Match Report

SUMMARY:

Above Gavin Rathbone's camera captures Joe O'Neill turning away after scoring Alty's goal; celebrating behind him is Chris Senior. The GR Photography website has more excellent photos.

It took a last minute header from Joe O'Neill from a Steve Bushell corner to gain Alty a deserved point - just as in the last league encounter at Northwich seven seasons ago, when Dickie Landon levelled at the death. In the first half, Little was unlucky to see his shot come back of the post into Connett's arms, whilst Vics had a goal disallowed for offside after Coburn had parried Smart's shot to Dean. Alty started the second half well, but fell behind to a corner routine rounded off by Dean's headed goal (67 mins). In the 90th minute Northwich conceded the unnecessary corner that produced Alty's equaliser.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr John Waugh

Altrincham were unchanged from the side which had started at Crawley the previous Saturday and, with no changes on the bench either, Pat McFadden was again the unlucky player to lose out in the selection process. Facing their former club were several Alty players including Val Owen, Peter Band and Gary Talbot.

Vics were without the suspended midfielder Michael Carr so Mark Roberts came back into the starting line-up. Jonny Allan, Chris Williams and Michael Byrne were all missing through injury but Andy Smart, on loan from Macclesfield, continued in left midfield. Though never on Alty's books, Andy - who lives in Timperley - had played a couple of games for Altrincham FC Youth a couple of years ago.

BACKGROUND:

This was the first Northwich v Altrincham league match since 1999/2000 when a late Dickie Landon goal had earned Alty a 1-1 draw, following Alty's 6-1 win at the Drill Field, shortly before, in a cup match. Of course, the Vics had moved ground in the interim, to the Victoria Stadium, a purpose-built ground at Wincham from where Witton Albion's blazing floodlights were clearly visible as they took on Hednesford at the same time as this game. The Victoria Stadium has impressive retail and bar facilities behind the main stand and includes the re-erected Dane Bank terrace on the opposite side of the ground, But neither end of the stadium has been properly developed yet.

Today's referee, John Waugh, had officiated at Altrincham v Stevenage last season and Altrincham v Dagenham last September.

NORTHWICH VICTORIA (Green and white hooped shirts, white shorts and socks) : 20. Ben CONNETT; 2. Richard BATTERSBY, 4. Gareth GRIFFITHS, 6. Kieran CHARNOCK, 5. Stuart ELLIOTT; 7. Danny MAYMAN, 24. Terry BARWICK, 28. Mark ROBERTS, 29. Andrew SMART; 27. James DEAN, 10. Paul BRAYSON. Subs: 1. Phil SENIOR (gk), 11. Carlos ROCA, 16. Jon McCARTHY, 18. Kevin TOWNSON, 31. Matthew SHAW.

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN; 3. Gary SCOTT, 17. Karl MUNROE, 4. Peter BAND, 11. Warren PEYTON; 7. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 8. Val OWEN, 6. Steve BUSHELL, 14. Lewis CHALMERS; 9. Colin LITTLE, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 2. Steve ASPINALL, 5. Gary TALBOT, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 19. Chris SENIOR, 22. Andy SCOTT.

Altrincham substitutes:

With both sets of supporters in good voice, Vics kicked off but soon Connett had to be alert to get the ball ahead of Lawton from Little's feed (4 mins). Next, a neat Alty move ended with a prodigious throw-in by Chalmers, which Connett caught at the back post. The early stages were competitive but interspersed with regular freekicks and few goalmouth chances. But both sets of fans were creating a good atmosphere in front of of the Vics' second-best Conference gate of the season. Altrincham had a scare after 13 minutes when Mayman fed Smart, whose fierce low shot from the left was too hot for Coburn to hold and the keeper could only push it out to the incoming Dean, who put the ball into the net. However, to Alty's relief, the flag had gone up for offside. The freekicks continued to come for both sides but when Altrincham gained one for a foul on O'Neill 35 yards out in a central position there seemed little danger to the Vics. However, Warren Peyton hammered a superb shot at goal which Connett did well to tip over the bar for the first corner of the game (23 mins). Bushell's corner from the left came to nothing.

The Altrincham back four was doing well, with Band and Munroe prominent and Peyton working hard on the left, whilst Scott looked solid on the right. Indeed the visitors, after a slightly shaky start held the upper hand for the next few minutes. However, they earned a needless booking when Owen was harshly penalised in midfield, having earlier been lectured at length. This time Owen seemed to talk himself into referee Waugh's book (26 mins). Alty boss Graham Heathcote was unimpressed by the referee's actions and told him so. Following the Vics' freekick, Roberts fouled Bushell, to continue the stop-start pattern of the game. A slip up by Scott almost let in the Vics soon after this but Alty's defensive cover got the ball back to Coburn (28mins).

Round the half hour mark the Vics enjoyed some pressure and when Brayson fed Smart, his cross from the left was somehow missed by Coburn but, fortunately for Alty, the Vics player who received the ball badly sliced his effort and offside was given anyway (32 mins). As billowing smoke poured out of the catering facilities at the end of the stand play went on, with plenty of endeavour but not a lot in the way of flowing movements. The normally reliable Coburn had another worrying moment after 35 minutes when another Smart cross evaded him, though he appeared to be obstructed on this occasion. Stuart was soon back in action, however, catching well from another Vics' cross. Then, after Barwick had clearly fouled Chalmers as he went up the left touchline, Little and Mayman became involved in a spat which saw the Vics' man cautioned with a yellow card (42 mins). Before play resumed with an Alty freekick, Bushell had plenty to say to the referee. Charnock's foul on the industrious O'Neill yielded another freekick near half way but, this time, when Bushell laid it short to Peyton, the left-back's long range effort went harmlessly wide from 35 yards (44 mins).

The Vics continued to win virtually all of the headers in their defensive zone as the game drifted into added time. For some reason the fourth official made no attempt to get his electronic board so the crowd was left ignorant of how much added time had been awarded. But as the added time started, Little executed a superb turn on the edge of the box, right of centre and fired a low shot across goal, which beat Connett but rebounded back off the inside of the post into the keeper's arms, with O'Neill on hand to tap the ball home had it not gone to the keeper (45 mins). Both Altrincham's and Colin Little's luck seems to be out at the moment as this was probably the fourth or fifth time that the side has hit the post without a goal resulting in recent games. After a couple of minutes of injury time, Mr Waugh blew his whistle on an generally entertaining though average-quality first half.

Alty restarted the game defending the end at which their supporters were congregated. This prompted the Vics' fans, further along the Dane Bank terrace, to move closer towards the Alty end and engage in close-quarters exchanges of "banter" and chants. On the pitch, an early Alty move ended with Chalmers offside at the back post and soon afterwards, Lawton got to the edge of the Vics' box only to be tackled, the ball running via Bushell, back to the Altrincham midfielder. From his cross from the right, O'Neill's header was taken by Connett (48 mins). There was an anxious moment for Alty when Coburn clutched a through ball on the very edge of the penalty area but the well-placed linesman saw nothing wrong with the goalkeeper's actions. Altrincham continued to enjoy the better of the opening stages of the second half but, apart from a moderate left-foot shot by Lawton at Connett, Alty did not create any clear-cut openings (53 mins). The Vics now came back into it and, when Dean went down in the box, they looked for a penalty which was neither justified nor awarded. But, almost immediately, Little's handball did give the Vics a freekick, 40 yards out, but this came to nothing.

Excellent tracking back by Owen and Peyton combined to see off the next Northwich attack but when Band misheaded a long ball behind him to set Brayson running at goal, offside was given, even though Band had been the last one to play the ball (56 mins). Three successive Chalmers throw-ins were seen off by the home team before Lawton made an excellent interception on halfway but he took his eye off the ball and lost possession. Vics then made a double switch withdrawing Smart and Barwick in favour of Roca and McCarthy (64 mins). Vics now attacked and, after Coburn had rushed to the touchline to kick clear and Peyton had made another excellent challenge at the back, Vics won a corner after a slip by the Alty left-back. This was the Vics' first corner of the match and only the second of the game but it was to prove costly to Altrincham. Alty failed to pick up a short, diagonal corner kick and when the recipient crossed the ball diagonally to his left into the centre of the box, from 25 yards out, Dean headed home unchallenged to give his side the lead (67 mins).

In the aftermath of going behind, Coburn had to save a low shot from the Vics as their fans taunted Alty's with chants of "Going down, going down, going down!". And when Vics won a fortunate corner, after a ball span 40 yards back off an Alty player to cross the by-line on the Vics' right, things did look grim for the Robins (78 mins). To make things worse, when Charnock manhandled Band to concede a relieving freekick to Alty, 23 yards or so from the Vics' goal, a pre-rehearsed routine involving Colin Little went horribly wrong as the striker lost the ball to an advancing defender.

But Altrincham now got themselves together and started to press forward, though, as yet, manager Heathcote resisted any temptation to change his line-up. Work commitments kept assistant manager Dalton Steele away tonight, so Graham had to make all of the decisions unaided. Now, a Bushell shot struck a defender and, then, good work by O'Neill saw him chest the ball down before turning and shooting low to Connett's left but the keeper pushed the ball away from goal (75 mins). Griffiths's foul on Little helped Alty to keep the pressure on but, when Connett parried Peyton's freekick from 27 yards, Little could only hook the rebound wide. Peter Band was then harshly penalised for a challenge on the centre line and went over to his opponent who was making the most of it on the ground. Band misguidedly pushed the prostrate Vics player and so, like Val Owen before him, got himself booked needlessly to spoil an otherwise good game for the centre-back, playing against his former club (80mins).

At last, Alty did make a change, opting for a double attacking substitution with Senior and Thornley coming on for Lawton and Chalmers (81 mins). With the minutes ticking away, Vics now also made another change as Brayson gave way to Townson (84 mins). When Roberts made a fine clearance after 88 minutes it looked as if his side would hold on for the three points. But then Vics needlessly conceded a corner in their right-back position. Bushell's kick went just beyond the near post where O'Neill rose to head home, the ball seeming to go in off the bottom of the crossbar (90 mins). Three minutes of added time were signalled by the fourth official during which Vics won a corner. Ignoring the much-quoted footballing maxim that you should not substitute a defender at a corner, Alty did just that, bringing on centre-back Gary Talbot, a former Vics' captain, to replace Colin Little (90+2 mins). After the corner had been cleared, there was still time for more incident as the already-booked Owen went in on an opponent from behind, right in front of the referee, some 40 yards from his goal. As referee Waugh blew his whistle, many in the crowd expected a second yellow card but the official diplomatically signalled the end of the ninety minutes and confirmed that Altrincham had rescued a vital point which, on the balance of play, was well deserved. Because of other teams' inaction tonight, Alty rose two places in the table but remain in the relegation places, having now won just twice in their last 15 games - and they still seek their first away win of the season after 8 draws and 8 defeats on the road so far.

But fighting draws in their last two away games have shown that there is good spirit in the side and if they can just string together a couple of short winning runs between now and the season's end, they can survive in this league. For Alty, Warren Peyton had an excellent game having reverted back to his supposedly second-best position of left-back but Val Owen also played well, as did Peter Band and Joe O'Neill. The former York front man now becomes Alty's leading scorer this season, with six goals in league and cup matches. And, with Karl Munroe now suspended for two games, there will also be relief in the Alty camp that with Peyton, Gary Scott, Thornley, Lawton, and the absent Rose, all just one booking away from suspension having received four yellow cards before tonight's match, (which was Alty's last game in February), FA rules now mean that suspensions will only apply from March onwards to those players if they clock up a total of ten yellow cards by the second Sunday in April.