Match Report

SUMMARY:

Altrincham went down to a narrow defeat against an impressive Hereford side and have now not won at home in their last six games. Having done well to contain the Bulls' passing game for an hour, Altrincham will have been disappointed at the manner of the winning goal which came as a gap appeared up the middle and, despite Scott's attempt to cut the ball out, Fleetwood got behind him to poke the ball past the advancing Coburn (64 mins). Alty then made a double substitution, moving Peter Band up front at the same time, and for the last 20 minutes Alty began to cause Hereford some problems with Norton showing some good touches on the left. Results elsewhere did not go Alty's way so more points need to be won from the final three games of the season..

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. Paul Varley

With the Conference hearing regarding James Robinson's eligibilty hanging over them, Alty had edged towards Conference safety with a fine 4-2 win at Dagenham last Tuesday, to end a run of eight games without a win. For their part second-place Hereford were going through a slightly disappointing period but were still looking for points to confirm their play-off place.

The referee, Mr Paul Varley, was the man who had allowed Accrington Stanley's winner to stand at Moss Lane back in December, despite a foul in the build up. He had also refereed Alty's home game with Crawley Town in October so this was his third match at Moss Lane this season.

TEAM NEWS

Mark Maddox continued his suspension whilst Val Owen was out with a broken bone in his foot, injured for the third successive game. Chris Adams was only fit to be on the bench so Gary Scott continued at left-back. Alty's starting line-up was therefore the same as that which had done so well at Dagenham in midweek.

Hereford were without Tony James with a groin injury and Ryan Green with hamstring and ankle problems. But midfielder Andy Ferrell, returned after suspension and Guy Ipoua was on the bench after a long absence with an Achilles heel injury

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks) 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 15. Peter BAND, 5. Gary TALBOT, 11. Gary SCOTT, 7. Colin POTTS, 37. Ged MURPHY, 12. Warren PEYTON, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 9. Colin LITTLE, 10. Rod THORNLEY. Subs: 3. Chris ADAMS, 17. Karl MUNROE, 18. Blake NORTON, 21. Kieran LUGSDEN, 28. Pat McFADDEN.

ALTY SUBS:

HEREFORD UNITED (Yellow shirts, blue shirts and socks): 14. Wayne BROWN; 20. Alex JEANNIN, 28. Dean BECKWITH, 5. Tamika MKANDAWIRE (capt), 3. Simon TRAVIS; 16. Andy WILLIAMS, 11. Andy FERRELL, 15. Craig STANLEY, 21. Rob PURDIE; 7. Stuart FLEETWOOD, 18. Danny CAREY-BERTRAM.

HEREFORD SUBS:

REPORT

Hereford kicked off, attacking the Debbie Dawson (Golf Rd) End, but Alty soon had a chance for Lewis Chalmers to exploit his long throw prowess. He took the throw from the left of the Hereford goal but Mkandawire cleared the ball. At the other end, Coburn was soon called upon to make an important punch clear. Purdie, on the visitors' left was giving Aspinall a difficult time but his crossing did not match his dribbling skill as, next, Coburn gathered his cross (4 mins). Coburn was soon in action again making a magnificent save to divert Fleetwood’s shot onto the cross bar, from where it rebounded to safety (8 mins). After Jeannin's trip on Potts, Peyton put a freekick from 22 yards out well over the bar

Hereford continued to pass the ball about confidently, switching play seamlessly from one wing to the other. Not for the last time, Mr. Varley failed to spot a clear push by Mkandawire on Little but then exacted the ire of the crowd for penalising Band after he had won the ball in midfield. Alty then had a fortunate escape when a long kick from goalkeeper Brown was missed by Coburn's arms but the ball struck the keeper's legs and he was able to gather the ball (13 mins). As usual Band and Talbot were working hard in the Alty defence and Scott, too, was showing determination in the left-back position. Chalmers won Alty's first corner but Peyton's outswinger from the left was cleared by Mkandawire. However, Alty soon threatened again when a good ball from Potts got Thornley into the box but his low cross was eventually cleared. Stanley then fouled Potts but claimed the Alty man had dived and refused to come to receive a lecture and got away with his insubordination - as he did when he repeated this pantomime later in the game (20 mins). Hereford now applied some sustained pressure which ended when Williams's cross from the right found Carey-Bertram unmarked at the back post but he miskicked his shot (22 mins).

After a Beckwith challenge on Little had gone unpunished, Potts went down injured and the players made for the touchline for drinks on one of the warmest afternoons of the year so far (26 mins). Stanley than volleyed wide from a cross from the right as the visitors continued to have the better of the game. Alty then gave the ball away twice in a matter of seconds which did not help their cause and their best goal effort at this stage was a diving header, which went well wide, by Thornley from Peyton's cross (33 mins). Scott was soon forced to concede a corner which was cleared and then Coburn had to make a good catch from Williams's cross from the right and not long after this, Coburn volleyed away a Band back pass. Hereford threatened again when Talbot lost out to Fleetwood and it took a fine tackle from Aspinall on Carey-Bertram to save the day in the six-yard box (40 mins).

Alty now put together a good move of eight passes, at the end of which Little sliced his shot badly wide from just outside the box (41 mins). Alty continued to defend well as Hereford enjoyed more of the possession but the half ended when Little and Peyton got the ball to Potts but his shot sailed over the bar from 20 yards out (45+2 mins).

Alty started the second half but were soon on the back foot as, first, Little lost possession and then Murphy cleared the ball upfield but, with all of Alty's men in defence, there was no one to receive it. So the ball soon came back towards the Alty goal. However, Alty did carve out an opening after 51 minutes when Scott, Chalmers and Little linked up, with Little laying off the ball for the incoming Aspinall but he lifted his shot from 25 yards well over the roof and into Golf Road (51 mins). Hereford continued to press forward but the Alty defence held firm and eventually a neat Alty move ended with Little heading Aspinall’s cross narrowly over the bar (56 mins). Then Carey-Bertram wasted a good chance at the other end, poking wide from Fleetwood's pass (57 mins). At this point, Kieran Lugsden came on for Rod Thornley in the Alty attack. The next shot came from Carey-Bertram,who fired wide from the edge of the box (59 mins).

After Peyton and Little had fed Potts, he lost possession and Hereford played a ball up the middle which set Fleetwood chasing. Despite a valiant stretch by Scott, the Alty defender could not poke the ball back to the advancing Coburn and Fleetwood was able to tuck it past the Alty keeper to make it 1-0 (64 mins). Coburn vented his anger on his team-mates for allowing the centre of defence to be breached so easily. From the kick-off Alty immediately went to the other end and from Peyton’s pass, Aspinall's cross was just tipped out for an Alty corner on their left. Peyton's corner was caught by Brown. Soon, Alty made a double change with Munroe replacing Potts and Norton coming on for Chalmers (67 mins). Peter Band was now pushed up front. Mkandawire got away with another push, this time on Lugsden, much to manager Heathcote’s annoyance. But his side was soon under pressure again as Coburn was forced to tip away a cross from the Hereford left. Next, Ferrell fired a shot narrowly over the bar following a good advance up the right by Williams (71 mins). Norton then did well, getting to the by-line, left of goal, but Little sliced the winger's cross badly wide (72 mins). When Carey-Bertram kicked the ball away after being given offside, the referee opted to have a word rather than produce a card and did not appear to stop his watch either. The referee further annoyed the home bench when he yet again allowed Mkandawire to get away with an obvious push, this time on Band, a decision which sent Graham Heathcote apoplectic. But with Band now adding strength at the forward end, Alty won a corner when Band's shot, from Lugsden's feed, was deflected. From Peyton’s corner, Aspinall fired over the bar but then Hereford won two corners (76 mins). The first of these corners produced a volley at the back post which hit an Alty defender on the line. Ferrell then drove a freekick into the Alty wall after Munroe had been penalised but when Alty won a freekick for Ferrell’s foul on Norton, Aspinall sent the freekick too close to keeper Brown (79 mins).

Alty pressed forward in search of an equaliser and won two corners in a minute (82 mins). From the second of these, Talbot rose superbly but he could not direct his header under the bar. Now Hereford brought on the burly Ipoua for Williams (83 mins). Play could not resume immediately as a posse of Hereford players were taking drinks and the referee had to gee them back into action. Ipoua's first two contributions to the game were both fouls but Alty were unable to take any material advantage from the resulting freekicks. After Norton had been caught late by Stanley, the Hereford man for the second time in the game pretended not to realise that the referee's summons was for him. He walked deliberately away from the scene of his crime and, even when called back, he was reluctant to face the music. When he eventually did so, his theatrical protestations of amazement were ham-acting at its worst. Hereford were now content to try and wind down the clock but, after the game had gone into three minutes of added time, a cross from the left forced Coburn to make a finger-tip diversion of the ball towards the Hereford right, from where Carey-Bertram fired over the bar (90+2 mins). Alty were unable to threaten an equaliser in the remaining minute of added time and Hereford secured another 1-0 victory in their quest to confirm their play-off place.

With Scarborough and Southport winning, and Forest Green drawing, it was not a good day for Altrincham. After Moss Lane had become a fairly secure venue for them this season, they have now lost five of their last six home games and taken just one point from the last 18 on offer at home. It seems that another 3 points may be necessary to ensure survival in the Conference next season, assuming the Conference does not deduct the club points later this week for the James Robinson Affair. Hereford deserved their win today but Alty fought to the end and will need to show the same commitment again in 48 hours at Morecambe.