Match Report

SCORERS

REFEREE: Mr K G Yeo

Alty were without five players. Karl Munroe was suspended, Gary Scott, Gareth Whalley and Val Owen were injured whilst Matty Berkeley was abroad with St Kitts and Nevis U-23s. The right-sided Aspinall was preferred at left-back to recent signing Sean Clancy. New loan signing from Stoke City, Ryan Shotton came straight into the team. Woking included three debutants in their starting line-up (Harusha, Gatting, James).

BACKGROUND:

Historically Alty have a decent record against Woking but in recent seasons Alty have had little success against the Surrey side. Woking were the lowest scorers in the BSP going into this game and had brought in two loan strikers (Paul Hakim and Joe Gatting) as well as a new midfielder (Kevin James from Nottingham Forest). .

WOKING: (Red and white halved shirts, black shorts, red and white socks): 1. Nick GINDRE, 2. Paul LORRAINE, 5. Tom HUTCHINSON. 6. Jay GASSON, 15. Goma LAMBU, 13. Kevin JAMES, 3. Danny BUNCE, 14. Adam GREEN, 19. Izedin HARUSHA, 21. Joe GATTING, 8. Marvin MORGAN. Subs: 9. Carl GIBBS, 17. Jerome MALEDON, 18. David SHIN, 22. Paul HAKIM, 24. Giuseppe SOLE.

ALTRINCHAM (Pale and dark blue shirts, pale shorts and socks): 1. Stuart COBURN; 15. Chris LANE, 5. Darren TINSON (capt), 16. Ryan SHOTTON, 2. Steve ASPINALL; 7. Robert LAWTON, 6. Jake SEDGEMORE, 11. Warren PEYTON, 22. Carlos LOGAN; 9. Colin LITTLE, 12. Joe O'NEILL. Subs: 14. Stephen ROSE, 17. Colin POTTS, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 19. Chris SENIOR, 23. Sean CLANCY.

Altrincham substitutes:

The Cards kicked off into the bright sunshine on a warm afternoon and they had the first chance when a freekick, conceded by Logan, was just gathered by Coburn ahead of a Woking player (2 mins). At the other end, the Woking back-line was looking solid and Alty were to get little change out of them, especially in the air. Play was pretty nondescript till Woking won two corners in quick succession, the second conceded by Little, deep in his own half (13 mins). Altrincham's first real threat to the Woking goal arrived after 16 minutes when O'Neill fed Little, who had sprung the offside trap, but he hurriedly hooked the ball wide when he had time to control it. Then, from a Sedgemore freekick, Gindre punched unconvincingly clear (18 mins). An error from Gasson allowed Logan a shot but his effort cleared the terrace roof behind the goal (20 mins).

The sides continued to battle but neither produced a serious threat of a goal. Young Shotton looked comfortable for Alty on his debut at centre-back, whilst Hutchinson was equally assured for the Cards. As the game headed towards the half-hour mark, Morgan was played into the box but Coburn made a fine stop as the lanky striker threw himself to the ground, appealing for a penalty. Mr Yeo was not taken in but neither did he caution the striker as the ball went out for a corner (29 mins). Morgan hobbled off for treatment before Coburn caught the corner.

Alty's O'Neill then needed treatment for a leg injury. The visitors were matching their hosts now and, soon, Logan surged forward but his shot was saved by Gindre (34 mins). When Aspinall played a ball back to Coburn, the keeper seemed slow to react and an unnecessary corner was conceded but following a poorly taken flag-kick, it became apparent that Coburn had injured his leg because he now summoned Aspinall to take the goalkick.

But Alty were playing reasonably well now and when Little laid a ball from Sedgemore into O'Neill's path, the striker should have done better than fire well wide with his left foot (39 mins). It proved a costly miss, as Logan conceded a freekick on the Woking right, 30 yards or more from goal. Coburn came out for Gasson's freekick but failed to get to it and behind him, Tinson, facing his own goal could only manage to turn the ball into his own net (40 mins). When play restarted Coburn tried to throw clear rather than kick, whenever he could, but with no substitute keeper on the bench, he had to play on. Alty won a freekick before half-time but this came to nothing.

Alty boss Graham Heathcote curiously spent a good portion of the interval on the pitch rather than with his team in the dressing room, before the players emerged to re-start the game. From a freekick from the right an unmarked Hutchinson headed narrowly wide for Woking (47 mins). Lane and Aspinall continued to take all of Coburn's goalkicks, as the home side started the second half the better, winning two corners in the first five minutes. From the second of these, Coburn half-cleared the ball but a follow-up shot only narrowly cleared the bar (51 mins). Soon, Coburn's injury meant that he was unable to keep a Tinson ball from going out for a corner, from which a second flag-kick followed. Aspinall was then booked for a studs-up tackle (55 mins) before Potts came on for Logan (56 mins).

Potts soon had an impact and from his fine pass, Little got in a first-time cross from the right but Gindre collected the ball. But, overall, Woking continued to have the better of things as the Kosovan, Harusha, won them another corner (63 mins). Coburn's palmed clearance gave Woking a shot which they volleyed over the bar. At this point, Senior came on for O'Neill whose earlier knock seemed to have taken its toll (64 mins). Four minutes later, Hakim replaced Gatting for Woking. Next, Senior almost got in on goal, despite clear pushing by Lorraine, but the Woking defence cleared its lines. Morgan continued to concede freekicks but Alty failed to capitalize on these. However, Sedgemore fired narrowly wide from 25 yards but that was as near as they got before Sole came on for Harusha (73 mins). A controversial incident occurred a minute later when goalkeeper Gindre handled outside the box, under pressure from Little and, though Mr Yeo awarded a freekick to Alty, he surprisingly did not book the offender. Sedgemore's freekick was deflected narrowly wide for a corner. Following this, Morgan counter-attacked powerfully up the left past Lawton and Lane, but Aspinall came across impressively to clear the ball for a corner (75 mins). Next, Clancy came on for Peyton in left midfield (76 mins).

Alty still looked able to snatch a draw and they received a fillip when Morgan once again dived inside the Alty box and, at last, Mr Yeo booked him (81 mins). Little then had a shot blocked as Alty laboured to create an opening. With three minutes left, Maledon replaced Morgan and Woking defender Hutchinson was named as Man of the Match. Following a Woking throw on their right, Aspinall, who had played well, slipped up and allowed Woking to work the ball inside to the unmarked Bunce, who hammered his shot into the net off the inside of Coburn's right upright (90 mins). In what turned into almost five minutes of added time, Shotton saw his underhit shot go wide before Woking volleyed narrowly wide at the other end. Finally a good cross from Potts was headed wide by Clancy before the final whistle sounded.

All of the bottom five lost today, so Alty's position did not immediately worsen but with Coburn now likely to be sidelined alongside the existing injured Scott, Owen and Whalley, the management's options for change are limited. However, one silver lining today was an impressive debut from Ryan Shotton. But as Graham Heathcote said earlier this week, it is also further up the pitch where Alty need to improve as, once again, today they lacked a genuine threat in front of goal.