Match Report

REFEREE: Mr David Webb

Colin Little was still serving his suspension and both Gary Scott and Val Owen were sidelined by injuries. Alty opted for a tight starting formation with O'Neill deployed as the lone striker and Chris Senior left on the bench. Carlos Logan had recovered to make his second start while Sean Clancy was named on the bench after gaining his international clearance.

York dropped out of form keeper Tom Evans and brought in young Irish keeper Stephen Henderson who had been signed a few days earlier. The new man was certainly a physical presence being around 6ft 3 inches tall from the look of him. Captain Manny Panther had passed a late fitness test to play.

BACKGROUND:

York had lost all three home games this season whilst Altrincham were still seeking a win, home or away, after six matches of the new season. Alty had not taken a point or even scored a goal against York in their four previous league encounters.

For reasons best known to the referee the teams did not even come onto the pitch until the 7.45pm kick-off time so the match started late. Beforehand, Angus “Statto” Loughran, an Altrincham supporter who was in York for the horse racing meeting which started the next day, made a presentation to York’s Player of the Month, Onomoje Sodje who, today, was only on the bench.

YORK CITY: (Red shirts and socks, white shorts): 26. Stephen HENDERSON; 23. Ben PURKISS, 25. Darren KELLY, 5. David McGURK, 3. Mark ROBINSON, 10. Craig FARRELL, 4. Stuart ELLIOTT, 8. Emmanuel PANTHER, 11. Martyn WOOLFORD, 9. Paul BRAYSON, 16. Richard BRODIE. Subs: 1. Tom EVANS, 6. Danny PARSLOW, 7. Onomoje SODJE, 12. Chris BEARDSLEY, 14. Ross GREENWOOD.

ALTRINCHAM (Pale and dark blue shirts, pale shorts and socks): 1. Stuart COBURN; 15. Chris LANE, 5. Darren TINSON (capt), 4. Karl MUNROE, 2. Steve ASPINALL; 7. Robert LAWTON, 6. Jake SEDGEMORE, 21. Gareth WHALLEY, 11. Warren PEYTON, 22. Carlos LOGAN; 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 14. Stephen ROSE, 17. Colin POTTS, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 19. Chris SENIOR, 23. Sean CLANCY.

Altrincham substitutes:

Altrincham kicked off but soon almost gifted York the lead when Lane's attempted header back to Coburn fell very short, allowing Woolford to get into the box but he produced a mediocre shot, which the exposed Coburn saved well (3 mins). York continued to have the better of the opening stages but this York side is not the same class as the team of the last two seasons. But Alty were fortunate when Farrell volleyed wide after Coburn had been caught out by a cross from the left (12 mins). The game's first corner came when Lane did well to see off Brayson (15 mins).

Soon afterwards, Alty won a corner themselves. Whalley was impressing for Alty in midfield but the visitors were not threatening the York goal, though. Henderson was occasionally employed in fielding overhit long balls from Alty. Linesman Coy was giving a quite incredible performance which can only be explained by his having been instructed by the referee just to give offsides and allow Mr. Webb to make all of the other decisions. For time after time clear fouls took place within feet of the liner which he consistently failed to give. A notable example was an elbow by the combative Geordie, Richard Brodie on Darren Tinson (28 mins). "Didn't you see that?" yelled an Alty player at the motionless linesman. Next, Alty nearly committed suicide when Munroe dwelt on the ball and lost possession but Coburn saved well from Woolford (29 mins).

Moments later, Logan got in Alty's first real shot and that was a hooked effort well over the bar (29 mins). Brodie then felled Munroe after the ball had gone, right in front of Mr Coy, who again failed to see anything leaving Munroe to pick himself up and give the official a withering look (30 mins). And when Coy failed to see Panther handle the ball, it had gone beyond a joke. Henderson then had to rush out to head clear as Whalley's perceptive ball almost played in Logan. Altrincham at this stage were looking reasonably comfortable as York continued to let themselves down in the final third. Indeed, the home crowd had fallen silent until York won a corner which was cleared. But then Altrincham won a corner, taken by Whalley, from the right and he found Tinson, who powered a header into the net to give Alty the lead and their first-ever league goal against York at the seventh attempt (44 mins).

Almost immediately two minutes of added time were indicated but Alty were unable to see them through successfully. The referee awarded a freekick for a pretty trivial offence of foot-up, about thirty yards out from the Alty goal right of centre. The ball was played into the Alty box where Coburn, who had come off his line, failed to deliver the punch clear that he was trying to make and Brodie headed home to level the scores (45+1 mins). Aspinall did his best to kick the ball clear off the line but the linesman was right to confirm that the ball had crossed the line. The equaliser was unfortunate as the home crowd had begun to shown signs of disgruntlement when Alty scored and might have made Alty’s job a bit easier in the second half had they turned against their own side. But in any case Alty could go into the interval for the seventh this season on at least level terms with their opponents.

HT

Alty had an early scare when Lawton got forward but as the ball went out off him for a goalkick he pulled up holding his hamstrings. However, he managed to run off whatever the problem was (46 mins). Coburn was in early action, punching clear.

But then Alty succumbed to an early goal from their opponents when Panther did superbly to get past three challenges to the right of goal and from near the by-line he pulled the ball back for the unmarked Brayson to hammer past Coburn to give York the lead (50 mins). York continued to press after the goal and Alty were fortunate to see Elliott play a very poor ball when he had found space to the right of goal. The former Northwich man was to be named the York Man of the Match but in truth he several times played misdirected final balls in this game. For Alty Aspinall did well to see off Brodie (53 mins).

Altrincham now brought on Senior for Logan, who had a few promising runs early in the first half but had been on the margins of the game since then. Altrincham now began to go forward but as Peyton advanced on the left he was felled. The freekick was cleared. Following this Senior chased a ball into the right, front corner of the box where he was clearly wrestled off the ball by his marker but from 20 yards away Mr Coy again saw nothing to induce him to raise his flag. York responded by winning a corner off Tinson, who was having a very good game with Munroe at the heart of the Alty defence (59 mins). Just after the hour mark Sedgemore was replaced by Potts with Lawton moving inside to accommodate the wingman (61 mins).

Altrincham were now gaining in confidence with Lane, as ever, proving reliable in defence. Potts soon had a half chance when a York clearance from Tinson fell to him but the winger sliced his first-time effort over the bar from 12 yards (66 mins). Play was now end to end and after Robinson had failed to connect in the Alty box Peyton put in an overhit cross from the left for Alty after good work from the lively Senior. At this point Steve Aspinall, who had again done well out of position at left-back, gave way to Sean Clancy, who was making his debut for the Robins (70 mins).

The former Southport left-back was soon heading clear but the game was about to witness a most bizarre incident on the other side of the pitch in front of the unoccupied block between the York fans and the handful of Alty supporters in the seated section at the away end of the ground. Linesman Coy raised his flag for offside against Altrincham but referee David Webb very clearly waved play on. However, York’s debutant keeper Henderson took the law into his own hands as he gathered the ball and then went a couple of paces outside his box, with the ball still in his hands. He then dropped the ball with the apparent intention of taking a freekick for offside. The only problem was that the referee had not blown his whistle to stop play.

Quite rightly, the quick-thinking Chris Senior kicked the loose ball forward before driving it low into the empty net from the edge of the box. Referee Webb was then faced with protests from all sides. With various options open to Mr Webb, such as allowing the goal to stand (which was the correct decision by the rules of football as he had not stopped play with his whistle), awarding handball and a booking against the keeper for handling outside his box, or booking Senior for kicking the ball away at a freekick (though he actually he had not awarded one), the Durham official opted to give York the freekick for offside which he had moments earlier decided not to give (73 mins). The DVD recording of this incident should make interesting viewing for the referees’ assessor.

Senior seems to be a victim of bizarre decisions; he was sent off the pitch and conceded a freekick last season against Stafford when his boot came off and he picked it up, only for Stafford to take advantage of his absence on the flank to get forward and score a decisive goal against us.

A York corner followed this contentious incident after which City withdrew Brodie in favour of Sodje, up front (75 mins). After this, Woolford shot wide before yet another instance of linesman Coy’s ineffectual display arrived with Mr Brown having to give a foul against Senior for which the better placed linesman had failed to flag. From Potts’s freekick Munroe had a header well saved at the foot of the post by Henderson with the Alty defender claiming that the ball had come off a defender’s arm. Alty now were on top and won two corners, firstly through Senior and secondly via Lawton’s efforts (80 mins).

Altrincham continued to press but on the break Sodje won his side a corner on their right (82 mins). But Alty went close after 87minutes when O’Neill poked an effort over the bar from 12 yards. The next Alty attack was undone by a poor cross from Lawton and then Potts put in a low cross which right across the goalmouth but without anyone being able to turn it into the net (89 mins). On the stroke of full-time Alty had a scare when a fierce low shot from Elliott was brilliantly cleared off the line by Chris Lane. Four minutes of added time were displayed by the fourth official.

Two minutes into added time Alty won a corner on the left and as Potts’s ball came in Munroe had his shirt turned inside out by a holding York defender. But for once Alty were thankful to the lack of action from linesman Coy as play continued and O’Neill rose well to head the corner into the net for a deserved equaliser (90+2 mins). The former Minsterman was clearly delighted to have netted on his old stamping ground. There was time for York to poke an effort wide at the other end but Alty’s performance in the last half hour had merited the equaliser and for a part-time side to finish the stronger against full-time opposition was tribute to their fitness levels and hard work.