Match Report

SUMMARY:

Another superb performance from injury ravaged Alty, who started the game with 9 players out injured and one suspended, and ended it with another four in the injury bay, enabled them to rise to 5th in the table. Potts was put out of the game by a bad challenge by Curtis, earlier McKenzie had limped off with an ankle injury and Rose also hobbled off in the second half whilst substitute Aspinall finished the game limping badly. And that's without mentioning Hawes's cut head! Melling, named as Man of the Match against his former club, also took a knock but everyone worked their hearts out to keep the Shrimps out, none less than Peter Band. A great shot from Colin Little from the "D" of the penalty area put Alty ahead (30 mins) before a bizarre goal made it 2-0 four minutes later. Kempson's attempted clearance hit the referee and broke to Little, who fed the advancing Potts to his right. The Alty wingman drove the ball past Robinson. Though Morecambe forced a couple of fine saves from Coburn, Morecambe's keeper was also seriously tested on several occasions as Alty belied their part-time, injury-hit status.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. D J Birkett

Altrincham were meeting Morecambe today for the fourth time at Moss Lane in the Conference. Alty won 3-0 in 1995/96, lost 0-1 the following year and then drew 2-2 in 1999/2000. Under manager Jim Harvey, The Shrimps have become one of the best teams in the Conference and their end of season form in 2005 was at championship-winning level. At kick-off Morecambe were second in the Conference and Alty lay joint ninth. Alty chairman Geoff Goodwin had got to the game from driving the Australian cricket tourists, thanks to the early finish of the Trent Bridge test match. and he had brought with him Aussie bowler Shaun Tait, who watched the game from the directors' box.

TEAM NEWS

Alty were without ten first-team players, not counting Marcus Hallows, who is recovering from his broken leg. Eddie Hussin, Gary Scott, Gary Talbot, Lutel James, Kieran Lugsden, Rod Thornley, Richard Norris, Kirk Hilton, and Karl Munroe were all injured or not yet fully fit after injury, whilst Mark Maddox remained suspended. Steve Aspinall was on the bench despite not yet being fit and having just part of a Reserves' game under his belt this season. With Hussin, Maddox and Talbot all sidelined, Coburn assumed the captaincy today.

So the management duo brought in teenager George Melling for his first Conference start at centre-back in place of Talbot, and also brought into the starting line-up Nehru McKenzie (left midfield) and James Olsen (centre midfield) to make it three players making their Conference debut starts. The management also made some positional changes to the line-up which beat Aldershot with Rose starting at right-back and Hawes moving into an advanced midfield position behind striker Colin Little. Williams and Chalmers moved to the bench to accommodate Olsen and McKenzie.

Morecambe included Michael Twiss up front, a player who had trials with Alty five years or so, ago.

ALTRINCHAM(Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN (capt.), 21. Stephen ROSE, 24. George MELLING, 15. Peter BAND, 3. Chris ADAMS; 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Val OWEN, 12. Steve HAWES, 16. James OLSEN, 25. Nehru McKENZIE; 9. Colin LITTLE. Subs: 2. Steve ASPINALL; 13. Richard ACTON (gk), 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 19. Gary WILLIAMS, 26. Lee HENDLEY.

MORECAMBE: (All yellow): 1. Ryan ROBINSON, 3. David PERKINS, 4. Michael HOWARD, 5. Jim BENTLEY (capt), 7. Michael TWISS, 9. Wayne CURTIS, 11. Garry THOMPSON, 12 Darren KEMPSON, 14. Michael BLACKBURN, 17. Garry HUNTER, 23. Kieron WALMSLEY. Subs: 2. Carl RUFFER, 8. Michael STRINGFELLOW, 13. Scott DAVIES, 15. Danny CARLTON, 19. Jamie HEARD.

REPORT

In bright sunshine in front of Moss Lane's best gate of the season, Alty kicked off towards the Golf Road End, but Stuart Coburn was the first keeper in meaningful action, making a good stop from Thompson's effort (3 mins). He was also in action again a couple of minutes later making a fine save from Curtis after he and Twiss had combined wel on the visitors' left side. Coburn tipped the burly number nine's firm shot over the bar for the game's first corner. Band cleared this. Soon Alty were going forward neatly and when Little chested the ball down and turned smartly in one movement it was a pity that he delivered a poor final ball. But Altrincham were holding their own despite Morecambe winning a second corner when a wide shot from Thompson took a deflection. Following this, Walmsley lashed the ball high over the bar. Alty's injury jinx struck again, fittingly in the 13th minute, when a foul by the pony-tailed Blackburn laid McKenzie low and after treatment to what looked like a left ankle injury, the debutant hobbled off, though he did return a minute or two later, albeit not moving freely. In the meantime Potts's freekick yielded an Alty corner. Potts took it short to Olsen and got the ball back, his cross finding Melling at the back post. The ball was half cleared back to Potts but this cross found no team-mate (15 mins). At the other end a cross was headed by Walmsley to Coburn before Alty enjoyed some sustained possession which included a scuffed shot from Little which went well wide (17 mins). Hawes was getting into unaccustomed forward positions in his new role behind Colin Little whilst Olsen was also looking assured on his first start of the season in midfield. At the back Band was his ever hardworking self and young Melling was ably supporting him. Robinson had to rush out to clear from Hawes before Peter Band earned a lecture for kicking the ball away at a freekick award to the visitors (22 mins). But Alty were more than holding their own against the second-placed side even though a long throw from Kempson had to be headed out for a corner by Rose. McKenzie cleared the corner and Alty continued to see a lot of the ball. Little executed a superb turn to sweep past Bentley and find Hawes and the two players exchanged further passes to produce an Alty corner on the left, taken by Potts (28 mins). The corner came to Little who delayed his shot just long enough for a tackle to be made.

After Band had made an impressive interception at the other end, McKenzie was hobbling from his earlier injury and preparations were made for Williams to replace him. But before he could so, Alty scored. Olsen fed Rose whose excellent pass located Little outside the box, in a central position. From the edge of the penalty area "D", Little fired a left-foot shot past the despairing Robinson to give Alty the lead (30 mins). At this point McKenzie gave way to Williams on the left flank. Before the sub could get into the game, Blackburn went past him and was brought down by Adams, who was booked by the referee, Mr. Birkett (32 mins). Alty then doubled their lead in curious circumstances. Kempson attempted to clear the ball about 30 yards out but only succeeded in hitting the referee with the ball, which rebounded to Little. He took the ball on before releasing Potts, to his right, who ran on to drive the ball into the net (34 mins). Moments later Adams committed another foul but fortunately referee Birkett only lectured the yellow-carded left-back.

Morecambe continued to mis-pass the ball and looked a shadow of a table-topping side as the Alty supporters traded chants with the large Morecambe contingent. Choruses of "We're part-time and we're proud of it" were amongst the refrains from the Golf Road end aimed at their full-time opponents. A Morecambe move was then broken up by the hardworking Williams who was tracking back well. In midfield Owen was as strong as ever but the Alty boss was demanding yet more effort from his side, and he got it. The game went into two minutes of added time as play stopped for a clash of heads between Bentley and Hawes. The Morecambe defender had headed the back of Hawes's head and both men needed treatment, Bentley emerging with a smear of grease over his wound whilst Hawes needed a plaster on the back of his head. As the half ended Twiss turned well on the edge of the box but fired well over the bar (45+2 mins). There was still time for Morecambe to win another corner but Alty reached half-time with their two-goal lead intact.

There was a rare mix-up in the Alty defence at the start of the second half when Coburn came for the ball but Band, headed it out for a corner (46 mins). Alty were penned back in their half and when Coburn only got a weak palm to a cross from the left by Curtis, the ball came straight to Walmsley but his header back towards goal landed safely in the keeper's arms (47 mins). Band was forced to concede another corner a few minutes later as his knee got in the way of a Twiss cross from the left (50 mins). However, Alty got up to the other end soon afterwards with Williams doing well to twist and turn to the left of goal and get in a shot which forced a magnificent save from Robinson, going to his left, to concede a corner, taken by Olsen. From this Little got in a shot which was deflected just wide for a second corner, this time on the left and taken by Potts. His long corner found Little at the back post but the ball was then cleared (52 mins). A late tackle by Curtis then put Potts down for lengthy treatment but the Morecambe man was lucky not to be booked. Morecambe now brought on Heard for Walmsley and Carlton for Blackburn (55 mins).

Potts hobbled back into action and Alty then won another freekick as Carlton fouled Owen, 35 yards out on the Alty left. Next, Little was flattened from behind to earn a freekick 25 yards out , left-centre, but Little himself put the freekick over the bar. However, Alty were doing well and after the first few minutes of pressure from Morecambe in the second half were now taking the game back to the visitors. It was clear that Potts could not continue and he limped off to join the overcrowded Alty sick bay, to be replaced by Lewis Chalmers on the right flank (58 mins). Chalmers took a little while to get into the game and after he had given away possession the lively Perkins fed Hunter for a shot from the edge of the box which narrowly cleared Alty's bar (60 mins). Alty won another freekick as Williams was fouled 30 yards out but Hawes received his manager's criticism for floating the ball in rather than "whipping it in" as he had been instructed to do. But otherwise the manger must have been delighted with his midfielder's contribution this afternoon. Next, Melling pulled up and then started to hobble as it looked as if Alty might finish the game with fewer than 11 men.

A bad foul on Adams by a Morecambe player again saw Mr. Birkett being lenient and not producing a card. Morecambe did threaten soon afterwards when Curtis bundled his way through, rather than past, Rose on the Alty right and fed Twiss but the Shrimps' hot shot made an air kick in the penalty area and the opening had gone. Moments later Curtis bowled Rose over again and this time he did see a yellow card (64 mins). Olsen now was also limping as Hunter got in a low shot at Coburn. Altrincham's lead was looking fairly comfortable and indeed, after 69 minutes, Owen fed Little who turned well but his shot was underhit to the keeper. An Adams challenge then earned him a final warning from the referee and from the freekick Bentley rose well in space but headed over the Alty crossbar (71 mins). With Rose now the latest Alty player to be hobbling, Alty won a corner following a Band interception. The ball came via Chalmers to Williams who did well to win the corner on the Alty right. Olsen saw his corner cleared but Rose and Owen soon got the ball forward to Williams who got to the ball just before the advancing keeper and facing away from goal and to the left of the goalmouth, he twisted brilliantly to loop in a shot which only just dropped wide of the back post (72 mins). Alty looked as likely to score as Morecambe and Little was the next to see a shot blocked before Rose had to give way to Aspinall. Aspinall had yet to complete a match after his summer operation, having had to limp off in his one Reserves' appearance this season (75 mins).

Alty had an escape when Melling misjudged a through ball and Carlton got behind him, but his shot was brilliantly saved by Coburn's legs. Next a long ball forward was again well used by Williams whose low cross from the right set up Little for a clear shot at goal but the Alty striker could only hit his shot straight at the keeper (77 mins). After this, Stringfellow replaced Walmsley for Morecambe (79 mins). After this Chalmers found Williams in the right corner and he did very well to get in a cross which flashed across goal and the incoming Little. Band continued his excellent performance with a great block of a Twiss shot and Heald put the loose ball well over the bar (80 mins). The end to end excitement continued as Olsen fed Little on the right and his cross struck Kempson in the face and, to add insult to injury, went for an Alty corner on the right. Chalmers jumped well to meet Olsen’s flag-kick as Alty moved assuredly towards the final whistle. Indeed Little might have scored again when Hawes and Chalmers got the ball to him and his goal bound shot took a slight deflection to force a superb save from Robinson as he tipped the ball over for a corner on the right. "Try and score" manager Heathcote told Olsen, but his corner was overhit. Coburn had to be alert to save well from Hunter (85 mins) and Melling soon had to get in the way of another Morecambe effort as the back line defended their keeper well.

Morecambe won a late corner but Kempson climbed on Band to concede a freekick (88 mins). Morecambe pressed again on the right but their final balls were not accurate throughout this game. Two minutes of added time were announced during which a throw from Chalmers earned Alty a last corner. But the final whistle soon came to confirm a magnificent win for Altrincham's injury-ravaged part-timers and lift them into the unexpected heights of a play-off place (5th), just one place behind their next opponents, title favorites Hereford. Physio Sean Riley will have another busy week getting a squad of players fit for that game but at least the suspended Maddox will be available again. McKenzie, Potts, Rose and Aspinall all limped off to the changing rooms with Potts and Aspinall looking particularly laboured in their movements. Brian Flynn selected George Melling as Man of the Match, perhaps partly influenced by the young centre back having formerly been a Morecambe reserve. But Peter Band can count himself unlucky not to have lifted the champagne for another heroic performance but he was ably assisted by a team full of triers and hardworkers who are punching well above their weight so far in the Conference. Finally, it should not be forgotten that a great deal of tactical nous from the management duo was also a major contributory factor to this win.