Match Report

SUMMARY:

A battling performance by Altrincham gained them a deserved point at Grays in a match delayed 45 minutes by floodlight failure during the warm up. It looked ominous for Alty when McLean scored for Grays after only five minutes. But Alty improved and were playing well by half-time, with Robinson impressing up front on his debut and Munroe fitting in well in a hard-working back four. Grays started the second half well but Alty gradually got back into the game. After several chances had gone astray, they finally levelled in the third minute of added time when Owen won a header on the left and Lugsden gathered the ball before scoring coolly.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. D J Cann

Alty were seeking only their second away win of the season, while Grays were looking to regain the Conference top spot, which Accrington had gained by beating Alty on Saturday. This was Alty's first visit to Grays, which is near Tilbury, on the Thames estuary. However the Essex side had beaten Alty 4-2 at Moss Lane, last season in the Trophy, which they went on to win. The ground is hemmed in but very neat and the club house has excellent facilities.

After their 210 mile journey, Alty fans were dismayed to experience a 45 minute delay to kick-off caused by a total floodlight failure, which meant the supporters' coach only reached its last drop-off point in Sale at 3.10am!

Despite the long journey on a working day there were a respectable number of Alty fans in attendance at this compact ground, some of whom had taken two days off work to get to Essex and back. The Alty supporters' trust, STAR, is to be applauded for running a coach to the game to maximize support for the Robins and the Club is grateful to all who travelled.

TEAM NEWS

With Peter Band suspended, Alty brought in Karl Munroe at centre-back. Up front, James Robinson replaced Colin Potts as Colin Little's partner. Teenager Pat McFadden returned to the squad, on the bench. Ged Murphy continued on the right of midfield with Steve Bushell partnering Val Owen in the centre and Warren Peyton on the left.

Grays were without the suspended Stuart and Sambrook. So Mawer replaced Andy Sambrook whilst goalkeeper Nicky Eyre regained his place from Ashley Bayes. Also Dennis Oli was rested in favour of Danny Hooper..

GRAYS ATHLETIC (Pale blue shirts and socks, shorts): 16. Nicky EYRE; 20. Cameron MAWER, 5. Lee MATTHEWS, 17. Stevland ANGUS, 3. John NUTTER; 11. Aaron McLEAN, 10. John MARTIN, 6. Stuart THURGOOD, 8. Danny HOOPER; 14. Michael KIGHTLY, 25. Jamie SLABBER. Subs: 1. Ashley BAYLES, 7. Dennis OLI, 19. Ade OLAYINKA, 22. Nathan KOO-BOOTHE, 23. Glenn POOLE.

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN; 11. Gary SCOTT, 17. Karl MUNROE, 4. Mark MADDOX (capt), 3. Chris ADAMS; 37. Ged MURPHY, 8. Val OWEN, 30. Steve BUSHELL, 12. Warren PEYTON; 9. Colin LITTLE, 19. James ROBINSON. Subs: 7. Colin POTTS, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 20. Kieran LUGSDEN, 28. Pat McFADDEN, 29. Kyle WILSON.

REPORT

Fortunately a neighbouring flat owner switched on his/her outdoor light to allow the players to warm up when everywhere was plunged into unexpected darkness half an hour or so before the scheduled kick off. Conference Chief Executive John Moules was at the game and he apparently had given the electrical repair man an 8.30pm deadline to get the lights on before the game would be postponed. However, the electrician in question worked wonders to get the lights, tannoy and other electrics working by around 8.15pm.

Alty kicked off, once the lights had been restored, and they started quite brightly as Robinson's 20-yarder just cleared the bar. But moments later McLean gathered a pass up the centre from Kightly before firing past Coburn with barely five minutes gone. When, soon afterwards, Hooper won Grays the game's first corner, a difficult night looked to be in store for Alty against their full-time opponents (7 mins). But the travelling fans remained in good voice, as did the home support.

The former Crewe man, James Robinson, continued to look lively on the ground and was also winning the ball well in the air. Alty were now beginning to settle as Bushell's feed almost got Little in on goal. But following a free-kick, conceded by Maddox, against McLean, Grays won another corner. Two more corners followed shortly afterwards, the second conceded by Coburn as he tipped over a lob from Slabber (17 mins). However, Peyton got in a shot for Alty (19 mins) before Slabber played Kightly into the box but a goalkick resulted. Soon Robinson almost got Owen free in the Grays box and there were further problems for Grays when McLean was booked for a very late challenge on Adams (24 mins). Angus then had to concede Alty's first corner from Scott's cross. Adams's corner went straight to Eyre, however. After Slabber had sliced high and wide for Grays, a foul on Robinson yielded a free-kick from which an Alty corner followed. Following this, Owen had a shot blocked and then Little was dubiously flagged offside as he broke clear, much to the Alty bench's annoyance. The visitors were now enjoying a good spell as Robinson forced a save from Eyre. Slabber became Grays's second booked player after he caught Munroe's face (36 mins).

However, Grays went close when Kightly's low shot from the right fizzed past Coburn's right upright. But Alty finished the half strongly as Angus was forced to block off Little inside the box. Then Owen delayed an intended shot long enough to be blocked. As added-time started, Alty won another corner. But, in the second added minute, Kightly stretched well to divert a cross from the right narrowly wide.

At the interval, Kieran Lugsden replaced Steve Bushell. As Kieran joined Little up front, Robinson dropped to right midfield and Murphy moved inside. Grays started well as McLean drove narrowly over (46 mins). Peyton was now limping on the Alty left as Grays maintained the pressure. However, Maddox continued to lead by example at the back as Owen fed Lugsden, but his first touch took the ball to the keeper (54 mins). Play was now end to end but both defences had the upper hand. Just after a poor final ball by Hooper had ended a promising move, Oli replaced the errant Grays number eight. Immediately afterwards, Coburn saved well at the second attempt and then Grays won a fortuitous corner as Munroe was pushed and, as a result, knocked the ball out. A few minutes later, a sliced punch by Coburn gave Grays another corner.

Alty now got to the other end, only for Owen's shot to be blocked. They did better when Lugsden won a freekick, from which Peyton found Robinson whose fine shot from 20 yards forced a good save (69 mins). Alty then won another corner, through Robinson, as the clock struck 10pm (71 mins). Alty continued to press as the home fans got a bit edgy. Grays tried to shake things up as they brought on Poole for McLean (75 mins) and the sub's first act was to drive a free-kick into the Alty wall. Alty now replaced the limping Peyton by Kyle Wilson (76 mins). After Alty had won a corner, Grays won three corners as they tried to finish off their spirited opponents. But Alty came nearer to scoring at this stage when Lugsden cut in from the right to force a good save (83 mins). Owen then fired wildly over before a Lugsden cross-cum shot from the right was met by a stretching Colin Little, who could only poke the ball wide (87 mins). Alty continued to press an increasingly jittery Grays but Owen picked up a sixth booking for a trip in the centre circle (89 mins). On the second minute of added time, Robinson limped off after being caught in a challenge and Potts made a very late appearance as sub in his place (90+2 mins). However, with the game entering the third minute of added time, Owen made amends. He rose well on the left to nod a Coburn freekick on to Lugsden, inside the box. He controlled it well before sliding the ball into the net to give Alty the point that their wholehearted performance deserved. It was their first away league goal from open play since Aldershot, 9 games and more than 800 minutes ago!

Without the two centre-backs, Talbot and Band, this was an excellent performance by a part-time side against many people's title favourites. Amongst a team full of committed performances, Robinson and the back four were especially prominent. But the arrival of Peyton, Bushell and Murphy has added steel to midfield and has been a vital component of the strong performances at Accrington and Grays. The celebrations on the supporters' coach were as vocal as when we won promotion at Stoke in May!