Match Report

BARNET (4) 5 ALTRINCHAM (0) 0

Vanarama Conference match
played on Saturday, 20 September 2014, at 3pm

SUMMARY

A fairly even start to the game was undone in the twelfth minute when referee Lugg allowed a questionable challenge on Reeves to go unpunished and Barnet to go on and score, through a well struck shot by the impressive Spaniard, Villa.

Barnet then converted a penalty after Parton had come out to dive at Akinde's feet but the big forward got the ball first and was upended by Alty's keeper. Hurt in the process, Parton recovered to face the penalty but had to be subbed immediately afterwards with what looked like a head injury (30 mins).

After 40 minutes, N'Gala should have been sent off when, already booked, he flattened Moult, but he escaped unpunished.

With 44 minutes gone, it was still 2-0 but, by half time, the Barnet lead had been doubled. Firtsly, another penalty was conceded, this time by Leather, and again converted by Akinde (45 mins), before the striker completed his hat-trick (45+4 mins), from a Nurse feed.

Hoskins, on his debut, made it 5-0 with his first touch (49 mins). Altrincham recovered their composure to complete the game without further goals being conceded but nine goals conceded in two away games this week have plunged them into the bottom four.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Nigel Lugg

ATTENDANCE: 1,516
TEAM NEWS

Shaun Densmore returned to the squad after injury whilst Simon Richman (suspended) gave way to Nicky Clee in the starting eleven.

LINE-UPS:

BARNET (Amber and black) 1. Graham Stack, 2. Andy Yiadom, 3. Elliot Johnson, 5. Bondz N'Gala, 6. David Stephens, 15. Luisma Villa, 8. Curtis Weston, 9. John Akinde, 17. Sam Muggleton, 20. Jon Nurse, 23. Adam Mekki. Subs 24. Sam Hoskins, 11. Lee Cook, 12. Sam Cowler, 14. Sam Togwell, 18. Luke Gambin. ALTRINCHAM (Blue and yellow) 17. Dave Parton, 6. Scott Leather, 5. Gianluca Havern, 16. Tom Marshall, 3. Adam Griffin, 25. Peter Cavanagh (capt), 4. Jake Moult, 7. James Lawrie, 11. Nicky Clee,14. Kyle Perry, 10. Damian Reeves Subs: 1. Stuart Coburn, 9. Steven Gillespie, 15. Greg Wilkinson, 12. Mike Williams, 2. Shaun Densmore

BACKGROUND:

Mike Garnett reminds us of Altrincham's historical record against the Bees...

REPORT

On a heavily watered pitch and under a cloudy sky, Alty kicked off and, within 30 seconds, a Perry foul had conceded a freekick. After that, Barnet soon threatened, on Alty's left, but a poor touch from Nurse, when clear, gave the visitors a goalkick. After Havern had missed a kick, Akinde got free but he fired over from the edge of the box.

For Altrincham, a Perry nod-on located Lawrie but he dragged his shot well wide (4 mins). The visitors now settled and began to hold their own and, next, a Griffin ball fell just ahead of Reeves before running on to Stack.

Altrincham now won a corner from a Lawrie shot, an opportunity that arose from Clee's feed following a Marshall clearance. Although Stack missed the corner, Reeves nodded wide at the back post (11 mins). When Reeves was felled halfway, no foul was given and this led to a goal. The ball was played forward from the right into Alty's box but was cleared to Luisma Villa, who drove home a low shot into Parton's right bottom corner, from the edge of the box (12 mins).

So, as in every away match this season, Altrincham were chasing the game before half-time. Now, Akinde got past Havern and put in a low cross from the right, but it found no one (17 mins). At the other end, Lawrie's cross was just too high for Reeves. After Cavanagh had halted the lively Villa, a Leather foul gave a freekick to Barnet on their left (19 mins).

Villa's freekick from the left deceived everyone but drifted narrowly wide of the back post. When N'Gala caught Lawrie with a late lunge, he was booked (21 mins). But Clee put the freekick into the wall, following which a Clee ball found Reeves but he steered his shot straight to the home keeper (22 mins).

After a promising Alty move on the left had faltered, Villa tripped Clee but nothing came of the freekick as the game continued in a fairly even fashion. When a Muggleton long throw from the right was allowed to bounce in the box, Mekki volleyed miles off target (27 mins).

Parton then came out to the front right of his box but Akinde just poked the ball towards his left as the keeper's dive took his feet from under him. A penalty was given but Parton had taken a blow to the head and needed lengthy treatment before resuming. Though Parton dived the right way, Akinde converted the penalty into the keeper's bottom left corner (30 mins). Immediately Parton went down again and eventually had to be taken off, looking rather groggy. He was replaced by Coburn, having been booked (33 mins).

Now 2-0 ahead, Barnet's Mekki won a corner on the left and, a few minutes later, from a counter-attack, Akinde got past Marshall but tried an ambitious chip from right of goal but poorly executed it (37 mins). After a Johnson trip on Lawrie near half way, the victim's freekick ran to Stack.

Scott Leather was now booked after wrestling down Villa on the Barnet left and kicking the ball away (39 mins). From the resulting freekick, Coburn tipped Villa's shot over the bar for a corner, as rain began to fall.

Near the centre spot, a very poor challenge into the back of Moult by the already cautioned N'Gala looked a certain yellow card offence. But, far from showing N'Gala's second card and a red, Mr Lugg allowed him to escape (41 mins). Both players needed treatment, though one sensed the Barnet man's had a tactical rather than medical element to it.

So, two questionable decisions by Mr Lugg had cost Alty dear, so far; the apparent foul on Reeves before the first goal and the failure to dismiss N'Gala. When Leather wrestled down Mekki on the Barnet left, soon afterwards, to concede another penalty, at least the referee was consistent and did not show Leather a second yellow card either.

Akinde's spot kick sent Coburn the wrong way and made it 3-0 (45mins). In the four added minutes, it got even worse as Alty lost their concentration, allowing Nurse to get to the byline on the right. His low cross was hit into the roof of the net by Akinde, to complete his hat-trick (45+4 mins).

Half-Time: BARNET 4 ALTRINCHAM 0

For some reason the pitch was again heavily sprinkled with water at the interval, which saw Barnet's Togwell replace the booked N'Gala and Alty captain Shaun Densmore return from injury to replace Clee.

After Reeves had shot wide, Akinde went off and Hoskins, Barnet's new loan signing from Yeovil, came on. Within 30 seconds he had scored, when a throw from the left allowed him to score with his first touch, a low shot past Coburn (49 mins).

It threatened to get worse than the 5-0 scoreline as the Bees dominated. But Altrincham kept going, despite a fourth booking of the season for Cavanagh (55 mins). From the freekick for Cavanagh's misdemeanour, Villa hit the crossbar.

Altrincham now deployed Griffin in left midfield with Leather now at left back and Densmore on the right of the back four. Next, Perry won a corner as the away fans continued to give vocal support to Alty. But the visitors could make little impression, as first Lawrie was robbed in the box, then Reeves was penalised and, finally, Moult shinned an attempted 45 yard lob very wide (60 mins).

A Barnet corner, taken short, led to a Nurse shot, which went just wide, and then a Mekki surge ended in a badly sliced shot from left of goal.

Each side now made a change; Gambin for Mekki for Barnet and, for Alty, Gillespie replaced Lawrie (64 mins). Two Barnet corners were dealt with before Hoskins advanced on the right, behind Marshall, and forced a fine save from Coburn. From left of goal, Gambin put the follow up wide, across the face of goal (70 mins).

After 73 minutes Moult was booked for holding, near halfway. Next, a Griffin cross found no one before Reeves blocked a Muggleton clearance but nothing came of either incident (76 mins). Barnet threatened again as Yiadom hit the side netting from a Villa feed on the Barnet right.

Alty's best chance of the game arrived when Yiadom passed backwards, bizarrely straight to Reeves but the resulting one-on-one was won by the keeper. This produced a Griffin corner, which was headed wide by Havern (80 mins). Stephens was now booked for a fairly minor foul on Gillespie (81 mins).

The impressive Villa put Hoskins clear but Coburn saved Alty further punishment with a good stop (83 mins). However, Alty got forward again as a Gillespie shot went close (86 mins). Barnet continued to look the more threatening in attack, however, as, first, a Villa 25-yarder went to Coburn and then Yiadom got past Leather but Densmore managed to block the ball on the line as another Barnet man closed in on the loose ball.

Added time saw a rare Alty shot on target but Perry's effort was easily saved (90+2 mins). So a bad week on the road ended for Alty with nine goals conceded and none scored. Defeat today put them into the relegation spots on goal difference.

Full-Time: BARNET 5 ALTRINCHAM 0
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