Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Scott Oldham

ATTENDANCE: 989

Alty were without fullbacks Mark Lynch and Kieran Walmsley, both of whom were ill - Mark was hospitalised with viral meningitis. Sam Grimshaw, the Alty Youth left-back made his first appearance in a BSBN squad on Alty's bench today. His youth team colleague Duncan Watmore, starting his second league game, moved to no.9 from the right wing.

BACKGROUND:

Before kick off, Mike Garnett's statistics revealed that the past record against Gainsborough Trinity was...

There was also a void match in 1975 (NPL Cup, away, which Alty lost 1-2).

Overcast, cold conditions with a gusty wind prevailed at Moss Lane throughout the match.

Gainsborough needed at least a draw to confirm their play-off position, whilst Altrincham were fated to finish eighth whatever happened in today's game.

LINE-UPS:

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

GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY (All blue) 1. Jason White, 2. Dominic Roma, 3. Kevin Sandwith, 4. Luke Waterfall, 5.Andrew Boyce, 6. Shane Clarke, 7. Jonathan D'Laryea, 8. Ryan Williams, 9. Leon Mettam, 10.Darryn Stamp, 11. Jamie Yates. Subs 12. Paul Connor, 14. Adam Watts, 15. Jonathan Williams, 16. Lewis McMahon, 17. Jordan Thewlis.

Altrincham kicked off towards the Golf Road and against the wind. Duncan Watmore made an early impression, firstly getting to the left by-line and then getting in a cross from the right which keeper White collected under his bar. Alty's bright start continued but Clee was flagged offside from a Richman flick to the left of goal.

The first sign that it was not to be 44-goal Damian Reeves's day came in the eighth minute when he hooked a great chance across goal from the right after Richman had won the ball to feed Clee, whose cross was not cleared by a defender before it fell to Reeves. Trinity responded and from a Sandwith freekick they won a corner off Broomes on the visitors' left. Each side traded attacks with Lawrie and then Smart seeing off the next two visitors' attacks.

But Gainsborough's Roma now won a corner on the right from a cross towards the Alty goal. But Yates's corner-kick went onto the roof of the net aided by the gusty wind. And Trinity soon won a freekick, left of goal, about 25 yards out, for a foul by Phelan. Mettam, whose condescending pre-match comments had won him few friends at Moss Lane, now let his football do the talking as he scored with a superbly struck freekick which went into the far corner of the net off the underside of the crossbar (14 mins).

Alty did win a corner soon afterwards but White punched Lawrie's kick clear; next, a Clee cross was caught under the bar by the Trinity keeper. The play was switching from end to end as Watmore was put clean through but his shot was blocked by the advancing keeper, who excelled again moments later when he tipped Richman's fierce follow up shot over the bar for a corner (19 mins).

Another Alty corner was won by the lively Watmore but there was an immediate counter attack by Trinity which led to Yates's cross which was headed out by Densmore for a corner on the Trinity left (21 mins). Following this, Coburn saved from Ryan Williams's 20 yard shot. It then took a fine block from Flynn to stop the next Gainsborough threat.

At the other end, a Phelan shot ran easily to the keeper before a superb Altrincham passing move ended as Lawrie shot narrowly wide. But moments later, Altrincham got an equalizer when Clee found himself some space 22 yards out and, from a central position, he hammered the ball into the net (34 mins).

The open play continued as now Coburn made a fine save from a close range shot by Mettam before another good Alty move ended with the ball running to White. And then from almost the same spot from which he had scored his goal, Clee fired over the bar (39 mins). Following a Trinity freekick the ball came to former Alty loanee, Waterfall, whose firmly volley narrowly cleared the bar.

But as half time approached, Altrincham took the lead. Watmore was put through up the inside right channel and as keeper White advanced, the youngster lobbed the ball over him into the far corner of the net (44 mins). But as has happened so often this season, Alty were again unable to hold a lead. With the game into the first added minute before the break, a Lawrie foul just outside the left front of the box gave Trinity a freekick. Sandwith floated the ball into the box where a well-placed rather than powerful header from Mettam resecured parity for the Blues (45+1 mins).

Former Mansfield man Paul Connor came on for Trinity at the interval, replacing Stamp. A fairly quiet start to the second half came to life when, as in the first half, the normally lethal Reeves missed a good chance, this time from a smart flick by Watmore who had got onto a good Lawrie cross; Reeves scooped the ball over the bar from six yards (53 mins).

Two half chances came and went as, first, a wild Lawrie shot went well over the bar from a Watmore feed; then Watmore himself poked an effort inches over the bar. An Alty corner soon followed as the Robins now set the pace. Another chance came when White made a mess of an aerial ball and it fell to Broomes beyond the back post. But, off balance, the Alty defender could only lift the ball well over the bar from 8 yards (62 mins).

There was then a remarkable melee in the Trinity box, akin to a rugby ruck, and the ball eventually came out to Smart whose well struck shot was saved. Gainsborough relieved the pressure by winning a corner from a fine Broomes challenge on Mettam. The visitors now replaced Ryan Williams by Jonathan Williams. A Trinity freekick near half way led to another freekick, this time on the edge of Altrincham's box but Mettam wildly blasted this over the bar (68 mins).

The third Trinity goal arrived when Mettam was allowed to run on behind the Alty backline from a pass by Clarke; but with Alty looking for offside, assistant referee Ms. Walker, allowed the Trinity man to round Coburn and complete his hat-trick (73 mins). Moments later Mettam was booked for a lunge on Smart.

Alty responded as Phelan won a corner on right, which was cleared to Clee, whose effort was cleared off the line after hitting the bar (78 mins). Reeves's unhappy afternoon continued as he miscontrolled the ball in the box but a corner to Alty did result. After this Richman was harshly booked, joining Flynn who had earlier been recorded in Mr. Oldham's book.

A shot by Reeves was now blocked before more Alty pressure allowed them to win a corner on the left which came to Reeves but got under his feet and was cleared. Next, Watmore turned Boyce inside out but his shot was saved as Alty stayed on top at this stage. But time was running out and when an 89th minute scramble in the Trinity box again ended with the ball being cleared, it was effectively all over for Altrincham. The Robins had had the chances to take something from this game and had scored two excellent goals but once again defensive lapses had cost them dear. Duncan Watmore was named as Altrincham Man of the Match.

And so a highly entertaining season, from which Altrincham emerged as the league's joint top scorers (90 goals, the same as champions Hyde), ended on a bit of a low note with just two wins in the final ten league games. But only six teams conceded more than the 71 goals that the Robins let in and that is the aspect of the team's performance which Lee Sinnott and Neil Tolson will be most keen to address over the close season.