Match Report

TORQUAY UNITED (2) 2 ALTRINCHAM (0) 0

Vanarama Conference match
played on Saturday, 11 April, 2015, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Alty lost goalkeeper Coburn in the opening minutes to injury and had an early Reeves goal ruled out for offside. Two goals in five minutes from Daniel and Bowman gave Torquay command before the interval, the second a penalty conceded by Havern.

Sinnott and Leather had good shots saved in the second half but Alty could not get back into the game. Eight minutes from time Moult was sent off for a second yellow card offence.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Pottage
ATTENDANCE: 1462 (84 away fans)
TEAM NEWS

For Altrincham, Stuart Coburn started but Peter Cavanagh was suspended after racking up ten cautions. Meanwhile Duane Ofori-Aceampong and Luke Young were also suspended for the Gulls, who had pre-match doubts over Cameron and Tonge. However, Ryan Bowman and John Campbell returned to the squad.

LINE-UPS:

TORQUAY UNITED (Yellow shirts, blue shorts, white socks) 31. Dan Lavercombe, 29. Aaron Dawson, 5. Krystian Pearce, 6. Ben Harding, 25. Levi Ives, 4. Aaron Downes, 22. James McQuilkin,20. Kadell Daniel, 10. Toby Ajala, 7. Louis Briscoe, 9. Ryan Bowman. Subs: 1. Martin Rice, 14. Ashley Yeoman, 16. Courtney Richards, 26. Ollivier Gueguen, 32 John Campbell

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks ). 1. Stuart Coburn, 6. Scott Leather, 5. Gianluca Havern (c), 16. Tom Marshall, 3. Adam Griffin, 8 Simon Richman, 26. Jordan Sinnott, 4. Jake Moult, 7. James Lawrie, 11. Nicky Clee, 10. Damian Reeves. Subs: 17.Dave Parton, 14. Kyle Perry, 19. Ryan Crowther, 9. Steven Gillespie, 20. Joel Swift

BACKGROUND

Mike Garnett provides the record between Altrincham and Torquay United.

REPORT

On a sunny afternoon but with a chilly wind, Alty kicked off, enjoying good vocal support from 84 travelling fans. The first incident in an eventful opening came when Reeves slid in, late, and upended teenage keeper Lavercombe, after he had gathered the ball. The Alty man escaped with a talking-to (4 mins).

Moments later Reeves had the ball in the net but was given offside after a Lawrie shot had been saved and pushed out to him. The opening had come from a quick throw by Sinnott from the right.

Next, Coburn went down off the ball and after brief treatment went off, to be replaced by Parton (7 mins). After 10 minutes Reeves toe-ended a shot wide from right of goal. Alty's decent start continued as Lawrie gained a corner from Reeves's feed.

At the other end, the ball was scrambled clear from the Alty box but, soon, the Gulls gained a corner on the left. Parton missed the cross from the corner but a goalkick resulted (15 mins).

Five minutes later an Ajala cross won another corner before a Briscoe cross hit Daniel and ran on to Parton. Now Torquay took the lead after Bowman had been left in acres on the right as left-back Griffin was upfield. His cross deflected off an Alty defender and went across the box to Daniel, who got the better of Leather to score from left of centre (22 mins).

It got worse five minutes afterwards when Havern went in late on Bowman and did not get the ball. A penalty was awarded which Bowman netted confidently (27 mins). Bowman then gratuitously threw the ball at Parton's head and a melee ensued from which Alty's Moult and Bowman were booked.

Bowman who had got up from the penalty challenge holding his shoulder, now went down holding it again. He had to be replaced by Campbell (33 mins).

Next, a Richman shot went just wide from a Reeves lay off (34 mins). Torquay continued to have the better of things and looked the livelier side as half-time approached. Once again, Ajala got into a pocket behind Griffin and won a corner (42 mins) and two minutes later he did so again and got in a shot from the right, which was saved by Parton.

In the 45th minute, Clee won a corner on the left, taken by Sinnott. After the corner, a Clee cross was headed by Havern but saved by the keeper. In the three added minutes, Downes clearly held Reeves in the box, an offence missed by the officials.

Moult had been one of Alty's few players to emerge with much credit in the first half.

Half-Time: TORQUAY UNITED 2 ALTRINCHAM 0

The half opened with Parton saving well from Campbell, at the cost of a corner. Alty remained on the back foot and were unable to get much service to Reeves, foraging alone up front.

After Ajala had got behind Griffin, Marshall cleared his cross. From Alty there was little threat before a promising move ended with a very wild Lawrie shot (54 mins). Next, Clee's ambitious shot from 20 yards left of goal also flew off target. Things continued to improve when Reeves was fouled and Sinnott's freekick from 35 yards went to the keeper (57 mins).

Parton's nervous game continued as he tried to dribble but lost the ball and Campbell, from wide left, only just failed to find the empty net (60 mins). Another promising Alty move foundered as Sinnott lost the ball before conceding a freekick.

At least Altrincham were now making a better fist of getting forward but Reeves remained largely isolated before Leather gained his side a corner (61 mins). At the Alty end, Marshall missed the ball but Parton blocked the resulting shot (63 mins).

Next, Richman won a freekick off Pearce, 25 yards out. A good Sinnott freekick flew narrowly wide after Clee's dummy run over the dead ball (65 mins). A Reeves run and then a Reeves shot were both halted, before Lawrie fired well over the bar (66 mins).

Midway through the half, Perry replaced Richman (67 mins). The next effort of note was a fierce Sinnott shot, which was beaten out by the keeper. Almost immediately afterwards, a Leather 25 yarder was also beaten out by Lavercome, this time for a corner on Alty's left.

A Havern error led to a shot from the burly Briscoe which Parton pushed away for a corner (76 mins). Two minutes later, Sinnott was booked for a foul and a further two minutes afterwards, Richards came on for Briscoe (80 mins).

Out of nothing, near half way on the Alty right, Jake Moult collected a second yellow and red for a foul, leaving Alty reduced to ten men (82 mins).

. After 84 minutes, Crowther came on for Clee. Torquay now raised their game for the closing stages against the ten men. Firstly, an Ajala shot had to beaten out for a corner from a Richards feed, before Downes headed the corner over the bar (88 mins).

Next, Parton came out of his box but sliced his kick and then headed clear. Alty's keeper was soon in action, again, blocking a shot from Harding (90 mins).

After their excellent efforts to ensure safety in the division, Altrincham have been looking a tired team and they look set to limp over the line rather than complete the season with a flourish. The next game, at home to relegated Telford, sees them without the suspended Cavanagh and Moult, and with Coburn and Williams needing to fight a battle for fitness.

Full-Time: TORQUAY UNITED 2 ALTRINCHAM 0
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