Match Report

HISTON (0) 0 ALTRINCHAM (4) 5

Skrill North match
played on Saturday, 26 April 2014, at 3pm

SUMMARY Altrincham cruised into a 4-0 lead inside 25 minutes. Scott Leather's unchallenged header started the process in the sixth minute, from a James Lawrie freekick. Nicky Clee made it 2-0 after ten minutes after a Reeves effort had been saved. It was 3-0 on 15 minutes when Reeves was put through and scored. The fourth arrived in the 24th minute when Reeves headed in after the ball had rebounded to him off Lawrie.

Histon had some threatening moments mainly from aerial balls arriving from long throws and corners and Coburn had to make a couple of useful saves in the first half.

Lawrie added a fifth four minutes after the interval but there were to be no further goals.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr David Rock
ATTENDANCE: 433
TEAM NEWS

Matt Doughty returned on the bench but Carl Rodgers was out. Simon Richman started the game.

LINE-UPS:

HISTON

(Red and black)		 FROM 1. Callum Kitscha, 2. Ryan Baxter, 3. Ashley White, 4. Ben Clappison, 5.Will De Havilland, 6. Eugene Libertucci, 7. Michael Built, 8. Peter Clark, 9. Salim Relizani, 10. Matty Waters, 11. Charlie Day. Subs : 12. Nick Freeman, 14. Curtis Fulcher, 15. Caspar Irso-Coombes 16. Luis McCoy, 17. George Root

ALTRINCHAM

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

BACKGROUND:

For the second match in a row, Altrincham were meeting a club that would not be in the same division next season. In this case, Histon's relegation had been confirmed on Easter Monday. Back in August, Histon had drawn 2-2 at the J. Davidson Stadium.

Mike Garnett provides the historical record of games between our two teams.

REPORT

On a pitch that was understandably a bit bare in places, Alty kicked off and immediately a good Moult ball to Clee was relayed to Walshaw, who did not shoot, but played the ball back to Richman, who sidefooted well over the bar from 20 yards. However, from the second of two Histon long throws, De Havilland headed just over Alty's bar (2 mins).

The pitch was proving to be very bobbly and a gusty wind also made conditions difficult for fluent football. When Reeves was fouled, 40 yards out, to the right, Lawrie's freekick found Leather who, unchallenged, headed home comfortably to make it 0-1 (6 mins).

Histon were brighter going forward than at the back and they now won a corner, which was hacked half-clear but then Day forced a save which gave Histon another corner. But any hopes of an equalizer were dashed in the tenth minute when the keeper saved a Reeves effort only for the ball to fall to Clee who finshed confidently.

Two soon became three after Richman had won the ball well in midfield and it was played through the middle to Reeves, who scored past the advancing keeper (15 mins).

Alty were now fully in control but after 19 minutes a Built shot was blocked, before a Histon long throw led to a header, which ran to Coburn.

Following a Griffin cross, Reeves hit the post (23 mins) but a minute later the striker had better luck as a cross from the left bounced off Lawrie to Reeves, who nodded it into the net to make it 4-0 after just 24 minutes.

Histon kept going, however, as Built fed Clark who forced a save from Coburn (28 mins). Then, the Alty pressure resumed as a Griffin cross was tipped away and then De Havilland had to do well to hold off Walshaw in the box (33 mins).

Next, Densmore won a corner on the right and soon afterwards a Lawrie corner from the left had to be cleared (37 mins). From a Reeves cross, Clee's goalbound shot was deflected for another corner (41 mins). Half time arrived with the visitors in control.

Half-Time: HISTON 0 ALTRINCHAM 4

Histon brought on Freeman for Relizani at the interval and, after a few uneventful minutes, a Clee throw led to Lawrie scoring with an impressive shot from 25 yards, making it 0-5 (49 mins).

After 52 minutes, from a Clee cross, Reeves netted again but was given offside. Next, a freekick, won by Clee on the left, was put over the bar by Lawrie (53 mins). Three minutes later, Lawrie put a 30-yarder miles over the bar.

Long throws by Libertucci continud to be as good as it got for Histon before Walshaw got completely clear but a poor touch saw him run into trouble (58 mins). At the other end, Day got into the box but the ball ran to Coburn.

Alty now made a triple swap and moved to 3-5-2. Marshall, Perry and Wilkinson came on for Moult, Walshaw and Clee (59 mins). Histon's announcer expressed the hope that Alty would withdraw their entire side to give his side a chance to score.

Soon, a stooping Perry headed a cross over the bar but the game was now going through a fairly uneventful spell. Mix ups between Reeves and Wilkinson then Reeves and Perry ended two forward movements. Next, Wilkinson volleyed over the bar from 25 yards before Perry had a shot saved (71 mins)

The one-way traffic continued with two good advances by Griffin and then the left-back's cross was cleared to Perry who fired miles over the bar with his left foot (76 mins).

Subs McCoy and Root now came on for Histon, as Clark and Waters were taken off (77 mins). Following a Leather overlap, Histon got forward and a shot bounced badly but Coburn saved it.

After treatment to Densmore for a facial injury, another wild lash by Perry sailed over the bar, from a Reeves feed (82 mins). Alty played for several minutes with ten men as Richman received treatment in th dug out for a foot injury before he resumed.

Now Perry scuffed a shot badly wide (87 mins) as the game drifted to its conclusion. It was too one-sided a contest to generate great excitement but Altrincham had done a professional job in securing s comfortable win to assure themsees of a third-place finish. They now meet Hednesford Town in the two-legged play-off semi-finals.

Full-Time: HISTON 0 ALTRINCHAM 5
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