Match Report
FLEETWOOD TOWN (2) 3 ALTRINCHAM (0) 1
played on Saturday, 16 April, 2011, at 3pm
SUMMARY
Alty were ultimately well beaten but had Reeves converted a 9th minute penalty, which he had won, it might have been a better story. Alty then fell behind to a well struck long range effort from Clancy, which Dootson could only push into the roof of his net (37 mins) and then a marvellous chip from Seddon made it 2-0 at the interval.
Alty offered little in the second half and were lucky not to fall further behind. But Johnson got a goal back in injury time from Reeves's feed before Donnelly sealed it at 3-1 on the counter-attack.
SCORERS:
REFEREE: Mr S J Martin
ATTENDANCE: 1962
TEAM NEWS
Shaun Densmore started his first game for two months, after injury, as Rob Williams dropped to the bench and Michael Twiss was omitted from the squad. Steve Connors was out, suspended, but James Smith was back after his suspension. Craig Dootson replaced Stuart Coburn who had a leg injury.
BACKGROUND:
The reverse fixture this season ended 1-0 to Altrincham.
LINE-UPS
FLEETWOOD TOWN (Red and white shirts, white shorts, red socks) : 1. Danny Hurst, 12. Junior Brown, 5. Steve McNulty, 2. Shaun Beeley, 29. Sean Gregan, 18. Jamie McGuire, 4. Anthony Barry, 7. Sean Clancy, 24. Keigan Parker, 19. Gareth Seddon, 10. Magno Vieira, Subs: 16. Scott Davies, 11. Jamie Mullan, 27. George Donnelly, 8. Alex-Ray Harvey, 26. Peter Cavanagh,
ALTRINCHAM (White shirts, black shorts, white socks): 30. Craig DOOTSON, 2. James SMITH, 3.Jon BATESON, 4. Marc JOSEPH, 26. Carl PIERGIANNI, 22. Greg YOUNG, 6. Shaun DENSMORE, 7. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 11. Nicky CLEE, 8. Damian REEVES, 17. Wes BAYNES, Subs: 1. Stuart COBURN, 5. Rob WILLIAMS, 15. Ryan BROWN, 19. Mark BEESLEY, 14. Dale JOHNSON
REPORT
After Alty had kicked off, the game had a quiet and fairly even start before play stopped for an injury to Bateson, who had been caught by Clancy's rough challenge (6 mins). After lengthy attention from physio Sean Riley, the right-back continued.
When Alty won a throw on the left, 30 yards out, Clee and Reeves reacted quickly, with the winger's throw finding the striker inside the box, as he got behind McNulty. The former Barrow defender pulled down Reeves and was lucky only to see yellow for his foul, which gave Altrincham a clear penalty. But Reeves drove his spot kick too close to Hurst and the chance to take the lead had gone (9 mins).
After Smith had seen off Vieira at the other end, Densmore got booked for a late challenge on Barry (12 mins). As Town began to get the upper hand, Bateson went down again and was unable to play on. He was replaced by Williams, a move which prompted a shuffle, as Smith moved to the right to accommodate Williams in the centre (16 mins).
A good run by Clee ended with his right-footed shot being off target (17 mins). Fleetwood now won a couple of corners before Reeves was taken out, blatantly, by Gregan to concede a freekick just outside the front edge of the box. Baynes drove this straight into the wall (26 mins).
Next, Vieira went close with a shot over bar, after Alty had stood off the Brazilian forward. Seddon then escaped a booking when, after barging Smith over the dead ball line, he picked up the ball and threw it at the Alty man, who responded by kicking the ball towards the Fleetwood striker but he missed.
After 31 minutes Baynes fired a well hit, low shot just wide as Altrincham continued to match their hosts. But then, out of nothing, Clancy was allowed to advance in the centre of the pitch and, from more than 30 yards out, he fired at goal. The back-pedalling Dootson tried to tip the ball over the bar but succeeded only in helping it into the roof of his net (37 mins).
Soon after going behind, Alty won a corner, taken by Wes Baynes. The kick came back to him but he put in a poor cross (42 mins). It got worse for Alty in the 44th minute when Beeley was allowed to drift inside from the right and feed Seddon. There appeared little danger but the striker was allowed time to control the ball and send a well executed chip over Dootson into the far corner from just left of centre, on the edge of the box (44 mins).
Three added minutes witnessed a poorly executed freekick from Baynes before the interval arrived with Alty a little unfortunate to be two goals behind - both well taken efforts.
| Half-Time: FLEETWOOD TOWN 2 ALTRINCHAM 0 |
At the interval, Altrincham introduced striker Dale Johnson for Williams, who had only joined the game in the 16th minute himself. Three minutes into the half, Piergianni was booked for a late challenge and, following the resulting freekick, McGuire's shot only narrowly cleared the bar from 35 yards.
Play drifted on unremarkably before Parker went off for Fleetwood as Mullan came on (58 mins). Piergianni became Alty's second wing back to suffer injury when he had to be replaced by Ryan Brown (61 mins).
Fleetwood now began to get well on top with Seddon going close, just after Lawton had done well to make a vital block. Vieira then got clear but was let down by his own poor control as the home side now dominated (67 mins). Indeed, it became one-way traffic before Clancy missed a great chance, shooting wide, and Dootson made a vital block from Vieira (75 mins).
For their part Alty were creating nothing going forward and could not keep the ball. In fact, it took another fine block from Dootson to keep the score down (77 mins). Densmore was now playing at right-back with Smith in Alty's midfield but when Smith fouled Clancy it was Joseph who got booked, presumably for speaking out of turn (82 mins).
Gregan then got cautioned before Alty's first chance of the half arrived but Johnson was unable to convert a bouncing ball from close range (84 mins). McGuire was then booked for a trip on Baynes (85 mins). Baynes wasted the freekick and when Johnson leapt for an aerial ball and deliberately handled it, he joined the names in the referee's book (86 mins).
Alty were having a belated late attacking spell and with the game in the first of its three added minutes, Reeves did well, just inside the Wrexham half to gather the ball and thread a pass through to Johnson, who finished well with a low shot to Hurst's right, to give Alty belated hope at 2-1 (90+2 mins).
But any such almost immediately lost when Baynes, choosing not to shoot, instead lost possession just outside the Fleetwood box. Fleetwood swept the ball forward where Donnelly who had just joined the game as an added-time sub for Seddon, drove home his side's third goal (90+3 mins).
With Tamworth winning at York, Alty's plight now looks grim as they remain 22nd in the table and the games running out.
| Full-Time: FLEETWOOD TOWN 3 ALTRINCHAM 1 |