Match Report

ALTRINCHAM (3) 5 STALYBRIDGE CELTIC (0) 0

Skrill North Match
played on Thursday, 26 December 2013, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Five different scorers ensured this comfortable victory for an Altrincham side which included debutant Tom Marshall and recent signing Adam Griffin as well as a defence reshuffled after Shaun Densmore unfortunately had to miss the game, owing to his grandfather's illness. Former Alty Reserve keeper, Craig Ellison, endured a shaky start, and when he raced out towards the left touchline he was caught out as Jake Moult netted from 40 yards in just the eighth minute. An impressive finish from Kyle Perry doubled the lead seven minutes later.

Damian Reeves made it three-nil when he converted stand-in captain Gianluca Havern's header from a Moult corner (39 mins). It was 4-0 after 53 minutes when Scott Leather tapped home Jake Moult's cross and Simon Richman hammered home a fifth in the 71st minute.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr S Barrow
ATTENDANCE: 1,171
TEAM NEWS

Alty made three changes. Tom Marshall made his full debut at centre-back and Jake Moult returned in midfield in place of Greg Wilkinson. Up front Damian Reeves came in for James Walshaw. Positionally, with Shaun Densmore unavailable owing to a family illness, Scott Leather moved to right-back.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, red shorts and socks) 1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Scott Leather, 3. Adam Griffin, 4. Carl Rodgers, 5. Gianluca Havern, 6. Tom Marshall, 7. Simon Richman, 8. Jake Moult, 9. Kyle Perry, 10. Damian Reeves, 11. Nicky Clee. Subs: 12. Matt Doughty, 14. Greg Wilkinson, 15. James Walshaw, 16. Junior Smikle, 17. James Lawrie.

STALYBRIDGE CELTIC (Blue and white) 1. Craig Ellison, 2. Kelvin Bleau, 3. Andy McWilliams, 4. Callum Warburton, 5. James Tunnicliffe, 6. Kristian Platt, 7. Adam Pepper, 8. Prince Haywood, 9. Phil Marsh, 10. Sean McConville, 11. Paul Ennis. Subs: 12. Conal Platt, 14. Obi Anoruo, 15. Keith Briggs, 16. Lewis Smith, 17. James Cookson

BACKGROUND:

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

A small number of results is missing from the above data.

REPORT

Celtic kicked off towards the away supporters' end but, after just 44 seconds, Altrincham had won the match's first corner, on their left. Former Altrincham Reserves' keeper, Craig Ellison, who had only recently joined Celtic, fumbled the corner, to concede another corner, this time on the right. Celtic cleared their lines but Altrincham's Richman soon won another corner, which Ellison dropped, but the ball was cleared (4 mins).

Ellison's jittery start continued as he evaded a closing Alty player but, in doing so, ended up dribbling the ball almost to his left touchline, where Moult gained possession and smartly drove a shot into the empty net from forty yards, or more, out on Altrincham's right wing (8 mins).

Altrincham continued to dominate possession and it was not until the twelfth minute that McConville, who was to be Celtic' most impressive player, got in his side's first shot but it went comfortably over the bar. Things improved further as the visitors' Marsh won a corner off Marshall (14 mins).

But hopes of a comeback from Stalybridge were stifled when Richman found Clee who, despite a heavy first touch, got past his marker and fed Perry who scored a fine goal from outside the box to make it 2-0 (15 mins).

Nicky Clee now picked up his fifth yellow card of the season, when he tripped McWilliams to concede a freekick, 22 yards out (16 mins). But Platt's freekick hit the wall, though a Celtic corner immediately followed. From this, Warburton missed his shot from a clear opening before Alty cleared their lines.

After a fine Leather cross had been poked narrowly wide by Reeves, Marsh got behind Marshall but to no avail. There was another shaky moment for Ellison as he fumbled a long-range shot (22 mins). In the 24th minute, the visitors' player-manager, Briggs came on for Warburton.

A freekick awarded against Havern, 30 yards out, led to McConville's freekick forcing a good save by Coburn, low down, for a corner, which was soon followed by another, conceded by Marshall. At the other end, Perry fed Moult and he gained a corner, which Perry headed over the bar (29 mins).

It was Stalybridge's turn to win the next corner, gained by a Bleau cross, which diverted off Marshall. Next, Pepper was unfortunate not to win a freekick as he advanced skilfully. But at the back, the visitors continued to look nervous as, now, a Griffin cross was mis-kicked over his own bar for a corner by Tunnicliffe (37 mins).

A corner taken by Moult led to a melee, then another corner. This time Havern headed down Moult's corner, from the left, and Reeves scored in typical fashion from close range to make it 3-0 (39 mins). Ellison prevented it getting worse as he held a Perry shot (41 mins).

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 3 STALYBRIDGE CELTIC 0

Celtic won two early corners as they started the second half with an improved tempo with McConville looking their brightest player. But it was Celtic's no.10 who also tripped Clee to concede a freekick, left of centre some 30 yards out. Clee's freekick was half-cleared but Moult got to the byline, left of goal, and he laid on a tap in for Leather to make it 4-0 (53 minutes.

Some Altrincham pressure now ensued as a Reeves shot was blocked, before a blatant hand ball by Platt was ignored by the officials. But when Platt pushed Perry over, 35 yards out, a freekick was awarded. Clee's freekick evaded everyone in the box but was well saved by Ellison (55 mins).

soon, Platt departed, to be replaced by Ennis (58 mins), after which Leather shot wide. Moult delayed taking a potential shot in the box, and finally Richman advanced into the penalty area but despite being both held and tripped, no penalty was awarded (60 mins).

Alty were well in control but from a Griffin cross, Perry ended up in the net but the ball cleared the bar off him (62 mins). After McWilliams had wrestled Reeves down, from Clee's freekick, Reeves poked the ball over the bar. Next, Anorou replaced Haywood (64 mins).

Celtic were unable to get clear sight of Stuart Coburn's goal but then Carl Rodgers started a move up the middle but Reeves dragged the resulting shot wide. However, a fifth goal soon arrived when a Griffin freekick from the left led to Perry holding off his man and the ball fell for Richman, whose rasping shot fizzed past Ellison (71 mins).

Alty understandably relaxed a little as, first, McConville and then Anorou shot well over the bar. Between these misses, Lawrie came on for Reeves (75 mins). Another change soon followed as former Stalybridge midfielder Greg Wilkinson replaced Richman. Celtic now enjoyed a good share of the possession and McConville got in a 35 yarder, which was comfortably stopped by Coburn's chest (84 mins).

Ellison now made a good, full-length save from Perry's header after a Clee feed, and then a good Alty move ended in Lawrie's shot being blocked. Just after this Doughty replaced Clee (88 mins). During the three added minutes, Altrincham kept the ball well and reached the finishing line with a well-deserved victory to reward an all-round team performance which was all the more creditable for being achieved with an unfamiliar line-up.

Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 5 STALYBRIDGE CELTIC 0
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