Match Report

Above: the Golf Road End and part of the Popular Side were packed with Wrexham fans for the game..

Alty's biggest league gate for a number of years watched the visitors kick off towards the Golf Road End on a sunny but breezy afternoon. Within 25 seconds the Dragons had won a corner off Peyton and from this the giant centre-back Evans headed over the bar (1 min). Senior, a foot shorter than Evans then made a good interception which, via Meechan, led to him getting to the by-line and crossing across the face of the Welsh side's goal (4 mins). Warren Peyton then fed Little who set Doughty advancing on the left. His cross evaded Little in the box but came out to Danylyk. The midfielder drove his shot into the ground but it bounced to Senior who headed it on past Ward from 10 yards to give Altrincham an early lead (6 mins).

Coburn now punched clear a Wrexham freekick as the vocal Welsh crowd was momentarily silenced by the Alty goal. At the back Young and McGregor were coping well for Alty despite Jefferson Louis's constant use of his arms to shove players aside which went unpunished by the officials. Critchell then made a good run for the visitors before forcing a fine push over the bar from Coburn, for a Wrexham corner (14 mins). Young then did well to see off Louis once more (17 mins) and all over the pitch Alty players were competing well against their full-time opponents. Then Louis pushed Young who retaliated by pushing the striker and Mr Colin duly gave the visitors a freekick 20 yards out. From Tremarco's freekick the ball was headed over the Alty bar. The Wrexham fans had brought a supporter in the main stand who, from time to time, would break out into song and Moss Lane was now treated to a rendition of Bread of Heaven in Welsh which made a pleasant change from the usual football chants and added to the great atmosphere.

Altrincham then won a corner when Doughty's freekick came via Young to Little, whose shot, as he fell, was deflected out of play. From the corner Young headed wide (28 mins). McGregor continued to impress against his former employers and Battersby too was doing well on his first outing of the season. When Danylyk lost his boot in making a shot, he picked it up and played on with it in his hand, an offence which cost Alty dear two seasons ago when Chris Senior did the same and was sent off the pitch by the referee to put it back on, allowing Stafford to score. Wrexham then threatened as Aiston surged forward and found Louis in space to his left but the striker shot weakly and wastefully, some twenty feet over the bar (35 mins).

After Alty had had a freekick, Wrexham were very fortunate to be given a freekick over on the left touchline after Louis had first fouled McGregor before winning the referee's vote when the Alty man attempted to redress the balance. Kearney, the former Halifax man, sent in the freekick and Coburn came to get it but Louis got there first to head home the equalizer (39 mins). With the visiting fans now in even better voice the game remained evenly contested towards half time.

At the interval, Wrexham brought on Brown for Aiston before Altrincham kicked off towards their own supporters. The home side seized the initiative and Senior won an early corner, but Ward punched Meechan's kick clear (47 mins). Alty then survived a real goalmouth scramble when a low cross from their left got under the feet of a Wrexham player and defender Warren Peyton, and it took Alty three or four attempts to hack the ball clear (48 mins). Altrincham then had a good chance when Senior got into the box and the ball came via Danylyk to Little but the striker mishit his shot wide (50 mins). When Whalley clearly kicked the ball away after being penalised it was a mystery why he was not booked by Mr Collin, as Alty continued to enjoy the better of the opening stages of the second half. Next, good work from Meechan, from Lawton's feed, saw the ball go wide of the Wrexham goal (54 mins). Alty now made a double change up front as Denham and Johnson replaced Senior and Little, the latter still carrying a knock which is reducing his effectiveness at the moment (55 mins).

When Denham was brought down after getting past an opponent, referee Collin produced a yellow card for the Dragons' captain, Kearney (58 mins). From the freekick, 22 yards out right of centre, Peyton curled his effort comfortably wide. Soon afterwards, Wrexham made a change as Spender gave way to Baynes (59 mins), which led to Critchell reverting to his normal position at right-back. Young then had to cover well, at the cost of a corner, as Whalley advanced to the left of the Alty goal. Alty cleared the corner but it soon came back as all eleven of their men were back in their own area (61 mins). Next, Battersby was caught late by Brown and, though no free kick was given, the right-back could only limp on (63 mins). Wrexham then threatened up the left, from a long throw, and it took a fine block at his near post by Coburn to keep them out. With Battersby still limping, Alty made an enforced change with Street coming on in midfield and Lawton dropping into Battersby's right-back slot (65 mins).

Alty then had Meechan upended inside the box but referee Collin declined Alty's appeals to award a spot-kick (67 mins). Despite playing for an hour with ten men in the previous game fewer than 48 hours earlier, Altrincham's stamina was proving a match for a Wrexham team which had not played since last Thursday. But Danylyk had to get in a vital header to divert a losse ball inside his own box near enough to Coburn for the keepr to come out and snatch it off a Wrexham head. There was further potential danger when Louis won the ball in the air again and fed Whalley but the striker, with only Coburn to beat, elected to try and lob him from left of goal and made a hash of it, the ball dropping harmlessly well off target to the right of goal from where it was cleared (70 mins).

Wrexham were now enjoying a spell of dominance as Louis again won the ball but it ran to Coburn ahead of Brown. Good work from Meechan allowed Street a shot which was deflected wide. Lawton was doing well at right back and he saw off another probe before a magnificent run by Denham took him more than 40 yards up the pitch before he was halted. Soon afterwards Denham made space well and got in a shot but it cleared the roof and fell into the Golf Road (75 mins). Coburn then came out and tangled with Louis and was perhaps fortunate to get the free kick award from which his punt found Denham, via Street and Meechan. The ball ran on to keeper Ward, however. Then Mr Collin annoyingly blew up with Denham in possession to give Alty a freekick for a foul on Johnson (80 mins). At this point Taylor replaced Whalley for the visitors.

Altrincham were still more than matching Wrexham in the closing ten minutes and when Denham was again clattered, this time by Kempson, the defender was booked. From the freekick a corner resulted for Alty (86 mins). But Wrexham went very close after 87 minutes when Kearney fed Baynes and his low cross went right across the Alty goalmouth. When Johnson was tripped a minute later, Baynes was booked. But at the other end Ward then dropped the ball under Johnson's challenge but was awarded a freekick. The fourth official then indicated an unbelievable five minutes' minimum of added time for a half which had seen no trainer on the pitch. Substitutions may have justified some of this but with Alty's changes including a double swap, surely five minutes was an excessive time.

But Alty kept their game together and won a corner in added time before the final whistle came to cement a 1-1 draw, and a well deserved point. After the results later in the day Altrincham had risen one place to 17th. Mark McGregor was named Man of the Match against his old club.