Match Report

TORQUAY UNITED (All yellow): 20.Scott Bevan; 5. Chris Robertson, 25. Mark Ellis, 16. Lee Hodges, 7. Lee Mansell, 3. Kevin Nicholson, 11. Nicky Wroe, 14. Chris Hargreaves, 12. Tyrone Thompson; 17. Matt Green, 9. Elliot Benyon. Subs: 19. Danny Stevens, 24. Steve Adams, 15. Wayne Carlisle, 18. Mustapha Carayol, 31. Eddie Palmer.

Altrincham kicked off towards the Golf Road but soon lost possession. This prompted an early period of pressure from the visitors with Coburn being called into action in the second minute to save from Thompson after a good feed from Mansell. But the first of several early lapses by Robertson in the Torquay defence gave Altrincham the first corner of the match; this arose when he sliced a looping miskick from a team-mate out of play (5 mins). However, the Gulls impressively turned defending the corner into a lighting-fast attack as Green surged forward 75 yards from his own half to the by-line to the right of the Alty goal. From his cross, Benyon's shot was deflected out for a corner on the right.

Alty remained under pressure and were lucky to escape when Lawton appeared to control the ball with his hand inside his own box (7 mins). When Alty got to the other end, the giant figure of Bevan, the visitors' keeper, reached out over Johnson to punch clear but Senior soon engineered a corner for Altrincham on the left. From this, Young's downward header had Bevan beaten but a defender cleared off the line (11 mins). This prompted a good spell for Alty after Torquay's early pressure which ended when Torquay won a corner off McGregor. This came after Coburn's kick clear went to an opponent and as the Alty keeper came out to receive a probable back pass, he slipped, forcing his defender to concede the flag kick.

Play went through a fairly even spell before a foul by Densmore on Thompson gave the Gulls a freekick. Nicholson's kick evaded everyone including the unmarked Ellis at the back post (26 mins). Green's pace then won another corner for Torquay and, soon afterwards, a cross from Thompson was nodded just wide of the Alty goal. Alty replied with a burst up the middle from Johnson but he was closed down. There was then a bizarre incident when Smith shepherded the ball out of play beyond Coburn's left post. As he did so, Benyon wrestled with the defender and came off worse, thudding headlong into an advertising hoarding. He stayed off for treatment but then bizarrely came back onto the pitch a minute or so later, not by going to the halfway line but by entering the pitch where the incident had occurred behind the by-line. Mr Adcock promptly came over, spoke to the nearby linesman and then booked the Gulls' striker (32 mins).

Coburn then came out to clear but the ball hit his knee but he recovered well, continuing outside his area and heading the ball away (33 mins). Hargreaves then had a theatrical fall in the box which did not convince the referee before a Johnson feed at the other end led to a fine half-volley by the swivelling Senior which the keeper saved well. Two Alty corners soon followed for which Torquay brought back all eleven men (38 mins).

Altrincham were now doing well and when Little got free on the left his ball inside only just evaded Johnson in front of goal, the ball running behind him rather than into his stride (38 mins). After treatment for Ellis, a Young shot won his side a corner following which Johnson fed Densmore whose shot was blocked (45 mins). In the two added minutes Torquay's Green put the ball in the net but was offside. Half-time then arrived with Altrincham fully deserving to be on level terms against their promotion-chasing opponents.

Torquay kicked off the second half and Young was soon in action to break up an attack. In fact Torquay had the better of things for the next few minutes, with McGregor doing well to block Green. However, play had to stop when Chris Senior went down near halfway and from his prone position he immediately signalled to the bench that his game was over. Following treatment from Sean Riley he was helped back to the dressing room clearly in a bad way with what looked like a hamstring injury. It was later confirmed as such and that his season appears to be over (53 mins). Joe O'Neill came on in his place and the new man was soon chasing after a 50-50 ball before Torquay threatened as Green fired in a fine shot from the right which just cleared the bar (57 mins). Green, who has Championship experience with Cardiff City, soon forced a fine save from Coburn and two Torquay corners followed in the next five minutes or so. In between these corners, Alty won a corner themselves and from Doughty’s kick, Johnson rose to head narrowly wide.

Although Peyton had earlier got ready to come on, it was defender Welch who now came on, in place of McGregor, who was suffering from tight hamstrings (66 mins). Altrincham threatened soon afterwards when O'Neill fed Densmore but he ran into the immovable force of Torquay's Nicholson. Welch was then harshly booked, just three minutes after coming on (69 mins). And a minute later, Carlisle replaced Green for Torquay (70 mins). Welch's eventful game continued as he got forward on the right and, from Johnson's feed, lashed a fine shot across goal which only just went wide (73 mins).

When Hargreaves bowled over Lawton, not his first offence of the evening, the Torquay captain evaded the yellow card that Welch had been shown for his offence. As the last ten minutes approached, Alty stepped up their game. Firstly, a good shot from Doughty was held by Bevan (79 mins), and a minute later Peyton came on in midfield for Danylyk (80 mins). Alty continued to press and when Little dinked the ball to O'Neill, the sub got in a fine shot which Bevan again saved well (85 mins). Underlining the signs that Alty were the more likely to score O'Neill set Little clear on the right. His expert turn past a defender was followed by a shot lashed towards the near post which Bevan again did well to stop (86 mins). Next O'Neill fired in a shot which hit the keeper (87 mins). But then Lawton was penalised on the edge of his own penalty area "D", with Benyon winning the freekick with a dramatic fall. Lawton was booked but the freekick was blocked by the wall (90 mins).

Three minutes of added time were announced. In the second of these Johnson was penalised for a foul on Wroe. Peyton, Lawton and Smith each tried to get the ball away following this but it fell for Carlisle who, from a central position, just outside the box, fired in a shot which came down off the underside of the crossbar to deal Altrincham a blow they did not deserve. For the fourth successive Altrincham game there had been a goal in the 90th minute or later and three of those goals had been scored by opponents, two of them robbing the Robins of a point. Soon after the final whistle sounded, with Greg Young and Elliot Benyon named as the Men of the Match.