMS, 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. George MELLING, 14. Kieran LUGSDEN, 15. Jonathan MITTEN, 16. Lewis CHALMERS, 17. Paul TILLEY.

REDDITCH UNITED: (All blue): 1. Richard ANSTISS, 2. Matty CLARKE, 3. Asa CHARLTON, 4. Sean FLYNN, 5. Gary KNIGHT, 6. Mark TAYLOR (capt.), 7. Simon HOLLIS, 8. Richard SOFTLEY, 9. Matt AUBREY, 10. Scott RICKARDS, 11. Danny SCHEPPEL. Subs: 12. Daire DOYLE, 14. Rory MAY, 15. Neil WARD.

REPORT

On a sanded pitch at Moss Lane, Alty kicked off towards the Debbie Dawson (Golf Road) End in bright sunshine which, together with the importance of the game, had attracted the best home attendance of the season. After just 40 seconds, Colin Little got to the by-line to the right of goal but his cross was well cut out by Anstiss in the visitors' goal. But Alty then suffered a blow when their captain, Eddie Hussin, pulled up after making a routine challenge and he immediately signalled that he was in trouble. Despite treatment from Sean Riley, he was unable to continue and hobbled off (2 mins). With Alty down to ten men, Redditch won a dubious corner, awarded against Chris Adams as he shepherded the ball out of play. George Melling then came on as Hussin's replacement (4 mins). George went to right back so Scott moved to the left and Norris switched to central midfield. Alty then had a glorious opportunity to settle their nerves when Norris fed Little and he set Thornley free. Thornley got round Anstiss but somehow managed to knock his shot, from right of goal, wide of the left-hand post (6 mins). Soon after this, a mis-clearance from Melling came to Softley who shot narrowly wide of the far post from left-centre (7 mins).

Both sets of fans were creating a good atmosphere with their chanting and songs as the match continued in open fashion. Alty went close again after 11 minutes when Thornley's shot was parried to Little whose own shot was blocked by a defender and this led to an Alty corner on the left. Potts's corner was poor and went behind the goal. Owen was playing impressively for Alty whilst the visitors' captain Taylor was the pick of their players at this stage. Graham Heathcote earned a cheer when he expertly headed the ball back into play after it had gone out for a throw-in. Alty then had a scare when Rickards advanced in the inside left slot and evaded a lunge from Maddox to feed Hollis on the right. He cut inside and from about 15 yards shot, left-footed, shot at goal but Coburn made a very good save (14 mins).

After Norris had won the ball well, he fed Thornley, who advanced towards goal before shooting very well wide of Anstiss's left post from 20 yards. The entertaining play continued as the sides traded forward movements until Altrincham won a corner when Potts's cross was cut out by Flynn. Though Anstiss gathered the loose ball from Flynn at the by-line, the referee adjudged it to have gone out of play. Adams's corner found Little beyond the back post but to no avail. After Owen had protested at not winning a freekick, the referee had words with the Alty midfielder and Owen was soon having further discussions with Mr Mattocks after he got in a tangle with Clarke. After a foul on Thornley, Potts's freekick from 25 yards out on the left found Maddox in space but his header, as he fell, was held by Anstiss at the second attempt (24 mins).

The third controversial corner of the game came when a cross from Scheppel, on the by-line left of goal, appeared to have already gone behind the cross bar before Coburn made sure it had, but the referee judged the Alty keeper to have put the ball out for a flag-kick to Redditch. Another Redditch corner soon followed and soon afterwards, Maddox had to be alert to see off Aubrey as the home side went off the boil a bit and were kept in their own half by the Midlanders.

Alty got back to the other end when a foul on Scott yielded a freekick 30 yards out from the Redditch goal but Potts's curling freekick found no team-mate. Another freekick, for a foul on Potts, soon followed, but Coburn's kick from his own half went straight to his opposite number. But Alty went close again when Adams fed Little and his cross was met by a downward header from Thornley which the keeper saved well. Almost immediately Alty threatened again when Thornley fought hard to get in a shot but his toe poke from right of goal went narrowly wide of Anstiss's left stick (33 mins). A neat Redditch moved at the other end, ended with Coburn smothering well from a shot from Hollis, who was being given too much space on the Redditch right wing. But Coburn's save was in vain as offside was given in any case. Alty then went to the other end and yet again went close to scoring. This time Norris broke free in midfield and fed Thornley, who made space well, but shot well wide from a good position (34 mins). Two minutes later Anstiss did well to clear his own lines when a firm back pass caused him some difficulties but Hollis was again left in too much room on the Redditch right and only a subsequent offside stopped the Redditch attack which followed. From a Norris pass, Potts now fired in a superb 25 yard effort which came off the top of the cross bar with Anstiss beaten (37 mins). Yet another chance came when a foul on Norris by Hollis gave Adams a freekick 35 yards out. He found Maddox, who for the second time had found space inside the box but this time the central defender miskicked and the chance was gone.

Mark Maddox was then involved again when Scott was fouled by Flynn. Adams's freekick from 30 yards out was met by Maddox who headed goalwards across the box from the left only for Little to head the ball wide of the near post - this was at least the fifth very presentable chance which had gone begging so far for Altrincham, and one sensed it was not going to be their afternoon (40 mins). At the other end, Coburn fielded a routine shot from Aubrey but two minutes afterwards Redditch almost punished Altrincham when Scheppel and Rickards got free but they contrived to get themselves offside when in a threatening position for Altrincham. But then Aubrey sprang the offside trap and Alty were only saved by a poor shot, wide of the target (44 mins). In the added time, a foul by Scheppel gave Alty a freekick which Potts took well from the right, finding the incoming Scott by the back post but his close range effort was well blocked by a covering defender before it could find the net and a corner was the outcome (45 mins). From the corner the ball came out to Adams who curled a 25 yard shot over the bar. Half-time arrived with the game scoreless but it could have been 5-2 had all the reasonable chances been taken.

The sides struggled to match the entertainment of the first half in the second period as the tension of the game and the long, tiring season seemed to take its toll on Altrincham. Little continued to be subdued as Knight did a good marking job on him. Indeed the first event of note in the second half was a booking for Clarke after 57 minutes for blocking a freekick by not retreating ten yards. Two minutes later Thornley shot from 20 yards but Anstiss saved comfortably. Just after the hour mark, Alty won the half's first corner from which they were penalised for an offence in the box. But then Altrincham nearly went behind when a mis-clearance by Adams came out to Rickards who shot narrowly wide of Coburn's right upright from the edge of the box (61 mins). A minute later Alty had an even closer escape when Maddox lost the ball to Taylor and a cross came in from Scheppel on the left which Coburn only got a hand to and the ball fell for two waiting Redditch men. One of these, Hollis, lashed the ball over the top of an inviting net (62 mins).

Alty looked in need of the stimulus of a substitution and this duly came when Chalmers replaced Scott on the left; in the last game Potts had switched to the left and Chalmers had gone on the right but not this time (65 mins). After Thornley had got into the Redditch box, Clarke did well to concede a corner to Alty. From Potts's kick, Maddox headed back across goal from beyond the back post but the danger was cleared (67 mins). Redditch now brought on the giant May in place of Aubrey (68 mins) as Alty continued to look a tired team. But young Chalmers almost got the goal they sought when he went very close to Anstiss's right post with a shot from 15 yards after good work by Little and Thornley (71 mins). Melling now was hobbling badly but insisted on carrying on as Alty made their second switch. Manager Graham Heathcote opted for the experience and physical presence of the 6ft 1in Jonathan Mitten to the youth and pace of Kieran Lugsden as he replaced Rod Thornley at the Altrincham sharp end (72 mins). But as the substitution was being made, the yellow-flagged linesman, Mr Gooch, pulled up lame and had to go off. There was then a nine minute delay whilst a new assistant was found. At first a member of the Redditch coaching staff seemed set to run the line until a volunteer arrived from the crowd, who proved to be a qualified referee. Strangely, though, the linesmen were then switched with the newcomer going to the Popular Side as Mr Byrne moved to the main stand side.

So, when play resumed, there was 81 minutes on the clock. Almost immediately Redditch had a scare when Flynn lifted the ball over his own advancing keeper and it took a good interception from Knight to clear for a corner as the ball headed towards the net. May cleared the corner to Maddox and then the ball came to Mitten who put it wide of the target (82 mins). Altrincham went close yet again when a long throw from Chalmers on the right came through to Little who had eluded his marker but, as his shot seemed certain to go in, Anstiss made another very fine save to deny him (85 mins). Soon another Chalmers throw caused a scramble in the Redditch box before Maddox got booked for tripping Rickards (87 mins). Following a foul on Chalmers, Anstiss punched well clear from Adams's freekick and then the board was displayed indicating 10 minutes of added time (90 mins). Coburn now had to be alert to save a low shot from Hollis before Norris advanced well up the left channel only to over-run the ball and hurt himself in the process. After a lengthy stoppage, Norris resumed (90+3 mins).

Scheppel and Melling then got their legs tangled up and though Alty got the freekick both players were spoken to. Potts's freekick from the right, near half-way was won by Talbot but his knock down to Mitten saw the substitute striker flick the ball narrowly over the bar (90+7 mins). Val Owen was announced as Man of the Match just as he was penalised for a foul. Alty's last chance came when another long throw from Chalmers came through to Mitten but his header was comfortably held by Anstiss (90+11 mins).

So, Alty missed their chance to more or less make certain of a play-off place by winning this game but they will rarely create as many chances and fail to take any of them. Redditch contributed to a generally entertaining game and could have scored a couple themselves but they will be happier with the shared points than Altrincham, who must now win at Hucknall to be certain of a play-off place, though a draw or even defeat could still be enough depending on results for Kettering and Harrogate. It is important that Droylsden beat Hucknall on Wednesday to ensure that Southport still have to pick up points next Saturday, away at Harrogate.