Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Neil Sharp (Hartlepool)

ATTENDANCE: 574

Following their harrowing opening-day defeat at the hands of newly promoted Brackley Town, Altrincham made changes as James Lawrie and Scott Leather moved to the bench, allowing Gianluca Havern to make his debut and Matt Doughty to make his first competitive appearance following his return to Altrincham over the summer. Nicky Clee reverted to no. 11 as Matt slotted in at left-back.

BACKGROUND:

Altrincham had never previously won at Wetherby Road, though the Yorkshire club's work on their old sloping pitch meant that this time, Alty truly were starting on a level playing field! The Robins were wearing their new teal and grey away kit for first time. Harrogate Town had won their first match of the season, at Hinckley, whereas Altrincham had been humbled, 1-4, at home by Brackley Town.

Torrential rain had fallen earlier in the evening and the new pitch had not fully absorbed it, with some parts of the playing area almost saturated.

LINE-UPS:

HARROGATE TOWN (Yellow & black stripes) 1. José Veiga, 2. Dwane Samuels, 3. Dave Merris, 4. Adam Bolder, 5. Alan White, 6. Shane Killock, 7. Adam Nowakowski, 8. Paul Bolland, 9. Chib Chilaka, 10. Paul Beesley, 11. Luke Dean, Subs; 18. Jonny Allan, 14. Matthew Bloomer, 15. Alex Meechan, 16. Robbie Youhill, 17. Danny Stimpson

ALTRINCHAM (Teal and grey shirts, grey shorts, teal socks) : 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Shaun DENSMORE (capt), 3. Matt DOUGHTY, 4. Carl RODGERS, 5. Gianluca HAVERN, 6. Danny HALL, 7. Duncan WATMORE 8. Patrick LACEY, 9. Ryan BROOKE, 10. Damian REEVES, 11. Nicky CLEE, Subs: 15. James LAWRIE, 18. Adam REID (gk), 12. Scott LEATHER, 14. Simon RICHMAN, 16. Sam GRIMSHAW.

As the teams came out for their pre-match handshakes, there was sunshine in evidence and, indeed, the earlier heavy rain was to hold off completely for the ninety minutes. It was Altrincham who kicked off and, though possession was soon lost, they won an early corner when Brooke, Doughty and Clee combined and goalkeeper Veiga failed to hold the last-named player's shot.

Harrogate scrambled the corner away with a header almost off the line. Altrincham continued to start the game well but when Ryan Brooke slotted a perfect lateral pass to his right to Duncan Watmore, Harrogate were not prepared for what followed as the 18 year-old fired a superb 30 yard shot into their net with fewer than four minutes on the clock.

Next, a Harrogate attack ended with a freekick for them, 40 yards out from Alty's goal. Following this, in his own penalty area, Clee was hurt as he seemed to be sandwiched between his keeper Stuart Coburn and Harrogate's burly striker, Chilaka (8 mins). Physio Alan Ainsley managed to restore Nicky to his feet after lengthy treatment to the back of Clee's head.

With Clee back on the pitch, a run by Brooke was halted as he advanced up the Alty left (13 mins). At the other end, Chilaka was proving a handful as he fired a fierce shot across the face of goal, narrowly missing the back post (14 mins). However, Nicky Clee now went down off the ball and it became clear that he was unable to continue due to mild concussion (14 mins). So, James Lawrie now came on for Clee (18 mins).

Lawrie soon won a corner and then a few minutes later a cross from Doughty on the Alty left again found Veiga spilling the ball and a further corner resulted (23 mins). Between these Alty corners, a speculative shot from 30 yards by Merris went well over the bar.

As the first 45 minutes went into their second half, Alty cleared a Harrogate corner. Good harrying by Lawrie underlined Altrincham's much better application in this game compared with last Saturday. But it took a fine save by Coburn from a Beesley piledriver to prevent an equalizer (28 mins).

And the Alty keeper was soon tested again, as he saved a 30-yarder from Dean (31 mins). Now, Carl Rodgers went down off the ball but played on after treatment. Harrogate were now getting on top as Matt Doughty was hit by a cross in the "abdomen", to concede a corner. This became the first of four successive corners. The second almost produced a goal but Rodgers blocked a close range shot bravely. Finally, the fourth corner was cleared and ALty could breathe again (35 mins).

But Alty remained on the back foot as Harrogate won a freekick, about 27 yards out in a central position. Alty half cleared the freekick but the ball was then poked narrowly wide by a Harrogate player. At this stage, Alty could not get the ball out of their own half since every man was back and there was no outlet further forwards.

It now took a full-length save by Coburn from a long shot to keep Town out. Further forward Reeves got no change out of the referee as he was penalised when it seemed to him and the Alty supporters that the freekick should have gone the other way (41 mins).

Soon there was another corner for Harrogate but as the 45th minute started, Alty got forward again. However, Watmore's run was halted but led to a shot, well off-target, by Rodgers. The injuries to Clee and Rodgers meant that almost three minutes of added time were played but Alty got to the break with their lead intact, though they had been under the cosh for the final fifteen minutes or so of the opening period.

But having defended so well in the first half, it took only 90 seconds after the break for Harrogate to equalize. The goal came out of nothing as Chilaka hammered home a shot from the edge of the box in a central position (47 mins).

And Alty were soon indebted to Coburn, again, as he made another save, low down. Things got worse when the back of Matt Doughty's ankle was raked by an opponent's studs and he had to be helped off by physio Alan Ainsley, which meant that Scott Leather came on (53 mins). Alty had now lost two left sided players in this game.

Play now went through a scrappy stage, in which both teams' effort outweighed their quality, and which included the booking of Harrogate's Dean (59 mins). But as the hour mark passed, it was some considerable time since Altrincham had last threatened the Town goal. But then Damian Reeves, who has being playing catch-up in terms of match fitness having missed much of pre- season, looked more like the Damian of old as his fierce shot had to be parried over the bar by Veiga for an Alty corner.

Soon after this, Lawrie won the ball with determination but then Patrick Lacey fired over the bar. Midway through the half, both sides made a change as Town brought on the former Northwich striker Jonny Allan for Beesley and Alty introduced Simon Richman for Watmore (67 mins).

After Chilaka had shot wide, Alty's Lacey earned a lecture for a foul (68 mins). Town went close a minute later when Dean's shot flashed past Coburn's post. There was then some petulance from Merris, who not only brought down the hard working Brooke with a headlock, but kicked the ball away after being penalised. He was fortunate to suffer no caution for his behaviour (70 mins).

In the 71st minute Altrincham got forward to win a corner, which was taken by Lawrie but the resulting Brooke header went just wide. Next, Reeves went down in the box, looking for a penalty, which was not forthcoming. The game now could have gone either way as the sides traded forward probes. But it was Altrincham who broke the deadlock when Reeves got free and his stinging low shot was parried away to his left by Veiga. The incoming Richman still had a lot to do but he cleverly threaded the loose ball, low and just between the post and a retreating defender, to make it 2-1 to Altrincham (77 mins).

Harrogate came back looking for an equalizer but Alty missed a great chance to seal the match when an unselfish feed from Reeves, to his left, gave Lawrie a good chance, which he did not take (82 mins). With play swinging from one end to the other and Alty deploying Densmore in midfield and Lacey at the back, Harrogate shot narrowly wide from 25 yards (83 mins), before they won a corner.

And with Alty fans in good voice, Lawrie again failed to hit the target when a great cross from the right by Reeves reached him after an excellent ball out of defence from Havern. Harrogate's anxiety was shown when Veiga's clearance went to Richman 40 yards out, and as he was about to shoot, he was fouled by Bolland, who lost his temper as he berated the match officials and, not suprisingly, he saw a yellow card (87 mins).

Former Alty man Alex Meechan now came on for Hill as the game was about to go into four added minutes at the end of the ninety. In the second of these, Reeves got a booking for a foul (90+2 mins). But the final whistle soon arrived to confirm Alty's first win of the season and a vastly improved performance on that which they put in against Brackley Town. There were many encouraging signs; Havern and Hall were solid at the back, Brooke worked hard both in midfield and up front, Reeves showed signs of getting back to his form of last season and, of course, Duncan Watmore produced his second fine goal in as many matches.