Match Report

SUMMARY:

Above, in Saturday's game at the McCain Stadium, all eleven Alty players are visible as a first-half corner is cleared.

BBC N. Yorks has an audio report on the Scarboro v Alty game.

Alty deservedly recorded their second away win of the season and their second match in succession with goals by Little and Aspinall. Little scored the first after 26 minutes, slotting the ball home from right of goal after an excellent pass from Owen. Throughout Alty played some good football against a ragged Scarborough side. Thornley should have wrapped things up after 51 minutes but his shot shaved the outside of the post. But when Aspinall expertly converted a penalty, awarded for handball (69 mins), the points looked safe. However, as Alty sat back, McNiven scored from his side's first shot of the half (74 mins). Alty rode out some belated Boro' pressure to hold onto the points for an important win in their fight to keep clear of the relegation spots. The win takes them up to sixteenth.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. Craig EVANS

Alty had drawn with Scarborough earlier this season, thanks to a late equaliser from the Seadogs - the first time Scarborough had ever taken a point at Moss Lane in ten attempts in the Conference or its forerunner the Alliance. On Alty's last visit to Seamer Road, another late goal had beaten Alty, 1-0, in 2000.

TEAM NEWS

Above: Even in Dalton Steele's pre-match warm-up, Steve Aspinall had his eye on the opposition at the other end of the pitch. In the background, as well as "Asa" and Dalton, there is Colin Potts, whilst in front of them are Lewis Chalmers, Pat McFadden, Gary Scott and Stephen Rose.

Altrincham were without the suspended Warren Peyton but Colin Potts had completed his ban and was on the bench. Injured defenders Karl Munroe and Gary Talbot were still missing and to add to Alty's problems, Kieran Lugsden was taken ill over night. With his replacement, Lee Hendley, uncontactable back in Altrincham, Alty could only field four substitutes, though Hendley was named on the teamsheet.

For Boro', David McNiven, who had recently joined Scarborough in preference to Alty, started for the Seadogs. Boro' also fielded two debutants in ex-Alty reserve, Tom Baker (ex-Barnsley) and Richard Kell, on loan from Barnsley.

SCARBOROUGH (Red and white striped shirts, red shorts and socks): 1. Leigh WALKER, 2. Denny INGRAM, 3. Kevin NICHOLSON, 7. Tony HACKWORTH, 10. David McNIVEN, 12. Ashley LYTH, 16. Rob ATKINSON, 17. Chris HUGHES, 18. Tom BAKER, 20. Lee FOWLER (capt), 32. Richard KELL. Subs: 5. Paul FOOT, 14. Steve BAKER, 22. Michael COULSON, 29. David POUNDER, 34. Ian DUNBAVIN (gk).

ALTRINCHAM (Pale blue shirts, dark blue shorts and pale blue socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 11. Gary SCOTT, 4. Mark MADDOX (capt), 15. Peter BAND, 3. Chris ADAMS; 10. Rod THORNLEY, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 37. Ged MURPHY, 8. Val OWEN, 19. James ROBINSON; 9. Colin LITTLE. Subs: 7. Colin POTTS, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 21. Stephen ROSE, 26. Lee HENDLEY, 28. Pat McFADDEN.

ALTY SUBS:

REPORT

After a delay caused by a need to re-fix the netting at the home end, Scarborough kicked off towards the singing Alty fans but the opening few minutes produced little of note. Scarborough did then win two corners in as many minutes but the nearest to any goalmouth action came when the second corner was cleared out to Baker, who volleyed over from 20 yards (10 mins). However, Alty responded well as Owen and Little fed Thornley, on the right, but when Rod's cross came to the back post, Owen could do no more than concede a goal-kick (11 mins).

Aspinall and Owen were both playing well in midfield but, until Little's left foot shot was held by Walker at the second attempt, there was no serious threat to either goal (18 mins). At the other end, McNiven then got in a snap shot, well wide of the target, and was baited by the Alty fans as a mercenary for electing to sign for Scarborough recently for a much larger pay-packet than Alty could afford.

The home side repeatedly found themselves offside in the first half against a well organised Alty defence. The visitors now began to string together some neat passing sequences. From one of these, a good move up the left, Aspinall, Owen and Murphy linked well, and when Owen got the ball back, he threaded a superb ball to his right for Little to chase. Alty's top scorer took his chance well, slotting the ball past Walker from right of goal to record his 12th goal of the season (26 mins). It was the first time Alty had gone ahead away from home in the Conference since last August.

Scarborough seemed deflated by the goal and when, soon after the restart, Thornley and Little combined, a defender almost conceded an own goal. Soon both Thornley and Robinson had shots blocked as Alty dominated the next few minutes (30 mins). When Scarborough recovered their composure, the well-drilled Alty back-line ushered them across the pitch, denying them any openings other than when a ricochet fell to Kell, whose firm shot was well held by Coburn (32 mins).

Alty now strung together a dozen passes in succession as they played their best football away from Moss Lane for some time (36 mins). Soon another multi-pass move won the visitors a corner, which Walker caught under the bar from Adams's inswinger (39 mins). Maddox then showed great presence of mind, dealing with a potentially awkward bouncing ball up the middle, with a deft back-header. As the 45 minutes ended, Lyth was wrongly awarded a corner, when he shot wide but this corner kick was overhit and Coburn pushed team-mate Aspinall out of the way, to allow the ball to drift out of play before his team-mate could touch the ball to concede a corner. Two minutes of added time were completed, leaving Alty 1-0 up.

After the trouble with the goal-netting which delayed the start of the first half, there was a similar episode at half-time at the Alty end. As the subs warmed up, a Rose shot hit the sidenetting, which promptly collapsed as the tie-string snapped. Despite valiant efforts by the Alty subs, a Scarborough official finally completed the repair just before the second-half started.

Alty began the half slowly, but Little won them the first corner of the 45 minutes (48 mins). Alty now came to life and should have wrapped things up after 51 minutes when a free-kick found Little, on the left and he fed Thornley, unmarked to the right of goal. But Thornley's shot across goal from six yards beat the far post as well as the keeper, skimming off the outside of the upright for a goal-kick. A few minutes later, Thornley was booked as Alty won a throw-in, presumably for speaking out of turn (57 mins). Then, after a great tackle by Band on McNiven, Scarborough came back but Hughes could only lash his effort well over the bar. Scarborough boss Neil Redfearn made a double swap on the hour mark, Foot replacing leading scorer Hackworth, and Coulson coming on for Baker. Alty then won a corner which the hesitant defence finally got clear before Adams was flattened by a wild challenge from Kell, which saw the Barnsley loan-player booked (64 mlns). After play resumed, another almost immediate reckless challenge by Scarborough felled Thornley, for which Coulson was booked (65 mins). For some reason the referee also booked Owen.

But as the game which had been relatively free of fouls, threatened to turn physical, Scarborough conceded a penalty for handball by former Halifax man, Denny Ingram. Aspinall maintained his 100 per cent record from the spot, beating Walker comfortably with a powerful drive (69 mins). Before play resumed, Hughes was cautioned for the Seadogs, presumably for a verbal offence. Soon after this, Hughes's afternoon ended as Pounder came on in his place (71 mins).

Above: Aspinall drives home his penalty kick.

With the Alty fans chanting, 'We're part-time and we're proud of it', their side paid the price for sitting back as a ball forward found McNiven left of goal, from where he drove the ball cleanly past Coburn and set up a tense finale with his side's first shot on target of the second half (74 mins). Scarborough now pressed forward and won a corner. After this, Potts came on for Thornley (79 mins). A minute later, Chalmers replaced Robinson (80 mins). Play was now largely confined to the Alty half as the Seadogs sensed an unlikely draw might be possible. But Atkinson was now booked for a foul on Little but Rose replaced the Alty front man soon afterwards as manager Heathcote opted to bolster his midfield and defence for the closing minutes (86 mins). Nevertheless, substitutes Potts and Chalmers were working manfully to keep the ball upfield as their team-mates repulsed the Scarborough attacks but the Yorkshiremen received a boost when the fourth official signalled an unlikely four minutes of added time to be played. However, Alty managed to see out the time without any real danger to complete a well deserved win.

This was another excellent all round team performance from Alty - both the team and the supporters. Whilst Lyth was named the home side's man of the match, had their been one for the visitors, Steve Aspinall would have been well in the running for the second match in succession. Aspinall was Alty's regular right-back last season but having missed a large chunk of this season after a summer operation, he has played the last two games in midfield and excelled there. And as for his penalty taking, there can be few better in the Conference.