Match Report

BRACKLEY TOWN (1) 1 ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

Skrill North match
played on Saturday, 8 March 2014, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Altrincham started well and got in four early shots, two of which Turley fumbled. But then Brackley took a 17th minute lead when Walker did well on the left and fed Bridges, whose shot took a fortunate bounce over the diving Coburn. Brackley then had a good spell before Alty finished the half the stronger. Half time had Brackley still leading 1-0.

Alty continued to enjoy a lot of the ball into the second half. But then Brackley raised their game and Moore missed a sitter. Substitute Damian Reeves levelled after 83 minutes as he converted a fine Clee freekick. Two minutes later Walshaw's excellent shot made it 2-1 to Alty. Brackley thought they had levelled in added time but Diggins's shot against the underside of the bar was judged not to have crossed the line. In the end, it was a deserved win.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Ackermann
ATTENDANCE: 390
TEAM NEWS

Joe Mwasile and Nicky Clee had both recovered from injury.

LINE-UPS:

BRACKLEY TOWN

(Red and black)		 1. Billy Turley, 2. Remy Clerima, 3. Dominic Langdon, 4. David Bridges, 5. Tom Sharpe, 6. Ryan Austin, 7. Izak Reid, 8. Brett Solkhon, 9. Stefan Moore, 10. Stephen Diggin, 11. Glenn Walker. Subs 12. Eddie Nisevic, 14. Steven Towers, 15. Owen Story, 16. Gary Mulligan, 17. Ben Mills

ALTRINCHAM

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

BACKGROUND:

Mike Garnett's reveals the record in all matches between Alty and Brackley:

Without a win in their last three games, Brackley started this game sixth and Altrincham were seventh. Though the Saints had a two-point advantage, they had played three more games than Altrincham.

Today's referee was Mr Ackermann, who was the referee who was injured at Colwyn Bay when we played there earlier this season, forcing an abandonment.

Teams

REPORT

In bright sunshine, Alty kicked off but, inside a minute, there was a Brackley corner. The sides then traded abortive attacks as defences dominated. However, after Densmore had fed Richman, he got in the game's first meaningful shot, a left foot effort, which was dropped by Turley but cleared by a defender (5 mins).

At the other end, there was a wild shot from Bridges but Altrincham had started well. Next, Richman dispossessed a defender and Turley again dropped the shot, resulting in an Altrincham corner. After this, a good Lawrie cross was cleanly taken by Turley (10 mins).

Alty got another shot on target, after Clee had done well and fed Lawrie, but his shot was saved. The visitors were shading the game, so far, so it was against the run of play when Brackley scored. Walker was allowed to drift in from the left and he fed Bridges, whose shot took a very bad bounce and reared up over the dive of Coburn, into the net (17 mins).

Their fortunate goal lifted The Saints and Alty were not helped when Mr Ackermann failed to punish a blatant push by Moore on Leather which aided the next Brackley advance. Then Diggin got past Leather but his effort was blocked and the Brackley man was booked for diving (21 mins)

Soon, Diggin fired just over the bar as Town remained on top after scoring (23 mins). Five minutes afterwards, two Brackley shots had to be smartly blocked before a Saints' cross went out for a goalkick. Both sides were making mistakes as, first, Reid messed up a pass before Perry did the same (32 mins).

After their early flurry of shots, Alty were now finding it difficult to penetrate Brackley's back-line. But, after 37 minutes, a ball from the back was brought down impressively by Walshaw, who turned and struck a fine shot, which fizzed just wide of Turley's right post.

After the referee had stopped play for an Alty freekick, with them in possession, the visitors came back into the game a bit more and, soon, Reid had to clear in his own box. A Clee long throw led to Lawrie having an effort blocked, then an Altrincham cross grazed Rodgers's head in front of the Brackley goal.

As the half ended, Rodgers's shot hit Walshaw; then Clee overhit a cross as Alty reached the interval on a high note. They had started and finished the half well but Brackley's goal had prompted a good spell, in between, for the hosts.

Half-Time: BRACKLEY TOWN 1 ALTRINCHAM 0

Moult replaced Lawrie for the second half, so Richman moved to the right as Moult slotted into the centre. Brackley's Reid soon got clear but made a hash of the opening. After an uneventful few minutes, Clee was tripped by Langdon on the edge of the box. The former Histon man was rightly booked (53 mins).

However, Walshaw hit the freekick into the wall. Rodgers (55 mins) and then Griffin also saw yellow (57 mins). Then Moult won another freekick although Brackley claimed he had his "foot up". Now Alty were doing most of the pressing until a Reid cross led to a Brackley freekick on their left, awarded against Densmore.

Altrincham now removed Perry and brought on Reeves (60 mins). Next, from a Rodgers ball, Moult saw his fierce shot beaten out from right of goal, for a corner (63 mins).

At the other end, a mis-clearance from Richman led to a Brackley header, which went just wide. Following a foul on Walshaw there was a fracas involving Clee and, after consulting his linesman, Mr Ackermann booked him (69 mins).

Brackley now enjoyed some pressing forward, only for Moore to miss a sitter from a couple of yards. The ball ran across goal from the right but Moore's touch merely helped it on across the goalmouth (73 mins). And, moments later, a Diggin cross almost grazed the crossbar as it went across the goalmouth.

Although a Reeves pass to Moult led to a shot, the ball went straight to Turley before Coburn gathered a Bridges's shot at the second attempt. Altrincham now raised their game. Densmore got to the byline but his cross came off Walshaw for a goalkick. At this point, the wily Turley decided he could not kick so wasted a few moments before a defender came to take the goalkick.

After a lecture for Moult and Bridges, Reeves won a freekick on the front edge of the box. Once again Alty drove it into the wall, this time Densmore being the taker (81 mins). However, Alty now mounted some sustained pressure. When Clee was fouled, about forty yards out on the Alty right, Clee himself took the freekick. His superb curling kick was met by a fine run from Reeves who poked the ball home at the near post for a deserved equalizer (83 mins).

Alty went looking for a second goal and promptly got it, as Walshaw fired home with an excellent shot from the edge of the box (85 mins). Altrincham continued to press and, twice in a minute, Clee beat his man before being halted (90 mins). Nevertheless, in the three minutes of added time, Alty had several scares.

First, a Diggin shot deflected just wide. The sides then each made a change, as Austin was replaced by Mills, whilst Clee went off to allow defender Marshall on (90+1 mins). Then a Brackley corner was not cleared fully, after Coburn had beeen unable to hold a loose ball. But Marshall made a timely arrival to concede a corner.

After another Alty defensive muddle, Brackley won a further corner. Once more, despite bringing everyone back, Alty failed to clear and Diggin hammered the ball at goal from outside the box. It hit the underside of the bar but, after some momentary confusion, the ball was deemed not to have crossed the line.

So. Altrincham reached the final whistle with their three points intact and, despite the hair-raising final moments, had earned a deserved win.

Full-Time: BRACKLEY TOWN 1 ALTRINCHAM 2
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