Match Report


WEYMOUTH (0) 1 ALTRINCHAM (1) 2

Nationwide Conference National match
played on Saturday, 10 March, 2007 at 3pm.


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    SUMMARY:

    As Alty celebrate, to the left of goal, the Weymouth keeper picks the ball out of the net after Altrincham had scored their first goal.

    Altrincham secured their first away win of the season at the 18th attempt with two goals from Colin Little. They took the lead against the run of play in the third minute of first-half added time, after Senior got to the by-line left of goal and crossed to Little, who sidefooted home from close range. Earlier Coburn had made two magnificent saves. Alty lost both Owen and Scott injured in the first half. But Alty started the second half well and after Little had missed an open goal the same player headed home after Band had headed on Bushell's corner (73 mins). Weymouth pressed forward in the closing stages and, finally, Nade scored from 10 yards (90+4 mins) but it was too late.


    SCORERS

  • 45(+3) mins: Colin LITTLE (Weymouth 0 Altrincham 1)
  • 73 mins: Colin LITTLE (Weymouth 0 Altrincham 2)
  • 90 mins: Raphael NADE (Weymouth 1 Altrincham 2)

    REFEREE: Mr Darren Sheldrake (Surrey)


    ATTENDANCE: 1,503


    TEAM NEWS

    Alty's starting line-up was unchanged.The suspended Karl Munroe returned on the bench and Pat McFadden was again the unlucky man excluded from the squad. Warming up with the squad before kick-off was Reserves' midfielder John Maloney.

    Weymouth had Platt and Vickers suspended but Cottrell and Welsh were making their home debuts, as were Crawley and Rink, on the bench. The new faces were indicative of the changes to the squad introduced by player-manager Tindall since the Terras' chairman had decided in January to rein back expenditure. Tindall himself was out injured today.

    BACKGROUND:

    Both teams came into the game with optimism following the ends of poor runs. For their part, Weymouth had just won their first game under Jason Tindall, but had not won any of their last four league games at home, whilst Alty arrived looking for a first away win this season but having thumped Cambridge United 5-0 in their previous game.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 3. Gary SCOTT, 20. Stepehen ROSE, 4. Peter BAND, 11. Warren PEYTON; 7. Robbie LAWTON, 6. Steve BUSHELL, 8. Val OWEN, 14. Lewis CHALMERS; 9. Colin LITTLE, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 5. Gary TALBOT, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 16. Peter THOMSON, 17. Karl MUNROE, 19. Chris SENIOR.

    Altrincham substitutes:

  • 18 mins: SENIOR for OWEN
  • 45(+3) mins: MUNROE for SCOTT
  • 81 mins: THORNLEY for CHALMERS

    WEYMOUTH (Terracotta and blue shirts, blue shorts and socks) : 17. Jason MATTHEWS; 7. Nick CRITTENDEN, 23. Brian DUTTON, 18. Tony JAMES, 3. Trevor CHALLIS, 19. Simon WEATHERSTONE, 6. James COUTTS, 28. Ishmael WELSH, 25. Adam COTTRELL, 10. Stuart BEAVON, 11. Raphael NADE. Subs: 2. Callum ROSS-JENKINS, 5. Narada BERNARD, 8. Louis BELL. 29. Callum CRAWLEY, 30. Ezekiel RINK.


    REPORT

    On a sunny, mild but breezy afternoon Weymouth kicked off but there was little to excite the supporters in the opening stages. Owen made a couple of vital defensive blocks, but the second of these resulted in his being injured as he felt the force of a Weymouth boot against his own (6 mins). After treatment Owen hobbled on as Weymouth went on to win two corners in a minute but Owen was hurt again in the process (8 mins). After soldiering on, Owen went down again for more treatment but resumed once more (13 mins).

    For Weymouth, the speedy left-wing debutant, Welsh, was looking threatening, as was another recent signing, striker Stuart Beavon from Didcot Town. Finally, Owen had to give up his struggle and he was replaced by striker Chris Senior, with O'Neill moving to right midfield and Lawton going into the centre (18 mins). But the game was a tepid affair, so far. From Alty's point of view there were too many aimless balls forward which were comfortably repelled by the Terras' defence. Alty won a promising freekick just outside the left of the box, following a foul on Chalmers, but Bushell's kick was cleared (23 mins). Overall, the home side's forward movement looked the more incisive but the Alty defence was doing well.

    With the crowd subdued, Alty put together a good move when Senior's excellent return ball set up Little but his right-foot shot from 15 yards was hit weakly at keeper Matthews (25 mins). Next, Welsh won a freekick in the left corner. From this, Nade's header forced a stupendous block from Coburn which roused the home supporters from their slumber (26 mins). Soon after Peyton had picked up a booking, Weymouth went close when Beavon's goalbound shot was diverted narrowly over the bar by Band's brave header, but the resulting corner came to nothing (29 mins). Nade continued to prove a handful with his headed flick-ons as the home side continued to set the pace. Soon, a well-struck volley from Beavon went narrowly wide (32 mins) before Coburn produced a magnificent save as Beavon tried to steer the ball past him (34 mins).

    Weymouth now won a corner, which Coburn punched well clear, but from 25 yards Crittenden volleyed superbly but his effort hit the top of the bar (36 mins). Play was halted after 40 minutes for treatment to a chest injury to Chalmers. Soon after, the referee missed a foul on Chalmers and allowed Beavon to proceed and gain a freekick from Band's challenge, 22 yards out. However, Weatherstone hit the resulting freekick yards over the Hollybush Stand (43 mins).

    Weymouth threatened again as Beavon turned well but he was blocked off. With added time being played, Challis was booked for jumping all over Senior (45+2 mins). Rose's freekick came to nothing but when, soon afterwards, Peyton cleared up the left to Chalmers and, from Little, the ball came to Senior. the substitute did well and from the by-line, left of goal, Senior fed Little, who sidefooted the ball into the net from close range to give Alty the lead, against the run of play, in the third and final minute of added time. Surprisingly, Alty brought on Munroe for the limping Scott before the interval whistle sounded. Rose moved to right-back as Munroe slotted into the centre of defence.


    Half-Time: WEYMOUTH 0 ALTRINCHAM 1

    Alty kicked off the second half and from Band's feed, O'Neill won an early corner. Bushell's corner came to Senior at the back post but was cleared. However, Alty were now setting the pace, though from Chalmers's throw, Senior volleyed wildly over the bar (49 mins). Next, a good interception from Rose led to his feeding Senior. But Little was only able to slice Senior's low cross wide from close range (52 mins).

    Crittenden now won a corner for The Terras but Coburn caught this comfortably and when Weymouth gained another corner soon after Crittenden wasted it badly, overhitting it out for a throw-in. Weymouth improved as Beavon half-volleyed well wide. But the striker went much closer after 57 minutes when his hooked shot went narrowly past Coburn's left post. After James had fouled Little in front of the ref, Bushell's freekick came, via O'Neill to Little but his shot, from right of goal, was blocked (59 mins).

    Following a slip by Munroe, Rose cleared his lines at the cost of a corner, from which Nade's volley hit a body in the crowded box (61 mins). Alty's improved second half performance was aided by their increasingly vocal supporters but when Little turned superbly in the box, their hopes of cheering a goal were dashed as he volleyed 20 feet over the bar (63 mins). Soon after this, Little missed a glorious chance to score when, from O'Neill's excellent low cross he miskicked at the back post from very close range (65 mins).

    After this escape, Bernard came on for Coutts and, a little later, Weymouth conceded an unnecessary corner but this was wasted. At the other end, Beavon bundled over Munroe yet was allowed to continue, but his cross was overhit. Beavon threatened again after 69 minutes when he drove a shot narrowly over the bar from the edge of the area. Alty repeatedly tried to get Senior running behind the home defence but he was caught offside several times. However, when Lawton and Little got Senior into the box, an Alty corner resulted. Another corner followed, won by Little off Cottrell, after an error by Dutton. From Bushell's corner from the left, Band rose well in the centre-right of the box to send a header back towards the near post where Little headed it into the net to put Alty two up (73 mins).

    The goal seemed to demoralise the home team and Alty almost immediately won another corner, with the home support silenced. But they came to life to barrack Alty for alleged timewasting when Lawton received treatment after being fouled in the box (79 mins). Soon afterwards O'Neill was booked for a foul (80 mins) but, before it could be taken, Thornley came on, on the left wing, to replace the limping Chalmers (81 mins). Now, Weymouth made a double change; Crawley and new singing Rink, coming on for Weatherstone and Dutton (82 mins).

    Weymouth now pressed forward but, after a slip by Rose, Crittenden fired straight at Coburn. Next, Munroe had to concede a corner from Crawley's pressure (85 mins). Weymouth continued to advance and another corner arrived, which Munroe headed clear (88 mins). After a clear handball by Bernard had been missed by the officials, Weymouth won a freekick but this was seen off and the game went into four minutes of added time. The home side continued to press and, from a feed by Beavon, Nade scored with a low shot (90+3 mins). Altrincham faced no more alarms before the final whistle at which they and their fans celebrated their first away win in the Conference since last April's victory at Dagenham.

    This second successive win lifted Alty out of the relegation places and just 12 points away from Graham Heathcote's 50 points target for the season, with 11 games left to play. After being endebted to Coburn for keeping them in the match in the first half, Alty had scored against the run of play but went on, in the second half, to have the better of the game and deserve their eventual victory.


    Full-Time: WEYMOUTH 1 ALTRINCHAM 2