Match Report


FOREST GREEN ROVERS (1) 1 ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Vanarama Conference match
played on Saturday, 6 December 2014, at 3pm


SUMMARY

Altrincham, without injured keeper Coburn and winger Clee, were also lacking the suspended Leather. FGR were without three suspended players but their resources are such that they could even affford to have the likes of ex-Premier League striker Lee Hughes on the bench.

Alty started poorly and fell behind after seven minutes following a throw in, which allowed Guthrie to score. As the half wore on, Alty came into the game and should have levelled when Richman spooned a close range chance over the bar just before the break.

The visitors equalised four minutes after the interval with a superb goal by Marshall. He swept home a Densmore freekick with a fine curling shot from 20 yards. The match could have gone either way after that but the draw was another good result for Altrincham against a team in play-off contention.


SCORERS:


REFEREE: Mr Hopkins


ATTENDANCE: 1,261 (42 in away end)
TEAM NEWS

FGR had three players red carded against FC Halifax Town on Tuesday so James Norwood, Dale Bennett and Eddie Oshodi were suspended. For Altrincham, Scott Leather was serving the final game of his three-match ban. Nicky Clee remained unfit and goalkeeper Stuart Coburn was ruled out by a groin injury sustained at Woking in midweek. So, Dave Parton returned in goal but otherwise the team was unchanged.


LINE-UPS:

FOREST GREEN ROVERS: 1. Sam Russell, 2. David Pipe, 5. Luke Oliver, 8. Sam Wedgbury, 10. Marcus Kelly, 12. Clovis Kamdjo, 17. Kurtis Guthrie, 18. Elliott Frear, 19. Rob Sinclair, 20. Jon Parkin, 26. Danny Coles. Subs: 29. Lou McGrory, 3. Chris Stokes, 21. Paul White, 11. Lee Hughes, 16. Aaraan Racine

ALTRINCHAM: 17. Dave Parton 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, 9. Steven Gillespie, 18. Sean Williams, 15. Greg Wilkinson, 24. Josh Samberg


BACKGROUND

Mike Garnett informs us of the historical record between Altrincham and Forest Green Rovers.


REPORT

FGR kicked off with the spectators in the main stand having their view badly compromised by the low sun behind the home end. After a poor Reeves cross from the right, FGR had the better of the opening stages, which were fairly uneventful.

In the sixth minute, Densmore was penalised for a challenge on Guthrie. Following the FGR freekick, Parkin fired a shot miles over the bar. But, then, a quick throw from Parkin allowed Frear to feed Guthrie who opened the scoring (7 mins).

Altrincham were largely kept on the back foot as FGR gained a corner off Marshall and, soon afterwards, a Parkin header went to Parton. However, as the quarter of an hour mark was reached, Alty were getting a toehold in the game.

The visitors now worked hard to restrict any serious threat of a home goal but Alty were finding it hard to keep possession against a physically big FGR team. Alty finally got in a shot but Moult's 19th minute effort went wide from a Reeves feed.

After a foul on Moult by Kamdjo, a Cavanagh ball was just too long for Reeves to pick up. But Altrincham now enjoyed some forward momentum as a Crowther cross was cleared by the ex-Stevenage giant, Oliver, before a well-struck Havern shot was deflected and forced keeper Russell into a good save as he tipped it out for a corner, which came to nothing (24 mins).

Now, Parton punched clear an FGR corner before a Richman shot deflected over the bar for a corner, followed by a second one, this time off Oliver. From this Marshall leapt well and won a header but Richman lifted the resulting close-range chance over the bar (32 mins).

Referee Hopkins now ignored two clear fouls on Reeves as play continued, fairly evenly but without any clear chances. When Guthrie got clear of Marshall, despite the Alty defender's attempt to wrestle him down, advantage was played and Marshall was left unpunished (42 mins).

Next, Crowther shot low and wide and then a Densmore cross was caught in the air by Russell, In added time Alty allowed Frear to set Parkin free. The bulky ex-Preston striker forced a great save from Parton before Alty scrambled the ball clear.

So, after a poor start, Alty had got into the game.


Half-Time: FOREST GREEN ROVERS 1 ALTRINCHAM 0

Early in the second half, Reeves almost got onto a through ball and Alty also won an early freekick for a foul on Lawrie, about 40 yards out, right of centre. From Densmore's low kick, Marshall, left of centre, and on the edge of the box, met the ball as it bounced and swept a superb curling shot into the keeper's bottom left-hand corner. Any striker would have been proud of the central defender's goal (49 mins).

Soon afterwards, from a FGR freekick near halfway on the right touchline, Parkin headed the ball against the bar from where it bounced down and reached Parton, with Guthrie vainly appealing for a goal. The ball had clearly not crossed the line (52 mins).

Parkin, who seemed to be the butt of the FGR crowd, now lost the ball and this allowed Lawrie to put Reeves through, up the middle, but the keeper smothered the ball well (54 mins).

Alty responded when Richman won a corner before FGR countered and Parkin shot wide. The match was now evenly balanced as a Lawrie shot was saved (58 mins). Just after Parkin had fired over, another ex-League stalwart, Lee Hughes, replaced Frear (63 mins).

In a game watched by 1261 supporters (42 away fans), the home crowd was now getting on Parkin's back as he mistakenly let a cross go by. Hughes was making an impression on the right but Parton caught his next cross as FGR enjoyed a good spell.

But now Altrincham had raised their game and a Lawrie 35-yarder was well saved before the same player hit a curling shot to Russell (70 mins). A foul on Moult gave Alty a freekick, which they wasted, before Gillespie came on for Crowther (73 mins).

Another foul on Moult led to Reeves mis-heading the freekick from Densmore. A Wild cross by Parkin elicited more home crowd opprobrium. The game's first booking came when Gillespie made a late tackle on Sinclair (76 mins).

Now Sinclair won a corner from which Parkin had an air shot. Gillespie was then wrongly penalised and Moult was booked for kicking the ball away.

In the 82nd minute, a Hughes cross found Parkin who was blocked, just in time, by Cavanagh; the outcome was a corner. Altrincham now made a double swap as Perry came on for Reeves and Williams for Lawrie (82 mins).

Altrincham had a bit of an alarm when a hoof upfield by FGR set Hughes running and goalkeeper Parton came miles out of his box and successfully hurried Hughes into hooking the ball well wide. Cavanagh became Altrincham's third booking after he had miscontrolled the ball near halfway and then fouled an opponent (88 mins).

Next, Hughes won a corner off Cavanagh. but then Alty almost threw away a goal as Densmore and Parton got in a tangle and the captain almost scored an own goal as Parton came out but Havern cleared successfully (90 mins).

Three added minutes were negotiated before Altrincham emerged with a well-earned point.


Full-Time: FOREST GREEN ROVERS 1 ALTRINCHAM 1