Match Report


ALTRINCHAM (0) 1 BOLTON WANDERERS XI (0) 1

Friendly Game
played on Friday, 4 August 2006, at 7.30pm.


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    SCORERS

  • 61 mins: Colin LITTLE (Altrincham 1 Bolton Wanderers XI 0)
  • 62 mins: James SINCLAIR (Altrincham 1 Bolton Wanderers XI 1)

    REFEREE: Mr Peter DAVIES


    ATTENDANCE: c.380


    SUMMARY

    A disappointing crowd saw an entertaining match between a young Wanderers' side and an Alty team which employed seven substitutes. Following a goalless first half, Colin Little fired Alty ahead from a good pass from Chalmers up the middle (61 mins). But the lead lasted less than a minute as Jamieson was allowed to feed an unmarked Sinclair whose shot was half stopped by Coburn before entering the net. Alty gave a good account of themselves and went close in the final stages


    BACKGROUND:

    This game was Altrincham's ninth and penultimate first-team warm-up match. The game had been arranged last season when Sam Allardyce kindly gave his services at a fundraising dinner for injured Alty and ex-Bolton striker, Marcus Hallows.


    TEAM NEWS

    Manager Graham Heathcote rang the changes again as Alty played their ninth and penultimate first-team warm-up match against a young Bolton Wanderers side. Gary Scott was back after injury but Peter Thomson, Steve Aspinall and Colin Potts, though all were present, sat out this match with knocks. Warren Peyton again played at left-back, whilst Robbie Lawton and Justin Bowler took the midfield wide positions, on the right and left respectively.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks.): 1. Stuart COBURN; 11. Gary SCOTT, 15. Peter BAND, 5. Gary TALBOT, 12. Warren PEYTON; 4. Robbie LAWTON, 30. Steve BUSHELL (capt), 8. Val OWEN, 14. Justin BOWLER; 9. Colin LITTLE, 7. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 1* Andy CUMMINS, 3. Lewis CHALMERS, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 17. Karl MUNROE, 20. Kieran LUGSDEN, 21. Stephen ROSE, 26. Lee HENDLEY, 28. Pat McFADDEN..

    BOLTON WANDERERS (All dark blue, with grey trim): 1. Przemvslaw KAZIMIERCZAK, 2. Matt CASSIDY, 3. Scott JAMIESON, 4. Mark ELLIS, 5. Yarak FOJUT, 6. Michael RODDY, 7. Leslie THOMPSON, 8. Robert ISSONS, 9. James SINCLAIR, 10. Kevin WOLZE, 11. TOPI. Subs: 12. Mark CHARLESWORTH, 12. Robert LAINTON, 14. Sam SHERIDAN, 15. David GBEMIE, 16. Tom BROOKS.


    REPORT

    Alty kicked off towards the Golf Road end and immediately won a corner. This was cleared but a freekick for a foul by Owen then gave the visitors a freekick some 23 yards out, which eventually found its way to Coburn's arms. After six minutes Coburn made a half save for which a defensive colleague was on hand to put the loose ball out of play to concede a corner. Coburn punched the resulting Bolton corner away but another Alty corner was soon won by the busy Lawton. Peyton took this from the right, with his right foot. The keeper failed to gather it but Lawton mishit his resulting shot wide (12 mins). Play was now fairly even but Alty's next chance came when Bushell found Little but, just as he drew back his foot to shoot, he was dispossessed. O'Neill was busily chasing a number of 50/50 balls whilst both Lawton and Peyton were impressing for Altrincham. As ever Steve Bushell was competitive in midfield and he drew a lecture from the referee for one boisterous challenge. A multi-pass move from Alty led to an appeal for handball against a Bolton defender in his penalty area, but this fell on the referee's deaf ears. Soon, the ball was worked to the other end but Sissons shot very wide of Coburn's goal (26 mins).

    An incisive Alty move saw Little feed Bowler, who did well to get in an excellent cross, but the ball just evaded Lawton at the back post (28 mins). Altrincham were now getting the upper hand but a corner, won through Little's header from a fine cross by Scott, was cleared by Bolton (31 mins). Band and Talbot were looking solid at the back for Alty and they also combined to set up O'Neill on the left but his cross into the goalmouth was cleared. Some more skill from Bowler drew a freekick form Bolton on the edge of the box but Bushell's well hit kick was well fielded by Kazimieirczak (37 mins). After Thompson had shot well wide at the Alty end, Lawton and Owen combined well before the ball cannoned off a defender onto Lawton and landed on the roof of the net, with the keeper scrambling back to his line (41 mins). Alty continued to have the better of things until a minute before the break when a fine ball found Sinclair and the Bolton striker fired narrowly wide of Coburn's right post (44 mins). But the interval arrived with the score goalless.


    Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 BOLTON WANDERERS XI 0

    The second half opened with O'Neill doing well but his final shot went wide (48 mins). Then Little's skill fed Bowler on the left. He ran at the defence at speed but his cross from the left was slightly overhit beyond the back post (49 mins). Alty continued to press until play stopped for Lewis Chalmers to replace Owen in central midfield (51 mins). A freekick from 35 yards by Peyton went to the visitors' keeper as the game remained goalless. Next, Bolton made a double switch, bringing on numbers 12 and an unlisted no. 22 for Roddy and another player. After another challenge from Bushell, the referee dramatically blew his whistle a couple of times and made a signal which was not altogether clear. But as Bushell was almost immediately withdrawn, to be replaced by Thornley, that may have been the ref's intention (59 mins).

    Bolton then went close as Wolze got to the by-line but his cross went unconverted. Alty did better moments later when Chalmers threaded an excellent pass to Little who hammered the ball into the keeper's bottom right-hand corner from the edge of the box to give Alty the lead (61 mins). But the lead lasted less than a minute as Jamieson fed Sinclair, whose shot was half stopped by Coburn but nevertheless went into the net (62 mins). Thornley was soon busy on the Alty right but when the ball came out, via Lawton, for Chalmers, he fired well wide from 22 yards (63 mins). Then, O'Neill fired wildly off target from Little's feed before Bolton's no.17 replaced Thompson (64 mins).

    After a lecture for Little and his marker, Fojut, who had been niggling each other, a Bolton corner soon followed but this was headed just over the Alty bar. Following a foul on O'Neill, Peyton's freekick from 22 yards came via Thornley to Talbot who nodded just over the bar but won a corner from a deflection. Alty now enjoyed a period of good combination play without any clear opening arising.

    The home side now brought on no fewer than three young strikers, Lugsden, McFadden and Hendley, to replace Bowler, O'Neill and Little (74 mins). A stoppage was soon needed for treatment to Ellis after he collided with his own no.22. After 78 minutes Alty won a corner and promptly substituted centre-backs Band and Talbot by Rose and Munroe. Peyton's corner was cleared before Bolton went to the other end but their move was seen off. Bolton's second half subs now had some effect and Alty were on the back foot for the next few minutes but Jamieson stabbed the Trotters' best opening narrowly over the bar (83 mins). However, at the other end, Thornley and Lawton combined well on the right but the latter's thunderous shot fom 25 yards went narrowly wide of the keeper's left post.

    Moments later Lawton and Chalmers fed Lugsden whose well taken shot cannoned back off the keeper's left hand post (86 mins). Rose and Thornley then got the ball forward for Hendley, who outpaced his marker and got to the by-line but his cross went unconverted (88 mins). Bolton now brought on no.15 for Ellis (88 mins). Alty maintained some late pressure as Hendley again got to the byline but his low shot was cleared and the final whistle soon came to end the match at 1-1. The game had again given Altrincham a good test as they faced a team of young and fit full-timers and the home side had come through it well. Of the new men Lawton impressed, whilst Bowler too had a more effective game than previously. O'Neill worked hard without having much luck whilst Bushell, who again captained the side, was as competitive as we have already to come to expect from the former Halifax man.


    Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 BOLTON WANDERERS XI 1