Match Report

REFEREE: Mr S Bennett

ATTENDANCE: 791

On the eve of the match Altrincham signed two ex-Vauxhall Motors' players in striker Leighton McGivern and midfielder Scott Phelan. McGivern has 14 league goals from 21 games with Vauxhall this season, whilst Phelan was released by Kidderminster Harriers last month. He is a former captain of Everton youth and reserves.

BACKGROUND:

Last Saturday, Celtic won their first match since December 2011, a poor run which followed their magnificent start to the season - which included a thrashing of Altrincham at the Bower Fold.

Mike Garnett's statistics tell us that the outcome of previous games has been as follows...

LINE-UPS

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Chris LYNCH, 5. Matt FLYNN, 6. Marlon BROOMES, 3. Mark LYNCH; 7. John MILES, 4. Simon RICHMAN, 8. Shaun DENSMORE (capt), 11. James LAWRIE; 9. Leighton McGIVERN, 10. Damian REEVES. Subs 12. Mark LEES, 14. Scott PHELAN, 15. Nicky CLEE, 16. Michael TWISS, 18 Adam REID (gk).

STALYBRIDGE CELTIC (Blue and white shirts, white shorts, blue socks): 1. Jan Budtz; 2. Jack Rea, 3. Andy McWilliams, 4.Rhys Meynell (capt), 5. Kristian Platt; 6. Callum Warburton, 7. Ollie Banks; 8. Greg Wilkinson, 9. Phil Marsh; 10. Craig Hobson, 11. Arthur Gnahoua. Subs 12. Chris Lynch, 14. Joel Bembo-Leta, 15. Lloyd Ellams, 16. Djeny Bembo-Leta, 17. Mitchell Austin

REPORT

On an initially dry evening, the game got off to a dramatic start. Alty's new striker, Leighton McGivern won a corner inside 45 seconds and a minute later, as he received a clever flick on from Damian Reeves and turned his man, McGivern was upended. There was no shadow of doubt that it was a foul and a freekick to Alty just outside the box, but Mr Bennett determined that the offender had to be shown a red card and so Kristian Platt left the pitch in the third minute.

Eventually the freekick was taken and McGivern's ferocious shot was well stopped by Budtz (4 mins). Poor Arthur Gnahoua, the Celtic number eleven, was the sacrifical victim as Jim Harvey shored up his defence by bringing on Chris Lynch in his place. So, to confuse the crowd, each side now had a Chris Lynch in its defence, whilst Altrincham also had two-full-backs surnamed Flynn.

Another foul on McGivern soon followed as the striker caused Celtic some early problems and then, after a Celtic freekick had been cleared, McGivern was appealing for sanctions against Budtz for handling outside his box, but referee Bennett waved these aside.

After Reeves had been caught offside, Alty boss Lee Sinnott was calling for patience from his team, just as he had done repeatedly at Histon on Saturday. And the side followed their instructions, playing the ball calmly out of defence and back and fore across the pitch. Unfortunately, their final pass was letting them down, too often. Their best early effort came from the unlikely source of right-back Chris Lynch who forced a parry from Budtz for an Alty corner in the 12th minute. A second corner immediately followed, this time on the left, but Lawrie's kick went to the visitors' keeper.

Altrincham then allowed the influential Wilkinson to advance up the middle before he fed Banks, who exchanged passes with Rea. The full back's cross from the right was met by Hobson who gave Celtic the lead (14 mins). After Densmore hasd received a lecture for a foul, Celtic were on top, despite being one man short. Alty continued to build slowly from the back but the nearest to a goal threat from them came when Lawrie fed Miles, whose shot hit the side netting (19 mins).

Alty were giving the ball away too cheaply, three times in a minute at this point, before Celtic won a freekick on the left, after which Coburn cleared another Celtic counter-attack. Alty's best chance to date arose in the 27th minute when, following a very strong shout from Alty for a penalty, Lawrie jinked into the box but his shot was too straight and Budtz saved.

a A ball over Matt Flynn allowed Marsh a shot, but it went across the face of goal, before more Alty frustration arrived in the triple form of the breakdown of a passing movement, followed by McGivern being given offside and then another strong penalty appeal being waved away, following a cross from McGivern. However, a corner did materialise from the last incident but it was cleared (33 mins).

Some ten minutes before the interval, substitute Nicky Clee was called for a touchline consultation by Lee Sinnott, before being sent to warm up; clearly a change was in the manager's mind to break down the Celtic rearguard. Referee Bennett then allowed what looked a clear foul on Densmore to go unpunished which allowed Hobson to advance upfield, this Celtic threat ending with Banks's cross/shot across the Alty goalmouth (40 mins).

Alty's strikers, Reeves and McGivern, were seeing little of the ball as Alty's laboured moves kept breaking down. The officials failed to communicate the added time to the paying spectators and so no one knew when the first half would end but when it did, after a minute or so of added time, Celtic deservedly led 1-0, having shown good organization in the light of their being a man short for so much of the game. They were defending in numbers then breaking effectively as Alty's patient build ups foundered time after time.

Altrincham made a double switch at the interval as Nicky Clee and Scott Phelan came on for the two Lynches, Mark and Chris; Clee fitted in at left back and Phelan in central midfield, from where Densmore moved to right-back. Rain now started to fall steadily as Altrincham started the half much more animatedly than they had played for much of the opening 45 minutes. An early freekick was followed by Reeves beating the offside trap and, from right of goal, forcing a defender to clear off the line at the near post (49 mins).

Referee Bennett continued to ignore the most blatant of fouls before Phelan impressed but saw his shot cross the face of goal. For Celtic, Marsh hit the side netting; then Densmore got in a good cross, from which Reeves headed narrowly over (53 mins). Clee was making an impact but, after advancing well up the left, his next cross was overhit. After a foul on McGivern had yielded a freekick, Phelan diappointingly struck the first defender with his kick (56 mins).

Altrincham were looking more direct in this half and soon threatened when a good ball from Clee was just reached by Budtz ahead of Reeves. Budtz was now timewasting but it was Banks who went into the ref's book for a foul (59 mins). On the hour mark, Joel Bembo-Leta replaced Warburton, Celtic's former youth team striker slotting in at right-back.

Marlon Broomes was hurt as he covered superbly against Hobson in the box, following a slip by Matt Flynn. Broomes recovered without the treatment that was required for Hobson. Just after this, Alty equalised. Just as had happened a few minutes earlier, Reeves was chasing a ball up the inside left channel, which the Celtic keeper came out to smother. Though Budtz seemed favourite to get the ball, it somehow broke free and from a very acute angle, Reeves scored impressively with a firm effort from wide left of goal. It was his 36th league goal of the season (62 mins).

Just after this, there was a fine stop by Budtz as Broomes's effort nearly went inside the keeper's right upright. A corner resulted but came to nothing (64 mins). Substitute Austin came on for Hobson (66 mins). Next, McGivern forced a great stop by Budtz, using his feet to do so.

And, then, after a slip up near halfway from Broomes, Matt Flynn saved the day but got a booking for his challenge on Marsh (67 mins). Budtz was soon active again, stopping a smart volley from McGivern from Reeves's feed. McGivern saw another shot blocked soon afterwards and then the Alty debutant headed wide when he should have hit the target (69 mins).

Now, substitute Michael Twiss came on for Lawrie (70 mins) as Alty remained on top though Celtic remained a real danger on the break. The referee then came over to remonstrate with Jim Harvey for going yards out of his technical are and he also spoke to Lee Sinnott for some reason.

With 75 minutes gone, Alty were being kept at bay as the referee came back, after allowing play to continue, to book Phelan for a more minor foul than several he had let pass unpunished (75 mins). All the ten Celtic men were back defending and Budtz continued his timewasting without punishment before Alty won a corner following a Clee cross (80 mins). When Twiss headed over the bar, the Celtic fans kicked the ball out of ground.

A Celtic breakaway now won a corner as Broomes pulled up, lame, and was unable to continue. It turned out to be a recurrence of his recent hamstring injury and it is likely to sideline him for several weeks. After the corner, the ball came out and a fierce 22 yarder from Wilkinson hit the post. The sides were now 10 v 10 as Alty had used all their subs before Broomes's injury. After Richman had put a freekick straight into touch, Reeves was booked for the first time this season for a late challenge, as time appeared to be running out for Altrincham who had now lost their extra man advantage (85 mins).

Alty had a scare when Phelan fell over in midfield and then baulked an opponent but the ball fortunately ran on to Coburn. The hosts won a late corner on their left. Following this, McGivern and Phelan got the ball forward to where Matt Flynn poked it home from very close range in the centre of the goalmouth, to put his side ahead (88 mins).

Just as in the first half, no one had a clue how much added time was to be allowed at the end of the ninety minutes. Neil Tolson asked the linesman and he refused to say. In added time Celtic's Lynch was booked before Alty wound down time near the corner flag. After some five added minutes the whistle finally went for the end of the game. Altrincham had avenged their trouncing at the Bower Fold earlier this season but with Celtic playing with 10 men for 87 minutes, the visitors will feel they deserved to take something from the game.