Match Report

REFEREE: Mr. S Bennett

ATTENDANCE: 785

Luca Havern was unfit so Carl Rodgers started in an unaccustomed role at centre-back. With Shaun Densmore suspended, Scott Leather started at right-back.

Danny Hall was captain today in the absence of Densmore and Havern, whilst City's Alex Meechan faced his former club.

BACKGROUND:

This was Alty's third successive cup game after a draw in the FA Cup and a loss in the Cheshire Senior Cup in the past six days.

Referee Bennett was the linesman who disallowed Luis Suárez's goal in the recent Merseyside Derby.

LINE-UPS:

Before this last ever cup game at St George's Lane, there was a minute's silence for Remembrance Day and then Altrincham kicked off into bright sunshine. There was an early scare when Clee lost the ball and Symons's resulting shot had to be blocked before Elvins won a corner, after which Meechan won a second, this time on the right (2 mins).

Initally, both sides were not finding their men consistently. After a half chance created by Clee's quick throw had been undone by Reeves's inability to gather the ball, City began to have the better of things. Firstly, a Breeze effort flew across the face of goal from a Meechan feed. Then, Breeze fed Reece but he shot poorly over the bar (8 mins).

Alty's best effort at this stage arrived when Richman, playing against his former club, fired well over the bar after Clee and Lawrie had combined well on the left (14 mins). As Alty settled, it was a fairly even game now.

The visitors should have taken the lead in the 19th minute when a good run and cross from the left by Lawrie was missed by the keeper but Reeves failed to make any contact with his head. Two minutes later, the lively Lawrie supplied Reeves, who forced a full-length save from Thompson which gave Altrincham a corner.

Alty were now enjoying a good spell of attacking football and, after a good build up, a low cross from Watmore on the right by-line found Clee, who hammered it home, low into the net from 15 yards (23 mins). After Alty right-back Leather had got into the opposition box, Worcester counter-attacked and Meechan won a corner on their right (26 mins).

Another corner followed but this was headed gently to Coburn. The end to end play continued as the impressive Clee won a corner. Following the corner, the ball was not cleared and ran to Danny Hall who scored with a short-range effort (28 mins). Worcester were reeling and conceded again inside a minute. The goal came when Watmore again advanced impressively before a Richman feed from the right, inside the box, found Reeves, who bundled it in for the third goal of the game and his 20th of the season (29 mins).

But soon afterwards, Rodgers pulled up and this allowed Breeze in, but he shot weakly at Coburn (31 mins). Soon, Rodgers went down for treatment but was unable to continue and Pat Lacey came on to replace the central defender (34 mins). Leather moved to centre back to replace Rodgers and Jake Moult moved to right back as Lacey joined Richman in central midfield.

Alty were now playing well and when Reeves was tripped in midfield, there was a lecture and booking for Elvins (40 mins). As the interval approached, Meechan headed wide from an excellent Reece cross from the right (43 mins). In the second added minute before the break, Symons barged over Leather who needed treatment to a mouth injury (45+2 mins). The half ended after five minutes of injury time. Just as at Shildon, Gainsborough and Corby, Alty had amassed a substantial half-time lead.

During the interval, an appeal went out over the tannoy for "Anyone from the Worcestershire Referees' Society" and the resumption of the game was delayed before three men in black finally appeared for the second half. Worcester had come out very early and must have wished they hadn't as the second half did not start until 4.13pm.

Before play resumed Worcester subs Taylor and Mills came on for Reece and Breeze. City started brightly but not for the last time were caught offside against before a Lawrie 30-yarder was saved well (48 mins).

After some Worcester pressure, Lawrie dribbled well into the box and went down but there was no penalty. However, Alty gained a corner, won by Watmore. From this, beyond the back post left of goal, an unmarked Reeves saw his header saved from Clee's corner (54 mins).

It now took a fine save by Coburn to halt City after Symons split the defence and found Turner, whose low shot tested the Alty keeper (55 mins). City appealed for a penalty after Moult clearly held Turner in the goalmouth but play was moved back for an offside decision which had already been flagged (56 mins).

Worcester were not playing like a team in a play-off position, with regular mis-passing. Their keeper then had to be alert to foil Lawrie. After this, following a City freekick on the left by Mills, Hall headed the ball out for a corner (60 mins).

City's poor shooting continued as Thorley fired over after giving Lawrie the slip, and then a Clee shot was deflected to the keeper at the other end (63 mins). Doughty got himself unnecessarily booked for dissent (64 mins) before a foul on Lawrie earned Elvins a lecture.

When a decision went against him, Lacey was booked (69 mins) before Edwards replaced Meechan for City (72 mins). A bizarre miskick by Thorley conceded a corner from 40 yards out, after which Watmore got in a shot. The teenager was proving a valuable focus for Alty's counter-attacks.

Symons's poor shot nevertheless won him a corner and, following this, Rowe headed badly over the bar from a cross from the left. Following a fine Richman tackle, a City corner on the left led to Coburn having to tip clear. A battling run from Watmore to the by-line ended when his shot hit the side netting as Alty still gave at least as good as they got (78 mins).

An excellent Alty move ended as Reeves failed to get his head to a great Clee cross; at the other end Elvins headed badly wide. Watmore now went down with what looked like cramp and Alty's man of the match now had to give way to Brooke (82 mins).

Edwards's awful late challenge on Lacey earned him a booking (85 mins). After this a shot over the bar came in from Richman from a Lawrie feed as Alty looked comfortably in control. At the back Leather cleared well before Richman swept up the next threat.

With the game in its 90th minute, a great interception and run up the middle by Clee was halted by a crude foul by Rowe, leaving Clee hurt and unable to continue. Rowe was rightly booked. With Clee off, Mitchley came on (90+2 mins).

With more than five added minutes played in each half, the spectators had got their value for money. Altrincham secured a far more comfortable win than they might have expected with their three-goal salvo in the first half backed up by an excellent team performance despite the absence of Densmore and Havern at the back.