Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Rick BARTLETT

Alty included their three new signings, Darren Tinson (from Burton at centre-back), Chris Lane (from Southport at right-back) and Jake Sedgemore (from Kidderminster in centre midfield). Also starting the game were trialists Matthew Berkeley (an ex-Gretna striker) and Cavell Coo, (ex-Crewe), who was playing at left-back. In the second half, another trialist, Chris Baguley, recently released by Oldham Athletic and brother of former Alty winger Jamie Baguley, also appeared. Colin Potts, who had been allowed to leave Alty last season was back in the side tonight as a trialist.

This was Alty's first home friendly of the season and the first game for their first-team squad after run-outs for the reserves, trialists and youth team over the weekend. For spectators, pre-season games can be a nightmare in terms of identification of players and tonight was a case in point. Not only were there new faces, signed over the summer, in both sides but there were 18 substitutes used and, to compound the identification problems, Alty took to the field wearing a random selection of shirts and also wore numbered shorts which, in most cases, carried a different number from the one on the players' back. This was because they were using last season's strip and many of the original named shirts had been sold off, so we had sights such as Steve Aspinall coming on as a sub but wearing Kieran Lugsden's shirt and some Alty players were even wearing duplicate numbers! A further complication for fans was that there was no matchday programme and neither team's substitutes were named on the distributed teamsheets. As Bury used eleven subs and Alty used seven in the second period, and the Bury numbering (blue on chocolate brown shirts) was not the clearest, it was all very confusing! So, apologies in advance for any mis-namings.

The pitch had recovered well from the drainage work and re-seeding earlier in the summer and had stood up well to the recent monsoon conditions.

ALTRINCHAM:(Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks) 1. Stuart COBURN; 22. Chris LANE, 4. Darren TINSON, 20. Stephen ROSE, 22* Cavell COO; 22* Colin POTTS, 7. Robbie LAWTON, 26. Jake SEDGEMORE, 11. Warren PEYTON; 19. Colin LITTLE, 20. Matthew BERKELEY. Subs: 2. Steve ASPINALL, 6. Chris BAGULEY, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 17. Karl MUNROE, 13. Richard ACTON (gk), 18. Pat McFADDEN, 19. Joe O'NEILL.

BURY XI: (Chocolate brown shirts, pale blue shorts, socks). 1. Jim PROVETT, 2. Paul SCOTT, 4. Ben FUTCHER, 5. Dave CHALLINOR (capt), 6. Paul MORGAN, 7. Steve HASLAM, 12. David BUCHANAN, 8. Richard BAKER, 9. Glynn HURST, 15. Drew BROUGHTON, 16. Nicky ADAMS. Subs: Eleven!

Tonight's game was the first pre-season game for both clubs' first-team players, though a couple of the trialists on the Alty side had played a game on Saturday (Coo, Berkeley) against Gregorians from the Manchester League. The floodlights were on from the start but initially conditions were quite pleasant. The game at Moss Lane was taking place simultaneously with a training match between another Altrincham XI and a Leek Town side, half a mile away on the B.T.H. all-weather pitch. Some of the Alty players were to feature in both games- jogging up and down Moss Lane to switch venues at half-time!

Above: A break in proceedings as (l. to r.) Warren Peyton, Karl Munroe, Darren Tinson, Robbie Lawton, Colin Little, Chris Baguley, Rod Thornley and Jake Sedgemore take a breather.

There was plenty of effort in the opening stages but not a lot of incident as the players found their legs after the summer lay-off. Coburn was forced into a decent save after 10 minutes, from Broughton, but the Bury man was offside. Darren Tinson was already showing his leadership qualities for Alty as he marshalled his defence on his Alty debut. Colin Potts now showed a couple of flashes of his old magic, one of which was a superb 60-yard pass for Little, whose subsequent ball into the box was cut out (13 mins). After a foul on Lawton, Rose's free kick yielded Alty's first corner. Sedgemore's kick, from left of goal produced another corner, this time on the right. Alty were now settling and, soon, a good flick from Little set up Lawton but he ran into a wall of defenders (20 mins). However, both sides were also making errors as they attempted to shake off their summer rustiness.

There was an amusing incident when the giant Futcher was penalised on the far side of the pitch but his response, a loud expletive, was clearly heard around the whole ground and this earned him a lecture from the referee. Another good cross from Potts tested the visitors' defence. Then Little and Coo combined well with the latter's shot deflected on the way to goal and only held at the second attempt by Provett as Colin Little closed in for the loose ball (25 mins). At the other end, Coburn sliced a kick out of play to give Bury a corner on their right as rain now started to fall, soon intensifying into a fairly heavy, swirling downpour.

Potts then did well, tracking back to halt a Bury attack from Adams. Soon afterwards, a long cross from the Bury left found Hurst at the back post and he did well to head at goal but Coburn did even better with a reaction save, scooping the ball one-handed onto the roof of his own net, for a corner (33 mins). From the corner, a good header by Morgan just cleared the Alty bar. The rain had now eased off and as half time approached Alty went close to scoring. This followed an Alty corner taken short to Little whose cross was met by a firm downward header by Darren Tinson which Provett saved impressively (41 mins).

But Tinson then made a are slip at the other end, allowing Broughton to get in a shot but he fired over the bar (42 mins). For Alty, Peyton was playing well in his favoured midfield position on the left but his side had to survive another scare before the interval when a mis-pass from Sedgemore allowed Broughton in again but fortunately he lost his footing under a challenge as he entered the Alty box. At the end of the half Berkeley won a free kick when Futcher climbed all over him but the interval arrived with the game goalless.

At the interval Bury changed their entire side, none of whose names were available to the spectators. For their part Alty made four changes, bringing on Chris Baguley in midfield, Rod Thornley on the left, Joe O'Neill up front and Karl Munroe for Rose at the back. Trialists Coo, Potts and Berkeley were the other players withdrawn.

Alty kicked off towards the 20/20 End but the first significant action was a fine ball up to the visitors' no.23, a trialist called Andy Mangan (ex-Accrington), who was faced only by Stuart Coburn inside the box. However, the Bury player harmlessly shot straight at the Alty keeper (48 mins). Coburn had another scare a little later when a back pass reared up and struck his body but the Alty keeper was soon cheering as his side took the lead. The goal came when a perceptive ball from Sedgemore, up the middle, found Little and he cleverly sold a dummy to a defender before shooting low past the equally wrong-footed goalkeeper from about 15 yards (58 mins).

Altrincham were soon pressing again and the lively Thornley had just got himself to a promising position on the by-line left of the Bury goal when the prostrate referee blew his whistle to stop play for treatment to an injury that he had sustained. After attention from Sean Riley, who has returned as Alty's physio this season, the match official resumed (60 mins). Soon afterwards Little tried an ambitious 30-yard lob which went well wide as the home side now held the upper hand. But when Tinson missed a through ball, Coburn had to make an excellent save to beat out a fierce shot from Mangan for a corner (68 mins).

Bury now came back at Altrincham but after a few minutes pressure, it was the home side who scored a goal. Baguley played a good ball over the defence for O'Neill in the inside-right channel. With the Bury defence stopping to appeal for an offside flag that never came, the Alty and ex-Bury striker expertly lobbed the advancing keeper to record a very well-taken second goal for Altrincham (71 mins). Soon Baguley was the provider again, his fine ball forward being met by O'Neill but his header cleared the bar (73 mins). After Mangan had fired over at the other end, Steve Aspinall came on as a substitute, wearing Kieran Lugsden's shirt. He replaced Chris Lane at right-back, the former Southport man having made a solid debut for the Robins (75 mins). Bury now won a corner for which Alty got all eleven men back into their own box. So when the ball was cleared, it came straight back again to a Bury player whose low diagonal cross evaded Aspinall at the back post where Deen cleverly turned it across Coburn and into the net off the far post to make it 2-1 (78 mins).

After Bury had won another corner, Richard Acton came on in goal for Stuart Coburn (81 mins). At the same time, Pat McFadden replaced Colin Little up front for the Robins. From a Peyton free kick the ball was then cleared to Baguley who hit his shot well but it rose over the bar (82 mins). Then three minutes from the end, McFadden turned well in the box, from Lawton’s pass, but saw Provett save his shot well. An error from Sedgemore allowed Bury to threaten again but, though the visitors got the ball past the advancing Acton, it stopped short of the line and Aspinall was able to clear comfortably. There was time for McFadden to turn smartly on receiving a pass from Lawton but the Bury keeper made a good save from McFadden's shot. The final effort of the game was a rasping shot from Lawton which went narrowly wide. The final whistle soon followed as Altrincham recorded an encouraging win in their first outing of the season.

The new Altrincham players and trialists had varying degrees of success tonight. Tinson was generally impressive and organised his defence well; Sedgemore made some good contributions but also had some lapses in passing, whilst Lane was reliable at right-back. Of the trialists, Potts got in some of his trademark crosses, Coo was generally solid, Berkeley worked hard but was rarely able to shake off his markers, whilst Baguley had a good game as a second-half substitute. Alty's next friendly is on Wednesday, 18th, at home to a Manchester United XI.