Match Report


ALTRINCHAM (2) 3 STOCKPORT COUNTY (4) 4

Cheshire Senior Cup Round 2 Match
played on Tuesday, 8 November, 2011, at 7.45pm


SUMMARY

County named a decidedly second-string squad for tonight's game, including just four players who were in their last first-team match squad and six names not even allocated a squad number, as listed on the County website. So Carl Piergianni (who attended the match) and Nick Chadwick did not renew their acquaintance with Moss Lane but Sam Sheridan did.

The first half was a crazy affair with six goals scored, four of them to County. Poor defending from Alty contributed to several of the efforts, including the first by German after seven minutes. The same player made it 2-0 when County counter-attacked after an Alty move had broken down (18 mins). But Chris Lynch, playing in midfield, scored for Alty from a Clee cross three minutes later.

County restored the two-goal margin in the 25th minute, through Halls, after Altrincham failed to clear a corner. A well worked goal involving Lynch and Lawrie ended with Lynch's second goal of the night in the 28th minute; 2-3.

Whitehead made it 4-2 in the 37th minute but when Jack Redshaw scored in the first minute after the interval to make it 3-4, it looked as if Alty might retrieve the game. But despite plenty of open play from both teams, no more goals were to be scored. Report to follow.


SCORERS:

  • 7 mins: Antonio GERMAN (ALTRINCHAM 0 Stockport County 1)
  • 18 mins: Antonio GERMAN (ALTRINCHAM 0 Stockport County 2)
  • 21 mins: Chris LYNCH (ALTRINCHAM 1 Stockport County 2)
  • 25 mins: Andrew HALLS (ALTRINCHAM 1 Stockport County 3)
  • 28 mins: Chris LYNCH (ALTRINCHAM 2 Stockport County 3)
  • 37 mins: Daniel WHITEHEAD (ALTRINCHAM 2 Stockport County 4)
  • 46 mins: Jack REDSHAW (ALTRINCHAM 3 Stockport County 4)


    REFEREE: Mr William Smallwood (Northwich)


    ATTENDANCE: 243


    TEAM NEWS

    County named a decidedly second-string squad for tonight's game, including just four players who were in their last first-team match squad and including six names who had not even been allocated a squad number in the list on the County website. So, Carl Piergianni and Nick Chadwick did not renew their acquaintance with Moss Lane, though Carl watched the game. Former Alty loanee Sam Sheridan was in County's starting eleven, however.

    Altrincham, too, rested several first-choice players from their starting eleven, namely goalkeeper Coburn, defender Flynn, midfielder Danylyk and strikers Twiss and Reeves, but all, except Flynn, were in the squad.


    BACKGROUND:

    The clubs had met in the pre-season friendlies when County won 2-0. On the eve of tonight's match, County boss Dietmar Hamann had left the club so Willie McStay was in charge tonight.


    LINE-UPS

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & black striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Adam REID , 2. Robbie LAWTON (c), 5. Rob WILLIAMS, 6. Mark LEES, 3. Ryan BROWN, 7. Simon RICHMAN, 4. Chris LYNCH, 8. Shaun DENSMORE, 11. Nicky CLEE; 10. Jack REDSHAW, 9. James LAWRIE. Subs: 15. Damian REEVES, 14. Michael TWISS, 12. Anthony DANYLYK, 18. Stuart COBURN (gk), 16, Joe COOMBS.

    STOCKPORT COUNTY (Yellow and black) 1. Ian Ormson, 2. Andy Halls, 3. Danny Rowe, 4. Sam Sheridan, 5. Nabil Bounab, 6. Euan Holden, 7. Cameron Darkwah, 8. Ryan McCann, 9. Antonio German, 10. Danny Whitehead, 11. Ryan Fraughan. Subs: 12. Ben Say, 13. Dane Smith, 14. Josh Amis, 15. Andrew Graham, 16. Deji Omoboye,


    REPORT

    County kicked off, in front of comfortably the lowest crowd for a competitive game at Moss Lane this season. Altrincham were the first to threaten a goal when Jack Redshaw went close, shooting narrowly wide, in the fifth minute. Alty then put together a couple of decent forward moves only for the second of these to break down. The resulting ball forward by County found Alty's defence in tatters and left German free against Adam Reid on the right side of the goal area. The County forward's low shot beat Reid, Alty's Youth team keeper, who was making his competitive debut for the first team (7 mins).

    Referee Smallwood from Northwich, whose previous matches included Alty's CSC Final win in 2005, now stopped the game, with County in possession inside the Alty half. He went back and booked Densmore before re-starting the game with an uncontested bounce-up which meant that County's keeper received the ball from Alty, some 60 yards back from where County had been in possession. The visitors' bench was not amused.

    Altrincham now won a corner, taken by Densmore on the left, and from this Lees hooked it wide at the back post (13 mins). A good Alty move then gave Lawrie, playing as a central striker tonight, a chance but he sliced his shot badly and the ball was cleared. However, another good Alty move followed which ended with Redshaw seeing his shot well saved (16 mins).

    But, once again, Alty's defence conceded from a counter-attack with Whitehead setting German free, again, and his shot had enough power to beat Reid for his second goal of the match (18 mins). Soon after good work from Clee had ended with his cross being marginally too high, Alty's wingman did well again and this time his cross found Lynch who finished impressively to make it 2-1. It was the midfielder's first goal for Alty since joining last summer (21 mins).

    County now lived dangerously as Ormson totally missed an intended punch from a Clee corner, from the right, but the ball curled narrowly wide of the back post. The sides traded corners and from Stockport's flag-kick, Alty failed to clear the ball properly and Halls was left with a chance to drive home a third goal, which he took (25 mins).

    But porous defences were in evidence at both ends as, now, a fine move from Alty opened up County, culminating in an exchange of passes between Lawrie and Lynch, with the latter netting his second goal of the night to make it 2-3 with only 28 minutes having elapsed.

    Things went relatively quiet for the next ten minutes or so but then Alty were, yet again, caught out by a through ball which, this time, left Whitehead clear of the back line. He fired home to make it 4-2 (37 mins). Altrincham had a chance to narrow the margin once more in the 41st minute but Redshaw and Richman seemed to leave the ball to each other, allowing Ormson to gather it instead (41 mins). A couple of minutes later, a Lawrie header from a Clee cross just cleared the bar. In the final minute of normal time in the first half, Lynch was booked for a foul (45 mins).

    So half time arrived in a game in which the attacking by both sides had been of much better quality than the defending.


    Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 STOCKPORT COUNTY 4

    Any thoughts that the goalscoring spree of the first half would not continue were soon banished as Altrincham made it 3-4 in the first minute of the second half. An excellent ball up the middle from Ryan Brown set Redshaw in on goal and he went on to score his first competitive goal for Altrincham in his first competitive start. County now brought on Omoboye who was to operate impressively on the left flank; he repaced Darkwah (47 mins)

    It looked now as if Altrincham really might get back on level terms but the next decent chance was spurned by Lawrie after yet more good work from Clee. It then took a fine tackle from Lawton to stop a County advance as the game continued in open fashion but with both defences looking tighter than in the first half.

    However, around the hour mark, County got on top again and a superb 50-yard diagonal ball from their left wing to the right flank enabled them to get behind the Alty defence but, this time, Alty cleared their lines as Whitehead threatened. Halls was then booked for clattering Brown and, from the freekick, an Alty corner arrived. From this, Redshaw won a header but directed it wide of the goal (65 mins).

    Altrincham now introduced their leading scorer, Damian Reeves, who replaced Chris Lynch, whose performance and especially his two goals earned him a deserved ovation (67 mins). Lawrie now moved to the right flank with Richman coming inside, to allow Reeves to go up front, just as Alty were denied a decent penalty shout. Alty next brought on Michael Twiss and Anthony Danylyk to replace Redshaw and Clee (75 mins). But Stockport's defence held firm.

    A couple of Stockport corners arrived as the game went into its final ten minutes. Another Alty penalty appeal, when Reeves appeared to be brought down, went unheeded. There was one last chance for the hosts when Densmore did well to get to the by-line, left of goal, only to lay the ball off to a Stockport defender. And so, Altrincham bowed out of the Cheshire Senior Cup -their only two home defeats this season occurring in cup matches - and wearing their red and black Moss Lane centenary shirts!

    On the positive side, the match gave Lee Sinnott and Neil Tolson a chance to try players in different positions from normal, to give Reid and Redshaw their competitive debuts and to rest regulars for the league match at Worcester this Saturday.


    Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 3 STOCKPORT COUNTY 4