Match Report
ALTRINCHAM (1) 3 BARROW (0) 1
played on Tuesday, 2 August, 2011, at 7.45pm
SUMMARY
In front of a disappointingly small crowd, Altrincham thoroughly deserved this victory against the Bluebirds but the match was marred by two second-half injuries. Barrow keeper Pearson was carried off with a neck injury after a collision and, in the final minutes, a very poor challenge on Nicky Clee led to him also being carried off- on the back of assistant manager Neil Tolson. Before that, Alty had taken an early lead when Shaun Densmore fired home from the edge of the box (5 mins).
After the break, Alty dominated with Nicky Clee scoring off the post after a good break and feed by Lees (62 mins). Barrow scored out of the blue after 87 minutes when Cook's 40-yarder left Coburn flat-footed. But Shaun Densmore ensured the margin was a better reflection of the play when he drove home the injury-time freekick given for a dreadful challenge on Nicky Clee which ended the Alty man's evening. The ball went in off the keeper, after striking the upright.
SCORERS:
REFEREE: Mr Rick Bartlett
ATTENDANCE: 289
TEAM NEWS
Whilst Altrincham fielded former Barrow player, Paul Jones, the Bluebirds brought former Altrincham physio Sean Riley back to Moss Lane.
Barrow had major injury problems with keeper Danny Hurst, Paul Rutherford, Paul Smith, Andy Nicholas and James Owen all missing. Barrow had an unnamed trialist keeper on the bench who was later reported to be just 14 years of age and called Dan Eccles.
Alty were without Simon Richman and Brian Summerskill was away on holiday, but Michael Twiss was back after his break.
BACKGROUND:
These sides last met as equals, but Barrow arrived a division above Alty following the Robins' last-day relegation from the national level of the Conference. Tonight's gate was very disappointing, being Alty's lowest of their home pre-season games.
LINE-UPS
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white stripes, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 5. Adam FLYNN, 6.Paul JONES, 3. Mark LEES, 4. Chris LYNCH, 8. Anthony DANYLYK, 7. Shaun DENSMORE, 11. Nicky CLEE, 10. Damian REEVES, 9. Michael TWISS. Subs: 12. Ryan BROWN, 14. Joe COOMBS, 15. Astley MULHOLLAND, 17. James SMART, 18. Matt FEARON, 19. Jake BARNABAS, 20. Sam LANGFORD, 21. Josh OLLERENSHAW.
BARROW (All yellow): 1.Shaun Pearson, 2. Mike Pearson, 4. Shaun Pejic, 3. Phil Bolland, 5. Gavin Skelton, 7. Andy Ferrell, 6. Robin Hulbert, 8. Richie Baker, 10. Jack Mackreth, 11. Andy Parkinson, 9. Adam Boyes. Subs 13. Andy Cook, 12. Darren Sheridan, 15. Ash Kelly, GK Unnamed Trialist (Dan Eccles)
REPORT
The game got under way with each side something of a mystery to opposition supporters as no team sheet was available till after kick off. And even then, Barrow's team remained to some extent men of mystery as their shirt numbers were not very much related to their team sheet numbers; in fact, three shirts were numberless, there were two number 23s (Bolland & Hulbert) and others wore shirts with higher numbers than eleven. The names on shirts did not help much as our old friend Carlos Logan's testified!
Amidst this disorder, Barrow went close early on when Coburn saved well from Parkinson, before Shaun Densmore opened the scoring for Altrincham in the fifth minute, firing home impressively from the edge of the box from a feed from the left. In bright evening sunshine, the Bluebirds soon threatened again but Ferrell's effort went wide (7 mins).
Altrincham put together a neat passing move whilst, for the visitors, Ferrell was orchestrating their midfield well. The combative Hulbert then tripped Densmore and Clee forced a good save with his well hit freekick (18 mins). Another clear foul by Hulbert on Clee went unpunished. The visitors gained a corner soon afterwards, when Jones had to head over his own bar to clear a cross.
Alty responded with two successive corners, neither of which was threatening to Barrow, but Altrincham were more dangerous after 32 minutes when Reeves almost got on the end of a fine ball from the ever-threatening Clee. Appeals for handball against Lees went unheeded but though Barrow gained another corner, Alty were more than matching their higher-league opponents. They were looking solid at the back and showing plenty of midfield energy. Danylyk now completed a neat Alty move with a shot which was saved and, just before the break, Alty won another corner.
But the interval arrived with no further scoring and Alty going in the happier of the two teams with a one-goal lead.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 BARROW 0 |
Barrow came out early for the second half and they soon forced Coburn into some rare action as he saved a long range shot (51 mins). But when Clee sent in a rasping cross from the left, keeper Pearson and an incoming Alty player collided. After lengthy treatment including the attendance of the Alty club doctor, Pearson was stretchered off with his head being held still by physio Sean Riley. Later, it seemed that concussion was the main problem. A nameless young keeper took over (59 mins); it later emerged that it was a 14 year-old schoolboy called Dan Eccles, as Barrow's two first-choice keepers were now out of action.
After 61 minutes, Barrow brought on Cook for Parkinson but within a minute Alty had doubled their lead. As Lees broke forward up the inside left channel he played a clever ball into the path of Clee, whose shot from outside the box went in off the far post (62 mins).
Next, Barrow took Hulbert off and joint-manager Sheridan came on (64 mins). The stand-in keeper made a fine save from a Densmore shot, pushing the ball round his left post for a corner, from which Flynn headed over the bar. But Alty were now on top, despite Bolland trying to stop Twiss with a mauling. First Reeves put the ball in the net but was ruled offside and, moments later, the same Alty man blasted a shot over the bar. Next, a Danylyk goal was ruled out for offside after the keeper was unable to gather a through ball, before Reeves broke on the left and his fierce shot cannoned back off the near post (75 mins).
With Alty completely in control Twiss shot wide from a Clee feed. In the 81st minute, Ryan Brown replaced Mark Lynch and, three minutes afterwards, Astley Mulholland replaced Twiss up front. After Flynn had been hurt by a Barrow challenge, the visitors then scored, out of the blue, when a fierce 40-yard shot from Cook deceived Coburn and whizzed past him into the net (87 mins).
But the game was marred by a very poor challenge on Clee as he again ran at the Barrow defence. Though the referee waved a yellow card at someone, a red would not have been surprising. After lengthy treatment, a stretcher was sent away but Clee was unable to walk and assistant manager Neil Tolson carried Clee off on his back. James Smart, last season's youth team captain, came on as his replacement (90 mins).
A more realistic gap between the two sides was re-established in added time as, from the freekick for Clee's injury, Densmore's low shot from outside the box struck the keeper's left post and rebounded back, entering the net off the unfortunate goalkeeper's body (90+1 mins).
This was another promising performance in Altrincham's pre-season which had earlier witnessed narrow defeat to two sides featuring a number of top-drawer players (Burnley and Manchester City) and now three successive wins against Tranmere Rovers, Trafford and Barrow. Alty face more BSB national-level opposition when neighbours Stockport County come calling next Saturday.
| Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 3 BARROW 1 |