Match Report

GUISELEY (1) 2 ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

Skrill North Match
played on Saturday, 21 December 2013, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Guiseley dominated the first half and Altrincham were fortunate to reach the interval on level terms. Guiseley had taken an eight-minute lead when, after Leather had been penalised for holding, just outside the box, Brooksby's freekick was deflected in by Johnson.

With Guiseley doing most of the attacking, Clee won a corner from which Havern slotted home the equalizer (17 mins). Despite plenty of pressure, Guiseley could not score again before the break.

The second half was a different story with Altrincham the better side. A fine run by Densmore led to Rodgers puttng his side ahead after 69 minutes. With the game in its third and final minute of added time Alty wasted a freekick in the Guiseley half and, from a freekick for offside, play switched downfield, where Rothery netted the leveller with the last kick of the match in the fourth added minute.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr A Miller
ATTENDANCE: 613
TEAM NEWS

Alty again started with Perry and Walshaw up front. Adam Griffin came in for his debut, in place of Matt Doughty at left-back, and new signing Tom Marshall was named on the bench. Guiseley were without Danny Forrest, Jack Rea, Adam Lockwood and Danny Ellis, whilst Danny Boshell was not allowed to play under the terms of his transfer from Altrincham.

LINE-UPS:

GUISELEY (White and dark blue) 1. Steven Drench, 2. Andy Holdsworth, 3. Rhys Meynell, 4. Ben Parker, 5. Jake Lawlor, 6. Danny Hall, 7. Wayne Brooksby, 8. Michael Potts, 9. Alexander Johnson, 10. Luke Parkin, 11. Gavin Rothery. Subs: 12. Kyle Harrison, 14. Ben Whitfield, 15. Craig Hobson, 16. Louie Swain, 18. Stephen Dickinson.

ALTRINCHAM (Aquamarine and grey) 1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (capt), 3. Adam Griffin, 4. Carl Rodgers, 5. Gianluca Havern, 6. Scott Leather, 7. Greg Wilkinson, 8. Simon Richman, 9. Kyle Perry, 10. James Walshaw, 11. Nicky Clee. Subs: 12. Matt Doughty, 14. Junior Smikle, 15. Damian Reeves, 16. Tom Marshall, 17. James Lawrie.

BACKGROUND:

Guiseley were unbeaten since their 4-1 defeat by Altrincham in the reverse of this fixture. Altrincham had never won at Nethermoor, despite six previous attempts to win there.

Mike Garnett reminds us of the previous encounters between our two clubs:

REPORT

Though the floodlights were on well before kick-off, there was bright sunshine in Stuart Coburn's eyes as Guiseley kicked off on a heavy pitch. There was an immediate freekick against Altrincham, conceded by Clee. The nearest to an early goal was when Johnson's tame shot flew wide after a third-minute attack up the right flank.

The soft pitch was already cutting up as Guiseley won two more freekicks, the second arriving after Leather was penalised for holding, just outside the box, right of goal. The well-struck freekick by Brooksby was deflected into the net by Johnson to give the Lions an eighth-minute lead.

Alty's main attacking threat was Clee, who won a corner from a Richman pass, which Leather headed over. After this, each side won a corner, with Altrincham's arriving after a Brooksby mis- pass to Clee. From Clee's corner, Havern flicked the ball home from a central position to make it 1-1 (17 mins). It had been the first serious threat to the home goal.

Indeed, the goal had been against the run of play but, soon, Guiseley were pressing again as Johnson won a corner off Havern. The spongy surface led to some mis-passing from both sides as play went through an uneventful spell which witnessed Guiseley mostly on the front foot. Next, after Parkin had won a corner on the left, Alty had to clear off the line for another corner (28 mins).

The home side's pressing continued as Brooksby got behind Clee and Leather to the right of goal but he then overhit his cross. The game was now punctuated by freekicks before Brooksby won a Guiseley corner on the right (37 mins).

With Altrincham still creating little going forward, Johnson headed wide from a Meynell cross (41 mins). It then took a vital tackle from Densmore to stop Parkin as the one-way traffic continued. Next, Rodgers fouled Rothery and was booked (42 mins). More desperate defending was needed before a wild cross from Guiseley gave Alty some respite (43 mins).

Half-time arrived with Altrincham fortunate to be on level terms with their hosts. However, despite their pressure, Guiseley had caused little direct pressure on Coburn as the Altrincham defence had worked hard and effectively to keep them at bay.

Half-Time: GUISELEY 1 ALTRINCHAM 0

At the break, Lawrie came on for Wilkinson. Alty almost got an immediate goal when a Walshaw shot was deflected and looped up towards goal but Drench just got his hands to it to push the effort away for a corner on the Alty right (46 mins).

When Rothery jumped in on Rodgers, he was booked. From this, Lawrie took an excellent freekick but Perry headed it over the bar (51 mins). Not long afterwards, Clee was tripped and now Holdsworth was booked. This time, Lawrie overhit the freekick but Alty were doing much better this half compared with the opening forty-five minutes.

Right: Tom Marshall was a late sub at Guiseley, as he made his Altrincham debut.

But then the visitors had to scramble the ball away at the end of three half-chances in quick succession for the Lions (56 mins). Altrincham picked up a second card when Clee was penalised in the Guiseley half (59 mins). Just after the hour-mark, a Guiseley appeal for a penalty was refused before Potts had a go at Clee but escaped with a lecture.

Now, Alty brought on Reeves for Walshaw (63 mins). Perry then put Reeves through on goal but his shot was parried and a resulting Richman header, from the loose ball, was saved (67 mins). Alty were now applying pressure as, firstly, a long ball almost rebounded to Reeves and, then, a tremendous run up the right by Densmore ended in his low cross, from which Rodgers scored, to make it 1-2 (69 mins).

Immediately, Guiseley withdrew Leeds United loanee and debutant Parkin for former Stalybridge big-man, Hobson. Alty continued to have the better of the game before Guiseley headed a 74th- minute freekick wide. When ex-Altrincham defender Hall pulled back Reeves, Lawrie's freekick evaded Perry but Rodgers lifted it over; however, he was given offside in any case.

After another foul by Potts, Rodgers nodded the freekick, from 25 yards, over the bar, Now Swain replaced Potts, as Alty remained on top (80 mins). Now Perry did well to hold up the ball, left of goal, but there followed a poor shot by Lawrie.

Five minutes from time, Johnson won a corner off Clee, which Richman cleared with a header off the line. Altrincham now brought on new signing, Tom Marshall, a giant of a defender, but rather than withdrawing a forward, Altrincham took off Clee (86 mins). Guiseley's last chance seemed to have gone as Rothery sliced a clear chance badly wide, just before three added minutes were announced.

After Coburn had saved a header in added time, Perry was fouled to give Alty a freekick deep in the Guiseley half and into the third added minute. Alty looked to be home and dry. But Lawrie's freekick went to an opponent and then Guiseley were awarded a freekick for offside. Drench's freekick from his own half was not cleared and Rothery equalized at the left post to make it 2-2 (90+4 mins). There was no time to restart the game, so Altrincham have still not won at Nethermoor. Whilst a draw might have been a fair result, to have failed to see out the final seconds was a huge disappointment for Altrincham who have now taken just seven points from their last seven league games.

Full-Time: GUISELEY 2 ALTRINCHAM 2
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