Match Report

SUMMARY:

ABOVE: After the game, Jonathan Mitten and Mark Maddox leave the pitch. RIGHT: Colin Little heads for the dressing rooms.

What a night at Nuneaton! Even without the injured Gary Talbot and having lost Steve Aspinall with an ankle injury in the first half, Alty played an excellent first 45 minutes. Rod Thornley put them ahead when, from a short corner from the left by Potts, he drove in a low shot from 20 yards, which took a slight deflection to beat keeper Acton (19 mins).

Nuneaton came at Alty for most of the second half but could not convert the chances that their pressure brought them. Despite injury to Chalmers, who nevertheless played on, Alty looked to be home and dry until the third of a surprisingly long five minutes of added time allotted by the otherwise impressive referee, Mr Brittain. Then after Coburn had punched well clear, Angus sent in a dipping shot from 20 yards which looped over Coburn into the net.

Alty responded well in extra time but Nuneaton also had their chances. The game went to a shoot out with Nuneaton's first effort, by Reeves, magnificently saved by Coburn, his fourth successive penalty save in recent weeks. After Little had netted for Alty, Murphy scored for Nuneaton. Scott put Alty 2-1 up on penalties, before Whittaker blazed over the bar for Nunny. Although Nuneaton converted their fourth kick, Mitten and Adams both scored to make it 4-2 to Alty on penalties. Altrincham are now away at Kettering on Saturday in the North Regional Final.

This was yet another sterling team performance, with many of the players battling on through injury. There was a great atmosphere created by both sets of fans and ecstatic scenes at the end as the Alty players saluted their travelling support.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr G M Brittain

Nuneaton had won their last nine games to clinch second place in the league table whilst Altrincham had only lost their unbeaten run, at the eighth hurdle, last Saturday at Hucknall, though the outcome of that game was probably influenced by knowing, once Southport were five up at Harrogate, that even a defeat would qualify them for the play-offs.

After the trouble in Nuneaton at last week's game with Kettering, there was a strong police presence tonight and segregation was enforced on the terraces, which were well covered by 1,532 noisy spectators from both sides. The supporters were all in good humour, even at the end of an evening that was a tremendous advert for non-league football and, by all accounts, far more entertaining than the Liverpool v Chelsea Champions' League semi-final taking place simultaneously.

TEAM NEWS

Gary Talbot, a virtual ever-present this season, was unfit to play with a foot injury but Alty had Thornley, Potts, Aspinall and Hussin back in the starting line-up. So, Mitten, Chalmers and Norris all moved to the bench tonight. Before the match Graham Heathcote had indicated that he would have a sub-keeper on the bench tonight, with Kurt Edginton, the favourite, but in the end he went for five outfield players.

NUNEATON BOROUGH: (Blue & white striped shirts, white shorts, blue socks): 1.Darren ACTON, 2. Robert ODDY, 3. Michael LOVE, 4. Martin REEVES, 5. Neil MOORE (capt.), 6. Terry ANGUS, 7. Matty COLLINS, 8. Mark NOON, 9. Gez MURPHY, 10. Brian QUAILEY, 11. Scott GOODWIN. Subs: 12. Michael FREW, 14. Kevin WILKIN, 15. Brian McGORRY, 16. Gary FITZPATRICK, 17. Stuart WHITTAKER.

ALTRINCHAM: (All yellow): 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. Rod THORNLEY, 10. Colin LITTLE, 11. Gary SCOTT. Subs: 12. Richard NORRIS, 14. Kieran LUGSDEN, 15. Lewis CHALMERS, 16. Jonathan MITTEN, 17. Kirk HILTON.

REPORT

Just as in the play-off semi-final at Droylsden the day before, the heavens opened just before the start of this game but thankfully, after a heavy downpour, the rain stopped after about ten minutes. Alty had the first shot at goal, after 90 seconds, when Owen lashed an effort well wide from an Aspinall cross. However soon afterwards Coburn had to save a low shot from Murphy but the Alty keeper was in more serious action moments later when Collins got into the box and Alty's no.1 had to rush out towards the edge of his box to smother the ball and got a head injuiry in the process. After treatment from Sean Riley, however, Stuart was able to continue (3 mins). Hussin then committed two fouls in a minute, the latter being a foot up offence which left Collins needing head treatment but he played on after treatment (8 mins).

With both sides roared on by their supporters, another Hussin foul led to a lecture but the Alty skipper escaped a booking (9 mins). Four Alty throws in succession by Adams on the left were seen off by Borough before Potts went down under a challenge in the Nuneaton box but Mr Brittain showed no interest in Potts's claims for a penalty (12 mins). The game was in an fairly even pattern now as Hussin got another lecture for a late challenge on Noon (14 mins). The returning Alty captain was certainly adding "bite" to the Alty midfield. After a rare Melling error, Maddox cleared well but soon Nuneaton won their first corner, when Oddy's cross went out off Melling (15 mins). With the lights now coming on, Owen fed Aspinall, who advanced up the right before finding Little with an excellent through ball. Little was clear but Acton rushed out and made an excellent save with his legs from Little's goalbound shot from right of goal (17 mins).

Alty were now playing well and soon won a corner on the left. Potts took this, short and diagonally, to Thornley whose low shot from 20 yards took a deflection in a forest of legs and went past the partly unsighted Acton into the net to the keeper's right to put Alty ahead (19 mins). Moments later, Eddie Hussin was fouled and Oddy was booked for a badly timed challenge (20 mins). Alty then had a scare when Coburn came out to challenge for the ball and in the process a Nuneaton player went down deep inside the box, but again Mr Brittain was not interested in the penalty appeals.

The end to end play continued with Little firing in a dipping shot from 25 yards from an Adams feed, which Acton fielded competently (24 mins). Maddox then gave away a freekick for a high challenge on Reeves but, soon afterwards, a Coburn clearance found Potts who won a corner for Alty. Potts's driven corner came to Owen, to the left of goal, and via Thornley came back to Potts, whose cross was taken off Melling's head at the back post by Acton (28 mins). After Murphy had been lectured for a foul on Adams, Alty continued to play well with the back four looking strong and Little and Thornley keeping the Nuneaton defence on their toes, whilst Owen and Hussin worked hard in midfield.

After Aspinall had won the ball, it came via Potts to Little, whose shot hit a falling defender and was almost diverted into Thornley's path but went for a corner instead. Potts's corner, from the right, was disappointing. However, another excellent clearance by Maddox, to Little, saw the ball fed forward for Thornley but Acton had anticipated well and raced 30 yards out of his goal to kick clear, though in doing so the ball struck Thornley but, fortunately, for the keeper did not rebound into Thornley's path (32 mins). Coburn had to watch a cross from Oddy as it just cleared his bar but generally the Altrincham lead was looking fairly solid. A foul on Little gave Adams a freekick on the left but this was cleared. However, Borough went close after 40 minutes when Oddy's clearance found Reeves and, from his pass, a well-hit volley from Goodwin just cleared the Alty far post. Melling then took a knock in the air but recovered to play on. Scott, Hussin, Little, Potts and Thornley now combined in an impressive move which took Alty the length of the pitch but ended in a goalkick (44 mins). In the three minutes of added time Altrincham held onto their deserved lead, having played one of their best 45 minutes of football this season.

Nuneaton started the second half in a great atmosphere, as the chants of the Cock & Bear terrace, packed with home fans, competed with the massed Alty supporters on the canal side of the ground. The visitors almost extended their lead early in the half when Thornley got free on the left. He got past the advancing Acton on the edge of the Nuneaton box but had to go to the byline to retrieve the ball that he had knocked past the keeper. From that acute angle he could not shoot at the unguarded goal but his low cross towards the advancing Little was cut out well by a defender, who screwed the ball over his own bar. Nuneaton's Terry Angus, still impressive as he approaches 40 years of age, then had to hobble off for treatment but soon resumed.

Potts got himself needlessly booked when he kicked the ball away after Noon had advanced up the left. Nuneaton soon won a corner as they started to press forward with determination. Alty now had to move the limping Aspinall into midfield and put Scott at right back. A minute later Chalmers came on for Aspinall, who seemed to have a recurrence of his left-ankle injury (54 mins). Initially, Chalmers went on the left, where Scott had originally been, with Potts staying on the right. Altrincham were now having to weather some sustained pressure from the hosts and they were fortunate to see Reeves balloon the ball over the bar from a good position in the goalmouth (58 mins). Home manager Roger Ashby now made a double substitution, introducing the pacey Whittaker and Frew for Quailey and Goodwin (58 mins).

Alty had another fright when Coburn totally mis-punched the ball and it span off his knuckles towards his own goal only to be cleared by a colleague (61 mins). A foul on Thornley relieved the pressure but Potts slipped over as he took the freekick on the right and the ball skewed well wide of goal. Potts and Chalmers now swapped wings as Alty now enjoyed a bit of possession in the Nuneaton half. But the visitors were soon under the cosh again with the speedy Whittaker, in particular, looking menacing on the left. But Alty weathered the next few minutes and when Chalmers fed Little inside the box, Alty had a very good shout for penalty as Angus appeared to bundle over Alty's leading scorer (73 mins). A crude lunge by Owen yielded a freekick to Nuneaton but no booking. Before much longer Nuneaton had won another corner. Three more corners then followed inside a minute but Melling and Maddox saw these off. The last one produced a whistle from the referee just before a Nuneaton shot hit the post.

Alty's Chalmers was now hobbling noticeably as a clipped shot from the right went just wide of Coburn's goal (82 mins). Nuneaton made their final change when Wilkin replaced Collins (83 mins) and two minutes later Mitten replaced Thornley up front for Alty. Nuneaton continued to throw everything at Alty, with keeper Acton's long kicks also a menace as they rained into the Alty goalmouth. Surprisingly, Mr Brittain found five minutes of added time, when three would have seemed reasonable. Alty weathered two of these before Coburn punched well clear. The ball came out to Angus, whose well executed dipping lob beat the stretching Alty keeper and went into the net just under the bar to level the scores (90+3 mins).

From the re-start Alty got to the other end but Potts shot narrowly wide from the left. Chalmers continued to hobble badly but Alty got to the final whistle with the scores level but manager Heathcote showed his frustration at the late leveller by kicking the ball onto the stand roof.

At this stage, few neutrals would have bet on Altrincham winning the game having suffered such a late equaliser against them. But in extra-time the patched-up Altrincham team got off the back foot on which Nuneaton had placed them for much of the second half. Adams, whose determination epitomises the Altrincham team, was booked two minutes into the added time at which point Scott as well as Chalmers was hobbling badly. But both played on. Mitten now had a shot blocked before Nuneaton began to press again only for the impressive Melling to clear the lines. Without the regular centre-back Talbot, Alty could have been in trouble but teenager Melling hardly put a foot wrong tonight and is also clearly a captain in the making as he shouted orders to the vastly experienced Maddox. At the other end, Potts shot narrowly wide (99 mins). Alty now made their final change with Kieran Lugsden replacing Potts. Little dropped deeper as Lugsden joined Mitten up front (101 mins).

Alty finished the half strongly, winning a corner. Adams took this and found Melling at the back post, he got the ball back into the 6-yard box where Little 's acrobatic overhead kick just cleared the bar (103 mins). Chalmers was then caught by an opponent and needed yet more treatment before resuming. At half-time in extra time, it remained 1-1.

Alty kicked off for the final quarter of an hour and had the better of the opening stages but Hussin finally picked up a yellow card after 112 minutes. Alty won another corner through Lugsden on the left and, from this, Melling had a shot blocked. The visitors continued to look strong despite the injuries they were carrying and when Nuneaton did threaten, Coburn punched clear from Oddy's cross. As the game approached the final minutes, Alty desperately scrambled the ball away from one last surge by Nuneaton but then Acton had to rush from goal to stop Lugsden getting free at the other end. In the last minute a Chalmers throw led to a Lugsden header into the side netting (120 mins). And so, to penalties...

It took some 8 minutes for the referee and officials to sort out the penalty procedures but Alty's penalty takers soon stood apart- with regular penalty taker Aspinall off the pitch, the five were Little, Mitten, Scott, Adams and Maddox. The kicks were taken in front of the massed Nuneaton support at The Cock and Bear End, with the Alty fans on the terraces looking on from the side. Alty fans are always confident when the opposition gets a spot-kick, thanks to Stuart Coburn's magnificent track record in saving penalties- in fact, he had already saved three in the past month. The Alty keeper did not disappoint again, making a superb diving save, to his right, from the first penalty, taken by Reeves. Colin Little soon despatched Alty's first spot-kick, putting the ball to the keeper's right (0-1). Murphy then scored for Nuneaton (1-1) before Gary Scott beat the keeper to his right (1-2). Coburn moved to his left for Whittaker's penalty but the substitute lifted his shot, very high, over the bar (1-2). Josh Mitten did not hit the best of penalties, more or less down the middle, but Acton had committed himself and it was now 3-1 to Alty. Nuneaton's Oddy converted the next kick (2-3) before Chris Adams strode up to blast the ball past Acton for the winning goal (2-4) and so deprive Mark Maddox of a moment of glory as the sides' fifth penalties were now not needed.

There were then scenes of delight as the Alty team ran over to their massed support on the terraces. Nuneaton took their defeat very well and they will no doubt be knocking at the promotion door again next season. Meanwhile, Alty return to the East Midlands next Saturday when they meet Kettering Town in the Natiowide North Play-Off Final, hoping that some of those suffering knocks today, will have recovered by then. The winners of that match meet either Eastbourne Borough from Sussex or Cambridge City in the Promotion Play-Off Final at the Britannia Stadium, Stoke, on Sunday 15 May at 1pm.

Altrincham have treated their fans to a magnificent season and the play-offs have been the icing on the cake. The Robins now stand two games away from the National Conference, with Saturday's game their most important since May 2000 when they needed a win against Kidderminster to stay in that league.