Match Report

OXFORD CITY (0) 1 ALTRINCHAM (1) 2

Skrill North match
played on Tuesday, 15 April 2014, at 7.45pm

SUMMARY

On a poor pitch, Alty went ahead after 16 minutes when a Clee throw found Reeves and his lay off was converted by Walshaw. But Oxford had more of the first-half attacking play.

After Oxford had again enjoyed more of the forward momentum, Alty raised their game and Jake Moult volleyed home superbly from 30 yards after 83 minutes before substitute Jackson pulled one back in added time.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr David Woolford
ATTENDANCE: 283
TEAM NEWS

Altrincham welcomed back Damian Reeves but were without Simon Richman (wisdom tooth problem) and Tom Marshall (sickness).

LINE-UPS:

OXFORD CITY

(Blue and white)		 1. Mark Scott, 2. Andy Ballard, 3. Paul Stonehouse, 4. Michael Pook, 5. Lee Henderson, 6. Mark Preece, 7. Viv Soloman-Otabor, 8. Darren Mullings, 9. Michael Symons, 10. Darren Pond (capt), 11. Zac McEacheran. Subs: 12. Kayden Jackson, 14. Josh O'Hanlon, 15. Chris Willmott, 16. Steve Basham, 17. Tom Winters

ALTRINCHAM

(Red and 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. James Lawrie, 8. Jake Moult, 9. James Walshaw, 10. Damian Reeves, 11. Nicky Clee. Subs 12. Matt Doughty, 14. Greg Wilkinson, 15. Jeff King, 16. Kyle Perry, 18. Russ Saunders

BACKGROUND:

Mike Garnett's records reveal the record in all matches between Alty and Oxford City

Earlier this season, an own goal and a penalty gave Oxford City a 2-2 draw at Altrincham after the Robins had taken a 2-0 lead.

REPORT

After the wet winter had wrought havoc on the Oxford pitch, Alty arrived to find at Court Place Farm a bobbly surface with the central strip almost a dustbowl. Oxford kicked off on the heavily sanded surface and the visitors started poorly. After 40 seconds, Moult gave the ball away to the burly Symons who, fortunately, sliced badly wide from the edge of box.

Then a Coburn miskick and two more errant passes by Moult underlined the Robins' shaky start on the difficult surface. Next, Ballard's prodigious long throw led to a home corner (3 mins). Altrincham remained on the back foot till a ninth minute cross from Clee ended up being just too long for Reeves.

As Alty settled, Clee turned well but Walshaw was halted as he advanced. Moult now found his range. His ball to Clee got the latter to the byline before Moult again did well to get back and clear some danger in his own box (11 mins). However, the uneven pitch was inducing errors from both sides.

Next, Rodgers put Reeves clear but he was halted as he tried to control a difficult, bouncing ball in the box. Then, a quick Clee long throw found the alert Reeves who, from near the byline, left of goal, cut the ball back to Walshaw who drove it home to make it 1-0 (16 mins).

soon, another Ballard long throw was cleared, as Oxford had the better of the next five minutes without creating anything dangerous (25 mins). The sides traded a freekick apiece before a good Densmore cross to Walshaw found the striker offside (29 mins).

On half an hour, a Clee long throw produced a corner after Scott had punched clear. Lawrie was unable to clear the first man with the corner and so Oxford broke upfield until Otabor was just halted by Griffin, who had a good game for the visitors.

Altrincham now had a decent spell as, first, Clee was halted and, then, a Moult shot was blocked. Next, Walshaw won a ball before Clee was halted. City were awarded a freekick, 30 yards out, following which Oxford gained a corner off Densmore (35 mins).

There was no one upfield as Alty cleared the corner so possession was instantly lost again. Play continued, with errors from both sides and minor fouls meaning it was an industrious rather than entertaining spectacle. After Rodgers had shinned a ball to Pond, a corner resulted for City (40 mns).

The corner was half-cleared then scooped badly over the bar by Ballard from five yards (41 mins). Alty remained defending till a long ball found Reeves who laid it off to Walshaw, but he shot just wide.

As half-time approached, Clee was felled for a freekick, after which Lawrie was halted as he was about to shoot. The first half had been a game low on quality on a poor surface in which Oxford had had more of the attacking play. Ballard's long throws and various freekicks had meant a busy first half for Leather and Havern, who had coped well.

Half-Time: OXFORD CITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 1

Alty kicked off the second half after a delay caused by the need to make an adjustment to the net at the home end. Two minutes into the half, Moult's excellent 30-yarder was held by the keeper.

Soon, Reeves got up the middle and then Walshaw was blocked, after a Clee advance. At the other end, Coburn mis-handled but re-gathered the ball from a right-wing cross. Soon, there was another 30-yarder by Moult but it went off target as Alty started the second half well (49 mins).

Two Ballard throws were cleared by Altrincham before the visitors won a freekick, near halfway. After 53 minutes, Clee advanced up the middle but his right-foot shot went wide.

Clee was now penalised twice, the second freekick leading to a Coburn save, as now Oxford made the running. On 57 minutes, Henderson headed a Ballard throw wide and, soon afterwards, a Pond shot went wildly over the bar (59 mins). The game still lacked quality as errors arrived with regularity.

After Leather had been fouled near half way, Alty won a corner from the freekick. Taken by Lawrie, the corner was cleared to Clee, who volleyed well wide from 20 yards (65 mins).

Oxford now introduced Winters for Otabor, after which Griffin conceded a freekick, centrally, 30 yards out. Next, Walshaw conceded a corner, from which a Mullings header kissed the crossbar (67 mins). Three minutes later, City brought on Jackson for MacEacharan.

After a Densmore low cross had been gathered by Scott, a bit of Alty pressure ended with an overhit ball. But then Mullings was felled on the edge of Alty's box, yielding a freekick for City in a central position (74 mins). Before the freekick there was a bit of a fuss, as a result of which Walshaw was booked (75 mins).

Pook's freekick cleared the bar. Oxford's third change came after 79 minutes as O'Hanlon came on for Symons.

Just after this, Clee fed Lawrie, whose great volley from 30 yards was fumbled over his cross-bar by Scott. From the corner, Clee overhit the ball behind the goal.

Altrincham brought on Perry for Lawrie in the 82nd minute. Moments later, Moult won the ball in central midfield and, from 30 yards, volleyed home a superb goal, leaving Scott flat-footed (83 mins).

But Oxford kept going and it took fine covering from Griffin to stop Jackson as he got free (86 mins). Soon Leather also had to do well to stop Jackson (89 mins).

In the 90th minute, Wilkinson replaced Walshaw, after which Ballard was booked for pulling down Clee. In the third added minute, Jackson wriggled free of Leather and scored with a firm shot from the edge of the box to make it 2-1.

But it was too late to alter the outcome. It had not been a classic but all three goals had been well taken and Altrincham had put in a solid performance to earn the victory.

Full-Time: OXFORD CITY 1 ALTRINCHAM 2
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