Match Report


WITTON ALBION (0) 0 ALTRINCHAM (1) 3

Cheshire Senior Cup, played on Tuesday, 25 September, 2007 at 7.45pm.


SUMMARY:

Though Alty ran out 3-0 winners, they made heavy weather of it in the second half and were grateful that Witton's poor finishing enabled them to record their first clean sheet of the season. Colin Little put Alty ahead after 42 minutes, following a good build up and an excellent final pass from Chris Senior. When Colin Potts played in Senior for Alty's second early in the second half, it looked as if the visitors would win comfortably but Witton then dominated most of the final half hour. However, the hosts were undone again in the 90th minute when Clancy played in O'Neill who seemed to have taken the ball too wide to the left of goal but his shot went through the keeper's legs to make it 3-0 and earn another away tie in the Cheshire Senior Cup against Runcorn Linnets once more at Wincham Park.


SCORERS

  • 42 mins: Colin LITTLE (Witton Albion 0 Altrincham 1)
  • 49 mins: Chris SENIOR (Witton Albion 0 Altrincham 2)
  • 90 mins: Joe O'NEILL (Witton Albion 0 Altrincham 3)

    REFEREE: Mr. D W. Stewart (New Brighton)


    ATTENDANCE: 351


    TEAM NEWS

    Altrincham were without the injured Stuart Coburn, Darren Tinson, Russell Saunders and Gareth Whalley. But Richard Acton returned in goal with Jake Sedgemore freed to take up his more customary central midfield role alongside Robbie Lawton. Gary Scott was playing his first game after an injury lay-off and he started at right-back with Chris Lane moving to partner Karl Munroe (returning from suspension) at centre-back. Neither Stephen Rose nor Steve Aspinall was in the squad tonight. Colin Potts, a used sub throughout this season got a start, whilst Matty Berkeley returned to the squad after his trip to play for St Kitts & Nevis under-23s. Pat McFadden had been recalled from Leek Town to take a place on the bench.

    Witton included former Alty men Rod Thornley and Cavell Coo, whilst left-back Liam Brownhill was a former Alty trialist. Rod was captain.

    BACKGROUND:

    The Cheshire Senior Cup this season has no League clubs taking part so the winners tonight would go into the quarter finals, away at either Warrington Town or Runcorn Linnets.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Pale & dark blue shirts shirts, dark blue shorts and pale blue socks): 13 . Richard ACTON; 3 Gary SCOTT, 15 Chris LANE, 4. Karl MUNROE, 11. Waren PEYTON; 17. Colin POTTS, 6. Jake SEDGEMORE, 7. Robbie LAWTON, 22. Carlos LOGAN; 9. Colin LITTLE, 19. Chris SENIOR. Subs: 8. Val OWEN, 12. Joe O'NEILL, 18. Pat McFADDEN, 20. Matthew BERKELEY, 23. Sean CLANCY.

    Altrincham substitutes:

  • 65 mins: Clancy for Logan
  • 71 mins: Berkeley for Potts
  • 79 mins: O'Neill for Little

    WITTON ALBION (Red and white striped shirts, white shorts and white socks): 1. Jon KENNEDY, 2. Cavell COO, 3. Liam BROWNHILL, 4. Brian PRITCHARD, 5. Tony BARRAS, 6. Steve BRODIE, 7. Alex BROWN, 8. Rob LLOYD, 9. Adam WARLOW, 10. Rod THORNLEY, 11. Mark PEERS. Subs: 12. Tom SPEARITT, 14. Ian KEARNEY, 15. Jon DILLON, 16. Dorryl PROFFIT, 17. Adam FOY.


    REPORT

    For the toss-up the Witton captain, Rod Thornley, carried his young baby son Louie onto the pitch, as he was tonight's match mascot. Once the game had started Alty put together a neat early move but then they started a pattern of giving the ball away. For Albion Cavell Coo began well against his former employers and soon a cross from the Witton right led to the first corner of the game, conceded by Lane on the Witton left. Next Acton had to make a save at the near post from Peers as the home side set a fast opening pace to the game (7 mins). Gary Scott was looking lively for Altrincham on his return from injury but, after a good build up, his cross from the right found no team-mate in the Albion box. Alty's left-winger Logan then limped off the far side of the pitch for treatment before returning (12 mins).

    There was a strange incident after 15 minutes when Scott slid into to tackle Brownhill and, though he got the ball, he caught the Witton player. The referee went for a lengthy consultation with his linesman and then bizarrely called across Colin Potts rather than Scott for a lecture. Afterwards, Potts exchanged a smirk with Scott as he returned to his position on the right-wing. Witton continued to press and Brodie went close with a shot that just cleared the bar following Rod Thornley's nod down of a cross from the right wing (22 mins). "For five minutes we've not been out of this half" shouted Dalton Steele to his players, and a few minutes later, with Alty still penned back, Graham Heathcote added, "We are allowed to go in their half, you know". The pace of Peers soon created a chance for Thornley but he shot wide from right of goal. When Peyton tried to dribble out of defence and lost the ball, the home crowd chanted "You're not very good" and, that was a fair reflection of the Alty performance at this stage, though Scott and Potts were trying to spark forward movement on the right. At last a good Alty movement started by Scott ended with Senior finding Logan but he shot wide (34 mins). Next, a Lawton cross yielded Alty's first corner of the night (35 mins).

    Alty's next attack saw Potts slip over near half way yet still manage to get up and get away from his marker before putting in a fine cross which just evaded Senior in the goalmouth. From the follow-up Logan seemed to be tripped but the referee gave no foul (38 mins). Alty were now improving and soon they took the lead. The goal came at the end of a good move, again started by the combination of Scott and Potts on the Alty right. This led to an interchange between Senior and Little and when Senior burst into the goalmouth he laid the ball inside to his left for Little to slip in and poke the ball home from close range (42 mins).


    Half-Time: WITTON ALBION 0 ALTRINCHAM 1

    Alty started the second half better than they had the first period and just four minutes into the action a perfectly weighted short ball forward from Potts, up the middle, set Senior running at goal and he smartly clipped the ball past Kennedy to make it 2-0 (49 mins). Soon afterwards Albion brought on Kearney for Brownhill (51 mins). A well hit shot from Logan then hit Coo as it looked as if Alty would be able to go on to a comfortable win. Indeed, Alty reasonably played well up to the hour mark when Acton's attempted dribble out of his goalmouth went wrong and Alty were lucky to survive without conceding a goal.

    Thornley then shot narrowly wide for Witton as the home side raised their game. After 64 minutes, Proffit came on for Brodie and a minute later Alty replaced Logan with Sean Clancy, who slotted into the left of midfield (65 mins). But it was Witton who were still going forward with Thornley slicing a shot to Acton just after Warlow had shot wide (66 mins). Clancy had a a nervous start with his first couple of touches going to opponents. Next, Potts gave way to Berkeley just before Senior's header inside his own box went out for an unnecessary corner on the Witton left (71 mins).

    Alty lifted themselves to win three corners, one after the other, following an original cross from the right which Kennedy had to tip over the bar (74 mins). After Witton had won a corner at the other end, Little almost played in Senior but Kennedy was alert to the danger (76 mins). After another Witton corner, Joe O'Neill came on for Colin Little (79 mins). Alty continued to labour and their first clean sheet of the season looked in danger on several occasions. A fine tackle from Peyton saw off the next attack but another corner followed afterwards for Witton (83 mins). Peers then shot wide before Warlow screwed an effort badly off target when he should have tested Acton. Lane now conceded a freekick on the front edge of the Alty box but Acton gathered this safely and quickly got the ball upfield. Clancy recovered the ball from Coo with the inadvertent help of a rebound off the referee and played a good ball forward for O'Neill to take forward from 25 yards out. O'Neill seemed to have taken the ball to too acute an angle, left of goal, but his low shot somehow squirmed through Kennedy's legs into the net to give Alty a flattering 3-0 lead (90 mins). In added time Brown missed a virtually open goal as Alty held on for their first clean sheet since last April and their second win of the week.

    Altrincham will have to return to Wincham Park for the next round as they will meet Runcorn Linnets, who ground-share with Witton Albion. Though this was a good result for Altrincham they made heavy weather of gaining it, especially in the final half hour, during which Witton were unlucky not to score. However, the fact that Alty scored three against a defence which had only let in two league goals so far this season means that the Alty management should not perhaps be too harsh on their players despite their failure to kick-on once they had gone two goals up.

    Full-Time: WITTON ALBION 0 ALTRINCHAM 3