Match Report

REFEREE: Mr Richard Kendal (Luton)

ATTENDANCE: 330

Altrincham were without midfielder Simon Richman, following his throat problem. Matt Doughty dropped to the bench as Alty looked to counter Brackley with more height at the back. Duncan Watmore started up front with James Lawrie remaining on the bench, with Ryan Brooke.

BACKGROUND:

This was Alty's first ever visit to Brackley. Town had beaten Alty 4-1 on the opening day of the season at Moss Lane.

LINE-UPS:

BRACKLEY TOWN (Red and white) 1. Billy Turley, 2. Michael Corcoran, 3. Curtis McDonald, 4. Elliott Sandy, 5. Ryan Austin 6. Eddie Nisevic, 7. Owen Story, 8. Brett Solkhon, 9. Steve Diggin, 10. Marvin Robinson, 11. Tom Winters. Subs: 12. Glenn Walker, 14. Tom Sharp, 15. Josh Green, 16. Eddie Odihambo, GK. Laurie Walker

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

The game got underway in sunshine on a good but soft pitch, following earlier rain. Play was nondescript for the first five minutes but then a good build up on the right led to a Densmore cross which won the game's first corner. But, as was to be the case several times in this game, they wasted the corner-kick.

Next, a Sinnott shot was saved as Alty now settled the better. With the floodlights on, despite bright sunshine, the game continued in uneventful vein till a Brackley freekick led to a header from Robinson, which Coburn had to tip over the bar for a corner, which led to a goalkick.

After a foul on Watmore near half way, a Densmore freekick went to Sandy before a Nisevic misheader gave away a corner on Alty's right. This was taken short, after which Reeves had a shot blocked, followed by Rodgers's header over the bar (18 mins).

Marvin Robinson now had to hobble off and, within a minute, Altrincham had scored in bizarre circumstances. Hall played a curling long ball up the left which Reeves pursued. Goalkeeper Turley came left of goal to shepherd the ball out for a goalkick. The veteran keeper deliberately jumped over the ball, expecting it to run out of play. But with a disbelieving Turley rooted to the by-line, Reeves nipped in, kept the ball in play and drove a shot into the net from an acute angle, the ball taking a deflection off the covering Austin (23 mins).

Immediately Eddie Odihambo replaced the crocked Robinson (24 mins). Following this, Coburn saved Story's deflected shot well. Turley partly redeemed himself as he took an aerial ball off Reeves's head. Next, despite Odihambo's handball in the build up, Nisevic got in a shot which should have tested Coburn but he put the effort badly wide (28 mins).

As the half-hour passed, Havern's fine tackle halted Diggin, before Hall cleared the ball from an Odihambo probe. Then, Story got past Leather, only for Sandy to shoot over with the outside of his boot.

Two fouls in three minutes on Watmore gave Clee two freekicks which came to nothing. But then a curling shot by Sinnott just cleared the bar (39 mins). Three successive runs by Watmore kept Brackley occupied with two of them earning a corner for Alty. The latter corner was won when Watmore might have done better to feed the unmarked Sinnott to his right.

Altrincham were having the better of things now, as an error by McDonald conceded an unnecessary corner but, once again, Alty failed to make the flag kick count, this time with a short corner routine. So, Alty went off at half time with a deserved one-goal lead.

Brackley started the second half brightly, with a Diggin cross going across the face of goal. Alty then conceded a series of freekicks but defended these well (55 mins). "Let him die" was the chant from the home fans as Havern went down hurt with a shoulder injury, but he recovered to play on (58 mins).

Belatedly, Alty posed an attacking threat as a breakaway by Watmore led to his feed for Sinnott. The loanee drove a well struck low shot towards the near post where it was parried away at the base of his left post by Turley for a corner (60 mins). Sinnott headed the corner wide.

Alty's improvement continued as Moult did well to get into the box and he found Clee, but Corcoran charged down his shot; a corner on the right resulted.

Another corner arrived after Havern had been fouled; Sinnott's freekick won the flagkick but he overhit it when he took it. And when a Watmore cross was cut out, a further Alty corner resulted from a Turley handling error (69 mins).

A Brackley corner heralded a return of play to the other end. But first Town brought on Walker for Corcoran (72 mins). Three minutes later Alty brought on Lawrie for Watmore.

After a Brackley corner on the right had been caught by Coburn on the line, the home side appealed vainly for a penalty from a clear dive and the referee rightly played on. As play went into the final ten minutes, Altrincham were on the back foot, with Sinnott's long range shot, wide of the target, providing a brief respite (83 mins).

After 85 minutes Green replaced Nisevic before Coburn had to mnake three very routine saves, two from very gentle headers. As the game went into a surprisingly long period of added time, (five minutes), Brackley won a corner on their right, which they headed over.

In the first added minute Lacey came on for Sinnott. Alty were now under pressure but play halted again for Brooke to replace Moult (90+3 mins). A minute later, Leather missed the ball and it took a great stop by Coburn from Diggin's resulting shot. This prompted a sequence of three successive corners. But despite Turley coming upfield for a corner and then needing a Clee clearance off the line, Altrincham survived to record a hard-earned but deserved win.