Match Report

REFEREE: Mr P Davison

ATTENDANCE: 374

Simon Richman had missed the last game, at Histon, while Luca Havern had picked up a knock in that game, but both started this match, with James Lawrie dropping to the bench.

Workington had two new loanees, defender Paul Johnson from Hartlepool United and Sunderland acaademy keeper Joel Dixon, both making their debuts today, though Johnson had had an earlier spell with the Reds.

BACKGROUND:

Workington had impressed in beating Altrincham at Moss Lane but since then their form had dipped. Alty had done well to rise to fourth in the table before an unexpected reverse at Histon last Tuesday.

Mike Garnett's statistics tell us that the previous record between the clubs is:

LINE-UPS:

WORKINGTON (Red and black) - 1. Joel Dixon, 2. Lee Andrews, 3. Gari Rowntree, 4. Paul Johnson 5. Dan Wordsworth, 6. Joe Greenhalgh, 7. Phil McLuckie, 8. Tom Manship, 9. Jonny Wright, 10. Gareth Arnison, 11. Joe McGee, Subs: 12. Mark Boyd, 14. Roderick Owusu Andrews, 15. Lee Andrews, 16. Anthony Wright, 17. Ryan Smith

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

After changing ends there was a quiet start to the game before a Reds' freekick on their right arrived, via a head, in Coburn's hands. Altrincham missed a great chance to take the lead when Watmore executed a good exchange with Clee but then the teenager sidefooted a clear chance over the bar (5 mins).

More Alty pressure led to a cross from Clee, which Reeves flicked at goal but the keeper fumbled it round his right post for a corner, soon followed by a second flag-kick (7 mins). After Richman had lost possession, a Workington counter-attack ended with McGee going just wide.

Following a corner won by Reeves, a Watmore cross was blocked. But it was Workington who took the lead. McLuckie got the better of Danny Hall in the Alty central defence and played the ball, right to Jonny Wright, whose well-struck, low shot found the far corner of the net (16 mins).

But, straight from the kick off, Altrincham worked the ball forward and Jake Moult drove home a leveller from a central position near the edge of the box (17 mins).

With Watmore impressing, Alty continued to look threatening going forward but suspect at the back to balls up the centre of the pitch. The surface was soft and was cutting up which made ball control and keeping their feet tricky for the players.

Soon after the 20 minute mark, Wright headed over the bar but there was stalemate till the Reds enjoyed a decent spell of pressure round the half-hour mark. But even four successive throws in the Alty half did not produce any serious threat to Alty's goal.

After 39 minutes Richman won a corner on the left, which was taken short and ended as Doughty's cross went to the keeper. Next, Clee won a corner from Moult's pass but, soon after that, Clee had to make an important interception deep in his own half from a long ball (41 mins).

Rowntree was booked after a crude foul on Watmore on the Alty right (43 mins), but the keeper held Clee's freekick. With the game into its one added minute, Hall was fortunate when he appeared to push an opponent over in the box, an act not seen by the referee.

Alty had had the better of the first half without really imposing themselves on their opponents.

There was a delayed start to the second half, which the tannoy noted but could not explain. However the reason may have been that Carl Rodgers had been taken ill and had to be replaced by Patrick Lacey. Workington had already come out once, only to return inside before both teams finally emerged to restart the game.

Alty kicked off and soon Manship became the second man booked for fouling Watmore, the Workington man hauling him down in midfield (47 mins). Watmore was soon causing more problems as keeper Dixon had to dive at the feet of the onrushing forward. Watmore went down but neither a penalty nor a corner were awarded, as the ref pointed for a goalkick.

As Alty continued to press, a smartly executed Clee volley was saved by Dixon. At the other end Havern tackled McLuckie who went down in the box; no foul was given but moments later the same player won a freekick just on the edge of Alty's box (50 mins). McGee lifted the freekick comfortably over the bar.

Workington now put together a good move which won them a corner off Hall's clearing header. After this Boyd came on for Manship. Moments later the sub became the third man booked for fouling Watmore when he tripped the Alty man as he counter-attacked (55 mins).

A mix up saw Coburn handle a Doughty back pass, giving Workington a freekick inside the box, and fairly centrally. The defensive wall did its job though, in the aftermath, Reeves seemed to foul an opponent in the box, but again it was not given by the referee (58 mins).

As the hour mark passed, it needed a superb diving interception by Densmore to get the ball, with Wright free behind him. But then a Densmore foul yielded a freekick, 25 yards out and central, but Boyd hit this wide. The Reds were enjoying the better of this half and when McGee dribbled impressively into the box, he was unlucky to see his shot hit the post. And two successive corners to the Reds followed.

Next, a good run by McLuckie got him past Doughty and, from his cross, Arnison missed a sitter, dragging his shot wide of the post as Alty continued to be decidedly second best at this stage (68 mins).

After an Andrews 20 yarder had flown just wide, each side made a swap. Alty's Lawrie came on for Moult and Owusu Andrews replaced Greenhalgh for the hosts (70 mins). Following a lunge by Lawrie, McGee's freekick resembled an attempted rugby conversion rather than a shot at goal as it soared over the bar (74 mins).

A fourth home booking arrived as Wordsworth was harshly shown yellow for a challenge on Reeves. A brief threat from Alty came as Watmore's fine ball found Clee but his effort was blocked (77 mins). Crosses from Doughty and Densmore came to nothing as Alty continued not to look like scoring in this half (85 mins).

Again both sides made a simultaneous change as Leather came on for Doughty and Anthony Wright for Rowntree (86 mins). Next, Havern conceded a corner to the right of his own goal. The corner came to the unmarked Jonny Wright at the back post about 15 yards out. He blasted a shot into the net to make it 2-1 (88 mins).

The referee played five added minutes but the game was beyond redemption for Altrincham who fell to their second successive away defeat in a week. It was a better performance than at Histon last Tuesday but today's first-half promise failed to blossom into a satisfactory second half showing. Both defeats occurred on soft and heavy surfaces but that is a factor which should not have such a detrimental effect on the performance as it seems to have done this week.