Match Report

SUMMARY:

Right: Chris Adams becomes one of six Alty men shown a card by Mr Cummins; three of the other four Altrincham players in the picture were also booked this afternoon - Peyton, Owen and Aspinall.

Whilst Alty came back well in the first half after conceding a fourth minute goal, headed home by Webster from a corner, they could not repeat the act after conceding an even quicker goal in the second half. After Webster's goal, Alty got level after just seven minutes of the first half when Little got on the end of Aspinall's long ball to steer the ball past Deeney who had been slow to come off his line. Indeed, Alty could have led at the break but for Deeney's superb save from Little's volley. But when Alty also conceded an early goal in the second half, as Harrad charged down Aspinall's clearance and carried on up the middle to score (48 mins), the Robins could find no way back. For most of the second half Alty rarely looked likely to score despite plenty of effort. Though Burton deserved their win, referee Stephen Cummins gave another of his bewildering displays, managing to book six Alty players and one Burton man in a game which was far from physical and he left the field to a chorus of booing. Report to follow.

Today's referee, Mr Cummins is no stranger to controversy in matches at or involving Altrincham. He was the man who reffed the Alty v Dagenham game earlier this season in which he allowed a goal to be scored into an empty net from a freekick where the ball was moving, with Alty keeper Coburn stranded. He was also the referee who achieved national notoriety when he sent off Witton Albion's Brian Pritchard at Moss Lane for tackling a streaker in the Cheshire Senior Cup two years ago, yesterday.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. S. Cummins

Before the game, a presentation was made to Stuart Coburn to mark his 300th game for Altrincham, last Saturday. Today's match was Gary Talbot's 250th appearance for the club. The game was played on a breezy day that bceame increasingly gloomy, with rain beginning to fall before half time and continuing through out the rest of the match.

TEAM NEWS

Alty were again without the injured Gary Scott and Mark Maddox in defence, but Steve Aspinall and Chris Adams overcame knocks to start the game. So the side was unchanged from Southport last week, but defender/midfielder Stephen Rose replaced striker Pat McFadden on the bench.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): : 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 15. Peter BAND (capt), 5. Gary TALBOT, 3. Chris ADAMS; 37. Ged MURPHY, 8. Val OWEN, 12. Warren PEYTON, 18. Blake NORTON; 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Rod THORNLEY. Subs: 7. Colin POTTS, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 17. Karl MUNROE, 20. Kieran LUGSDEN, 21. Stephen ROSE.

ALTY SUBS:

BURTON ALBION (All grey): 31. Saul DEENEY; 3. Arron WEBSTER, 4. Andy CORBETT, 5. Darren TINSON, 17. Gary ROWETT, 12. Chris HALL, 10. Andy DUCROS, 23. Kris TAYLOR, 11. Keith GILROY, 9. Jon SHAW, 14. Shaun HARRAD. Subs: 2. Terry HENSHAW, 6. Ryan AUSTIN, 15. Martin TAYLOR, 24. Christian MOORE, 26. Daryl CLARE.

BURTON SUBS:

REPORT

Burton kicked off towards the 20/20 (Hale) End and it was the visitors who won the game's first corner after three minutes, on their left flank (3 mins). This first corner produced a second, also taken by Gilroy. This time Webster rose to head the ball goalwards but it seemed to take a deflection before entering the net for a goal which the Alty defence will not have been happy to concede (4 mins). So, for the second match running, Alty were chasing a game from the opening minutes.

However, Alty did not have long to wait to get an equaliser but, before that, they had a mild worry when Taylor's freekick from the right was left by Coburn and behind him, a Burton player almost made contact beyond the back post. But following the resulting goalkick, Aspinall had a clearance charged down but the ball rebounded to him and he played a well judged long ball over the top of the Burton back line. Little latched on to it but Deeney, the Burton keeper could have made life difficult had he come off his line. However, he remained transfixed as the Alty leading scorer gained possession and advanced to slot the ball past him into the net (7 mins). Curiously, at this point, a grey squirrel ran the length of the pitch!

For Alty, new man Blake Norton was making an impression on the left but it was Burton who had the next shot of note, Harrad's low shot rippling the side netting from 25 yards (10 mins).But soon Norton got in a shot, which struck a defender and then the left winger was fouled by the by-line, to the left of goal but Aspinall’s freekick was cleared. Adams was then caught out by Hall and in attempting to recover, fouled the Burton man on the visitors' right flank. Mr. Cummins booked the Alty left-back (13 mins). When Coburn had to come out of his box to head clear, it was the challenging Harrad who came off worse and needed treatment (16 mins). From the resulting "friendly" freekick, Aspinall's 60 yard kick only just drifted wide of Deeney's goal. But Alty were now more than matching their opponents.

Thornley then kicked the ball onto the roof of the net after being caught offside and received a word of caution form Mr. Cummins. Soon, a Burton corner followed, off Peyton, but the ball eventually came to Coburn. At the other end, Murphy tried an ambitious left footer from, 30 yards which went into Golf Road (23 mins). Referee Cummins gave a curious foul against Little when he seemed to be jumped on by a Burton defender and he was soon producing his book again when Talbot committed a foul (25 mins). Both sides continued to battle hard without producing clear chances but Norton now fed Thornley who won Alty a corner. Aspinall’s corner, from the left was cleared off the line at the near post and Alty maintained the pressure with a Norton shot which struck a defender. The good contest continued and when Thornley turned well to shoot, the ball was deflected over the bar for the first of three successive corners for the home side.

From the second of these corners, Deeney just managed to palm the ball out for the third flag kick. Taken by Norton on the right, this came to Aspinall, who volleyed well wide from 30 yards (38 mins). Alty were now on top and soon won two more corners in quick succession, the first from a Peyton shot, which was deflected. Folowing the second corner the ball came to Aspinall whose ball forward was superbly met on the volley by the stretching Little whose left footer seemed to be heading for the bottom corner of the net till Deeney produced a magnificent save, low down to his left (42 mins). From this, Burton broke straight up the Alty left to secure a corner of their own, but a foul by Tinson gave Coburn a freekick (42 mins). After Aspinall's feed had led to Thornley being given offside, Alty boss Graham Heathcote was irate at the officials claiming that the linesman had been following play rather than watching the line and had only given offside in reaction to Burton's appeals. Referee Cummins found a surprisingly short one minute to add, despite a couple of injury stoppages. In this added time, Burton won a corner and with rain now falling, the floodlights were switched on. At half time there was a demonstration of football skills by schoolgirls from Blessed Thomas Holford School in Altrincham, wearing a kit donated by Altrincham FC. This was to mark an initiative between the football club and Trafford MB Council to promote girls' football.

Alty kicked off the second half on what was now a gloomy and very damp afternoon, with the numerous Burton supporters accommodated in the uncovered 20/20 End. But as in the first half, Alty succumbed to an early goal. It came when Aspinall tried to clear the ball but delayed sufficiently for Harrad to charge the ball down. Harrad then did well, advancing up the middle, getting the better of Talbot, before firing past Coburn to restore Burton's lead (48 mins). Owen became Alty's third booking soon afterwards just after a foul on Little had not been given.

Burton now maintained their dominance and won a corner as the home fans sang "There's only one team in Trafford" as an allusion to Burton's cup exploits against Trafford's other team this season. After a foul on Thornley, Peyton's curler was tipped away by Deeney to give Alty a corner. Deeney punched Aspinall’s corner off the line. Burton made the first change of personnel, bringing on midweek signing Daryl Clare for his debut in place of Jon Shaw (57 mins). There was a farce with the electronic board operated by the fourth official as it showed Burton's no. 24, who was Moore, replacing no.31 who was goalkeeper Deeney! For the rest of the game the fourth official gave up on the board and the crowd had to rely on Alty's matchday announcer, Steve Raferty to identify the changes. Bring back the low tech numbered substitute cards!

Referee Cummins soon booked another Alty player, Warren Peyton for what seemed nothing very much in the way of a foul challenge and Alty manger Graham Heathcote reacted by asking the referee's assessor to make sure that he had noted the decision. Moments later Rod Thornley was hauled down by Tinson as he neared the Burton penalty area and the central defender was booked. Burton delayed the kick by refusing several invitations to retreat ten yards before Peyton's kick hit the wall and from the rebound, Owen volleyed well wide. At this point Colin Potts replaced Ged Murphy on the Alty right, who had had a quiet game, for Alty (60 mins) . The next goal effort of note came when Band's clearance came to Harrad, who blasted over the bar from 20 yards (62 mins).

After Steve Aspinall had become the fifth name in the referee's book for a foul on Hall, Mr. Cummins came over to give Graham Heathcote a lecture as well. At last Alty got in a good shot when Owen fired in an effort which Deeney did well to beat out to Potts and his chip from 30 yards just cleared the bar. Mr. Cummins was now concerned that the netting may have been dislodged by Potts's effort and delayed play before deciding to resume without remedial action (66 mins). Manager Heathcote now retreated to the directors' box and soon afterwards Kieran Lugsden came on up front for Rod Thornley (71 mins).

With rain still falling steadily, Aspinall chested the ball down only to be penalised for handball by Mr. Cummins and as Burton attempted to take the freekick quickly, Potts was booked for failing to retreat quickly enough (74 mins). As he booked the Alty sub, Mr. Cummins shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he felt he had no choice. Manager Heathcote now returned to the touchline to consult with Dalton Steele but, as the minutes ticked by, Alty were unable to fashion any clear chances. Soon Henshaw replaced Taylor for Albion (78 mins) and two minutes later Lewis Chalmers came on, on the left for Alty, in place of Norton (80 mins). Alty won a couple of freekicks to no avail. When Owen fouled a Burton player to the right of the box, Mr. Cummins lectured him but spared him a second yellow (83 mins). Burton won won a corner as Alty now sent Gary Talbot up front in search of a late equaliser, as he had produced last Saturday. Peyton moved to cover Talbot’s absence at the back. Burton then brought on Moore for Harrad (85 mins).

Potts was then lectured for a foul before Moore was allowed to run at goal after appearing to be offside to the home supporters (87 mins). Alty's last chance came when Talbot nodded on Chalmers's long throw from the left and found Little but he lashed his shot, form the left, over the bar (89 mins). After only finding one minute of added time in the first half, when there had been some injury stoppages, Mr. Cummins now indicated four minutes of added time for a half which had only been punctuated by substitutions. As Colin Little was announced as Alty Man of the match, when many would have gone for a defender or midfielder, Alty continued to press forward but to no avail as Burton’s well marshalled defence held on despite chaotic scenes in their box in the final minute of added time as they attempted to clear a Chalmers throw. For Burton, Rowett was named as Man of the match and he and Little received their awards as referee Cummins left to a chorus of boos from the home supporters.

Burton were deserved winners with an efficient rather than sparkling performance built on a solid defence. Alty now face a tense run in, following five games from which they have taken just one point.