Match Report

FC TELFORD UNITED (1) 3 ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Skrill North match
played on Saturday, 5 April 2014, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Alty had a torrid start as first Lawrie and then Richman suffered facial injuries before resuming. Telford then took an 18th minute lead when Grogan headed in a hopeful punt into the box. Referee Scregg did little to protect Alty from some robust challenges but he did book Whalley for diving under a challenge from Coburn. Then Alty lost Reeves to injury just before the interval to round off a disappointing 45 minutes.

Byrne headed in a McGinn freekick to make it 2-0 after 51 minutes. Then Farrell hit a shot which deflected off Marshall to make it 3-0 after 67 minutes. James Walshaw chased a Leather clearance and rounded the keeper to score after 73 minutes, making it 3-1 but there was no way back. Telford were the physically stronger and Altrincham, without Clee, lacked the guile to unlock the Telford defence more effectively.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr A Scregg
ATTENDANCE: 1,785 - 179 from Alty
TEAM NEWS

Jake Moult came in for the injured Nicky Clee, so James Lawrie moved to the left and Simon Richman to number seven.

LINE-UPS:

AFC TELFORD UNITED

(All white)		 1. Ryan Young, 2. Chris Lever, 3. Matty McGinn, 4. Neill Byrne, 5. Simon Grand, 6. Dan Preston, 7. Shaun Whalley, 8. Alan Moogan, 9. Andy Owens, 10. Adam Farrell, 11. Mike Grogan. Subs: 12. Robbie Booth, 14. Andy Pryce, 15. Charlie Barnett, 16. Mike Phenix, 17. Tony Gray.

ALTRINCHAM

(Red & white striped shirts, red shorts and socks) 		1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (capt), 3. Adam Griffin, 4. Carl Rodgers, 5. Gianluca Havern, 6. Scott Leather, 7. Simon Richman, 8. Jake Moult, 9. James Walshaw, 10. Damian Reeves, 11. James Lawrie. Subs: 12. Tom Marshall, 14. Matt Doughty, 15. Greg Wilkinson, 16.Kyle Perry, 18. Russ Saunders

BACKGROUND:

Mike Garnett's records reveal the record in all matches between Alty and Telford. He says "The amateur statistician within me never quite knows what to do about ‘reformed’ clubs, but I tend to classify them separately from their predecessors, so what follows is a summary of our combined record against Wellington Town and Telford United, plus this season's reverse fixture".

Altrincham drew the reverse fixture this season, 1-1.

Teams

Teams

REPORT

After Liam Watson had received his Manager of the Month award and the Alty supporters' streamers had been removed from the goalmouth, Telford kicked off, attacking the home end. Inside the first minute, Altrincham were carved open as Farrell fed Whalley but he took the ball far too wide to score from right of goal and the danger was cleared.

Altrincham remained on the back foot and soon suffered a blow when Lawrie fouled Grogan but was caught in the face by Grogan's boot as he fell. Lawrie had to go off for treatment to a facial blood injury. Whilst reduced to ten men, a Telford freekick was half-cleared. It then took a fine stop by Coburn from Grand's shot from right of goal; a corner resulted (6 mins).

Before Lawrie could get back on, physio Alan Ainsley was needed to treat Simon Richman, who had also taken a blow to the face and, likewise, had sustained a blood injury. So Lawrie came back on but now Richman was off the field being treated! (8 mins)

Andy Owens, a former Alty trialist and son of John, won a Telford corner. But now Richman was again in the wars as he got the end of Grand's elbow in his face. The physical rigours of the game continued as Richman soon had to contend with being held as he got in a cross (15 mins).

Things improved as Altrincham won a corner through Reeves (16 mins). But, when a Telford arm was wrapped round Lawrie's neck, a freekick to Telford was the surprising outcome (18 mins). Out of nothing Telford hooked a ball into the box and it was headed in by Grogan to give Telford a 19th-minute lead.

Fouls on Moult, then Walshaw, yielded Alty freekicks, the latter kick coming off Rodgers's head and sailing high over the bar. After a Telford corner on the left, substitute Matt Doughty trekked to the right touchline to hand over something for Richman to apply to his mouth injury (24 mins).

However, a minute or two later, Mr Scregg asked Richman to go off for more treatment, the third time an Alty player had had to leave the game already. Once they were restored to eleven men, Alty began to get forward with a Lawrie cross, two throws and a Griffin cross, which was marginally too high (30 mins).

Next, Moult cut in well from the right but then lashed his shot so wide that it went out for a throw rather than a goalkick. But Alty were still in the game as Reeves almost got on the end of a Griffin chip (32 mins).

After 36 minutes, Whalley, son of former Alty midfielder Gareth, went down as Coburn dived at his feet. Thankfully, Mr Scregg booked the Telford man for simulation.

After a slick Altrincham move, Moult shot just wide from 20 yards but the midfielder was soon penalised for a foul. As play went into added time, Reeves went down off the ball and, after treatment, had to be replaced by Perry (45+1 mins). Half-time arrived with Telford deserving their lead, their powerful start to the game having stopped Altrincham from establishing a rhythm.

Half-Time: AFC TELFORD UNITED 1 ALTRINCHAM 0

Early in the second half Owens went down cheaply and did not get the penalty that he was seeking. For Alty, Lawrie was now held as he dribbled on the left and won a freekick, 30 yards out. He took it himself and forced Young to palm the ball away from his top corner for a corner, after which Moult was miles over the bar with a shot (49 mins).

A foul by Lawrie on the advancing Owens now earned him a booking (50 mins) and was also to cost a goal as McGinn's freekick, from 22 yards, right-centre, was headed in by an unchallenged Byrne to make it 2-0 (51 mins).

After this, a Densmore shot was deflected over the bar for a corner. Young palmed away Lawrie's corner-kick, after which Moult seemed to be brought down, just outside the box, but no freekick resulted. Following an Altrincham corner, Moult volleyed over the bar (56 mins).

For Telford, Whalley's wayward cross was soon followed by Farrell slicing badly wide from an Owens feed. On the hour mark, Richman was again nearly kicked in the face but nothing was given for the challenge.

After Perry had held off a foul challenge and then blatantly barged his opponent back, a Telford goalkick resulted. Next, Walshaw fired well over from 25 yards. After this came the best Alty move of the game, the ball moving from the defensive left side to the right wing where a goalbound Densmore effort was almost diverted by a defender into his own goal. A corner resulted.

Now Marshall replaced Moult (65 mins) as Alty changed to a back three, with Griffin pushed upfield. But there was no time for the tactical change to have a positive effect. A Telford long throw from the left was cleared to Farrell, whose shot from 20 yards hit Marshall, after Leather had almost closed the man down, and was deflected into the net, making it 3-0 (67 mins).

It almost got worse as Whalley, on the right, got past Marshall and Coburn had to beat his shot away at the near post for a corner (69 mins). Perry was now penalised and received a lecture.

But hopes were raised when an excellent clearance from his own box by Leather was chased by Walshaw, who got round the advancing keeper and a defender and scored from right of goal, to make it 3-1 (73 mins).

Telford now wound down the clock at every opportunity but Walshaw almost made it 3-2 as he slid in on a Griffin cross (77 mins). Perry was inevitably booked for arguing with the linesman over a disputed goalkick, after which Walshaw went down in the box, to no avail.

Telford now won a corner through Grogan, which ate up more time (80 mins). After 85 minutes Farrell fired over from 20 yards before, first, Richman, then Walshaw were tripped. In the 88th minute Barnett came on for Moogan (88 mins).

Grogan won a late corner off Marshall before Whalley was replaced by Phenix (89 mins). In four added minutes a good Altrincham move ended as Densmore went down in the box but play was waved on.

Telford were deserved winners. Altrincham badly missed the guile of the injured Clee and had found Telford a physically stronger side. And the goals conceded were disappointing from Altrincham's point of view; two headers and a deflection. The defeat leaves Altrincham needing to pick up points to hold off the late challenges of Boston United and Guiseley for a play-off place.

Full-Time: AFC TELFORD UNITED 3 ALTRINCHAM 1
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