Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Robert Jones

ATTENDANCE: 801

Since last Saturday, Altrincham had signed no fewer than eight new players on BSBN forms but Andy Smart was the only newcomer to the squad today. He became the 28th player to be named on an Alty league team sheet this season who had not previously played a league game for the club (if one includes the returning loanee Rob Williams).

Of the established first-teamers, Marlon Broomes remained sidelined by his hamstring injury and Nicky Clee was out with an ankle injury. But Kieran Walmsley returned on the bench after injury.

Although Solihull had signed former Aston Villa man Darren Byfield in midweek, he was not in the squad today.

BACKGROUND:

Altrincham had helped kickstart the Moors' season, providing them with their first home win after their season had started with seven straight defeats. The Moors had recovered well since then and lay 12th in the table at kick-off.

Mike Garnett informed us before kick-off that, whilst this was the first ever visit of Solihull Moors to Altrincham, our record against one of their predecessor clubs, Moor Green, was in the Midlanders' favour.

LINE-UPS

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (c), 3. Andrew Smart, 4. Simon Richman, 5. Matt Flynn, 6. Chris Lynch, 7. John Miles, 8. Scott Phelan, 9. Leighton McGivern, 10. Damian Reeves, 11. James Lawrie; Subs 12. Mark Lynch, 14. Kieran Walmsley, 15. Michael Twiss, 16. Duncan Watmore, 18. Adam Reid (gk).

SOLIHULL MOORS (Blue): 1. Jasbir Singh, 2. Luke Connolly, 3. Dom Langdon, 4. Gavin Hurren, 5. Stuart Pierpoint, 6. Danny Spencer, 7. Andre Francis, 8. Dean Bennett, 9. Justin Marsden, 10. Ryan Beswick, 11 Jordan Fitzpatrick. Subs; 12. Philip Midworth, 13. Darren Acton (gk), 14.Karl Broadhurst, 15. Pawel Tomczak, 16. Alando Lewis

REPORT

As the teams came out for the presentation, the cheerleaders were still performing, but the game soon got under way on a very warm and sunny March afternoon at Moss Lane. The visitors chose to attack the end occupied by a couple of dozen of their supporters. After Alty had kicked off, early play was a fairly uneventful mix of throw-ins, speculative passes, a slice into the crowd from Singh, and an exchange of freekicks during the first five minutes.

But then The Moors took the lead. A cross from Francis, from the right, was allowed to find the unmarked Fitzpatrick towards the back post. Though he did not hit his shot cleanly, the ball bobbled across the goalmouth into the far corner to leave Altrincham chasing the game against one of the tightest defences in the league (6 mins).

From the re-start, Reeves got into the Moors' box but was seen off before three Alty crosses came in; the first was cleared and the other two, from Smart and Densmore, were caught by Singh. Alty had a brief scare as Reeves emerged limping from a strong challenge by Hurren as the home side continued to enjoy more of the possession but without any real bite up front.

After 18 minutes there was a neat Alty move but it ended as Richman poked his effort into the side netting from a Lawrie feed from right. At the resultant goalkick, Singh was taking his time already. The next half-chance also fell to Richman, who was blocked as he was about to shoot inside the centre of the box (20 mins).

A slip in his own box by Flynn could have been costly, but the defender recovered to see off Marsden. McGivern then won Alty a freekick just outside the front edge of the box. Beswick was allowed to stand blatantly in front of the ball directing his side's defensive wall before Densmore drove the kick into the assembled defenders (25 mins).

After this, Lawrie wasted a good chance from a ball played across the goalmouth from right to left by Phelan. Next, Singh delayed play to tie up his laces to waste some more time - there were only 64 minutes to go at this stage. A cheer went up as he finally kicked the ball - straight into touch.

A good ball forward from Smart found McGivern, who seemed to be held off, but no freekick was awarded (27 mins). Following some pressure, Altrincham won a corner through Miles. When Pierpoint fouled Reeves on the edge of the visitors' box, Beswick once more was allowed to stand over the ball to position the wall without a hint of admonishment from the referee.

Miles's right-footed freekick beat Singh but came back off the bar near its junction with the far upright (31 mins). But just after this, a poor,low freekick from near the right corner, by Miles, set up a Moors' counter attack and Marsden should have done better than put his effort over the bar.

A controversial moment arrived after 34 minutes when Phelan won the ball and it came to Reeves, whose turn beat Singh, who had advanced well out of his goal, but the visitors' keeper then baulked the Alty man as he looked odds on to get clear and score, but referee Jones waved away the penalty appeals.

Next, a Richman header went to the keeper from a testing Smart cross before a Moors' freekick was caught by Coburn, who was fouled after he had caught the ball. The half chances kept coming for Alty as, firstly, a curling effort from Miles and, then, a McGivern header were off target.

But at the other end, it now took a great covering tackle from Densmore to stop Bennett. After this, there was a disappointing effort from McGivern who had received a great feed from Reeves who had received a good ball from Smart. McGivern was one on one against Singh but hit his shot at the advancing keeper's legs (41 mins).

Altrincham's attacking continued, however, as they won a corner on the left through Lawrie. As the game went into two added minutes, Alty had an appeal for handball ignored and, after the half-time whistle, the normally undemonstrative Reeves had a long word with the referee, presumably about Singh's challenge on him that he felt should have been a penalty.

Alty emerged early for the second half and as the Moors arrived, referee Jones had a word with visiting keeper Singh and made the standard timewasting gesture of rolling his arms to him, presumably warning him not to repeat his first-half delaying tactics. For the second half the Moors brought on Midworth for Connolly. Altrincham started on the front foot with a Reeves shot blocked for a corner (46 mins). From this, under pressure, Lynch headed over the bar before good work from McGivern set up Lawrie for a shot, which he scuffed to Singh (49 mins).

Next, Lawrie wasted another decent chance with a poor header, wide, from a Miles cross. Play now stopped for treatment for Pierpoint, who had gone down injured during the build up for Lawrie's chance. After protracted treatment the defender regained his feet, only for another Moors player to go down for treatment barely a minute later. The home supporters were not amused at what they took to be delaying tactics.

But Altrincham got a potential lifeline moments later when Phelan was tripped as he glided across the box to receive the ball. Damian Reeves stepped up but his penalty hit the outside of the top of the keeper's left upright and went to safety for the visitors (53 mins). Alty's wastefulness in front of goal was reaching epidemic proportions.

Just after the restart Spencer kicked out at Lawrie but, after a lecture, he only saw a yellow card. This gave Alty another freekick just outside the penalty "D" and once more Beswick was allowed to stand over the ball for a considerable time on the pretext of positioning the defensive wall. Mr Jones again let him get away with it. Predictably, Alty blasted the kick into the wall, McGivern being the culprit this time.

Alty's play was further disrupted when Richman was elbowed accidentally in the face, though the referee played on. However, Richman had received a "blood injury"and had to be replaced, with Walmsley coming on a couple of minutes later, on the Alty right, with Miles moving inside (62 mins). At the same time, the visitors brought on Tomczak for Marsden. Before the subs were able to take place a Miles shot deflected to Singh and Phelan was repulsed in the box.

A miskick by Singh saw the ball arrive at McGivern's feet but he was unable to take advantage of the error. Walmsley soon won a corner, which was poorly taken. Next Densmore was caught a little late and Pierpoint was booked for the offence. This gave Alty yet another promising freekick, this time from 30 yards out and, of course, Beswick again stood over the ball and again received no words from the referee.

This time the freekick did evade the wall, but Walmsley's effort went to Singh's hands. Now Duncan Watmore replaced McGivern (67 mins) and almost immediately the 18 year-old was chasing a ball which Singh just reached before him. Now Hurren went down for treatment to more cries of derision from the home supporters. After sustained treatment the former Kidderminster man rose to his feet and after the statutory slow trudge to the sidelines, came back onto the pitch.

Reeves then gathered a pass superbly but Singh was out quickly to smother the ball at his feet. But Altrincham now won a second penalty when a smart one-two between Densmore and Watmore saw the Alty captain race into the box where he was upended. The referee took no action against the offender, Langdon. This time Reeves made no mistake from the spot, lashing home goal number 37 (73 mins).

Altrincham were still on the front foot as a good run by Watmore ended with a disappointing shot. The visitors, however, now won a series of throw-ins, all taken long by Langdon but, after several minutes of frustration, Alty got forward and won a corner through the efforts of Watmore and Miles. Next, another good ball from Smart almost got Reeves clear but Alty still had to be alert on the break as Lynch made a fine tackle to stop a Moors' advance (85 mins).

Soon a good run from Miles promised much but was undone by a poor lay-off before the visitors conceded a needless corner from a speculative Alty long ball. Lynch nodded the corner wide and when Alty lost the ball twice cheaply in as many minutes, it took the announcement of five added minutes to give them a final boost. Five minutes was as little as they could have expected given the visitors sustained delaying tactics and predictably the Moors tried to disrupt things further with a substitution of Hurren by Lewis in the second added minute.

But Alty then had a real escape as Lynch slipped, allowing Tomczak to get clear. Coburn made a fine stop with his legs but the ball ran out to Lewis who skied a good chance to clinch a win for the Moors. Coburn was left limping by his intervention. Alty's last chance came with a corner more than four minutes into added time. But with more than six added minutes played it was Solihull who had the last chance to score. A foul by Lynch gave them a freekick just outside Alty's box but they struck it over the bar, to leave the score at 1-1.

So, it is Alty's faltering home form - one win in the last four matches at Moss Lane - which has kept them outside the play-offs. But with seven games left, including matches against each of the top five in the table, as manager Lee Sinnott says, there is still a lot to play for.

On the plus side, there was a good debut today at left back for Andy Smart but, once again, it was Alty's failure to convert a sufficiently high ratio of chances up front that cost them dear.