Match Report

REFEREE: Mr C Kavanagh

ATTENDANCE: 1,291

There was a surprise return for Marlon Broomes, after seven games missed with a hamstring injury. With Simon Richman and Kieran Walmsley ruled out, John Miles and Leighton McGivern returned to the bench.

Town included four men who have previously donned an ALtrincham shirt; Sean Clancy, Tom Baker, James Dean and Ryan Toulson. Ross Hannah was the Town dangerman; he is an on-loan striker from Bradford City.

BACKGROUND:

Altrincham had won the reverse fixture this season convincingly, 4-2 at The Shay, but they went into this match having won just one of their previous seven league games.

Mike Garnett's statistics reveal the past record against Halifax Town and FC Halifax Town...

Halifax brought good numbers of supporters - including two double-decker buses, a rare sight at football grounds these days.

LINE-UPS:

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

FC HALIFAX TOWN (Blue): 1. Simon Eastwood, 2. Ryan Toulson, 3. Scott McManus, 4. Simon Garner, 5. Liam Hogan, 6. Danny Lowe, 7. Sean Clancy, 8. Tom Baker, 9. James Dean, 10. Ross Hannah, 11. Lee Gregory. Subs: 12. Phil Senior, 17. Jason St Juste, 15. Aaron Hardy, 16. Matt Crooks, 14. Danny Holland

Altrincham, defending the Carole Nash Family End, kicked off but immediately put the ball out of play, as the game got underway on a dull, cool and blustery afternoon. Once again, Altrincham were fielding a new back four with Lynch at right-back, Smart on the left and Flynn and Broomes in the centre-back positions.

Apart from a Halifax clearance, which rebounded off Reeves to the keeper, the opening five minutes represented a fairly scrappy start to the game (5 mins). Things improved as Hannah fired narrowly over the bar from 25 yards after an interchange with Clancy, Peter Crouch's brother-in-law, who is at Halifax on loan from Fleetwood Town and, thus, a former team mate of our own Matt Flynn, who has now been released by the Conference champions.

Halifax were beginning to get the better of the game as Alty stood off and allowed McManus to shoot but he blasted his effort miles over the bar from 30 yards (9 mins). Indeed the visitors were shooting on sight as, next, Gregory sent in a 35 yarder after a good flick on from Dean's head. At the other end, Twiss did well to feed Lawrie, but he was tackled before he could do any damage.

After 15 minutes, a left wing cross gave Halifax a corner, from which Coburn saved a goalbound effort impressively, at the cost of another corner. Following this, in a scramble in the box, Dean went down under a challenge from Twiss and Mr. Kavanagh awarded a penalty. After what seemed to be a bit of a dispute between team-mates and Clancy, the on-loan Fleetwood midfielder took the spot-kick, but, just as he had done recently against Bishop's Stortford, Coburn made a fine save, pushing the ball away to his right. A Halifax follow-up from Gregory went well over the bar (17 mins).

Garner, who made an unhappy start to the match, compounded it by bringing down Lawrie from behind. Surprisingly, he escaped with a lecture. But then, slightly against the run of play, Clee fed Reeves, who was running ahead of him up the inside left channel. Reeves expertly gathered the ball from behind him, as he ran, and went on to beat Eastwood confidently for his 43rd league goal of the season (19 mins).

Almost immediately, Alty had a let off when a rustic challenge on a Halifax player would have almost certainly conceded another penalty had not the victim commendably kept his feet; so only a corner was awarded.

But Alty were a danger too, as Reeves now tried an audacious forty-yard lob which must have got a deflection as a corner resulted for the Robins. Then a good Altrincham move, prompted by Clee, ended with a misplaced ball from Phelan. Following a lunge on Phelan, Garner was booked but Clee's low freekick went wide of goal from 35 yards (25 mins). Only a goal kick resulted after Lawrie got to the by-line soon afterwards.

The game was entertaining as both sides were attack minded and both made enough mistakes to keep the game moving from end to end. After a great cross from Clee with his right foot, play switched to the other end where Baker fed Dean, who fired over from wide right of goal (31 mins). Next, Phelan won a corner after Densmore had won the ball well with a timely header. Clee's corner was cleared and when the retreating Flynn fouled an opponent, Mr. Kavanagh showed a yellow card to the Alty defender (32 mins).

Next, Garner fired just wide, as Alty defended too deeply. Two Halifax corners soon arrived, the first seeing Lowe's header deflected off its goalward trajectory. When Phelan, not for the first time, fouled Clancy, he was fortunate to escape with a lecture (39 mins).

Halifax extended their lead in the corner-kick count with another, as half time approached (43 mins). After this Halifax themselves survived a goalmouth scramble, which ended with Densmore’s shot to the keeper after Reeves had created panic in the defence. Following a long throw from Clee, Reeves had a shot well saved. But just as it looked as if Alty would reach half-time with their goal intact, their defence was breached in the first minute of added time, as Dean somehow scrambled the ball home in a crowded goalmouth (45+1 mins). And, so, for the 27th game in succession a clean sheet had proved elusive.

At the break, Clancy was replaced by Holland. The early moments of the second half witnessed each side miss a sitter. After Coburn had made an early fine save, Halifax advanced up the left and the ball found its way to Dean towards the back post. Somehow he missed a sitter, putting the ball over the bar (47 mins). Just as at Guiseley, Altrincham looked vulnerable straight after the interval.

But then, at the other end, following Twiss's good work, Lawrie was in front of goal with the ball but he somehow put the ball wide of the target (47 mins). Each side then won a corner, with Halifax's arriving after another fine save from Coburn as he tipped Hannah's 35 yarder over the bar (52 mins).

Another Halifax corner came and went as rain now started to fall. A Lawrie shot went to the keeper before his counterpart, Coburn, was again in action with a good punch clear as he was clattered, late by Hannah, who was penalised. Though Coburn recovered, his team mate, Clee, had gone down and could not continue. He seemed to be having trouble again with his ribs and had to be replaced by Watmore (65 mins).

Following an Alty freekick for a foul on Twiss, Densmore's effort went narrowly wide after an interchange of passes. Next, Lawrie beat Toulson but shot well wide (68 mins). After 73 minutes, Lowe was booked for a foul on Watmore, who was making an impact on the right wing. From the freekick, 25 yards out and central, Smart's freekick just cleared the bar.

The visitors now made a double change as St.Juste and Crooks replaced Dean and Garner, whilst Altrincham brought off Twiss for McGivern (73 mins). Watmore was unlucky when his intended feed hit McGivern's heel but then came a crazy couple of minutes for Altrincham. First of all, Phelan was booked, and he could not complain as he had committed several fouls (77 mins).

Then Smart was unlucky to be penalised for a "foot up" offence. Before the freekick could be taken, the referee booked McGivern, presumably for dissent (79 mins). Then, as Phelan and McGivern stood in a two-man wall to defend the freekick, the referee showed McGivern a seond yellow and a red card (80 mins). Presumably he had spoken out of turn. Though he had been sent off for Vauxhall several times this season, including against Halifax, McGivern had not even been cautioned once since arriving at Moss Lane before this seven-minute cameo today.

So, Alty faced the closing ten minutes with ten men but had a great chance to snatch the lead only for Lawrie to elect to dribble rather than shoot when put through by Watmore. But then Halifax won another corner and from Baker’s kick, Lowe nodded over the bar. It then took a fine tackle from Lynch to halt St Juste (86 mins).

After a Densmore foul just outside his own box, it took an absolutely brilliant save from Coburn as the ball was blasted and took a deflection before the Alty keeper reacted to push the ball away. The visitors threatened again when Hannah won a corner from a freekick (89 mins). Three minutes of added play could not alter things and the points were shared, after a thoroughly entertaining game, which could have gone either way.

Stuart Coburn was the deserved man of the match for the Robins.