Match Report


YORK CITY (0) 2 ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Blue Square Premier match
played on Monday, 5 April 2010, at 3pm


SUMMARY:

A penalty in the third added minute at the end of the game decided this match. Greg Young brought down Richard Brodie, right of goal, and the combative York striker converted the spot kick. Before that a superb 35-yard lob from Chris Denham had put Alty ahead but the lead lasted only five minutes before McGurk equalised, when Stuart Coburn dropped a cross (69 mins).


SCORERS

  • 64 mins: Chris DENHAM (York City 0 Altrincham 1)
  • 69 mins: David McGURK (York City 1 Altrincham 1)
  • 90(+3) mins: Richard BRODIE (pen) (York City 2 Altrincham 1)

    REFEREE: Mr A J Madley (Ossett)


    ATTENDANCE: 3,005 (213 in away end)


    TEAM NEWS

    Alty made three changes as Little replaced McAliskey and Smith came in for Carden, whilst Doran replaced Denham.


    BACKGROUND:

    York, lying fifth in the table, came into the game fresher, having not played so far over Easter. This was also Altrincham's first of four games against teams in the top five in a twelve day period.


    LINE-UPS

    YORK CITY (Red & blue) 24. Michael Ingham, 2. Ben Purkiss, 3. James Meredith, 5. David McGurk, 25. Jamie Clarke, 26. Luke Graham, 14. Neil Barrett, 28. Courtney Pitt, 29. Paul Harsley, 9. Michael Gash, 16. Richard Brodie, Subs: 7. Adam Smith, 12. Alex Lawless, 15. Michael Rankine, 23. Chris Carruthers, 6. Dan Parslow

    ALTRINCHAM (Yellow and blue): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. James SMITH, 12. Robbie WILLIAMS, 5. Greg YOUNG, 27. Ryan BROWN, 6. Shaun DENSMORE, 21. Peter DORAN, 16. Anthony DANYLYK, 7. Robbie LAWTON, ; 19. Chris SENIOR, 9. Colin LITTLE, Subs: 17. John McALISKEY, 10. Chris DENHAM, 18. Michael WELCH, 13. Russell SAUNDERS [gk], 24. Adam CARDEN


    REPORT

    In a fairly uneventful opening, Brodie was caught offside (5 mins) as York made more of the inital running. But there was no serious threat of a goal before a Brodie shot hit the roof of the stand (14 mins). For Alty, Denham and Doran were combining well on the Alty right and, soon, Densmore got in a cross across the face of goal. But then Alty made a great chance as a superb through ball from Little set Senior in on goal. But Ingham made a great save, beating the striker's well-hit shot out (16 mins).

    Senior soon won Alty a corner as the visitors more than held their own. Indeed, Alty soon had another good chance but Doran scuffed his effort from 6 yards and the opening disappeared (26 mins). The home crowd was beginning to get restless as their team faltered and their mood was not improved when Brodie fired thirty feet over the bar (29 mins).

    As the half hour mark passed, York improved and Coburn had to beat out a point blank effort from Barrett, after he had made an initial stop from a shot deflected towards goal by Smith (33 mins). Moments later Brodie forced another good save from the Altrincham keeper. Purkiss was then booked for tripping Senior before a Little shot won his side a corner. From this, Senior was clearly held but managed to get in a back header which beat Ingham but was cleared off the line by a defender (35 mins).

    York saw plenty of the ball as half time approached but they laboured to produce any threat of a goal. The home crowd cheered ironically when Meredith received the ball, seemingly thinking that the accomplished left-sided player was not being used enough by his team mates. Half time arrived with Alty fairly comfortable at 0-0.


    Half-Time: YORK CITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

    York started the second half as if they had had a good talking to in the interval as Coburn was forced to make another good save after 47 minutes, when he stopped an effort from the menacing Pitt. At the other end, Densmore shot high over the stand roof (49 mins). Brodie then went down looking for a penalty from Williams's challenge but without success. A long punt upfield was then completely misread by the York defence but Senior, With his back to goal, opted to back-head towards goal, presumably thinking he had less time than he really had and also thinking, perhaps, that he was nearer to goal than he was. The header dropped comfortably for Ingham (51 mins).

    Altrincham were conceding needless freekicks and, from one of these, Graham headed over (54 mins). Densmore then fired over for Altrincham from right of goal before Chris Denham came on to replace Colin Little on the hour mark. The quiet home crowd came to life when York put the ball in the net from Pitt's shot but two men were offside and the effort was ruled out (63 mins).

    Then, out of a Coburn goal kick, Doran (aftre playing a return with Senior) found Denham, who spotted Ingham out of his goal and expertly lobbed him from just outside the box to give Alty the lead (64 mins).

    After 66 minutes Rankine and Lawless replaced Gash and Clarke for York, who soon won a corner. From Pitt's resulting cross, Coburn undid his fine performance to date by dropping the ball, allowing MvcGurk a tap-in. Ironically McGurk had initially stayed back for the corner but on seeing all eleven Alty men in their own half, he instructed a team mate to stay back at half way as cover and went up into the box, where he scored (69 mins).

    The ref annoyed the locals by giving Alty a corner when Young appeared to have headed a Densmore freekick over the bar. Brodie at the other end, continued to put himself about but Young held firm. Coburn then had to save well from Lawless before making an even better save from Brodie (75 mins). Alty now saw off a York corner before McAliskey and Carden came on to replace Alty's Doran and Senior (77 mins).

    With York pressing, another home corner came and went, at which point Pitt was surprisingly taken off and replaced by Carruthers (83 mins). Alty continued to concede freekicks and from one Coburn was lucky to gather the ball after initially coming for the ball but failing to get it. Young was then harshly booked after a clash with Brodie, who had escaped censure for his endless backing in (84 mins).

    Lawless went in recklessly on Carden and conceded a freekick but escaped without a card. Ryan Brown then got himself needlessly booked for timewasting at an Alty corner (88 mins). Soon, four added minutes were announced but, in the second of these, Brodie advanced in the right of the Alty box. The retreating Young made a challenge which was judged to be a penalty. Brodie beat Coburn comfortably from the spot to seal the win for York (90+3 mins).

    For the second time in recent games Alty had conceded deep into injury time but defeat today did not mask an otherwise good performance by a part-time side playing its second game in 48 hours against a rested full-time outfit. As the players went down the tunnel there appeared to be a fracas in the tunnel but from the away end it was difficult see what happened.


    Full-Time: YORK CITY 2 ALTRINCHAM 1