Match Report

REFEREE: Mr B Khatib

ATTENDANCE: 773 (46 in away end)

As well as the changes of personnel and formation from the last game, Alty were also without Nicky Clee in their starting line-up. The winger had been ill during the week (tonsilitis) so started on the bench.

BACKGROUND:

By a quirk of the fixtures, for the second league home match running, Alty found themselves playing against a club they had never encountered before at Moss Lane; their previous home game had also been against new visitors to Altrincham, in the shape of Eastwood Town. The Robins had, of course, already visited Gloucester (or rather Cheltenham) this season for the reverse fixture and were disappointed to concede a last-minute equaliser there.

So, our pre-match record against our opponents was as follows:

Gloucester won their away game in midweek, 4-1 at Gainsborough but Alty were unbeaten at home in the league this season. At kick-off, Gloucester were three points behind 8th-placed Alty, who had played one game fewer than The Tigers.

LINE-UPS

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

GLOUCESTER CITY (Pale and dark blue): 1. Mike Green, 2. Mike Green 3. Tyler Weir, 4. Matt Coupe, 5. Tom Hamblin, 6. Tom Webb (capt), 7. Charlie Reece, 8. Darren Mullings, 9. Darren Edwards, 10. Will Morford, 11. Adam Mann, Subs: 12. Sam Rawlings, 14. Steve Davies, 15. Neil Mustoe, 16. Matt Rose.

REPORT

On a dismal afternoon, with the floodlights already illuminated, Gloucester kicked off towards their supporters. And it took fewer than two minutes for The Tigers to give their followers something to cheer. Flynn was beaten inthe air in the right-centre of their box and Morford got the ball to his unmarked captain, Tom Webb, who managed to find the back of the net (2 mins).

Alty responded, to some degree, two minutes later, when Reeves got in a shot but it lacked sufficient power to trouble goalkeeper Green unduly. Soon, play stopped for Morford to receive treatment to the back of his head, an injury sustained as he tried to close down a slightly underhit back pass from Lees, which Coburn just reached first (7 mins).

After a Gloucester corner had been dealt with, Alty's defence again showed itself at sixes and sevens. But things improved when a fine ball from Densmore was chested down smartly by Richman for Twiss but his cross was blocked. Densmore did well again, moments later, when his curling cross from 45 yards out on the left touchline evaded everyone, including Redshaw at the back post, before striking the keeper's left upright and rebounding to safety for Gloucester (14 mins).

Next, following Brown's advance, Twiss fired comfortably wide. A poor kick from keeper Green went to Reeves and the Alty man earned a freekick just outside the box but Twiss's effort struck the defensive wall (19 mins). Gloucester had promised that they would attack and the game certainly remained open as the sides traded attacks. Densmore picked up a lecture for speaking out of turn after Twiss had been penalised and, soon afterwards, Twiss won Alty a corner.

But unforced errors continued to haunt Altrincham though it came against the run of play when Gloucester doubled their lead. Reeves had fed Richman who attempted to take on too many opponents and lost possession just outside the visitors' box in the centre of the pitch. The Tigers immediately counter-attacked up the left and, as the ball was played into the goalmouth, Edwards and Flynn arrived almost simultaneously but the ball span from the Alty defender's tackle and crept over the line to make it 0-2 after 31 minutes.

Things were not helped when Richman got booked after a challenge on Coupe, who went down in need of treatment. For the third time Alty now won a freekick just outside the visitors' box and, for the third time, the situation did not produce a goal though a corner was won on this occasion, which Densmore took, from the right. His kick was low and fortuitously reached Lees but was then cleared (37 mins).

Next, a shout for a penalty for handball by Alty went unheeded as the home side continued to go forward but, too often, their final ball was hopeful rather than thoughtful. Three minutes of added time were played but they did not affect the score, which remained 0-2 at the interval after a hugely disappointing performance from the hosts.

Alty made a change at the break as James Lawrie replaced Michael Twiss. But, within a minute of the restart, Lynch was booked for what seemded to be a reasonable challenge, near the right touchline. Moments later, Morford caught Lynch after the ball had gone out of play and the Alty man remained off the pitch for a couple of minutes for treatment to his heel.

Richman won Alty a corner from which Lees headed over the bar (49 mins). Alty were looking livelier than in the first half and should have tested the keeper when Redshaw played a ball into the box but Reeves and Richman seemed to confuse each other as to who should go for it (52 mins). Nevertheless, Gloucester were still a threat on the counter attack but Alty now made a substitution, with winger Clee coming on to replace central-midfielder Danylyk (57 mins).

Alty remained on top as the hour mark passed and Lawrie continued to look Alty's most likely source of a goal as he operated from the right flank. In fact, the Telford man charged down a Hamblin clerance and got to the by-line but his attempt to cross or shoot was blocked (61 mins). Morford was now replaced by Davies for City and, next, Gloucester proved more direct than Alty and forced a save out of Coburn at the cost of a corner. From this, a Gloucester header went wide.

Alty responded by almost scoring themselves with Brown's cross leading to a fine volley from Lawrie, which rebounded back off a defender to him. But Lawrie's follow-up just evaded Reeves at the back post (64 mins).

Gloucester were already time-wasting and Weir was now punished for dallying over a throw by the referee awarding it instead to Altrincham. City continued to wind down time with three throws in succession before referee Khatib awarded City a freekick barely 8 yards from the Alty line in the centre-right of the box. The award came after Coburn had reacted smartly to halt Flynn's stretching diversion of a cross and this was construed by the referee to be the handling of a back-pass.

After an inordinate amount of time had been taken in pushing the wall back onto the goal-line and keeping them there, a mass rush from the line by the Alty players succeeded in smothering Gloucester's strike at goal (71 mins). Finally, Alty's pressure at the other end produced a goal. Lawrie advanced up the middle and fed Reeves superbly. Reeves cleverly took his time to gather the ball and turn before changing feet and knocking the ball into the net, for an excellently taken goal (73 mins).

Immediately, Alty introduced Rob Williams for Chris Lynch (73 mins) and Alty now went for an equaliser. A Clee throw soon yielded a corner before Rose replaced Mann for City (75 mins). Next, Gloucester won a corner which they took an eternity to take. Altrincham continued to apply pressure at the other end without getting a clear sight of goal as Gloucester defended well. Redshaw did soon get a sight of goal, however, but he sliced his shot wide of the near post from the right (85 mins). Then Richman had a header saved. Nevertheless, it was City who almost scored again when a fierce shot seemed to be diverted by Coburn onto the woodwork (88 mins).

Davies became the second Gloucester player to get himself booked for timewasting in added time but the visitors showed enough guile to take the sting out of Altrincham's attempts to get forward and they successfully saw out more than four minutes of additional time. So, Alty's unbeaten home league record had gone and their spell of indifferent form continued with this, their fourth defeat in their last five matches in all competitions. This game was lost in the first half by poor defending which gave Altrincham too big a hill to climb in the second half.

Footnote: Nicky Clee was also booked in this game.