Match Report
BATH CITY (0) 1 ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
played on Saturday, 24 January, 2015, at 3pm
SUMMARY
Altrincham saw plenty of the ball but rarely looked like scoring as they exited a cup for the third time this season to lower league opposition. Phil Walsh headed in a 78th minute freekick as Bath deservedly won the tie after an evenly balanced first half of an error ridden match played on a soft, but by no means difficult, pitch.
SCORERS:
- 78 mins: Phil WALSH (Bath City 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
REFEREE: Mr Adam Bromley (Plymouth)
ATTENDANCE: 863
TEAM NEWS
With Cavanagh injured and Wiliams suspended, Lawrie returned to the starting eleven.
LINE-UPS:
BATH CITY (Black and white) 1. Jason Mellor, 2. Sekani Simpson 3. Andy Gallinagh, 4. Phil Walsh, 5. Dan Ball, 6. Chas Hemmings, 7. Andy Watkins, 8. Ben Adelsbury, 9.David Pratt, 10. Chris Allen, 11. Frankie Artus, Subs: 12. Dan Bowman, 15. Ross Stearn, 14 Ashley Kington, 17. Naby Diallo, 16. Nick McCootie,
ALTRINCHAM (Yellow and blue) : 1. Stuart Coburn, 2. Shaun Densmore (capt), 5. Gianluca Havern, 16. Tom Marshall, 3. Adam Griffin, 4. Jake Moult, 8. Simon Richman, 19. Ryan Crowther, 10. Damian Reeves, 7. James Lawrie 11. Nicky Clee, Subs: 6. Scott Leather, 9. Steven Gillespie, 14. Kyle Perry, 17.Dave Parton, 20. Joel Swift,
BACKGROUND
Mike Garnett advises us that Alty and Bath City had never previously met in a cup competition before today. He also provides our historical record against The Romans:
- Home P.17 W.9 D.3 L.5 F.24 A.14
- Away P.17 W.7 D.6 L.4 F.23 A.19
- Overall P.34 W.16 D.9 L.9 F.47 A.33
The clubs first met on 13th October 1979 (APL) when the outcome was Alty 4 Bath City 0. Our most recent meeting was a 0-3 defeat at home to Bath on 22nd January 2011.
REPORT
After changing ends, Bath kicked off down the slope in bright sunshine at Twerton Park. Alty won an early freekick in their own half (2 mins) and then the game's first corner, through Clee (4 mins). But The Romans had the best chance of the early stages when, from a counter-attack, Watkins was put clear but shot disappointingly wide.
After three Bath throws, Clee's throw for the visitors led to Moult volleying well wide (8 mins). Soon, Reeves was caught offside, a situation that Alty found themselves in too often in the first half. Play was pretty uninspiring with passing errors on a heavy but by no means bad surface.
Then Watkins got behind Havern but hooked a hurried shot well wide for a goalkick (17 mins). At the other end, Clee beat his man and fed Reeves, who was again offside as his shot hit the keeper.
Passes continued to be misplaced and crosses poorly directed before Marshall bravely headed the ball away twice after a Watkins cross. Bath were edging the game in terms of attacking threat so far (22 mins). Altrincham's forward movement was lacking in tempo as the ball was repeatedly played across the field or backwards.
However, after 27 minutes, an Alty corner arrived, following which a Densmore cross elicited strong appeals for hands in the Bath box but nothing was given against the Bath defender who seemed to lean into the ball with his arm (28 mins). Next, Alty won a freekick 25 yards out and centrally positioned in relation to the Bath goal (32 mins).
But Densmore's curling freekick cleared the bar. After Clee had lost the ball, Simpson's cross caused Alty some concern, which was heightened when Griffin was penalised harshly for handball as he protected his face.
After 36 minutes, Clee was tripped 28 yards out, centrally, and Artus was spoken to by the referee. Densmore's freekick was half cleared before a Havern cross led to a Reeves header, which dropped onto the roof of the net.
Four minutes before the break, Lawrie fed Clee, whose shot came back off Mellor and was cleared. Soon after this, Mellor came out of his box and had to drop the ball to avoid a handling offence as Reeves put him under pressure.
After Adelsbury's ambitious 35 yarder had well cleared the bar, Reeves was again offside, from a Griffin feed. Alty's best effort of the half arrived in added time when Clee's good ball found Lawrie, whose first time shot had to be tipped round the post for a corner.
But the interval arrived with the game goalless and riddled by too many errors from both sides to be an enjoyable spectacle.
| Half-Time: BATH CITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 0 |
After Alty had kicked off down the slope, the errors continued as Moult kicked into touch and Clee's pass went astray.
Things improved for the spectators as Allen got past Richman and saw his shot just stopped by Coburn's dive before Moult cleared the loose ball for a corner (50 mins). Alty's first threat of the half came when, from a Griffin cross, a Reeves header was saved (52 mins).
Three minutes later, Lawrie curled in a shot which the keeper made a meal of, but saved. At the other end, when Griffin was beaten by Pratt, his cross was headed over the bar by an unmarked team-mate. Now Adelsbury went off and McCootie came on for City (57 mins).
When a ball was played inside Griffin, Allen got into the box and went down as Marshall challenged. The home side's big appeal for a penalty was refused (60 mins). Alty were now on the back foot and, soon, a well-struck goal-bound shot from Hemmings was hooked over the bar by the sprawling Marshall for a corner (62 mins).
Alty finally got upfield but Crowther dragged his shot well wide from the edge of the box. After a Clee long throw, Moult had a shot blocked before a Richman shot earned a corner on the right.
For the third time in the game, a through ball opened up Altrincham as Allen was put clear but Coburn saved well, pushing the ball over the bar for a corner (68 mins).
After 72 minutes, Clee won a corner but, before it could be taken, Diallo came on for Watkins for Bath and Gillespie for Crowther for Altrincham (72 mins).
Soon, Diallo shot well wide, and then a Simpson cross won Bath a corner off Griffin. Now Stearn surprisingly replaced the lively Allen, who was to be named man of the match (75 mins). After Densmore had fouled Pratt on the Bath left, the ref waved play on and a folow-up challenge by Moult saw him booked on his 100th start for the club.
From the resulting Stearn freekick, towards the left touchline, the unmarked Walsh rose to glance a header past Coburn into the net (78 mins). Four minutes later Perry replaced Lawrie (82 mins).
After this, a Bath shot, following a freekick, went into the side netting as Alty failed to look a threat at this stage. Indeed, at the other end, Stearn beat Griffin but his effort deflected safely to Coburn. Next Perry was offside and, as time ticked away, a Gillespie shot was blocked (88 mins).
Hopes were raised when a Perry header won a corner, but this was cleared before forlorn Alty appeals for a penalty for handball were ignored by the referee. Three added minutes changed nothing and Bath des deservedly progressed into Round Four against an Altrincham side which barely tested the home keeper and failed to convert a good proportion of the possession into anything menacing.
| Full-Time: BATH CITY 1 ALTRINCHAM 0 |