Match Report


ALTRINCHAM (2) 3 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS (0) 0

Nationwide Conference Game
played on Monday, 2 January 2006, at 3pm.


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    SUMMARY:

    Altrincham welcomed in the New Year with their biggest win and their first three-goal haul of the league season to make it an unbeaten Christmas period with five points gleaned from three matches. After Lewis Chalmers had been flattened by Flynn's late challenge, Warren Peyton fired in a ferocious, low freekick from 25 yards which keeper Danby kept out, but could not hold. Colin Little was on hand to knock the loose ball into the net (10 mins). Danby, recalled to the Harriers' goal after gaffes by the previous incumbent, Lewis, had his own nightmare after 36 minutes when he failed to take account of the nearby Thornley as he prepared to kick the ball clear and saw the ball charged down by the Alty striker who then found the far corner of the empty net from a difficult angle, left of goal (36 mins). Though Kidderminster had a fair share of possession they rarely troubled Coburn and Alty's Man of the Match, Colin Little, wrapped the game up after 77 minutes when he converted Potts's well struck corner from the left.


    SCORERS

  • 10 mins: Colin LITTLE (Altrincham 1 Kidderminster Harriers 0)
  • 36 mins: Rod THORNLEY (Altrincham 2 Kidderminster Harriers 0)
  • 77 mins: Colin LITTLE (Altrincham 3 Kidderminster Harriers 0)


    REFEREE: Ms. Amy Raynor


    ATTENDANCE: 1,165


    BACKGROUND:

    This was a return Christmas holiday fixture, following the 1-1 draw in a game of two penalties at Aggborough on Boxing Day. The Harriers' last visit to Moss Lane had been the match, watched by 1,761, which condemned Alty to relegation from the Conference on 6 May 2000, a 0-0 draw which also confirmed the championship for the visitors. The sides had been brought together again today by the Harriers' relegation from the League last season and by Alty's promotion from the Conference North division. Today was only Alty's second home game in more than five weeks.

    Kidderminster remained in the charge of caretaker manager Martin O'Connor, following the dismissal of Stuart Watkiss.

    TEAM NEWS

    Alty's already decimated defence, without Gary Talbot and Karl Munroe (both injured) and Chris Adams (suspended), suffered a further loss when Mark Maddox's wife went into labour and he had to miss the game. But Peter Band was well enough to play after illness had kept him out on New Year's Eve at Tamworth and Val Owen was fit enough to resume on the bench.

    Johnny Mullins, Kidderminster's on-loan player from Reading, was suspended for today's match and the Harriers also dropped keeper Lewis after several recent errors and brought back last season's regular League keeper, John Danby, in his place. Other changes from their line up in our Boxing Day match at Kidderminster saw Daryl Burgess included at the expense of Russell Penn and Gareth Sheldon also came into the starting line-up.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 15. Peter BAND (capt), 21. Stephen ROSE, 11. Gary SCOTT; 37. Ged MURPHY, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 30. Steve BUSHELL, 12. Warren PEYTON; 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Rod THORNLEY. Subs: 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Val OWEN, 19. James ROBINSON, 20. Kieran LUGSDEN, 28. Pat McFADDEN.

    KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS (All dark blue): 1. John DANBY, 2. Patrick FLYNN, 4. Mark JACKSON (capt), 5. Wayne HATSWELL, 6. Daryl BURGESS, 8. Terry FLEMING, 9. Iyseden CHRISTIE, 10. Lee THOMPSON, 11. Michael BLACKWOOD, 14. Gareth SHELDON, 23. Simon HESLOP. Subs: 12. Laurie WILSON, 15. Simon RUSSELL, 17. Wayne GRAVES, 20. Russell PENN, 21. Gavin HURREN.


    REPORT

    With the floodlights already on, after a minute's silence for the death of John Shaw, father of Alty director Andrew, and for another supporter, Altrincham kicked off towards the 20/20 End on a dismal afternoon at Moss Lane. The referee today was Amy Raynor, taking charge at Moss Lane for the first time. After just 70 seconds, Stuart Coburn was in action making a great save from Christie after a good bit of work on the right by Thompson - but the whistle had gone for offside in any case. Soon, Altrincham began to settle with Chalmers in evidence with a couple of his long throw-ins and, from one of these, Little hooked an effort well wide of the Harriers' goal. In reply, the lively Thompson hooked an effort over the roof of the Golf Road End for Kidderminster (6 mins). Then, as Chalmers raced onto a ball up the middle, he was crudely brought down by Flynn, who was rightly booked. There was an inordinate delay as first Chalmers was treated, then the booking took place and the wall was marched back before Christie, who had been standing near the ball, finally condescended to move out of the way. But the delay did not prevent Alty from taking the lead as Peyton, for the second game running, fired in a superb freekick. This time, he did not score himself but his fiercely struck, low drive was stopped by keeper Danby. However, the keeper was unable to hold the ball and Colin Little nipped in to prod the ball home (10 mins).

    After the restart, Burgess wrestled Little to the ground as Alty's confidence rose but Kidderminster soon won a free kick on the edge of the Alty box when Christie went down dramatically. From Blackwood's left-footed freekick, a corner resulted for the visitors. Fleming's corner led to a blocked shot and then to a freekick for Alty. Alty had an escape soon afterwards when Scott lost possesion and Aspinall's covering tackle brought down the lively Christie on the very edge of the penalty area. The Alty right-back was booked but only after a lengthy lecture for Stuart Coburn, presumably for protesting (15 mins). From the freekick, Sheldon curled his effort just wide with Coburn motionless (16 mins). The Harriers were enjoying some pressure now but were getting caught offside with regularity as they went forward. Next, Aspinall drove a freekick only narrowly wide before Christie was caught just offside behind the Alty defence. Soon afterwards, Thornley was tripped from behind by Jackson but, as referee Raynor waved play on, Little was tripped by Burgess. Jackson was booked but Burgess was fortunate to escape the referee's yellow card as well. From Aspinall's freekick, Danby caught the ball well.

    Kidderminster won a number of first half free kicks and from another of these the ball went straight to Coburn but, just afterwards, a melee in the Alty box saw two desperate blocks by Alty players before a Harriers' player sliced wide. The visitors were then caught offside for the fifth time in the game before Little and Murphy combined to feed Thornley for a header which dropped wide of goal (30 mins). Kidderminster now won another corner as Alty remained on the back foot at this stage. But the home side's tentative play was put behind them when they went two up in unusual circumstances. After a clash of heads between Scott and Sheldon on the Popular Side, referee Raynor refused to let Sheldon continue due to a blood injury and forced him to run round the perimeter towards the main stand for treatment. As play resumed with an Alty freekick directed to the opposition, the ball came to keeper Danby on the right of his box. As he attempted to dribble the ball, prior to a clearance, the alert Thornley charged the ball down and it broke to him. From wide to the left of goal, Thornley shot the ball, low, into the far corner of the net to the keeper's embarrassment (36 mins). It was Rod's first league goal of the season and for the first time since August (against Morecambe), Alty held a 2-0 first-half lead.

    Kidderminster responded with a wide shot from Thompson from Christie's pass (39 mins). Then Alty won their first corner when, following a freekick by Rose, Murphy fed Little who turned well and forced an excellent save from Danby, to his left (41 mins). Alty were on top as half-time approached and, following Peyton's corner, from the same player's cross, Little headed into the side netting at the back post (41 mins). The remaining minutes of the half, plus two added minutes, failed to alter the score at the interval.


    Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS 0

    Kidderminster won an early corner on the second half but took a poor, short effort which Little cleared. Christie then had a shot blocked as the visitors pressed to get back into the game. Little did soon get in a wide shot but was offside in any case. Alty then brought on James Robinson in place of Lewis Chalmers (52 mins). But, after Scott had missed a cross, Heslop (on loan from Barnsley) wasted a shooting opportunity by firing over from just outside the box. A few minutes later, Kidderminster won a corner but the next real goal threat came from Alty when Robinson got into the box, only for Danby to smother the ball (57 mins). Thornley then came off worse in an aerial challenge and, though a stretcher was summoned, he recovered to trot off to the dressing room for treatment to a blood injury on the back of his head. Alty played on with ten men as Potts, who had been readied to come on as a sub before the injury to Thornley, loitered on the sidelines. Thornley soon re-emerged from the dressing room, with a pad on the back of his head, ready to come back on but the management had other ideas and sent on Potts in his place (61 mins).

    Alty then wasted an opening when Potts, Peyton and Little combined on the right only for Murphy to head Little's cross from the right away from goal rather than at it. The Harriers now brought on Russell for Sheldon (63 mins). Immediately the sub got in a shot at Coburn from the right, which was saved reasonably comfortably. Alty were now getting back on top after Kidderminster had increaed their effort in the early stages of the second half. Next, Alty replaced Murphy by Lugsden (67 mins) but Russell had another crack at goal soon afterwards, which just cleared the bar. More Kiddy pressure led to an excellent clearing header by Rose.

    Alty won a corner when Robinson got onto Scott's pass into the box but Potts's corner was poorly struck to the near post. However, the ball was not cleared well and soon led to Lugsden feeding Little for a volley which went narrowly wide (71 mins). Little had now dropped into midfield as Robinson and Lugsden formed the attacking spearhead. After good work by Peyton, Potts then wasted a good opening as he lifted a shot from the right, well over the bar (74 mins). Christie caused some problems at the other end but the ball rebounded off him and Band to the arms of Coburn. Potts then did well on the right, beating a defender to fire in a low shot which won a corner. This, in turn, led to another Alty corner on the left and this time Potts produced an excellent cross which was met by Little who headed the ball into the net to make it 3-0, the first time Altrincham had scored three goals in the Conference this season (77 mins).

    Each side won a corner soon after this and then Kidderminster won another flag-kick which led to a woeful cross from Fleming. Robinson and Lugsden were combining well for Alty whilst Little was relishing his midfield role as the game entered the final ten minutes. Lugsden then got in a well struck shot from the left which Danby beat out for a corner (82 mins). Little then shot over the bar from just outside the box as Alty loked comfortable with their lead (84 mins). At this stage, Kidderminster did put the ball in the net through Thompson, who was well offside. Thompson was then booked for kicking the ball away in protest as his goal was disallowed (85 mins). Burgess then had to change his bloodied shirt after being caught on the nose by Lugsden. The final minutes, plus three added ones, were played out with relatively little threat to either goal before referee Raynor blew the whistle to confirm Alty's win and an unbeaten three-game sequence over Christmas which left them in sixteenth position in the table.

    This was an excellent all -round performance by a team which, yet again had had to field a new back four. Colin Little was a deserved man of the match for Alty whilst Burgess lifted the award for the visitors. Alty's Bushell and Peyton also had excellent games whilst the return of Aspinall at right back has also been a bonus for Alty over the Christmas period. Against a full-time side who only last season were in the Football League, albeit with rather different personnel, this was an excellent performance by Altrincham and his two goals will have restored the confidence of Colin Little who has been out of sorts recently.


    Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 3 KIDDERMINSTER HARRIERS 0