Match Report


GLOUCESTER CITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

BSBN Match
played on Tuesday, 26 February 2013, at 7.45pm
at Cheltenham Town FC


SUMMARY

Alty had the better of a goalless first half but the nearest to a goal was just before the break when City cleared off the line. Earlier Mills had an effort blocked on the line.

Midway through the second half Richman was felled but Reeves put the penalty wide; his fifth miss from the spot this season. With Alty fans calling for Watmore to come on, the game continued towards its conclusion with Alty unable to make clear openings in front of goal. He finally came on in the 88th minute after Alty had dominated the preceding twenty minutes.

This was a match Altrincham should have won given their possession but the Gloucester defence held firm.


SCORERS:

  • None

    REFEREE: Mr Chris Powell


    ATTENDANCE: 205 TBC


    TEAM NEWS

    Alty made four changes as Leather, Lacey, Lawrie and Clee came in as Hall, Moult, Watmore and Doughty were named on the bench. Watmore, who has been involved in 31 games in his inaugural season, was understandably rested with a heavy schedule of matches lying ahead in the coming weeks.


    BACKGROUND:

    Mike Garnett advises us of the historical record of games between Altrincham and Gloucester City before today's clash:

  • At Moss Lane p2-w1-d0-l1-f3-a2
  • Away 1-0-1-0-1-1
  • All games 3-1-1-1-4-3
  • The sides only met recently at Moss Lane, with Altrincham winning 2-0.


    LINE-UPS:

    GLOUCESTER CITY (Amber and black shirts, black shorts and socks) 1. Michael Green, 2. Mike Green, 3. Danny Andrew, 4. Tom Hamblin, 5. Chris Holland, 6. Tom Webb, 7. Lewis Hogg, 8. Jack Harris, 9. Darren Edwards, 10. Will Morford, 11. Adam Mann. Subs: 12. Sam Rawlings, 14. Matt Liddiard, 15. Stephen Davies, 16. Joe Parker

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


    REPORT

    After changing ends, Alty kicked off and had the better of the opening stages. Two early freekicks were the prelude to Lawrie winning a thrid minute corner. From Lawrie's kick Reeves got to the ball first but was well wide with his header.

    After this, Clee fed Reeves, whose shot was deflected out for a corner. City got back into things when after Leather had cleared from Morford, a Rodgers foul gave them a freekick on the left, which produced a corner, which was headed to Coburn amidst forlorn City appeals for handball (9 mins).

    In fact, it was City who won the next two corners but the next effort on goal came from Lawrie's feed to Mills, whose well hit shot went just wide (14 mins)

    The flow of the game was not helped by players having to go deep into the unoccupied far stand to retrieve the ball at regular intervals. On the pitch, after a Mills shot had been blocked, the same player was caught offside. Next, a good Clee cross was cleared, after which City gained a corner following Edwards's cross from the right. Coburn saved smartly from a shot following this corner which was flicked on towards goal by a City player (24 mins).

    Next a Densmore cross was accidentally headed by a defender towards his own line, where Mills got to it but the keeper made a point blank save at the back post and an Alty follow up was also blocked in a melee (26 minS). The Alty players who had come back into the side were doing well but the two defences were dominating proceedings.

    After 34 minutes Lawrie's shot won a corner on the right and, after this, a Mills header went to the keeper, as Alty remained on top. In the 42nd minute Edwards won a City corner on their right as The Tigers again appealed fruitlessly for hands against Leather. Another City corner followed, immediately, off Rodgers' mis-header. In fact, they went on to win four successive corners, the last of which was headed narrowly wide (43 mins).

    Following a long clearance, Alty themselves won a corner, just before the break, which was cleared off the line after the keeper missed the ball from Alty's right.


    Half-Time: GLOUCESTER CITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

    At the break, Davies replaced Morford for City, who kicked off the second half. Morford had needed first-half treatment so his departure was not a big surprise.

    Gloucester made the brighter start and, soon, a cross by Mann was just too strong for a team mate to reach, in front of goal.

    Altrincham's first decent effort after the interval arrived when Clee's ball was met by Rodgers's header, which went just wide (51 mins). And it was Clee again who now executed an impressive turn and run but Mills did not read his pass and a goalkick was the outcome.

    The game went through an unmemorable few minutes before a Gloucester mis-header from a Clee throw left Reeves free, wide left of goal, but his flicked shot from a difficult angle went across the face of goal (60 mins). Altrincham continued to exert pressure and, when Richman was about to shoot from 12 yards, he was clearly brought down. A penalty was awarded and Reeves, who had failed to convert four earlier penalties this season, took repsonsibility again, in the absence of Matt Doughty who might otherwise have taken it.

    Reeves went for power but blasted his kick wide of the keeper's left post (64 mins). Soon afterwards, a Reeves header was saved by Green. As play drifted on with Altrincham on the front foot, the game and the visiting supporters called for Duncan Watmore's introduction in the hope that he would liven up the proceedings.

    However, with play drifting beyond the 70th minute, there was no movement on the benches other than City's replacement of Mann by Parker (71 mins). A spat betwen Richman and Hogg saw both men booked followed a couple of minutes later by an Alty change as Moult replaced Lacey (73 mins).

    Andrew was then booked after he tripped Mills, who had been unable to make little impact in the second half. Watmore now got ready to come on but his introduction was deferred as Leather came to the touchline and went down for treatment to a facial cut, which the referee allowed to take place on the pitch, to the understandable annoyance of the home support who though he should have gone off the field.

    So Alty had to bring on Hall for Leather (78 mins) and Watmore's arrival was therefore shelved. As Altrincham continued to set the agenda of the game, Webb was booked. At the other end, a firm Mills shot won a corner, the fiercely struck shot laying out Hogg who had got in its way. After treatment, Liddiard replaced the dazed Hogg (87 mins).

    Finally, Watmore came on, for Reeves, in the 88th minute. Three minutes later, his first real involvement produced a corner, with the match into added time. Following this corner, Richman fired high over the bar and, despite a total of four added minutes, the goalless deadlock persisted.

    This was a game in which Alty should have converted their dominance into goals but they seem to have lost the scoring flair which characterised the earlier part of the season. Now, having gone four games without a win. their hopes of reaching the play offs are receding quickly.


    Full-Time: GLOUCESTER CITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 0
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