Match Report


LEEK TOWN (0) 0 ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

FA Cup 3QR Match
played on Saturday, 6 October 2012, at 3pm


SUMMARY

Altrincham took 70 minutes to break down Leek Town and, when they did so, it was through a controversial goal. From a corner, Damian Reeves's effort was hooked away but referee Lucas ruled that the ball had crossed the line. In the protests afterwards, Leek's keeper, Lloyd-Weston, was booked.

Simon Richman added a second goal for Altrincham with a well taken goal, looping the ball into the far corner from right of goal (89 mins). After a fairly lacklustre first half, Alty had dominated the second period and were helped when Leek were reduced to ten men after 75 minutes, as Smith was sent off for a second yellow card offence.


SCORERS:

  • 70 mins: Damian REEVES (Leek Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
  • 89 mins: Simon RICHMAN (Leek Town 0 ALTRINCHAM 2)


    REFEREE: Mr Simeon Lucas


    ATTENDANCE: 962


    TEAM NEWS

    Alty's starting eleven was again unchanged for the third game in succession but on the bench was a new goalkeeper, Jamie Greygoose from Ely City.

    Ex-Alty men George Melling and Peter Wright were in the Leek side but former Robins' captain Anthony Danylyk's long-term injury ruled him out.


    BACKGROUND:

    For the second successive round Alty were away from home in the FA Cup, and this time they were looking to win a £7,500 prize.


    LINE-UPS:

    LEEK TOWN (All blue): 1. Daniel Lloyd-Weston, 2. Tim Sanders, 3. Ricky Bridge, 4. Danny Smith, 5. George Melling, 6. Sam Hall, 7. Peter Wright, 8. Ross Davidson, 9. Matt Haddrell, 10. Karl Charlton, 11. Dan Shelley. Subs: 12. Ricky Bridge, 14. Ashley Woolliscroft, 15. Rob Stevenson, 16. Tom Urwin, 17. Tim Grice, 18. Mark Ruddock, GK Danny Roberts.

    ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, red shorts and socks): 1. Stuart COBURN, 2. Shaun DENSMORE (capt), 3. Matt DOUGHTY, 4. Carl RODGERS, 5. Gianluca HAVERN (capt), 6. Danny HALL, 7. Simon RICHMAN, 8. Jake MOULT, 9. James LAWRIE, 10. Damian REEVES, 11. Nicky CLEE. Subs: 12. Scott LEATHER, 14. Patrick LACEY, 15. Danny MITCHLEY, 16. Ryan BROOKE, 17. Duncan WATMORE, 18. Jamie GREYGOOSE


    REPORT

    Kick off was slightly delayed after the home supporters threw an inflated beach ball onto the pitch where Stuart Coburn was keeping goal. As Stuart attempted to deflate the ball, the referee came across and took it off the pitch.

    There was very good vocal support for both sides as the game started but the game did not give the supporters much to shout about in its opening stages. However, after a few uneventful minutes, Reeves fed Richman, who found Lawrie, whose flick at goal was saved by Lloyd-Weston, a keeper whose spell at Port Vale coincided with Alty boss, Lee Sinnott's managership of the Potteries club (4 mins).

    Next, a Sanders cross from the right was caught by Coburn. But play remained fairly low key before Damian Reeves went down and needed treatment before resuming (9 mins). After Densmore had done well up the right, a threatening Leek counter-attack was undone by Wright's poor control on the edge of the box (12 mins).

    Reeves now fed Richman, whose ambitious 35 yarder flew yards over the bar. So far, there had been little quality football on view, a situation not aided by a bobbly pitch and long grass. Following a Havern foul in the hosts' half, a Leek freekick led to a corner, which was half-cleared but the follow-up, a 35 yarder from Hall went only narrowly wide.

    Alty's main efforts at this stage had been from long range and this continued as Lawrie tried to place a curler from 25 yards but got it wrong, from a Richman feed. After 22 minutes a Doughty through-ball for Reeves was missed by the Leek keeper but a defender cleared.

    Alty's wayward shooting continued as a freekick, won by Clee, was cleared to the Yorkshireman who fired comfortably over the bar. Next, a Densmore cross came in, just too long for Clee at the back post, and the disappointing tone of the game continued as Reeves was flagged offside from a Clee feed (24 mins).

    Indeed, the first proper shot of the match came from Leek, as Wright fed Haddrell but the former Vauxhall Motors man fired straight at Coburn from the edge of the box. The fairly even pattern of play continued as Coburn had to be alert and gather a Doughty header just ahead of an advancing opponent.

    The Leek keeper had another worrying moment as he missed a cross from Clee and Smith almost headed an own goal before the ball was cleared. Just after the half hour mark, a Smith slice conceded a corner, but Clee's ball was punched clear. Soon Lloyd-Weston had to come out to head clear before he pouched a Rodgers cross (34 mins).

    Alty continued to set the pace as, now, a Moult cross reached Clee, who won a corner on the left. At the other end, a Haddrell header went to Coburn, followed by a weak shot at the end of good run by Clee. Next, a good Moult cross found Clee but he misdirected his header wide for a goal-kick (38 mins).

    Alty's wayward shooting continued as an effort went very wide and high from Lawrie and, then, Clee fired well over from 25 yards. For their part, Leek won a freekick 45 yards out on their right, through Haddrell. Coburn just managed to get a punch on this. Soon, play stopped for treatment to the Alty keeper's face but not before Haddrell had muscled an Alty man off the ball eliciting a shout from Press Officer Brian Flynn that the Haddrell Collider had been in action.

    As half time approached it took smart action from Densmore to see off Shelley in the Alty box, following a fine long ball up the middle from Melling. Into added time, Alty rode their luck as Coburn came out to Sanders's ball but did not get it and the resulting cross was mis-headed by Haddrell back to the retreating Coburn.


    Half-Time: LEEK TOWN 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

    An early foul on Lawrie earned Dan Smith a booking and gave Altrincham a freekick from 28 yards out. This was struck well and with pace, right-footed by Lawrie from the left, so the keeper did well to palm it over the bar for a corner, which was cleared (47 mins).

    Lloyd-Weston was soon in action again, fielding a looping cross from Carl Rodgers from the right (51 mins). In the second half, Altrincham were having most of the possession but poor final balls were letting them down. However, the next corner of the game was won by Leek after a shot had been blocked. It was a well-taken corner, which Charlton headed just wide.

    The game, overall, was still very lacking in flair but then a neat move ended with Lawrie's feed to Richman, whose shot was diverted for a corner by a defender. Following this, a Moult air shot led to a Rodgers' effort being deflected for corner on the left. Havern rose well to meet this but his header went wide at the back post.

    Another Alty corner soon arrived, after a good ball forward from Havern. The visitors' forward movement continued when Rodgers won the ball but Reeves overhit the resulting cross. In a Leek counter-attack, Haddrell went close at the other end

    As the hour mark passed, Altrincham continued to dominate and a foul on Richman brought a booking for Bell. However, Leek still created some danger at the other end, such as when a long ball found Wright, whose shot was saved by Coburn (63 mins). A Leek corner followed but Leek soon suffered their third booking when Shelley lost the ball to Reeves near halfway and pulled him back by his shirt as he pursued the Alty striker towards the home penalty area.

    Watmore was now being prepared on the bench as Lawrie was felled. From the resulting freekick, 25 yards left centre, the keeper punched the ball clear but, soon, a Reeves cross won Alty a corner on their. From this Reeves directed the ball goalwards at the back post, only for the ball to be cleared on, or near, the goal-line. To Leek's consternation, the referee awarded a goal after seeming to exchange signals with his linesman. The Leek keeper was booked for protesting (70 mins). The planned substitution was now deferred.

    However, a Leek substitute did materialise quickly, as Irwin now replaced Shelley. But, having got ahead, Alty soon threatened again as Clee got to the byline, from where his shot was parried away by Lloyd-Weston. Leek's plight worsened when Doughty was tripped by the booked Smith, who now saw his second yellow and, afterwards, a red card, reducing his side to ten men.

    After this, Lawrie's freekick won the first of what developed into three successive corners (75 mins). Leek made another change after 78 minutes when Wooliscroft came on for Hall. And, just after a Moult 30 yarder had been cleared, the home side made its final change with Grice replacing Wright (80 mins).

    After a couple of Leek freekicks, and with just five minutes of normal time left, Watmore came on for Clee (85 mins). As Leek pressed, an appeal against Densmore for handball in the Alty box was not accepted by the referee.

    In the 89th minute, Watmore got to the by-line on the left and his cross found Richman beyond the back post. Richman executed a skillful lob into the far corner of the net to make it 2-0 for the visitors.

    With four added minutes announced, another Alty substitute came on as Leather replaced Densmore (90+1 mins). The final added minutes passed fairly uneventfully leaving Altrincham with a place in the Fourth Qualifying Round in a fortnight's time, and extending their run to seven games without defeat in all competitions.


    Full-Time: LEEK TOWN 0 ALTRINCHAM 2