Match Report

REFEREE: Mr. Ian Hussin

ATTENDANCE: 301

Former Alty boss Ken McKenna, now assistant manager at Morecambe, and the Shrimps' manager, Jim Bentley, brought a strong team to Moss Lane for this pre-season friendly. Their squad included some faces familiar to Alty fans in striker Jack Redshaw and used-substitute Kevin Ellison. Watching the game from the Carole Nash main stand, with the Shrimps officials, was striker Richard Brodie, who had played against Altrincham on several occasions in the recent past.

In the two previous pre-season games, Alty had used a whole different team of outfield players in each half but, tonight, they retained their starting eleven till the hour mark, after which they made five changes before the final whistle. At Lee Sinnott's disposal on the bench were five trialists and one youth team graduate, Sam Grimshaw. The only new trialist was Scott Leather, who had been for several years in Crewe Alexandra's junior and youth system before moving to Preston North End; he had recently been trialling at Barrow.

Altrincham deployed Nicky Clee at left-back for this match.

BACKGROUND:

Heavy rain fell an hour or two before kick off but the game itself was played in dry conditions until the final few minutes. The referee was Ian Hussin, brother of former Altrincham captain Eddie Hussin. Ian is making good progress up the refereeing ladder and his handling of this match demonstrated why this is the case.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, red shorts and socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Shaun DENSMORE (capt), 5. Gianluca HAVERN, 6. Danny HALL, 3. Nicky CLEE; 7. Duncan WATMORE, 4. Carl RODGERS, 8. Scott PHELAN, 11. James LAWRIE; 9. Danny MITCHLEY, 10. Ryan BROOKE. Subs: 12. Matt DOUGHTY, 14. Simon RICHMAN, 15. Scott LEATHER, 16. Greg PEARSON, 17. Sam GRIMSHAW, 18. Adam REID (gk), John McCARTEN, 8*. Adam MATHER.

MORECAMBE (Black with red trim): 1. Barry ROCHE, 2. Andy PARRISH, 3. Robert THRELFALL, 5. Chris McCREADY (capt), 8. Andy WRIGHT, 10. Jack REDSHAW, 16. Stewart DRUMMOND, 17. Izak REID, 18. Gary McDONALD, 20. Joe MWASILE, 22. Danny CARLTON. Subs: 12. Ben WOODHEAD (gk), 4. Joe McGEE, 7. Andy FLEMING, 9. Lewis ALESSANDRA, 11. Kevin ELLISON, 14. Jordan BURROW, 15. Dan PARKINSON, 21. Paddy LACEY, 23. Chris DOYLE, 24. James SHORT

After a few minutes of crisp passing, the first hint of a goal came when Mwasile got past Densmore but he undid his good work with a poor lay-off. At the other end, Duncan Watmore sprang the offside trap and his teasing cross obliged a retreating defender to toe-poke the ball over his own bar for the game's first corner (4 mins). But it was not until nearly nine minutes had passed that the first serious shot was recorded, Mwasile's effort going well wide. Threlfall did better, moments later, as he landed an effort on target but it did not seriously trouble Stuart Coburn in the Alty goal.

At the other end, a good interception by Lawrie resulted in a cross, but it went to the Morecambe keeper (13 mins). After Coburn had punched clear a Morecambe corner, Lawrie did well going forward, his cross from the right being met by a glancing header from Watmore, which flashed across the face of goal (18 mins).

Clee, as ever, was looking a threat going forward but Reid was proving an intermittent threat against him on the visitors' right flank. Next, a mis-header at goal from Midgley was followed by a neat move which ended with Phelan setting up Lawrie for a shot, which was beaten out to Densmore, whose follow-up won a corner.

The game was now fairly even, but with the defences on top. It now took good covering from Havern to see off another Morecambe attack (33 mins). A fine cross from the left by Clee was then met by Brooke, but his header cleared the bar. Mwasile soon got round the back of the Alty defence but his shot from the right was well tipped round the post, low to his left, by Coburn, for a corner.

After this, a good move from Alty ended with Brooke slicing his effort wide, but an Alty corner soon followed (37 mins). Next, a low drive from Clee was cleared but half time arrived with the game entertaining but goalless.

Two Morecambe substitutes came on at the interval, one was the familiar face of Kevin Ellison and the other new man was Jordan Burrow; they replaced Redshaw and McCready.

From a Lawrie pass, Watmore soon tested the Morecambe keeper, who parried his shot out for a corner (48 mins). A stinging shot from 30 yards by Phelan was also saved by Roche, who was the busier keeper of the two (52 mins). Ellison did win a corner soon afterwards but then a Rodgers interception won his side a flag-kick too (57 mins).

Keeper Roche was soon busy again diving bravely at the feet of Brooke to smother a low ball into the box from Densmore (59 mins).

Altrincham now made a three-way change as Richman, Doughty and Leather replaced Clee, Midgley and Watmore (61 mins). Densmore moved to right midfield, Richman arrived in central midfield, displacing Phelan to the left, whilst Doughty slotted in at left-back. Leather took over the right-back berth.

A late challenge by Ellison caught Brooke and would have earned a booking in a competitive match, as would a subsequent foul by Phelan. Morecambe were not troubling Coburn in this half but they now made a triple change as keeper Woodhead replaced Roche and Doyle and Short came on for Parrish and Threlfall (77 mins).

There was little real threat of a goal in the next few minutes before Altrincham brought on Sam Grimshaw, (last season's youth team captain and left back), in a right-midfield position as Brooke was withdrawn (85 mins). Soon, Grimshaw was getting free up the right when he had his heels clipped by a Morecambe player. But with rain falling, the game reached its goalless conclusion soon afterwards, with Alty recording their first goalless draw in any match since a similar outcome at home to York City in February, 2011.

Altrincham will have taken comfort from another solid performance at the back but replacing the goal machine that was Damian Reeves is proving, predictably, a bit more of a challenge. After this game, the Alty management will have crystallised their thoughts about their league starting line-up but little more was learnt tonight about the trialists, who had limited time to show their skills. Next, Alty prepare for their sternest test of pre-season, a friendly at home to a Burnley XI this Saturday.