Match Report

SUMMARY:

Above: Robbie Lawton takes the congratulations after putting Altrincham 2-0 ahead.

Injuries cost Alty dear after they had taken a two-goal lead. After 6 minutes Karl Munroe saw his header come down off the cross bar onto the line but no goal was awarded. However, seconds later, Bushell got free left of goal and his chip was touched by keeper Jalal but carried on its trajectory to drop into the net. Despite being without Colin Little, Val Owen and Gary Talbot, Alty played some excellent football and deservedly scored again after 18 minutes when Chalmers did well to the left of goal and Lawton hammered his low cross into the net from 5 yards. But the game turned on the half-hour mark with simultaneous injuries to Alty's Gary Scott and Steve Bushell. Firstly, Scott went down injured near half way allowing Lambu to get past him and feed the ball out to the right before running on to turn the resulting cross into the Alty net from close range (31 mins). As Scott received treatment, captain Steve Bushell limped off to be replaced by Peter Band and barely four minutes later Scott had to hobble off and be replaced by Hendley. The resulting changes in formation disrupted Alty's flow and two more close range goals in the second half gave Woking a win they may well have struggled to achieve against Altrincham's original starting line-up. Lambu put The Cards level when he again converted a cross from the right, this time after Nurse had got past Rose, who had been shifted to left-back as a consequence of Scott's injury (57 mins). Then McAllister converted from 3 yards after a cross from Jackson to the back post had been played back towards goal, to make it 2-3 to the visitors (63 mins). Alty offered little threat in the second half and, with a growing injury list, the most positive aspect of the afternoon was the return of Colin Potts from injury to lift the Man of the Match award.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. Mo MATADAR

After their fine win over Halifax on Tuesday, Alty hoped for a better outcome today than the 0-4 defeat by Woking in the corresponding fixture last season. But Woking arrived on the back of a four-match unbroken win.

Alty's injury list continued to grow as Colin Little missed a rare game after being fouled and injured on Tuesday, whilst Gary Talbot was also out injured. Also missing was the suspended Val Owen whilst Justin Bowler cried off in the warm-up. Striker Peter Thomson has yet to start a game for Alty but he was present in the warm up. However, there was some positive news. Colin Potts started his first game of the season after his hernia operation and Peter Band was back on the bench after his injuries. But apart from Peter the rest of the bench comprised four forwards in Thornley, Lugsden, McFadden and Hendley. Potts's return had been unexpected and, indeed, he had to play in an unnumbered shirt.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts.): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 17. Karl MUNROE, 20. Stephen ROSE, 3. Gary SCOTT; 7. Robbie LAWTON, 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 6. Steve BUSHELL (capt), 11. Warren PEYTON; 22. Colin POTTS, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 4. Peter BAND, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 19. Lee HENDLEY, 21. Kieran LUGSDEN.

Altrincham substitutes:

WOKING (Pale blue & white striped shirts, white shorts and black socks): 1. Shwan JALAL; 3. Danny BUNCE, 6. Gary MacDONALD, 5. Tom HUTCHINSON, 8. Karl MURRAY; 24. Giuseppe SOLE, 20. Shola OYEDELE 4. Neil SMITH (capt), 18. Goma LAMBU; 9. Craig McALLISTER, 26. Jon NURSE.

REPORT

Woking kicked off on a bright afternoon in front of a disappointing crowd, the lowest of the day in the Conference. An early freekick was awarded to Woking, against Lewis Chalmers, 25 yards out but this came to nothing. Soon a Woking cross left Coburn undecided but a defender cleared the ball for Alty (3 mins). But then Alty won the game's first corner, taken by Potts, and cleared out to Bushell. He returned the ball with an impressive first-time touch to Potts on the right and his cross picked out Munroe near the back post. Munroe's header seemed to cross the line as it came down off the bar but Mr. Matadar waved play on. Thankfully, Alty's disappointment was brief. Although the ball was cleared, it soon came back for Bushell in the left of the box and he coolly chipped the advancing Jalal, who got a hand to the ball but could not prevent it carrying on over his head and dropping into the net to put Altrincham ahead (6 mins).

Woking responded with a tame shot into the side netting from McAllister (8 mins) but soon Coburn had to make a good stop after the pacey Lambu, operating on the right fed Nurse. The on-loan Stevenage man got past Rose but Coburn made a fine stop in the Alty goal (9 mins). Alty now won another corner, following a throw in from Chalmers. Jalal caught Potts's corner and Woking were soon putting together some neat passing movements but without any final threat to the Alty goal. For their part, Alty got in an underpowered shot from O'Neill (14 mins). Scott then did well to see off a Woking probe before a good Altrincham movement of a dozen passes or more led to Chalmers toe-ending the ball past a defender and getting into the left of the box. He then played a well placed low cross into the goalmouth where Lawton hammered it into the net from five yards or so (18 mins).

Potts was showing few signs of his long lay off and the three games he had played for Burscough recently had clearly brought him back to fitness. Bushell was excelling in midfield as Alty looked to be in a commanding position against a lacklustre Woking side, a shadow of the combative side which overpowered Alty 4-0 at Moss Lane last season. For Woking the small but speedy Lambu looked their greatest threat. However, as the half hour marked past, Alty’s world fell apart in a matter of seconds. Murray innocuously fed Lambu near half way but the winger got past a challenge from Scott, who went down injured near halfway in centre-field. Lambu went on and fed a colleague to the right as he himself carried on up the middle. A low cross came across the Alty goalmouth and with Scott out of action Lambu had space to score comfortably from close range to make it 2-1 (31 mins). As Scott then received treatment to his left knee, Peter Band came on as a substitute but not for the stricken left-back. Instead, Alty captain Steve Bushell went off, presumably suffering a recurrence of the injury which had curtailed his recent appearances. Scott limped on for a few minutes as Band now assumed the captaincy and slotted into midfield rather than his customary back-four role. But Scott then had to bow to the inevitable and the left-back limped off, to be replaced by teenage striker, Lee Hendley (37 mins). This prompted a change of formation as Hendley joined O'Neill up front. Peyton moved to left back and Lawton to centre midfield as Potts dropped back on the right. With doubts as to whether Potts could last 90 minutes after his long lay off. Alty had now possibly used all of their tactical substitute options. Despite the changes, Alty immediately won a corner, following which Chalmers was flattened by a bad challenge from Murray for which the offender received only a cursory word from the referee.

Despite the disruptions to Altrincham’s plans, Woking made little impression at this stage and soon they were lucky not to fall further behind when a wickedly swerving and dipping shot from 25 yards by Aspinall was tipped over the bar for another corner (40 mins). Jalal flapped as the corner came across but both Chalmers and Oyedele went down injured after a clash of heads in the ensuing melee. Next, a couple of throws from Chalmers led to the ball falling at O’Neill’s feet inside the box but he could not get in a shot. But just before the break the referee made a fateful intervention when he blew the whistle just as Hendley had fought his way clear of a foul challenge and only had the keeper to beat as he got inside the box. Mr. Matadar booked the offender, Murray, but it was scant consolation to Altrincham (45 mins). Potts's freekick went straight to Jalal as four minutes of added time started, with Alty still on top. Alty had by now moved Band to the back four, with Rose shuffling to left back and Peyton moved back to left midfield. Alty won another corner before the break after Potts's low cross had been cleared by a defender. Half time arrived with Alty a little unfortunate to be no more than one goal ahead against a very ordinary looking Woking side.

Woking brought on Jackson at the break in favour of Sole before Alty kicked off towards the Golf Road end. Alty started sloppily with a Rose slice into touch prompting an irate response from his manager, then a misplaced pass by Chalmers further upset the Alty management. But Alty were unfortunate to see Hendley ruled offside when he looked comfortably behind a defender. Alty did then come to life and Peyton's cross from the left found Potts but the ball was cleared (52 mins). For the next few minutes Alty enjoyed most of the possession but without threatening the opposition goal. However, from this, Murray and Smith fed the ball to Nurse who got behind Rose on the Woking right. His low cross left the unmarked Lambu with the formality of scoring comfortably from close range, a near repetition of his first goal in this match (57 mins). The level score was harsh on Altrincham at this stage but the home side now struggled to regain its first-half rhythm and Woking went on to have the lion's share of the final half hour. Firstly, Smith headed narrowly wide after more good work from the Congolese Lambu, who had now switched to the left wing. Then, a shot by Nurse hit Munroe to earn a throw. But Woking soon advanced again on the right through Jackson, whose cross from the right went beyond the back post, from where it was played back towards the near post where McAllister had the space to score and give Woking the lead (63 mins). The Woking man was booked for celebrating in front of his own fans. The score did not reflect the overall balance of the game do far but Alty were now finding themselves chasing the game as Woking now went on to dominate the closing stages.

Alty now made their final change, taking off Rose from the left-back position and bringing on Thornley up front (66 mins). Peyton now moved back to left-back. When Murray flattened Coburn, the already booked Woking man was fortunate to escape without a second booking and a red card (68 mins). A minute later Nurse was replaced by another Woking striker, Steve Ferguson (69 mins). As Nurse left the pitch the Alty club doctor was summoned though it was not clear what was wrong with the Woking man. Next, McAllister muscled past a defender but he shot narrowly wide as Alty remained on the back foot. Then a poor pass from Peyton allowed the same Woking player to shoot narrowly wide once more (72 mins). Woking soon won a corner whilst, for their part, Alty were unable to get Thornley and Hendley supplied at the other end. But at least Lawton now did well and fired in a shot which was deflected just over the bar for a corner, which was subsequently cleared (80 mins). A couple of throws from Chalmers helped Alty maintain some late pressure but then a misplaced Band clearance led to Lambu winning a corner for Woking.

Soon afterwards, Woking got in a shot which Coburn saved but with the hold-up player, O'Neill, now playing on the left of midfield Altrincham were posing little threat inside the Woking half. The Cards started to wind down the clock and Alty were powerless to stop them. Four minutes of added time were announced and in the first of these Coburn saved from Lambu. Alty’s last effort was a shot by Chalmers from 25 yards which went comfortably wide after a good lay off from Potts. In the 93rd minute, Sankoh came on for Lambu as Alty were powerless to get the equaliser which their first-half performance had well deserved. Had the same eleven who started the game for Alty also finished it, few would have doubted that they would have won this game, given their performance in the opening period. But one of the prices of being a club with a small budget is that the squad is small and when multiple injuries strike, the squad is stretched too far. All three goals conceded were close range tap ins which could be termed defensive lapses rather then the products of exceptionally creative play. Colin Potts was deserved man of the match on his debut game this season, whilst at the back Karl Munroe had another solid game.