Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Marvin Thompson

ATTENDANCE: 671

Salisbury had Adlesbury and Gray suspended, whilst Charles and Turley were also out through injury. And with illness in the camp, too, the Whites could only muster three subs - a goalkeeper, an unfit player and the veteran player-manager who had not played for two years. Altrincham were also short on players with every fit player being named in the 16-man squad tonight. John McAliskey came into the starting eleven, for midfielder Peter Doran, with both sides playing 3-5-2.

BACKGROUND:

After three successive games in a week against a top-three team, Alty made the long midweek trip to Wiltshire to play a Salisbury side they had beaten 5-0 at Moss Lane this season. In front of a small crowd on a sunny evening, Salisbury had never previously beaten Altrincham.

LINE-UPS

SALISBURY CITY (White) 1. James Bittner, 2. Sean Clohessy, 20. Ronnie Bull, 24. Aaron Martin, 3. Luke Ruddick, 6. Daniel Webb, 8. Darrell Clarke, 11. Chris Shephard, 10. Matthew Tubbs, 30. Jake Reid, 17. Chris Flood, Subs: 13. Tommy Widdrington, 23. Ryan Pryce, 4. Stuart Anderson

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow shirts, blue shorts, yellow socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. James SMITH, 12. Robbie WILLIAMS, 5. Greg YOUNG, 27. Ryan BROWN, 6. Shaun DENSMORE,7. Robbie LAWTON, 16. Anthony DANYLYK, 11. Nicky CLEE ; 17. John McALISKEY, 19. Chris SENIOR, Subs: 9. Colin LITTLE, 21. Peter DORAN, 18. Michael WELCH, 13. Russell SAUNDERS, 24. Adam CARDEN,

Altrincham started reasonably well and, in an early attack, Robbie Lawton got forward but offside was given (2 mins). However, an Alty corner soon followed and, from Clee's kick, Young won a second flag kick off Webb, which Bittner collected.

There was an early problem for Shaun Densmore who seemed to have hurt his shoulder at a throw-in but he played on. After Williams had been judged to have fouled Reid, Alty won a freekick themselves as Flood caught Clee but Brown's freekick went out for a goalkick (9 mins).

After a fairly quiet spell, Coburn punched a cross clear but Salisbury regained the ball before a goalkick to Alty arrived. In the 17th minute Clee nutmegged a defender but shot wide with his right foot from a good opening close in.

After 18 minutes Densmore conceded a freekick, following which a long clearance put Senior clear but he miskicked and only won a corner. Clee's corner kick was cleared by Flood. Then Tubbs won his side a corner which led to another one, which Williams dealt with well (21 mins).

Next, Clee cut in and shot narrowly wide from outside the box. At this stage Alty had enjoyed more of the game than City but soon there was a bit of Salisbury pressure after a poor clearance from Smith.

With half an hour gone there was a needless handball from McAliskey which conceded a freekick. Salisbury's improvement continued as Tubbs went now close but Young did well to concede a corner with Salisbury appealing for a penalty without success (33 mins).

Following a foul on Reid by Williams, Salisbury took a freekick from 25 yards which Tubbs struck very narrowly wide of the top corner (36 mins). Two minutes later Coburn saved a low shot from Tubbs at the cost of another corner. Tubbs then went close again as the home side assumed the ascendancy.

After 43 minutes, a Clee shot deflected off Senior for a goal kick and, in the first of two added minutes, Senior saw Bittner save his shot without alarm. There was still time for Clee to fire wide before the interval arrived with the game goalless and short of very much excitement. Indeed, during the first half, at one point, Graham Heathcote told his players that they might as well have stayed in Manchester given their performance!

The first came after McAliskey lost possession and Ryan Brown missed the ball allowing Clohessy to finish well from inside the box. Two minutes later a Tubbs shot hit a defender and found Reid, off whom it entered the net (51 mins). 69 seconds later it was 3-0 as Alty fell apart, reminding fans of the similar spell at FGR a few weeks back when three goals were conceded in quick succession. It must be something about league games in the West Country, given how we also threw away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 at Salisbury in October 2007.

The third goal tonight followed a Williams mistake which allowed Tubbs to score into the bottom corner (52 mins). There was then almost an own goal by Williams but the ball went out for a corner. The respite was brief as it was soon 4-0 when Reid headed the ball on for Tubbs to head home after the defence had stood off Salisbury's attack (57 mins). Alty had conceded four goals in just under eight minutes. Having now not scored a goal for almost six hours themselves, there appeared to be no way back.

But on the hour mark Densmore restored some stability as he won a corner whilst Alty prepared three substitutes. They came on in a farcical two minutes during which the fourth official struggled with the complexities of the hi-tech electronic display board. Finally Carden, Doran and Little came on for Lawton, McAliskey, Danylyk.

But the home side were under little threat from Alty and after 65 minutes a 30-yard shot from Flood went just over the bar. Slowly, however, Alty got a bit more of the ball with their best effort at this stage arriving when Senior fired over the top (72 mins). Next, Colin Little shot from outside the box but he, too, missed the target (75 mins).

The game meandered on and after a poor Smith header, Flood saw his shot blocked by Young at cost of a corner to Salisbury. After 84 minutes Alty won a corner, from which Williams saw a fine header blocked on the line by Clohessy.

Two minutes later the Salisbury player-manager, Tommy Widdrington, brought himself on for Clohessy. Widdrington had not played for two years but with the other outfield player on the bench not fully fit, this was not a case of rubbing Alty's noses in it. After Tubbs had threatened from a Shephard feed it took a good tackle from Williams to stop the striker.

In the fourth added minute Chris Senior, fed by Little, got free to score a well-taken consolation goal - Alty's first for almost six and a half hours, to make it 4-1. But then Flood forced a Coburn save at other end before the danger was cleared by Williams. The game ended in the fifth added minute with a Clee effort. But Alty had been well beaten after eight minutes of madness.

The run-in is proving a stage too far for the small and weary Altrincham squad who this Saturday must raise their game against a Cambridge United side which has had no midweek game.