Match Report

SUMMARY:

In a generally poor game Alty went behind after 63 minutes when McAllister was allowed a free header from a corner. The goal lifted The Cards and it came as no surprise when McAllister netted again, following Chalmers's error. As Woking dominated the latter stages (76 mins), Barratt then had a goal ruled out. Alty's best shots came from debutant Senior, one in each half, but it was Little who wasted the best chance, from Senior's feed, just before the interval. But for three good saves from Coburn, it could have been worse for Alty.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr. A Rodda (Exeter)

Chris Senior and Val Owen came into the squad for Richard Acton and Pat McFadden, the latter having surprisingly been loaned to Flixton today, despite some excellent appearances as a substitute recently for Altrincham. O'Neill, who has played most of the season as a striker was deployed on the left flank for this game, after starting on the right in his last game, whilst Rod Thornley, who has played on the left this season, was on the bench. Striker Peter Thomson was dropped to the bench.

BACKGROUND:

Woking had responded to their poor recent form by bringing in new players, four of whom made their Kingfield debuts today. Alty's one new face was Chris Senior, on loan from Halifax.

WOKING (Red and white halved shirts, black shorts and socks): 40. James BITTNER; 8. Karl MURRAY 28. Jason PEARCE, 6. Gary McDONALD, 3. Danny BUNCE, ; 29. Adam GREEN, 16. Neil BARRATT, 4. Neil SMITH, 24. Giuseppe SOLE; 9. Craig McALLISTER, 27. James TAYLOR. Subs: 10. Liam MARUM, 18. Goma LAMBU, 19. Saheed SANKOH, 21. Aaron HOWE, 23. Sam COCKERILL.

ALTRINCHAM (Pale and dark blue shirts, dark blue shorts, pale blue socks): 1. Stuart COBURN; 2. Steve ASPINALL, 17. Karl MUNROE, 4. Peter BAND, 11. Warren PEYTON; 7. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 14. Lewis CHALMERS, 8. Val OWEN, 12. Joe O'NEILL; 9. Colin LITTLE, 19. Chris SENIOR. Subs: 3. Gary SCOTT, 5. Gary TALBOT, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 16. Peter THOMSON, 20. Stephen ROSE.

Altrincham substitutes:

Despite the pre-match sunshine the floodlights were on from the start as Alty kicked off into the breeze on a soft pitch. There was an early scare when Coburn's short goalkick to Peyton was relayed inside to Munroe, who lost possession, leaving McAllister free, with only Coburn to beat. But the Alty keeper brilliantly beat the ball out, conceding a corner on the Woking right (2 mins). Though this was cleared, the Cards went close again when a freekick from the right drifted narrowly past the back post (3 mins). On the negative side, Woking were being regularly penalised for fouls, with Barratt a repeat offender. Indeed, the overall play from both sides was scrappy. But when Barratt committed his fourth offence, Owen reacted and found himself booked as well as the Cards' debutant (14 mins).

Rain now began to fall as the lacklustre game continued. Coburn had to make a smart, low save when Green got past Aspinall on the Woking left. Soon afterwards, in the Woking half, Green was the victim of a late challenge which saw Aspinall booked (20 mins).

Alty at last threaded some good passes together before, following a throw, O'Neill chested the ball down for the lively Senior, who fired narrowly over the bar (22 mins). Soon afterwards Senior injured his right ankle and needed treatment, before resuming. When a Band clearance deflected to Sole, it took another excellent save from Coburn to beat the ball away for a corner (27 mins).

At the other end, Bittner almost committed a howler, as he mishit a clearance almost straight to Little but it just evaded the striker. An Alty corner came and went before Taylor ambitiously tried and failed to lob Coburn from the right touchline. Whilst neither side looked like scoring in the next few minutes, it was the home side who were having slightly the better of the proceedings. Senior was looking eager up front for Alty but Little was not seeing much of the action. From a Woking throw from the right, McAllister nodded the ball on for Taylor, whose flying header was saved by Coburn (39 mins). After another foul by McAlliister on Chalmers, Senior got behind Pearce but his cross was mishit into the heavily sanded goalmouth.

Woking almost went ahead in bizarre circumstances when a mis-hit shot from right of goal by Barratt trickled only narrowly past the far post as Coburn, for once, reacted slowly (43 mins). Munroe was harshly booked for a foul and it was hard to fathom how Alty had picked up three bookings to Woking's one.

In the first of two added minutes Alty had a great chance to go ahead when Senior got behind Bunce and squared the ball inside for Little but he failed to control the ball and the chance disappeared.

At the interval Woking brought on Lambu, who had troubled Alty in the last game between these sides. He slotted in on the right with Murray moving to centre-back as McDonald had been substituted. Lambu's pace was soon causing Alty problems but play was soon halted when O'Neill was winded by Bittner (50 mins). Play then continued scrappily, with Coburn's shinned clearance of Peyton's back pass the nearest to any excitement (56 mins).

Chalmers misplaced two passes in succession whilst Bittner almost committed another howler, delaying a clearance and allowing Senior to block his kick but the ball ballooned wide as it cannoned off the Alty man (60 mins). Woking soon had another scare as Chalmers's long throw was missed by Murray, allowing Senior to lash a left-foot shot into the side-netting from an acute angle, left of goal (61 mins).

Two minutes later Alty fell behind. The goal came when Peyton got the ball off Lambu near the corner on the Woking right but then lost possession and conceded a corner. The inswinging corner was headed home by an unmarked McAllister in the centre of the goalmouth (63 mins). The goal lifted the home side, who soon won another corner. An Aspinall shot, well over the bar, was Alty's best response (69 mins). Later, an Aspinall cross from the right was nodded out for an Alty corner as Senior closed in at the back post (74 mins). Woking wrapped the game up after 76 minutes when Chalmers lost the ball, 25 yards from his own goal, in a central position. A Cards' player played the ball forward to McAllister, who hammered it past the exposed Coburn (76 mins).

Alty now made a triple substitution as Rose, Thornley and Thomson replaced Munroe, Little and Senior (77 mins). But Woking were now in charge and McAllister forced a good save from 20 yards (80 mins) before Coburn made another fine stop from Barratt. Next, Sole got free on the left but Coburn made another excellent stop. Then a slick move saw Lambu, McAllister and Barratt combine superbly but the resulting "goal" was ruled out for offside (83 mins).

Woking now made a double charge. New signing, Marum from Cambridge, replaced McAllister and Cockerill came on for Barratt (88 mins). In the 3 added minutes Alty belatedly came to life as O'Neill had a shot saved (90+1 mins). In the closing minute, Thomson fed Thornley for a shot which ran comfortably to Bittner.

So, once again, Alty had failed to win on the road and for the first time in nine league games, they had failed to score. But, at least, Senior had performed well on his debut and Coburn had made several important saves - otherwise there were few positives to take home to Altrincham for the travelling supporters.