Match Report

REFEREE: Ms Sarah Garratt (Halesowen)

ATTENDANCE: 280

Both sides were unchanged. For Alty, Nicky Clee was again ruled out by injury but was involved in the warm up.

BACKGROUND:

This fixture had been postponed from 11 February. Tonight's game was the first ever visit of Altrincham to Corby Town's new ground, Steel Park. But, whilst Steel Park may be new to The Robins, Altrincham have played before in Corby, at the Steelmen's old ground. That clash was in the FA Trophy in 1982-83 in Round 1 when the sides drew 1-1 before Alty won the replay at Moss Lane, 6-0. In the BSBN earlier this season, Alty and Corby drew 1-1 at Moss Lane. Mike Garnett advises us that the statistics are as follows:

For the first time this season, Altrincham's match tonight was refereed by a female official, Ms Sarah Garratt of Halesowen, who certainly outperformed a number of her male colleagues who have overseen Alty's games this season.

Corby's new Steel Park ground has an impressive main stand and a covered terrace at one end but its other two sides are undeveloped. The old ground is adjacent and remains in use as an athletics venue. Indeed, the main stand of the former ground still houses the dressing rooms, with the players simply emerging now from a back door rather than a front one.

The game was played in warm conditions on a pitch which looked in good condition though dust did come up from some areas of the pitch when players' studs slid on it.

LINE-UPS

CORBY TOWN (Black & white) 1. Nicholas Bennion, 2. Delroy Gordon, 5. Philip Gulliver, 4. Paul Malone, 3. Paul Mayo, 7. Andy Hall, 6. Leon Hibbert, 8. Steven Towers, 11. Jordan Smith, 9. Gary King, 10. Mark Jones, Subs- 12. Jean Dossou, 14. Tom McGowan, 15. James Ozmen, 16. Sam Mullarkey, 17. Tyrone Amory

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow and blue shirts, yellow shorts and 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)

REPORT

GAME Corby kicked off towards the social club end and each side won an early freekick. Corby's kick, for a foul by Lynch just outside the box, led to a corner as Coburn scrambled away a Corby shot. From the corner, Malone was allowed plenty of time to place a goalbound header but Alty scrambled it off the line. A second corner followed as Altrincham started the game shakily (4 mins).

Altrincham's first decent move, up the right, ended with Densmore offside. But Corby soon threatened again as a Phelan foul on the lively Smith led to Altrincham struggling to clear the ball until a fine save from Coburn saw Alty's keeper get the ball over the bar for another corner (8 mins).

But, against the run of play, Altrincham took the lead. A throw on the left led to Lawrie's shot from the left which Bennion beat out but Reeves expertly drove the loose ball into the net for his 38th goal of the league season (9 mins). The goal raised Alty's performance but the next effort was wildly off target from McGivern. He did better soon afterwards with a cross which only just evaded Lawrie (14 mins).

Alty were now playing some good football but there was danger at the back when King was set free up the left but a poor touch saw the ball run out of play for a goalkick. Next, a Corby long-throw on the left caused problems but Alty hacked the ball clear. Fouls by Phelan and Richman further aided Corby.

But then a McGivern shot was saved from a Densmore feed (25 mins) before another Corby long throw by Mayo was headed wide by a team mate (27 mins). The sides exchanged unproductive attacks until, after a fairly uneventful period after the half hour mark, Corby won a throw near the corner flag on their right.

The long throw was allowed to evade the Alty defenders in the goalmouth and it bounced to the unmarked Jones, at the back post, and he duly completed the simple task of putting the ball into the net from close range to make it 1-1 (35 mins). It was a goal which the Steelmen deserved.

An Alty freekick, just inside the Corby half, taken by Smart went off Reeves for a goalkick before a good Corby move ended with Miles judged to have fouled an opponent just outside the left-hand corner of the box. Next, a Corby header from Gulliver narrowly cleared the Alty bar as Corby now were on the front foot.

With the game just into an unannounced period of added time, a Corby long ball caught out the otherwise impressive Flynn, and the Alty man committed a clear foul, which earned him a booking and gave Corby a freekick just outside the box. King put the freekick over the bar. So the first half ended level but it was the hosts who had enjoyed the better of it.

At the interval, Alty changed things with Walmsley coming on for Miles. The new man slotted in at right back as Densmore moved to central midfield. Richman, in turn, moved to the right.

Walmsley underhit a freekick from the right but a second Alty freekick soon followed and this yielded a corner on the left. This led to a freekick for handball just outside the box. This was whipped into the goalmouth by Smart, after a stepover by McGivern, to where Reeves had timed his run perfectly to help the ball into the net at the back post. Despite protests from Corby, claiming offside, referee Garratt allowed the goal to stand (50 mins).

The goal lifted Altrincham, who now won a corner through Reeves. Soon after this, Flynn did well to get the ball deep in his own half and the centre-back surged forward. As he was checked, Phelan got the ball forward to McGivern. The former Vauxhall man, who had not scored in his four outings for Alty since his move from Vauxhall Motors, hit a strong left-footed shot into the net from more than 25 yards to make it 3-1 for the visitors (55 mins).

As the hour mark approached, Corby won a corner and, soon afterwards, a fine double tackle from Flynn saw off Corby's King who had threatened to get clear up the middle. A Corby corner soon followed (62 mins) before a huge punt from Coburn came out to McGivern, who volleyed wide.

Corby made a double change after 68 minutes when McGowan and Ozmen replaced Hibbert and Jones. Almost immediately, Ozmen volleyed over the bar (69 mins). Up front, Reeves was working hard and an Alty corner soon arrived through the efforts of Richman (74 mins). From Lawrie's corner, the ball came out to Densmore, who volleyed wide.

In the 77th minute, Twiss replaced McGivern and two minutes later, Corby's number nine also gave way, as Mullarkey replaced King. Corby's Hall now shot wide before Malone volleyed over the bar following a freekick taken near half way by Mayo, with a moving ball (85 mins).

At the other end, Reeves was blocked in the Corby box and soon afterwards a half chance went begging for Alty as Densmore and Twiss collided on the edge of the box. Reeves then shot wide (87 mins). Alty threatened again as Walmsley got forward and hit a strong shot from 35 yards but it went wide.

An Alty freekick for a foul on Densmore in the left corner at thw Corby end gave Alty the chance to wind down the clock and the substitution of Reeves by Watmore (90+1 mins) further broke up play. Ms Garratt, who had a good game, somehow found almost six added minutes, during which Twiss stung Bennion's palms with a strong shot (90+4 mins).

After a first half when they allowed a lead toslip and looked shaky at the back, Altrincham's improved performance in the second half made them deserved winners. The win lifted Alty one place to seventh and kept them in touch with the play off places.