Match Report

SUMMARY:

Second-best in the first half, an Altrincham side lacking five players (Coburn, Owen, Senior, Gary Scott and Stephen Rose) came back at the Fleet in the second half, especially after the substitutes came on, but despite creating five presentable chances, failed to score. Gravesend took an early lead when Andy Scott was unable to clear and Ledgister was left with only Acton to beat, which he did confidently (6 mins). Part-time Alty looked tired for the rest of the half but, after the break and following a change in formation, Peyton went close - only for the visitors to go to the other end and score their second when Eribenne finished off Sodje's cross after the Gravesend striker had beaten Talbot in the right corner (59 mins), With Thornley, Aspinall and, later, McFadden brought on, Alty went on the attack but to no avail. Results elsewhere did not help the home side's cause.

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr C L Pawson

Alty were without five players who would probably have started today's game had they been available. They were the injured goalkeeper Stuart Coburn, midfield general Val Owen, defender Gary Scott and striker Chris Senior, who were joined by the suspended defender, Stephen Rose who was serving the last of his three-game ban. So, with Coburn's ankle injury ruling him out, Richard Acton made his first appearance in goal since 21 October last year and Gary Talbot continued at centre-back, with Andy Scott in midfield. Gravesend were without Mark de Bolla and their leading scorer, Charlie MacDonald.

Altrincham had lost their three of their four most recent home games, but had won all four of their last away matches. The Fleet arrived unbeaten in their last three games but both sides had taken nine points from their last six games home and away. But whereas Alty needed another win to secure survival in the Conference, Gravesend were seeking a place in the promotion play-offs. Few supporters had travelled with them all the way from Kent and the miserable drizzly day had not encouraged any of the home side's floating support to attend, so today's gate was well down on the season's average.

After 42 games last season, Alty had secured 41 points and finished comfortably clear of relegation in 18th place - before the football authorites docked us 18 points and we had to survive relegation at the cost of Scarborough's enforced demotion and Canvey Island's voluntary demotion. This season after 42 games, Alty had amassed 50 points but were still not safe from the drop in a 46-game campaign.

ALTRINCHAM: (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks). 13. Richard ACTON; 17. Karl MUNROE, 4. Peter BAND, 5. Gary TALBOT, 11. Warren PEYTON; 7. Robbie LAWTON, 6. Steve BUSHELL (capt), 22. Andy SCOTT, 14. Lewis CHALMERS; 9. Colin LITTLE, 12. Joe O'NEILL, . Subs: 1. Stuart COBURN (gk), 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Gary SCOTT, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 18. Pat McFADDEN.

Altrincham substitutes:

GRAVESEND & NORTHFLEET: (Pale blue shirts and socks, white shorts). 1. Lance CRONIN; 2. Peter HAWKINS, 5. James SMITH, 6. Paul McCARTHY (capt), 3. Sacha OPINEL; 27. Joel LEDGISTER, 7. Danny SLATTER, 8. Rob QUINN, 4. Stacy LONG; 12. Onome SODJE, 28. Chukki ERIBENNE. Subs: 11. Jon KEELING, 18. Luke MOORE, 16. Liam COLEMAN, 15. Mark RICKETTS, 21. Sam MOTT.

Altrincham kicked off towards the 20/20 End, where a small knot of Gravesend fans were gathered round their drummer. As too often happens, Alty's kick-off routine ended with the ball being played into touch inside the first ten seconds. Altrincham had the first good chance of the afternoon when a ball from the left just cleared Talbot and a defender in the Gravesend penalty area and fell for Little. His half-volley was unfortunately driven straight at Cronin who made a reasonably comfortable save, low down (3 mins). Alty were to rue this unconverted chance as the visitors took the lead soon afterwards when they advanced on the right. About 20 yards out, Andy Scott attempted to clear but could not do so and the ball fell behind him for Ledgister who had only Acton to beat and he did so, coolly, to give Gravesend an early lead (6 mins).

Right: Colin Little sees this early effort saved, before Gravesend opened the scoring.

After a mistake from Peyton, Sodje got clear but Acton came out to make a good block at the cost of a corner (8 mins). Gravesend were physically a strong side and Sodje and Eribenne were proving a handful for the Alty defence. Altrincham were not helping themselves by giving the ball away too frequently and by clearing the ball too often with long aerial balls which were meat and drink to the Fleet's back line. Acton soon had to be alert again, making a point blank stop as Sodje got free from a cross from the right by Ledgister but the Alty keeper was thankful to see the Gravesend striker lift the rebound well over the bar to give Alty a let-off. (9 mins). A lazy clearance from Munroe typified Alty's lacklustre start as he passed the ball straight to the bleached Frenchman, Sacha Opinel. A Gravesend corner soon followed, which O'Neill cleared but, as when defending corners in recent games, Alty had no one at all in the 70 yards of the pitch away from their goal so the ball soon came back at them. But Altrincham did then get to the other end where they were to win three corners in succession, all taken by Bushell and all punched out with varying degrees of effectiveness by Lance Cronin. From the last of these, Little lost the ball cheaply and Gravesend proved again that they were the more incisive of the sides as they went to the other end but, from Ledgister's feed, a team-mate shot very badly off target when he should have tested Acton (13 mins).

After several uneventful minutes O'Neill was bundled over and took a quick, short free kick himself to Little on the left, some 30 yards out. From Little, Chalmers saw his shot blocked and from the rebound, Little had a well-hit effort from 18 yards also blocked. Chalmers was having a good game for Altrincham but Gravesend's greater physical strength was keeping Altrincham at bay. From a foul by Bushell, Long fired in a good freekick which curled narrowly wide of Acton's back post (22 mins). Alty put themselves under more pressure when Band's misplaced pass allowed Long a sight of goal but Acton saved well with his feet and though Gravesend put the rebound into the net, offside was given (24 mins). After their fine win on Saturday, Altrincham were looking tired as their clearances time and again were aimed long and came back from the Gravesend defence. But Eribenne's weak shot at Acton was the visitors' best effort at this stage (27 mins). But Acton then kicked clear, short and low, straight to Sodje who looked about to get a clear run on goal from 35 yards out. However, Talbot impeded his progress towards goal and the Fleet frontman went down. After anxious moments the referee opted to caution Talbot rather than dismiss him (28 mins). This poor kick seemd to unsettle Acton who now fumbled Long's curling effort. Altrincham continued to be second best but manager Heathcote had now changed the formation, moving Chalmers from the left to the right of midfield as Lawton moved into the centre with Bushell whilst Andy Scott went to the left. Joe O'Neill continued to work hard but was penalised twice, rather harshly by Mr Pawson but when Alty got a freekick Chalmers hooked Peyton's deadball kick to the keeper from right of goal (38 mins).

When Munroe's clearing header, soon afterwards, went to Slatter, his sliced shot gained a fortunate deflection to win a corner for Gravesend on their left. Hawkins then deservedly drew the anger of the Alty fans with an outrageous piece of "simulation" as he contorted his body unconvincingly following a challenge by Lawton. "Cheat, cheat" went up the cry from the Alty terraces on the Popular Side. But the Alty man was booked. For Alty, Lewis Chalmers was doing well but was being forced into an auxiliary defence role for some of the time. An Acton goalkick, straight into touch, underlined Alty's lacklustre first-half display (42 mins). Play went into one added minute of time at the end of the first half during which Acton smothered a through ball after Andy Scott had dwelt on the ball and lost possession. Nevertheless, the home fans kept up a sustained "Come on Alty" chant to bolster their side.

Gravesend kicked off the second half, attacking the end where their fans were gathered. Almost immediately, an Acton goalkick found touch and then when Lewis Chalmers lost a boot, Alty hearts were in their mouths fearing a repetition of the costly freekick award against them when Chris Senior had picked up his lost boot in an earlier Moss Lane match. Acton then had a fortunate moment when a back pass reared up off his boot to his hand but the referee gave him the benefit of the doubt. Alty, however, were looking a bit livelier in this half, though they were glad to see Slatter poke a shot wide when he should have been closed down - as Alty manager Graham Heathcote pointed out to his defence. Andy Scott was now operating as left-back having swapped his midfield berth with Warren Peyton. But just after Alty had gone very close to an equaliser, Gravesend put the game beyond them. Alty's chance came when a good move between O'Neill and Little saw Little cross from the right and, as O'Neill drew a defender in the centre of the box, the ball came to Peyton in the left of the box. But his right foot shot curled inches over the bar (58 mins). As in the first half, an early Alty chance almost immediately led to a Gravesend goal. On this occasion, Sodje was played into the right corner of the pitch at the Alty end. He got the better of Scott and Talbot before his low cross found Eribenne, whose shot deflected off a defender and past Acton to make it 2-0 (59 mins). Almost immediately, Altrincham made a double change, bringing on Thornley as a third striker and Aspinall to replace Scott in defence. Aspinall went to right back as Peyton dropped back to left-back in a 4-3-3 formation (60 mins). Almost immediately the new formation took effect as Alty now got forward more convincingly. After Lawton's good cross from the left had cleared a defender and dropped to Little, Alty's leading scorer attempted to chip the keeper but the ball rebounded back against Little and was harshly judged to be handball (65 mins). Little then wasted an excellent chance from another Lawton feed when he miskicked in front of goal as he attempted a half-volley (68 mins). With Pat McFadden warming up as a third Alty substitute, Gravesend won a corner after Acton had been unable to keep a back pass from crossing the by-line (69 mins). Finally McFadden got on, replacing O'Neill (70 mins).

But the next corner again went to Gravesend when Munroe blocked Eribenne's advance. Another half chance went begging for Alty soon after as Little miskicked again at the end of a neat Alty move. Altrincham were now getting the upper hand so Liam Daish acted by bringing on winger Keeling for Ledgister on the right flank (77 mins). Eribenne was then booked for a petulant push on Aspinall before another Alty chance came when Chalmers fed Thornley but he shot badly high and wide with a clear sight of goal from the right of the penalty area (78 mins). McFadden was then flattened by Slatter but Aspinall's freekick was poor. Gravesend now brought on Moore for Hawkins (80 mins). Altrincham continued to press and from a Little cross, they won a corner (82 mins). Following this McFadden got in a shot which was saved. Keeling then became the second Gravesend player to commit a flagrant dive to win a foul when he deliberately ran into Peyton and flung himself to the ground. But time was running out and Gravesend were still an occasional threat, as when Slatter shot wide after 85 minutes, at which point Coleman replaced Eribenne. Altrincham continued to press and McFadden's excellent turn was followed by his low shot which the keeper saved well with his feet - at the cost of a corner (87 mins).

Altrincham had been the better side for the last twenty minutes and the pressure continued on the visitors as Gravesend's Keeling got a deserved booking for a very late foul on Chalmers in the centre circle (88 mins). From the freekick by Aspinall, Chalmers himself rose well but his looping header was punched clear by Cronin. Yet another chance came Alty's way when McFadden fed Little whose well hit shot was well beaten out by Cronin. But then Peyton was not awake as Chalmers throw-in came to him but Alty survived this scare and the game went into three added minutes. In the first added minute Sodje shot wide but there was time for Alty's fifth good chance of the second half to go begging as Thornley's superb scissor kick just cleared the bar and landed on the roof of the net (90+3 mins).

So the final whistle came to boost Gravesend's play-off chances and condemn Alty to a tense end of season as they seek the three points which popular wisdom suggests they will need to avoid relegation. With an away trip to champions Dagenham next on the agenda, Altrincham will be glad of the five days rest between now and then to recharge their tired legs. They will have Stephen Rose available again after suspension but with Owen, Senior and Scott unlikely to be fit, their squad will be tested to the full once more. Warren Peyton won the home Man of The Match award, with Sodje picking up the visitors' award though Lewis Chalmers must have been in contention for the Alty prize.