Match Report

REFEREE: Mr R Johnson (Swinton)

ATTENDANCE: 802

Altrincham were without Nicky Clee who had picked up a hamstring injury in training, but Simon Richman returned to the squad after perforating his eardrum following a throat infection. In the starting line-up Scott Leather remained at left-back, meaning that Matt Doughty continued on the bench.

BACKGROUND:

The Bower Fold had not been a happy hunting ground for Altrincham as the pre-match statistics of Mike Garnett showed:

LINE-UPS:

STALYBRIDGE CELTIC (Blue and white): 1. Alex Cairns, 2. Kelvin Bleau, 3. Callum Warburton, 4. Tim Ryan, 5. Kristian Platt, 6. Prince Haywood, 7. Tom Buckley, 8. Greg Wilkinson, 9. Jack Laird, 10. Corey Gregory, 11. Mitchell Austin, Subs: 12. Jamie Mullan, 14. Rico Gomes, 15. Jordan Barrow, 16. Joel Bembo-Leta, 17. Adam Pepper.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, red shorts & 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. James LAWRIE. Subs: 12. Patrick LACEY, 14. Matt DOUGHTY, 15. Simon RICHMAN, 16. Ryan BROOKE, 18. Adam REID (gk),

After a dry morning it started to pour with rain before kick off and the downpour was to continue throughout the match. But, despite the heavy rain, the pitch was in good condition, with the floodlights on from the start. The teams changed ends before Stalybridge kicked off playing down the slope. After an early Altrincham attack had broken down in the Celtic half, a ball was played up the inside-right channel with Laird getting to it just ahead of the chasing Scott Leather. The former Oldham Athletic youngster took his chance well to drive a rising shot past Stuart Coburn to give his side the lead after just 43 seconds.

The wet conditions were not helping the game to flow as each side's moves broke down as much through poor passing as defensive interceptions. And there needed to be an early stoppage as the linesman's flag on the main stand side had to be replaced; this now seems to be a recurrent part of the modern game, having happened three times in Altrincham matches so far this season.

Neither side created any worthwhile chances as the rain continued to pour down and the game passed the 20-minute mark. Alty boss Lee Sinnott exhorted his team to "Play it quicker" and within a minute his side had equalised. Jordan Sinnott played the ball inside to Duncan Watmore, 30 yards or so from goal in the inside right position. Duncan waltzed past a couple of Stalybridge players before driving an excellent shot into the left-hand side of the net from round the edge of the box (21 mins).

The goal lifted Alty as, now, Densmore made a good interception but the resulting move came to nothing. After Watmore had been tripped, Sinnott's freekick was met by Danny Hall's header which flashed narrowly wide as Alty began to enjoy the better of the game now. At the other end Hall was soon busy again as he cleared a giant kick from Celtic keeper Cairns.

With the half hour mark passed, both sides continued to concede possession though, to be fair, the conditions were difficult as the rain continued to pour down. Watmore threatened again on the right but his well struck shot was sliced across the goalmouth before Bleau won the benefit of quite a bit of doubt as his theatrical fall under Leather's challenge earned him a freekick to the right of goal (38 mins). The kick was headed back across Alty's goal from the back post.

As half time approached, Watmore won Altrincham a corner after a throw-in from the left. Densmore's corner produced a fortuitous second corner off a miskick by a Celtic defender (41 mins). On the counter attack, the impressive Austin got free but was brought down by Rodgers who could have no complaints at seeing a yellow card for his foul (42 mins). In the wet conditions, Coburn spilt the resulting low freekick and a Celtic corner followed, which was cleared by Hall.

Following an Alty freekick, 35 yards out, Moult fired over the bar before Lawrie, like Rodgers before him, could have no complaints as he was booked for a cynical block on a Celtic player who had got past him near half way on the Celtic right (45 mins). A level score at the interval was a fair reflection of the first half.

At the break, Stalybridge brought on Mullan for Gregory. After a good run and interchange by Densmore with Reeves, Alty won a freekick on their left. After this Celtic counter-attacked and an Austin effort from 25 yards forced a diving save from Coburn, at the cost of a corner. After this a Densmore foul on Austin saw Wilkinson drive his freekick across goal (48 mins). Next, Laird's low shot went inches wide, to Coburn's left, as the hosts started the second half the better side.

But then a Lawrie feed from the left to Reeves led to the league's leading scorer forcing an excellent save from Cairns, which gave Alty a corner. The corner was diverted to Watmore at the near post and he scored his second goal of the game from close range (52 mins).

After this, Lawrie won a corner, which was taken short. As Sinnott got past his man into the left of the box he was very clearly pulled back but kept his feet before the ball was cleared. It looked a clear penalty but Mr. Johnson thought otherwise (54 mins).

Now Celtic made a change as Pepper came on for Hayward when play stopped for a freekick conceded by Lawrie (55 mins). When Celtic were flagged offside after sloppy Alty defending, Lee Sinnott expressed his anger at his side's defending. And he was even less pleased soon afterwards when a cross from the right found Laird unmarked and he headed firmly past Coburn to level the scores (61 mins).

Play now became end to end now, as Reeves was seen off after Celtic had gone close at the other end. Next a Coburn save was followed by another impressive run from Watmore which won his side a corner. Now, Richman came on for Moult in Alty's midfield (65 mins). The corner was poorly taken by Sinnott, the ball curling behind the goal before it even reached the near post from right of goal.

Altrincham continued to concede freekicks with Austin often the victim. Alty's best efforts at this stage were a gentle header from Reeves under pressure and a wide effort from Lawrie from 20 yards. After Austin had been fouled again, Densmore was booked (72 mins). The resulting freekick was superbly struck from 40 yards by Wilkinson. In the wet conditions, Coburn could not hold the shot but, with the help of a shielding defender, gathered the ball (73 mins).

Celtic now had the greater momentum but their progress was halted when Wilkinson was booked for what the referee signalled were cumulative offences. The resulting Sinnott freekick just cleared the bar from left of goal (76 mins). But then Sinnott fouled Bleau on the right edge of the Alty box. However, an awful freekick from Celtic spared Alty any problems. Now Ryan Brooke replaced Lawrie (78 mins).

With the game into the final ten minutes, Altrincham upped a gear to apply some late pressure. A Watmore break was followed by a Sinnott low cross from the right, which just evaded Reeves. Then a Densmore freekick failed to find a team-mate before Carl Rodgers impressed with two interceptions in a minute (84 mins). When Densmore was tripped, he himself took the freekick but overhit it as Alty's deadballs failed to impress again.

With Celtic on the back foot, Richman won another freekick, but it was cleared. But Altrincham continued on the offensive as, firstly, Sinnott shot at the keeper and then another corner was won. At this point Celtic withdrew Austin for Barrow before Sinnott's corner failed to get beyond the first defender in front of the near post (89 mins). With the game into its allotted three added minutes, Celtic scrambled another Alty attack clear.

But on the counter, Leather committed a foul which made him Alty's fourth player to be cautioned. The last meaningful action was a routine save from Coburn before the bedraggled players left the pitch at the end of an entertaining if not high quality game in which a draw was probably a fair outcome. It was the fifth away league game this season in which Alty have led but failed to take all three points.