Match Report


ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
CANVEY ISLAND (0) 1

Nationwide Conference Game
played on Saturday, 11 March 2006, at 3pm.


SPONSORS:

  • Match: Deborah Services and Scotchem Ltd
  • Matchball: Terry Surridge, The Saturday Yankee, Sarah Rowley
  • Programme: Tintagel Consultancy Ltd

    SUMMARY:

    Colin Little leaves the pitch; ahead of him, Gary Scott hobbles off supported by physio Andy Hosgood. And the gentleman in the crowd, far left, is Huddersfield Town's former Alty left-back Danny Adams.

    Alty failed to convert a number of decent chances and paid the price when substitute Lee Boylan netted for the Essex visitors in the first minute of added time. Alty ended the game without four of their first-choice players; things had started to go wrong for the home side before kick off when Rod Thornley withdrew with an ear infection and Mark Maddox strained his groin in the warm-up and had to be replaced by Gary Talbot in the starting line-up, leaving Alty with just four on the bench. Then, before half time, Chris Adams had to hobble off before a third defender, Gary Scott, was injured late in the game and spent the last few minutes on the pitch but barely able to walk. The winner came when Clarke's corner from the right evaded Coburn and fell to Boylan beyond the back post (90+1 mins). Even after that Owen had a glorious chance to equalise but could not find enough power to beat the visitors' Man of the Match, goalkeeper Danny Potter. Peter Band was Alty's Man of the Match winner.


    SCORERS

  • 90(+1) mins: Lee BOYLAN (Altrincham 0 Canvey Island 1)

    REFEREE: Mr. C D Sarginson


    ATTENDANCE: 903


    BACKGROUND:

    Alty had not played a game for two and a half weeks and even today's match had looked doubtful in midweek as the rain poured down incessantly. But groundsman Neil Brown and a team of helpers had worked hard to have the pitch ready. For their first ever trip to Altrincham, Canvey had travelled up for the game on matchday rather than having an overnight stay. Like Alty, Canvey are a part-time club who live sensibly within their budget. When the sides had met back in August at Canvey, the result was a 1-1 draw despite the hosts having to play 45 minutes with ten men. They started today's game in 16th and 17th places respectively, with Alty having a one-point advantage.

    TEAM NEWS

    One benefit of the enforced lack of action had been that Altrincham had had time to get some minor injuries cured so only Karl Munroe was out of contention, apart from the two squad members who have been sidelined by injury all season, Richard Norris and Eddie Hussin. But Alty's best laid plans were disrupted on match-day when captain Mark Maddox suffered a groin injury in the warm-up and striker Rod Thornley reported in with an ear infection which ruled him out of contention. However, Alty included new signing, left-winger Blake Norton from Worksop Town but, of course, were without James Robinson who had gone to play football in Australia at short notice since our last game, against Halifax. Ged Murphy returned after suffering a badly gashed thigh at Crawley last month. Because of Maddox's late withdrawal, Alty had only four men on the bench whilst Val Owen assumed the captaincy for the first time.

    For Canvey, top scorer Lee Boylan returned to the bench after a long lay off, following a facial injury caused by a collision with a goalpost.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 11. Gary SCOTT, 5. Gary TALBOT, 15. Peter BAND, 3. Chris ADAMS; 37. Ged MURPHY, 8. Val OWEN (capt.), 2. Steve ASPINALL, 12. Warren PEYTON; 9. Colin LITTLE, 18. Blake NORTON. Subs: 7. Colin POTTS, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 20. Kieran LUGSDEN, 21. Stephen ROSE.

    ALTY SUBS:

  • 38 mins: Lugsden for Adams
  • 75 mins: Potts for Murphy
  • 77 mins: Chalmers for Norton

    CANVEY ISLAND (Yellow & pale blue shirts, white shorts and socks): 17.Danny POTTER; 2. John KENNEDY, 3. Chris DUFFY, 4. Ben CHENERY, 15. Steve WARD, 19. Dominic STERLING, 7. Ben SEDGEMORE, 8. Jeff MINTON, 11. Dwain CLARKE, 22. Kezie IBE, 27. Jason HALLETT. Subs: 10. Lee BOYLAN, 12. Allan TAIT, 18. Mario NOTO, 23. Jay CONROY, 24 Richard McKINNEY,


    REPORT

    The pitch, though perfectly playable, was heavy after the deluges of the preceding few days. After changing ends, Canvey kicked off towards the Golf Road (Debbie Dawson) end but the opening few minutes witnessed little of interest. If anything, the visitors had a slight edge in the initial stages but it was not until the eighth minute that either side got in a shot at goal and that was a weak, wide effort from Canvey's Ibe. Gradually, Alty settled and they won the game's first corner when Norton was felled by Ward and Peyton's freekick won the flag kick on the Alty left. But Aspinall's corner was very poor, being both low and short of the near post (13 mins).

    At the back for Alty, Band and Talbot were looking solid but the Canvey defence was also not giving anything away. Canvey then threatened when Clarke, who had a good game, got up the left but Coburn dived forward to smother his low cross into the goalmouth (15 mins). Little then did well to get past Sterling's foul challenge but, to Alty's annoyance, the referee stopped play to give the home side an unwanted freekick. Little was soon fouled again, the third offence by Sterling in the game so far but the Canvey man was lucky to escape with no more than a lecture from the referee. From Aspinall's freekick, Talbot headed narrowly wide. Debutant Norton was showing promise on the left but on a dull afternoon, with the floodlights already on, the game as a whole was struggling to come to life on the tacky surface. Next, from an Adams cross, Little's header skimmed across the goalmouth but that was as near as it got to a goal at either end in the first half of the first half (23 mins).

    Alty did threaten again when Owen fed Little and he turned well to find Norton but the debutant was checked as he advanced into the box (27 mins). With rain now falling Alty had a fright when an offside looking Sedgemore was allowed to proceed with a pass from Duffy and it took a magnificent block by Coburn to prevent a goal (29 mins). However, the home side were soon having slightly the better of proceedings but when Band felt himself harshly penalised he found himself being booked by Mr Marginson, presumably for a verbal complaint (32 mins). Band then saw off another couple of Canvey attacks before Alty left-back Chris Adams limped off the pitch with an injury (35 mins). Alty played on with ten men as Adams was treated by physio Andy Hosgood, in front of the Popular Side, but Chris was unable to continue and was soon replaced by Kieran Lugsden (38 mins). This change meant a re-shuffle as Norton was now moved to the left from his initial starting position up front. At the same time, Peyton moved to left-back to replace to Adams.

    Within minutes of this change, a fine ball fowards from Aspinall set Norton running into the box from the left but the debutant was only able to shoot into the side netting from a very promising position (40 mins). Alty continued in the ascendant as Little found Lugsden whose advance into the box was ended as his legs were taken from under him but very surprisingly the referee saw no penalty offence in the challenge (41 mins). Alty continued to dominate the closing stages of the half and a prodigious header forward from Talbot now set Little clear but his shot was met by an excellent save from Potter as the Alty striker failed to get full power behind his effort (42 mins). But Canvey replied as Clarke fired in a shot from the left to force a save from Coburn. But neither side could break the deadlock and the first half ended goalless with Alty having had the better chances but having failed to capitalise on them.


    Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 CANVEY ISLAND 0

    Canvey made an early second-half change as Sterling gave way to Noto. Almost immediately the substitute was fouled by Norton as Alty made a slow start to the second period. But, after 52 minutes Peyton found Little with a cross from the left but his shot was blocked. Soon afterwards Potter caught a Band header under the bar following a freekick by Aspinall after a foul on Norton (54 mins). Alty soon threatened again when Murphy's cross was met by Lugsden's header which forced a good save by Potter which was completed by a defender at the cost of a corner to Altrincham on their left. Another Alty corner followed a few minutes later 4 but again this came to nothing (57 mins). On the hour mark, Canvey brought on striker Lee Boylan for Jason Hallett. For some reason Boylan had brought no numbered shirt from Essex so was fielded in a numberless top, his manager having been warned before the game that had another Canvey player suffered a blood-injury, he would not have been allowed to field two unnumbered players!

    Soon, Canvey won a corner following a slip by Scott but Alty then got to the other end where Murphy fed Little only for Potter to save his shot well (63 mins). Murphy now did well again, twisting to cross the ball from the right but it was just too high for Norton to direct his header goalwards at the back post (64 mins). There was then an amusing incident as Potter executed a poor goalkick and Ward hurriedly played the ball back to him in the air. The Canvey keeper showed great poise, cushioning the ball on his chest before volleying clear to the great amusement of Graham Heathcote and the Canvey bench. Despite his long layoff, former West Ham youngster Lee Boylan was looking menacing for the visitors. But there was no significant threat to either goal for the next few minutes.

    Alty then won a freekick for a foul on Lugsden and Aspinall drove a strong freekick from 25 yards goalwards but Potter again made a decent save (69 mins). Four minutes later Canvey won a corner, which was cleared. Next, Alty brought on Potts to replace Murphy on the right flank (75 mins). But Canvey won another corner as Alty were now kept on the back foot. The home side then took off Norton after a promising debut and brought on Chalmers (77 mins), on the left, and he was soon in action with a couple of long throws. However, Alty's next effort was an underhit shot from Lugsden (81 mins) followed moments later by another effort from the same player which Potter also saved. Alty soon threatened again but this time Potts was seen off as the home side pushed for a winner. But Canvey responded and soon afterwards Band had to be alert to stop two successive shots at goal, the second leading to a corner to the visitors (86 mins). As this was cleared right-back Gary Scott went down in obvious pain and after treatment he hobbled off for further attention off the pitch. He did hobble back onto the pitch a couple of minutes later but he could barely move and so Aspinall was deputed to move to right-back as Scott continued as a midfield passenger. Despite this setback, Alty won a corner. This was cleared and just after four minutes of added time had been announced, Ibe was awarded a somewhat dubious corner on the Canvey right. From Clarke's kick, keeper Coburn came out but got nowhere near the ball which sailed on beyond the back post where Boylan struck it cleanly back into the net to send the small number of visiting fans delirious behind the goal at the 20/20 End (90+1 mins) . Yet Alty still had time for a golden chance to equalize. A pass from Potts set Owen clear inside the right side of the box but his shot was not fully hit and Potter was able to make a good save (90+2 mins). A minute later Alty won a corner on the left. After this had been cleared, Canvey brought on Conroy for Ibe (90+4 mins) and the visitors successfully rode out the remaining seconds. Despite their bad luck in losing four players, three of them regular defenders, today (Thornley and Maddox before kick off and Adams and Scott during the game), the Robins had had their chances to make the game safe but failed to convert them. So Canvey climbed above Altrincham as the home side endured their third successive loss and remained tantalisingly close to securing another season in the Conference.

    The Man of the Match awards went to keeper Potter for Canvey and to Alty's Peter Band. Potter made two or three vital saves whilst Band and his centre-back partner Talbot were also impressive today. After their long lay off Alty were not at their best, giving the ball away too frequently, and the loss of players just before and during the game obviously made life even more difficult. Nevertheless, they were unlucky to take no points from a game between two fairly evenly matched sides.


    Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 CANVEY ISLAND 1