Match Report

REFEREE: Mr John Farries

ATTENDANCE: 688 (41 from ALtrincham)

Robbie Lawton and Colin Little were again unfit and Matt Doughty has joined Dale Johnson on the long-term injured list. The less than fully fit John McAliskey dropped to the bench as Chris Denham supported Chris Senior up front for Alty, who again deployed a back three and five in midfield. Alty's Peter Doran made his first start and the other new signing, Clive Moyo-Modise was on the bench, where Michael Welch also returned from his brief spell at Bamber Bridge. So Alty went into the game with one player making his first start and the five players on the bench having only eight starts amongst them - and John McAliskey alone has made seven of those.

BACKGROUND:

Alty, in eleventh place, were only a point behind Crawley at kick off but had played two games fewer.

LINE-UPS

CRAWLEY TOWN (Red shirts, shorts and socks): 1. Simon Rayner, 2. Simon Rusk, 16. Glenn Wilson, 21. Adam Quinn, 3. Sam Rents; 23. Ben Smith, 10. Thomas Pinault, 4. Eddie Hutchinson, 17. Barry Cogan; 15. Michael Malcolm, 8. Charles Ademeno. Subs: 14. Lewis Killeen, 22. Nick Jordan (gk), 7. Danny Forrest, 27. Ben King, 18. Byron Napper.

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow and blue shirts, blue shorts, yellow socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 12. Robbie WILLIAMS, 2. James SMITH, 5. Greg YOUNG; 21. Peter DORAN, 6. Shaun DENSMORE, 4. Tom KEARNEY (capt), 16. Anthony DANYLYK, 11. Nicky CLEE; 19. Chris SENIOR, 10. Chris DENHAM. Subs: 17. John McALISKEY, 13. Russell SAUNDERS, 24. Adam CARDEN, 18. Michael WELCH, 8. Clive MOYO-MODISE

The opening stages of the match were punctuated by freekicks for fouls. After Chris Senior had set the pattern in the first minute, Crawley's left-back Rents (twice) and centre-back Quinn offended, with Alty's Williams also penalised for handball amidst these incidents. But Alty could make nothing of the freekicks that they won, though they did start the game the brighter of the two teams.

This pattern continued as offsides now added to the disruptions to the flow of the game. Denham got in the game's first meaningful effort in the 18th minute but Rayner saved without difficulty. As the 20-minute mark passed, the home side were improving on their slow start and after a miskick from Coburn, Ademeno threatened but the ball went wide. Alty then went to the other end but Doran fired wide, when he might have done better to find the unmarked Senior (25 mins). On the half hour Ademeno headed wide but the game remained fairly nondescript over all.

Alty had a half chance after 32 minutes when Denham got the better of Rents but, from right of goal, he could only shoot into the side netting. The teams then traded attacks as Ademeno shot wide from inside the box (40 mins), Doran had a shot blocked by Hutchinson and then Senior forced a decent save from Rayner which yielded a corner (42 mins). Indeed, three Alty corners and a freekick sustained Alty's pressure before the break but nothing came of any of them and the half finished goalless.

Crawley started the second half more brightly than they had played at the start of the game but without any creating serious threat of a goal for the first ten minutes. The best efforts were Malcolm's shot which went routinely to Coburn (51 mins) before Senior fired wide from outside the box at the other end. Indeed, Alty keeper Coburn had had a trouble free afternoon until he was beaten in the 58th minute.

The goal followed after a poor pass from Kearney put the defence under pressure, leading to a sliced clearance from Clee which gave back possession to the hosts. Good work from Cogan followed and his left-footed cross was headed into the net from close range, off the woodwork, by Ademeno, giving the Alty keeper no chance.

Two minutes later Ademeno again headed into the Alty net but, this time, his effort was offside. Crawley now brought on another of the legion of ex-Halifax men who were involved in this match when Danny Forrest replaced midfielder Thomas Pinault (61 mins). Not long after this Doran fired a shot so off target that it went out of the ground (63 mins). However, Forrest was soon involved but James Smith blocked his shot (66 mins).

In the 69th minute Alty's new signing Moyo-Madise came on, replacing Doran, whilst another ex-Shayman, Lewis Killeen joined the fray for Crawley in place of injured defender Wilson for Crawley. In the resulting reshuffle, Hutchinson moved to central defence for the Sussex side (70 mins). After 72 mins Shaun Densmore forced a save from Rayner after a Crawley mix up but there was no breakthrough before Adam Carden replaced Anthony Danylyk for Altrincham (78 mins).

The next ten minutes saw five successive fouls from Crawley, two from Ademeno and one each from Rents, Ben Smith and Hutchinson as the hosts sat deep and attempted to hit Alty on the counter attack. It was a ploy that almost worked three times. On 84 minutes Moyo-Modise made a fine run to the by-line but his good cross just evaded Denham. After 85 mins Ademeno went close on a breakaway but Densmore finally got the ball clear after Coburn had been rounded. A minute later, Ademeno set off on another counter-attack at the Alty goal but was seen off and the ball ran to Coburn. Rents became the game's first booking in added time. Finally, deep into the added time of four minutes Ademeno barged through an Alty challenge and got free to feed Cogan. But Coburn made a fine save (90+3 mins). James Smith was booked in the aftermath of this attack.

Crawley wound down time with a late corner as Alty failed to produce a clear chance of an equaliser in the closing stages. And so, the game ended with Crawley victorious; Alty have only beaten today's hosts once now in ten attempts. On the plus side Moyo-Modise had some promising moments on his debut, late in the game, as Alty now try to improve their record against sides from Sussex with a double header against Eastbourne Borough over the next week.