Match Report

REFEREE: Mr. Ian Cooper (Rochester)

Alty were without the injured Stuart Coburn, Gareth Whalley and Steve Aspinall as well as Stephen Rose, who was ill recently. Pat McFadden got his first start of the season, on the left, as Carlos Logan dropped to the bench. With Senior and Little up front, Alty had a more attacking look than might have been expected against a Crawley side which was unbeaten at home and had scored 13 goals in its last three games.

BACKGROUND:

Alty arrived without an away win this season and with no clean sheets this season. Crawley had hit 13 goals in their previous three home games and were unbeaten in six matches at the Broadfield Stadium.

LINE-UPS

CRAWLEY TOWN (All red): 1. Ashley BAYES; 5. Pablo MILLS, 6. Jamie STEVENS, 3. Ronnie BULL, 14. Dannie BULMAN; 18. Jamie COOK, 7. Tyrone THOMPSON, 17. Thomas PINAULT, 16. Glenn WILSON; 15. Jon-Paul DUBOIS, 9. Guy MADJO. Subs: 10. Magno SILVA VIEIRA, 12. Steve EVANS, 22. Joshua CLAPHAM (gk), 23. Pierre JOSEPH-DUBOIS, 24. James KRAUSE.

ALTRINCHAM (Pale & dark blue shirts shirts, dark blue shorts and pale blue socks): 13. Richard ACTON; 15. Chris LANE, 5. Darren TINSON, 16. Ryan SHOTTON, 3. Gary SCOTT; 7. Robbie LAWTON, 8. Val OWEN, 11. Warren PEYTON, 18. Pat McFADDEN; 9. Colin LITTLE, 19. Chris SENIOR. Subs: 4. Karl MUNROE, 6. Jake SEDGEMORE, 12. Joe O'NEILL, 17. Colin POTTS, 22. Carlos LOGAN.

Altrincham substitutes:

Crawley kicked off on a grey afternoon with the floodlights already on. The home side were soon pressing and in the sixth minute won a corner which via a misfiring rehearsed Crawley routine ended in Acton's arms. Shotton was doing a good job on Madjo, who had supposedly been an injury doubt before kick-off. After 10 minutes, Bull's cross was nodded back to Pittman, who found the side-netting at the back post.

Alty were getting good support from their fans as both sides laboured to produce any flowing football. The pitch was cutting up badly in places as Bayes got off to a shaky start with a couple of weak kicks and an unimpressive punch clear. At the other end Madjo clattered Acton to concede a freekick. From this, a slice by a Crawley defender yielded a corner for Alty. Soon, Madjo caught Lane late but again escaped a caution.

When Mills cleared his lines to Cook, he fed Madjo in the left side of the box, where he went down under a challenge from Tinson to win a penalty. Despite a mass protest by Alty players to Mr Cooper, the decision stood but Madjo drove his spot-kick, low and comfortably wide of Acton's right upright to give Alty a reprieve (23 mins).

After an unremarkable few minutes, Cook's shot won a corner for Crawley as it deflected off Lane. But Alty were the next to win a corner, as Bayes caught Scott's cross but he stepped over the by-line in doing so (33 mins). At the other end, Madjo fired over the bar and, a few minutes later, Bull's cross from the left bounced off the top of the Alty bar (37 mins). The very ordinary standard of the game continued but Alty were working hard, especially at the back, where they made the prolific Crawley attack look very ordinary. Referee Cooper annoyed the home support when he gave Alty a throw after Tinson's fine tackle had put the ball out of play (43 mins). As the half ended, Senior seemed to be pushed over in the box but half-time arrived with the game goalless.

Above: Madjo's missed penalty.

Alty kicked off but immediately lost possession. When another throw-in decision went against Crawley, it was too much for the Reds' volatile boss, Steve Evans, who was sent off by Mr Cooper (47 mins). When Crawley captain, Thompson, went past Owen and Peyton, his low shot was held by Acton but the keeper's long kick upfield again pitted Senior in an unequal aerial contest against the much taller Crawley back line. The home side continued to press but the errors continued from both sides. Tinson covered well after a misheader from Shotton but two successive Crawley corners followed (58 mins). Bulman shot over the bar after the second kick, at which point Crawley brought on Dubois and Vieira for Pittman and Bulman.

Scott, who had a good game at left-back on his return from injury, was lectured for tripping Cook, before Shotton conceded a freekick, by pulling back Dubois, 35 yards from goal (63 mins). Alty then threatened at the other end when Lawton did well to cross from the right but Wilson headed the ball out for a corner at the back post as Senior arrived. From McFadden's corner, Shotton found Little at the back post and he lashed a shot narrowly over the bar (64 mins).

Alty then suffered two bookings in as many minutes, each coming after the referee had allowed play-on before going back to book the offender. First, Peyton saw yellow for a foul on Cook, before Shotton did so for another infringement (66 mins). A Crawley corner was cleared before O'Neill replaced Senior up front for Alty (68 mins). Madjo won another corner with a deflected shot as the Robins remained hemmed in their own half.

Alty continued to work hard to stifle Crawley and after 78 minutes, they brought on Potts, up front, in place of McFadden. Once again Madjo barged over Acton as he caught the ball, but no foul was given. After a stoppage for a linesman to change his broken flag, Alty continued their backs to the wall performance though Crawley won another corner (81 mins). After a foul on Scott, outside the Alty box, Acton's freekick came, via Lane to Potts, who neatly fed Peyton. He rifled a fine shot past Bayes from just outside the box to stun the home crowd (82 mins). Before the re-start, Lawton was booked, apparently for delaying the game.

After 84 minutes defender Munroe replaced striker Little and Crawley's Evans came on for Bull. Acton was soon alert to grab the ball off a Crawley player before Scott made another timely clearance for Alty. The referee found a surprisingly long four minutes of added time during which Crawley huffed and puffed without creating a clear chance but Madjo was penalised yet again just before the end, yet still escaped a booking for a string of offences (90+4 mins).

Crawley fans saw this as a smash and grab by Alty but, in truth, the Sussex side barely forced a serious save out of goalkeeper Acton. Alty's star men were the back four, who recorded their first clean sheet of the season. The Robins have now won two successive league games to remain just a win away from escaping from the bottom four and with a game in hand on most of those above them.