Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Andy Hendley (Halesowen)

ATTENDANCE: 1,201 (53 in away end)

Altrincham were without the long-term injured Chris Denham and Shaun Densmore as well as Mark Beesley, whilst James Smith was only fit to sit on the bench. Today's Newport County squad included at least three familiar places, two of whom were on loan from Stevenage. These were Yemi Odubade, whom Alty first encountered playing for Eastbourne Borough in the 2005 promotion play-off final. He subsequently faced us for Oxford United and Stevenage Borough. Also well know to Alty is Charlie Griffin, who used to play for Forest Green Rovers and Salisbury City before joining Stevenage Borough, and defender Wayne Hatswell formerly at Chester City, Forest Green Rovers, Oxford United, Kidderminster Harriers, Rushden & Diamonds and Cambridge United.

County had Tom Miller suspended and former Oxford man Eddie Odhiambo (Anaclet) out, injured.

Youth players Ashley Woods and Theo kidd made their first appearances on the bench for Altrincham.

BACKGROUND:

This was Altrincham's first visit to Spytty Park where County had not won any of their previous seven matches. Their last home win before today had been on 27 November 2010 against Hayes. Indeed, County has not won at home or away for 13 games.

Today's game was unusual in that Alty were set to play Newport County on 18 February 1989 but the match was postponed and the clubs never met again as County went out of business on 27 February 1989 with debts of £330,000. Their record was then deleted from the Conference, in which they had played 29 matches, winning just 4 and drawing 7. In their only encounter, at Moss Lane, the Robins won 1-0 on 15 October 1988.

Today, Alty's fans were housed in a newly erected scaffolding structure behind one of the goals, which sits in the crescent inside the athletics track which otherwise separates spectators from the pitch.

LINE-UPS

NEWPORT COUNTY (Amber, black) From: 1. Glyn THOMPSON, 2. Paul BIGNOT, 5. Gary WARREN, 6. Chris TODD, 4. Jamie COLLINS, 10. Sam FOLEY, 7. Danny ROSE, 8. Scott ROGERS, 44. Yemi ODUBADE, 27. Kerry MORGAN, 37. Wayne HATSWELL, Subs: 43. Charlie GRIFFIN, 45. Steven LENNON, 21. Glyn GARNER, 19. Robbie MATTHEWS, 20. Darryl KNIGHTS

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white stripes, white shorts, red socks): 30. Craig DOOTSON, 3. Jonathan BATESON, 5. Robbie WILLIAMS, 4. Marc JOSEPH, 26. Carl PIERGIANNI, 17. Wes BAYNES, 7. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 18. Steven CONNORS, 15. Ryan BROWN, 8. Damian REEVES, 9. Michael TWISS. Subs: 1. Stuart COBURN, 16. Anthony DANYLYK, 2. James SMITH, 23. Theo KIDD, 31. Ashley WOODS

REPORT

Newport kicked off in light rain but within 50 seconds Alty had scored. Before that, a Williams back pass had caused his keeper, Dootson, some difficulty but the Alty keeper had done well to get the ball upfield where, via Bateson and Twiss, it reached Reeves, who did even better to get possession with a header, hold off a challenge and drive a well hit low shot into Thompson's bottom right-hand corner from just outside the box.

But in the sixth minute, Reeves was penalized just inside the Newport half. Goalkeeper Thompson took the kick which Hatswell headed into the air but as the ball dropped, Piergianni, facing his own goal and only a matter of feet from the line, cushioned a header into his own net, presumably thinking that Dootson was immediately behind him when, in fact, he was to the left. So, it was now 1-1.

Soon after this, Todd shot narrowly wide for the Exiles. Without seriously threatening, Newport now had slightly more of the ball before a Piergianni header was comfortably taken by Thompson (12 mins). In the 14th minute, Baynes got himself booked for a foul. Play continued fairly uneventfully but when Reeves was caught by a stray arm, the referee missed it. With light rain now falling, the match was fairly even before Foley shot narrowly wide (26 mins). A Rose effort was then saved comfortably by Dootson before Baynes fired well off target at the other end, on the half hour mark.

Newport won their first corner, following which Dootson came out for, but did not gather, a looping aerial ball. It took a fine header from Piergianni, over his own bar, to save the day for Altrincham (36 mins). Next, Bateson was very fortunate not to be booked when he pushed Morgan in the back, two-handed, into the hoardings as the ball went out of play behind the Alty goal (42 mins). But a minute later Bateson did see yellow when he committed a foul just outside the box. From the freekick, Dootson made a good save at the foot of his right post, at the cost of a corner.

Two minutes of added time were played out, leaving the score level at the interval on a dismal, wet afternoon.

After Altrincham had kicked off the second half, play was uneventful until Brown was replaced by Danylyk (50 mins). Just after this there was an off the ball spat which involved Connors and a County player, both of whom were booked (57 mins).

Newport were now making the running but up to the hour mark there was no real chance at either end. Then the Exiles exerted more pressure and of the seven corners won in the next ten minutes, six were won by Newport. From the fifth of Newport's corners in this sequence, Warren headed home at the back post, seeming to hold down Joseph in the process, to give the hosts the lead (70 mins).

County were now camped in the Alty end and they now brought on Robbie Matthews to replace Foley (75 mins). Alty did briefly get to the other end but Williams's shot cleared the bar comfortably (77 mins). Next, a clever dribble by Rose, led to a fine save, with his feet, by Dootson.

An overhit back pass from Danylyk gave Newport another corner, before Lawton got booked apparently for dissent (86 mins). Newport brought on Knights for Morgan (89 mins) after which a surprisingly long added period of 5 minutes was announced.

Alty tried to get forward but without seriously looking like scoring. Yemi, no.44, was then subbed by no.45 Lennon, prompting discussion as to whether two such high numbered players had ever replaced each other before in the Conference (90+4 mins)! After Newport had hit the post, Alty won a freekick and Lennon got himself booked for kicking the ball away (90+6 mins). With play well into the seventh added minute the whistle finally heralded defeat for Altrincham.

It had been a better 90 minutes than against Barrow but Altrincham simply lacked the quality to match their hosts today.