Match Report

SUMMARY:

Right: Captains Jim Bentley and Robbie Lawton line up with the officials and Alty mascot before kick-off

Altrincham were outplayed by a swift-passing Morecambe side in which Michael Twiss starred. In fact, the home side, who played Peter Band up front, barely mustered a shot on goal in the 90 minutes. Nevertheless it took a goal with more than a hint of offside about it to put the Shrimps ahead after 23 minutes - a goal which left Graham Heathcote fuming at the linesman. The goal arrived after Acton had brilliantly beaten out Carlton's close-range shot but the ball came to McLachlan to nod home. Early in the second half Alty's Joe O'Neill had to come off, apparently with some form of concussion or double vision but moments later Morecambe's Thompson was sent off for what was apparently a head-butt at Munroe (55 mins). Although Alty's man advantage allowed them at last to get into the Morecambe half, they were kept at bay by the combative Bentley and his colleagues. Indeed, Morecambe scored a second goal after 80 minutes when Yates's low cross from the right was converted by the unmarked Carlton. Then in the dying minutes, Steve Bushell who had come on as a second half sub, limped off with what was presumably a recurrence of his hamstring problem, to leave both sides a man short.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. Smedley

Altrincham had gone five games unbeaten before this match but Morecambe were three points ahead of them in the table, despite a 4-0 drubbing at Crawley the previous Saturday.

Altrincham were still without the injured Coburn, Talbot, Little and Thomson but Steve Bushell made a surprise return to the bench, where Kieran Lugsden was the unlucky player to lose out to accommodate the captain. Another surprise was to see centre-back/midfielder Peter Band deployed up front alongside Joe O'Neill.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 13 Richard ACTON, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 17. Karl MUNROE, 20. Stephen ROSE, 11. Warren PEYTON; 22. Colin POTTS, 8. Val OWEN, 7. Robbie LAWTON, 14, Lewis CHALMERS; 4. Peter BAND, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 3. Gary SCOTT, 23. Eddie HUSSIN, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 15. Justin BOWLER, 6. Steve BUSHELL.

Alty Substitutions:

MORECAMBE (All blue): 1. Steven DRENCH; 2, Adam YATES, 12. Ged BRANNAN, 5. Jim BENTLEY (capt), 4. Michael HOWARD; 11. Gary THOMPSON, 6. Craig STANLEY, 24. Fraser McLACHLAN, 3. David PERKINS; 7. Michael TWISS; 15. Danny CARLTON. Subs: 8. Gary HUNTER, 14. Danny MEADOWCROFT, 16. David McNIVEN, 26. Matty SHAW, 30. Scott DAVIES (gk).

REPORT

Right: Morecambe's Jim Bentley gets Pat McFadden in his grasp. Photo by Gavin Rathbone of GR Photography

Altrincham kicked off towards the Golf Road but were soon on the back foot against a quick-passing Morecambe side showing no hangover from their 4-0 drubbing at Crawley last Saturday. The Shrimps won a corner (3 mins). For Alty, Lewis Chalmers made an impressive start with a couple of good challenges but he was unable to capitalise on a long ball from Aspinall and got under his effort at goal (5 mins). For Morecambe, Twiss and the busy Perkins were prominent in the opening stages and the visitors soon won a second corner off Peyton (8 mins). Yates, who had been an Alty trialist in the summer before choosing to go to Morecambe, was also playing well. Next, a Morecambe cross from the left kissed the top of the Alty bar before Thompson's speed on the right wing produced Morecambe's third corner after just 12 minutes. Twiss's corner came off Bentley for a goalkick. After Band had been flattened by Brannan, Aspinall and Chalmers got into a mix up over a freekick routine and the ball drifted out for a goalkick. Drench then had to come out smartly to gather the ball, just managing in the process to stay inside the edge of his box (16 mins).

Soon afterwards, Twiss went down theatrically under Rose's challenge in the box but referee Smedley rightly ignored the Morecambe player's over elaboration of the challenge, but a corner was the outcome. From this, Bentley fouled Band as Morecambe continued on top. However, Alty won themselves a corner after 20 minutes thanks to a superb 50-yard run up the middle by Lawton. But Drench then caught Potts's corner, from the Alty right. A good clearance from Munroe then gave Alty only temporary relief as Morecambe came back on the left and when Howard put Carlton through against Acton, no offside flag went up. Though Acton made a superb point-blank save from Carlton's firm shot from close range, he saw the rebound come comfortably for McLachlan and the former Stockport man nodded the ball into the net to give Morecambe the lead (23 mins). Alty boss Graham Heathcote was irate, asking the linesman "Who played him on side?" - and getting no reply.

From Chalmers's feed, Potts then fired narrowly over from 20 yards on the right and then a Potts cross saw Band and Chalmers go for the same ball, with Band getting there first and winning a corner on the Alty left (26 mins). The corner by Potts came to O'Neill beyond the back post but he hooked his shot very high over the bar. But Alty were back again moments later as a superb leap by Chalmers got the ball to O'Neill, whose lay-off set up Owen, but he scuffed his shot wide of Drench's left post from 20 yards (28 mins). Alty then put together a good move which ended with a teasing low ball into the box from Potts but Yates arrived just in time to take it off Chalmers's feet in the centre of the goalmouth, at the cost of a corner (31 mins).

The next few minutes saw little in the way of goalmouth action as Alty contained the slick Morecambe passing and, for their own part, probed the Morecambe defence. A Brannan foul on O'Neill went unnoticed by the referee before Owen was caught dwelling in possession and Morecambe worked the ball to Perkins who forced a fine save, with his feet, from the advancing Acton. Just before the interval there was a fracas between Owen and Perkins over a throw-in which led to both players being lectured. In the one minute of added time Acton saved from Perkins but was given a freekick anyway and then O'Neill was bundled over by Stanley but got no more than a throw for his pains. Finally, Lawton got onto Chalmers's throw and did well to get round his man on the by-line, left of goal, but his cross was just too firm for O'Neill to turn in and the interval arrived with Alty trailing by the game's only goal.

Morecambe started the second half well with Twiss firing in a superb shot from 30 yards which came back off the inside of Acton's post and in the aftermath Aspinall's foul gave the Shrimps a freekick on the edge of the penalty D. Alty managed to clear this, with Band dribbling the ball out of his own area. He fed Lawton who beat his man superbly and fed Potts but his return pass went poorly into touch. Morecambe then won a corner which Acton elected to punch clear rather than catch (48 mins). Soon, Owen was penalised and Chalmers was lectured for protesting. At this point O'Neill came to the touchline and then walked off the pitch to be examined by physio Andy Hosgood. The player touched the back of his head to indicate his problem whilst the physio checked his eyesight. The club doctor arrived on the scene and O'Neill went down the tunnel, and did not come back to complete the game. As Alty played on with ten men, Carlton got past Aspinall but his cross from the left found no one. Then Alty brought on Pat McFadden up front in place of O'Neill (53 mins). There was more drama moments later as Thompson went down under a challenge just outside the Alty box and Karl Munroe took exception to the Morecambe player. Thompson then appeared either to strike or butt the Alty man and after a fracas involving several players, the referee consulted his linesmen and the Morecambe no.11 was dismissed, whilst Munroe was booked. But Morecambe had the freekick which had been awarded before the sending-off incident itself (55 mins). After a scrappy passage of play, Carlton then made the most of a challenge by Munroe to win a freekick.

Alty now brought on Bowler for Potts, with the sub going to the left wing (58 mins). Alty soon shouted for a penalty as McFadden was held in the box and soon the visitors' keeper Drench was warned for timewasting by the referee. With their one man advantage, Altrincham now enjoyed some pressure after Morecambe had done so for the start of the second half. They won a corner when Peyton’s cross from the left was nodded on by Band and McFadden's shot from tight angle was blocked at the near post. This was arguably Alty's first shot on target. Following the corner, Bowler lost possession to Yates. Morecambe than had a chance of their own as McLachlan stabbed a shot wide after Acton had saved his initial effort (66 mins).

Altrincham now made their final change as Steve Bushell returned to action after missing five matches through injury. It was Lewis Chalmers who was the one, surprisingly, to be replaced (69 mins). Morecambe attempted to wind down the clock as Altrincham tried to make the advantage of the extra man tell. But the ten-man visitors were still dangerous on the break. The nearest Alty came to a goal was when Peyton's cross was nodded wide by McFadden. Bowler was fed the ball a couple of times but on each occasion was shepherded to the by-line to concede a goalkick. Morecambe then brought on Hunter for McLachlan (76 mins). From an Alty freekick, a corner was produced but it was the visitors who wrapped the game up after 80 minutes. The impressive Yates got the better of the Alty defence and his low cross was comfortably converted by Carlton from the centre of the goalmouth (80 mins).

When Alty kicked off again, Bowler had now been shifted to the right wing. Almost immediately Bentley bear-hugged McFadden as he drifted across the box but remarkably neither the referee nor the linesman saw it, much to the young striker’s annoyance. Alty continued to push forward but when Carlton threatened a break-away, Munroe fouled him but escaped without further censure. Soon Carlton was on the deck again after a tackle by Aspinall, who was booked (86 mins). Bentley then fouled McFadden from behind and conceded a freekick but no booking resulted. After 88 minutes, Owen did get in a shot at goal but it hit a defender before it even got into the penalty area. Just after four minutes of added time had been signalled, Steve Bushell walked off the pitch, with what seemed to be a recurrence of his hamstring injury. So, for the second time in a fortnight, after Lee Hendley's knock curtailed his appearance at Cambridge, a substitute for Alty had lasted barely 20 minutes.

With this result a promising run of five games without defeat for Altrincham suddenly became a run of six games with just one win. However, the yield of 7 points from those 6 games was a creditable one and if continued all season would be enough to keep Altrincham in the Conference. In his programme notes Graham Heathcote described this week as the most difficult of the season, with games against Weymouth, Morecambe and Oxford United and few would argue with him about that assessment. For their part Morecambe looked an impressive side whose indifferent form this season was sadly, from Altrincham's standpoint, not repeated here at Moss Lane.