Match Report

WOKING (0) 2 ALTRINCHAM (0) 0

Vanarama Conference match
played on Tuesday, 2 December 2014, at 7.45pm

SUMMARY

After a shaky start Altrincham settled well, with Crowther seeing a lot of the ball on the left. Before the interval Marshall had the ball in the net for Alty, from a Densmore freekick, but the goal was ruled out for a foul. Half time arrived with the game goalless.

But Alty conceded early in the second half with a scrappy goal from a corner, converted by Marriott. And the game was effectively over when the unmarked Rendell scored a second after 64 minutes after finding himself unmarked 20 yards from goal.

Nevertheless, Altrincham continued to battle and, after good work from Sean Williams on the left, Jake Moult's cross was headed narrowly over the bar by Damian Reeves. In the closing stages, Simon Richman also went close at the end of a polished move from the visitors.

Altrincham then faced the second leg of their 400-mile midweek round trip to get back home for a brief sleep before starting their non-footballing day jobs!

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr C Powell

ATTENDANCE: 1,056
TEAM NEWS

Altrincham were again without Nicky Clee (broken toe) and Scott Leather was still suspended. So they started the game unchanged from last Saturday's match.

LINE-UPS:

WOKING (Red & white shirts, black shorts) 30. Ross Worner, 6. James Clarke, 3. Mike Cestor, 21. Joey Jones, 32. Chris Arthur, 22. John Goddard, 8 Kieran Murtagh, 7. Josh Payne, 11. Kevin Betsy, 9.Scott Rendell, 16. Jack Marriott. Subs: 31. Andy Little, 2.Adam Newton, 10. Giuseppe Sole, 15. John Nutter, 24. Dean Morgan,

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow and blue shirts, blue shorts, yellow socks) 1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (c), 5. Gianluca Havern, 16. Tom Marshall, 3. Adam Griffin, 4. Jake Moult, 25. Peter Cavanagh, 8. Simon Richman, 19. Ryan Crowther, 7. James Lawrie, 10. Damian Reeves. Subs: 14. Kyle Perry, 17 Dave Parton, 9. Steven Gillespie, 18. Sean Williams, 15. Greg Wilkinson

BACKGROUND

Alty had been dealt a 400-mile midweek trip by the Conference, and of their eight midweek fixtures this season, six have been away matches. In contrast The Cards were at home for the second time in three days.

Woking won the reverse fixture, in October, 3-0. Mike Garnett reminds us that our overall record against Woking, is:

REPORT

It was a chilly night, with a stiff breeze, ar Kingfield as Woking kicked off in dry conditions after morning rain. From the kick off a Woking attack was halted by Marshall, who went on to play well alongside Luca Havern. Alty were under pressure in the opening stages as Goddard forced Coburn into a smart tip over the bar for a corner. From the corner the ball ricocheted around the box before being grabbed on the goal-line by Coburn (2 mins).

Despite the poors scheduling of this game some 30 to 40 Alty fans had made the effort to get here and the Woking jibes about the small numbers seemed oblivious to the fact that it was 400 miles return on a Tuesday night. The puitch was already beginning to cut up with a number of large divots being evident on the pitch. Woking continued to dominate the opening stages as, now, the veteran ex-Football League man, Kevin Betsey got into the box and Alty had to scramble the ball clear (7 mins).

But Altrincham now got into the match as a good Moult ball threaded through for for Reeves was only just diverted for a throw. Next, a Griffin cross won a corner, folllowing which a Moult cross went to keeper Worner. The Woking menaced again as Goddard fired just wide after a one- two with Rendell. There was then a bad miss by Goddard as he spooned a clear chance over the bar from a Betsey feed (11 mins).

For Altrincham, Crowther was beginning to emerge as the main attacking outlet as the visitors began to get forward with a little more conviction. After Crowther had been halted in the box, following an exchange with Lawrie, another good piece of play, from Griffin, led to a Densmore cross being caught by the keeper.

However, after Moult had been penalised for holding, 20 yards from go, Woking's freekick went off Havern for a corner, followed by two more, the latter of these coming when Densmore had to head the ball out (21 mins). A Crowther counter attack was followed by the same player winning possession and gaining a corner for Altrincham. The visitors had taken the sting out of Woking and their commitment was typified by the harrying which forced a Woking attack to falter and end in a back pass to keeper Wormer.

But Woking were still a danger as a Rendell shot had to be blocked after Arthur's good work before a fine Densmore tackle halted another probe (29 mins). Successive fouls on Richman, Havern and then Moult gave Alty possession. From the last offence, Densmore's freekick from the left was headed into the net by Marshall but he was penalised for a foul (33 mins)>

The fouls continued as Cavanagh was caught in the air and needed to be treated as Altrincham silenced the home crowd. Next, however, an Alty foul by Cavanagh gave Woking a freekick from 22 yards which Payne put poorly over the bar. After this Cavanagh, who was playing well, won the ball leading to an advance by Densmore but as he advanced his left-foot shot went well over the bar from the inside-left position (38 mins).

An uneventful few minutes passed before Crowther was tripped on the centre spot and then Marshall was fouled in the back but the offender Rendell hurt himself in the process and needed treatment. As the game went into added time Reeves won a corner off Cestor, from which a Havern header was blocked.

Half time was reached at 0-0. So, after a shaky start, Altrincham had done well.

Half-Time: WOKING 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

As Alty kicked off, Gillespie had replaced Lawrie and he started on the right, with Crowther remaining to the left and Reeves up top. After a Reeves advance had been halted, a clearance off the line by Griffin gave Woking a corner. A Woking player got to the ball at the near post before the ball was poked home by Marriott (48 mins).

At the other end a low effort from Griffin, from Densmore's feed, was comfortably saved by Worner. Following a 53rd minute foul on Crowther, Gillespie's header was saved. Despite the limited numbers of away fans there was good vocal support for Alty. Next a superb ball from Cavanagh located Crowther in the box and he won a corner. This was poorly taken by Gillespie and was cleared by the first defender in front of the near post (58 mins).

Centre-back Marshall now dribbled impressively up the middle into the Woking box before being halted. Then an excellent move involving Richman and Densmore ended with Worner smothering the ball.

The Cards now gained two successive corners. This presaged a few minutes' pressure which culminated in a good low ball to the unmarked Rendell in the inside right channel. He steered it impressively, first time, across Coburn into the far corner of the net (64 mins). But the scorer, Rendell, was immediately replaced by Morgan, whilst the Cards' other scorer, Marriott was simultaneously withdrawn in favour of Sole (65 mins).

Altrincham still kept going and from a Griffin cross, a Reeves header looped over the bar. After 70 minutes Perry replaced Crowther, who had probably had his best game yet in an injury and illness-affected season to date.

With 15 minutes remaining, Newton replaced Cestor and Sean Williams came on for Alty's Cavanagh. Soon, Williams did well on the left and fed Moult whose firm cross gave Reeves a difficult headed chance but the effort was saved by Worner (79 mins). For Woking, Newton sidefooted a good chance to Coburn from right of goal before a Densmore foul led to a Woking corner.

There was a worry for Alty as Coburn sliced a kick into touch and moments later went down for treatment, off the ball, before resuming (82 mins). As time ticked away a firm Perry shot was saved but a Woking corner soon followed (88 mins). Another good Alty passing move culminated in a Richman shot clearing the bar (89 mins).

Three added minutes brought no change to the outcome and, although Altrincham had lost to a Woking side who climbed to second place in the table, they had given a good account of themselves.

Full-Time: WOKING 2 ALTRINCHAM 0
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