Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Matthew Parry (Liverpool)

ATTENDANCE: 774, (44 through away turnstiles)

Altrincham were unchanged from Saturday, as Adam Flynn's suspension does not apply till 27 August.

BACKGROUND:

Mike Garnett's statistics tell us that, before today's match, Alty's games with Workington had finished as follows:

The last meeting of the clubs was in the UniBond League Challenge Cup 2nd Round, a match played on Tuesday, 18 November, 2003 which ended 0-0 but which Altrincham won 3-1 on penalties after extra-time.

LINE-UPS

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white stripes, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Robbie LAWTON (capt), 5. Adam FLYNN, 6. Paul JONES, 3. Ryan BROWN, 7. Shaun DENSMORE, 4. Chris LYNCH, 8. Anthony DANYLYK, 11. Nicky CLEE, 10. Damian REEVES, 9. Michael TWISS, Subs: GK. Josh OLLERENSHAW, 12. Mark LEES, 15. Astley MULHOLLAND, 14. Brian SUMMERSKILL, 16. Simon RICHMAN.

WORKINGTON (Sky blue shirts, scoks, white shorts): 1. Aaron Taylor; 2. Tony Hopper, 4. Kyle May, 5. Lee Andrews, 3. Anthony Wright, 7. Phil McLuckie, 6. Mark Boyd, 8. Dan Dillon, 11. Gareth Arnison, 9. Jonny Wright, 10. David McNiven, Subs: 12. Simon Tucker, 16. Jake Simpson, 14. Adam Main, 17. Mark Sloan, 15. Jonny Blake.

REPORT

The game kicked off on a sunny but breezy evening in front of a pretty good crowd for a Tuesday night against a team whose supporters faced a round trip of more than 200 miles. The game started with three Alty long balls inside the first 30 seconds, setting a tone for much of the first half. However, Alty had a great early chance when Reeves got the benefit of the referee's decision when he seemed to manhandle his marker out of the way and set off towards goal. But keeper Taylor did well to block his goalbound shot one-handed as he raced out to confront Alty's striker (3 mins).

It was five minutes before the next meaningful action, when a cross from the left by Ryan Brown was met superbly on the volley by Twiss but his shot was saved by the keeper, a corner resulting (8 mins). Twiss tried an even more audacious volley from 30 yards soon afterwards but this time skied his effort both high and well wide of the goal (14 mins).

Workington then threatened with a neat move up the inside right channel which ended with Arnison's stooping header which Coburn held (11 mins). There was then a mix up between the visitors' keeper and a defender which almost let in Clee. But it was now clear that Alty's crisp passing which had been evident last Saturday was not on show tonight and several players looked tired compared with their efforts at Harrogate.

A decent move, however, did produce an Alty corner after 16 minutes but this came to nothing. Flynn then had to be alert in the Alty back line, hacking the ball out for a Reds' corner after Jones had been beaten. A second Workington corner immediately followed before play meandered on scrappily into the second quarter of the game. Alty's Lynch was then booked for a lunge (24 mins).

Another Workington corner was seen off before an aerial ball was flicked on by Wright and fell for McNiven, who had got behind Jones to the left of goal. The striker's low shot was placed across the face of goal, entering the net just inside Coburn's left upright (28 mins). Altrincham were appearing to be short on confidence as the game moved on fairly uneventfully. Brown got in another good cross in the 35th minute, however, which Twiss headed but the keeper saved his effort. Twiss was looking the pick of Alty's forward players whilst Clee seemed to be much less of a threat than he had been at Harrogate and spent much of the half operating on the right rather than his customary left wing position.

Alty won two corners which did not threaten to bring a goal and with half time approaching they looked laboured. But they were gifted an equalizer when a back pass from Andrews, 35 yards out, was badly underhit towards the keeper and the alert Densmore beat Taylor to the ball, rounding the keeper and expertly finding the net from right of the target (41 mins). But it was Workington who went the nearer in the few minutes before the interval when a McNiven effort went narrowly wide (43 mins). Just before the half ended an overhead shot from Reeves went wide but the Alty fans hoped that with the bonus of their equalizer, Alty would come out in better form for the second half.

Indeed, Alty did start the second half trying to pass the ball, as Neil Tolson had exhorted them to do from the technical area before the interval. But though Altrincham enjoyed the lion's share of the ball and of the attacking movement, they lacked the spark to break down the organised Workington defence. Clee switched to the left early in the second half but there were no serious goal threats at either end before Arnison was booked for a foul on Densmore near half way (57 mins).

The generally scrappy play continued past the hour mark after which Summerskill replaced Danylyk in Alty's midfield (62 mins). There was a bit of excitement after 66 minutes when Turner dropped an aerial ball and Workington's Hopper seemed to handle the ball but the appeals were to no avail for Altrincham.

Another few minutes of Altrincham labour passed before Richman made his debut, replacing Densmore, who had been as lively as anyone for Altrincham tonight (72 mins). Three minutes later Workington's pacey Simpson came on for Hopper (75 mins). And three minutes later another change saw Tucker replace McNiven for the Reds. After Richman had won a corner, it was Workington who threatened when Wright got clear to the right of goal but he elected to shoot at Coburn rather than cross to a colleague to his left.

With just six minutes left, Astley Mulholland made his senior debut for Altrincham, replacing Reeves up front. At the same time Sloan replaced Arnison for the visitors (84 mins). Mulholland livened up the closing minutes with his electric pace but it was Workington who went the closer to scoring. A cross from the right across the face of goal had to be put out for a corner by Jones (89 mins). Four added minutes were announced towards the end of which Mulholland won a corner but the teams remained deadlocked and each had to be satisfied with their first point of the season.