Match Report

WREXHAM (2) 3 ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 12 September, 2015, at 3pm

SUMMARY

With an injury weakened side (Coburn, Clee, Richman, Griffith, Marshall and O'Keefe were missing and Havern only fit to start on the bench), Alty gave a decent account of themselves against an impressive Wrexham. Alty fell behind in unfortunate circumstances. Moult lost the ball but Jennings's shot took a huge deflection off Leather to loop over Deasy into the net (20 mins).

Alty almost got to half time without further loss but, on 42 minutes, Densmore was penalised and from Vose's fiercely driven freekick, Hudson headed in at the back post.

Alty had their best spell early in the second half when the industrious Rankine scored with a shot from the edge of the box after Sinnott and Lawrie had broken forward up the middle (50 mins).

Eight minutes later Rankine almost had his entire shirt removed by a defender but play continued and from the resulting cross, Gray netted.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Wayne Barratt
ATTENDANCE: 4,628 (138 in away section)
TEAM NEWS

With six players out injured (Coburn, Clee, Richman, Marshall, Griffith and O'Keefe) and Havern, returning from a long lay-off, only fit to start on the bench, Lee Sinnott drafted in Reserves' centre-back Sam Heathcote to make his first-team full debut on the right of midfield. On the bench were two players yet to play for the first team, midfielders Rhain Davis from the youth team and from the reserves, Ioannis Stouppis.

WREXHAM (Red and white): 1. Cameron Belford, 3. Sean Newton, 4. Manny Smith 5. Blaine Hudson, 6. Jamal Fyfield, 8. Dominic Vose 9. James Gray, 10. Connor Jennings, 11. Adriano Moke, 15. Rob Evans, 16. Wes York. Subs: 7. Lee Fowler, 12. Mark Carrington, 14. Kayden Jackson, 17. Adam Smith, 25. Joel Logan.

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow & blue): 17. Tim DEASY, 2. Shaun DENSMORE (capt), 6. Scott LEATHER, 22. Andrew PARRY, 3. Adam GRIFFIN, 4. Jake MOULT, 7. James LAWRIE, 12. Sam HEATHCOTE, 18. George BOWERMAN, 20. Jordan SINNOTT, 9. Michael RANKINE. Subs: 10. Damian REEVES, 19. Ryan CROWTHER. 24. Rhain DAVIS, 5. Luca HAVERN, 25. Ioannis STOUPPIS.

BACKGROUND

Mike Garnett's record of games between the two clubs showed:

REPORT

They seemed unnecessary but the water sprinklers were used on the pitch before kick off. The game started several minutes late and Alty started nervously. A Parry misheaderled to a Deasy punch and then a Lawrie foul just outside the box. This was badly taken, hit straight into the wall (2 mins).

Next, York got past Griffin but the move ended with a wild shot by Newton, which flew miles wide. Alty now got forward and a Lawrie shot, from a Rankine feed, was saved by Belford. Alty were deploying debutant Sam Heathcote, who plays centre-back for the reserves, on their right flank.

Next, Parry had to stop a flick past Deasy before the ball could reach goal. As the game neared the 10th minute, Alty had settled after their shaky start but, now, an Evans cross won his side a corner on their left. After the corner, York poked the ball into the net but was ruled offside.

Former Welling midfielder Vose, who had a good game, now saw a shot blocked. Following this, Griffin was beaten on Alty's left and the resulting cross earned a corner (12 mins).

Alty had a great chance to take the lead when Lawrie was put clear up the middle but the keeper saved with his legs. Next, a Sinnott throw was nodded to Belford by Rankine (14 mins).

Altrincham threatened again when Bowerman had a shot from the edge of the box well saved, but it gained Alty a corner. Then Bowerman's shot, from the corner, had to be cleared off the goal-line at the back post by a Wrexham player (16 mins).

After Densmore had been penalised 35 yards out, Deasy punched away a Gray shot (17 mins). Moments later, a Vose ball into the box hit the Alty back post as everyone watched it sail across the goalmouth.

With Alty having weathered the early pressure, Moult dwelt on the ball and lost it to Jennings, whose resulting shot looped off the unfortunate Leather, and over Deasy, into the net to make it (20 mins).

After 26 minutes, York went past Griffin but Leather cleared and then Deasy saved a Gray shot after a Heathcote pass had gone astray. But when Heathcote was upended, 25 yards out, only a wild freekick, well over the bar by Sinnott, resulted from the freekick, from right of goal (30 mins).

When Bowerman was fouled right on the front edge of the box in a central position, the referee allowed the defensive wall to stand more or less on the penalty spot, about seven yards from the freekick spot. Sinnott again put the kick over the bar (33 mins).

It now took a fine Deasy block from a Wrexham diving header to keep the score 1-0, following a cross from the right. Despite being on the back foot for much of the game so far, Alty had created several half chances of their own.

After Vose had fed Gray, who dragged his shot wide, a Vose shot was diverted over the bar by Gray (39 mins). Just after Lawrie had gone down in the box under a Hudson challenge, and play had been waved on, Densmore was penalised just outside the corner of the box. The Alty captain disputed the award and the freekick was to prove costly.

From the left, Vose drove the freekick fiercely towards the back post, where Hudson headed it in at the back post (42 mins).

Half-Time: WREXHAM 2 ALTRINCHAM 0

Altrincham started this half better than in the first half. Five minutes in, Sinnott and Lawrie combined up the middle and Rankine scored a well constructed goal with a strong, rising shot past Belford from 20 yards or so (50 mins).

After an Evans shot had been beaten away for a corner, a second followed but was dealt with. Crowther then replaced Heathcote (54 mins) on what was, now, a warm, and sunny afternoon. Almost immediately, Crowther beat Newton but the keeper got to the ball ahead of Bowerman (55 mins).

Evans felled Rankine near half way but the freekick came to nothing. Moments later, near half way, Rankine's shirt was almost pulled off his back but play went on and Wrexham scored through Gray, from six yards, after a cross from Wrexham's right (58 mins).

The goal had come after a good Alty spell. On the hour, a Wrexham freekick was headed just over the bar by Gray. For Alty, Bowerman was given offside as he shot wide from Lawrie's clever ball forward (64 mins).

When a Vose effort deflected for a corner, Deasy blocked the ball on the line before another Wrexham effort hit the bar. Alty were under the cosh as Reeves and Havern came on for Moult and Bowerman (68 mins).

Next, a Newton cross from the left ran across the face of goal before Leather blocked a York shot and the Wrexham no.3 repeated his cross across the goalmouth moments later and, once more, no one could make contact with it (74 mins).

Wrexham were keeping possession well but Altrincham stuck to their task. Ten minutes from time, Logan and Adam Smith replaced Gray and York and five minutes later Jackson came on for the impressive Vose (85 mins). Wrexham remained a threat as Adam Smith beat Lawrie but shot wide from 18 yards (86 mins).

Alty survived a corner, won by Logan, but then almost set up a tense finale. Densmore cross from the right was headed back across goal from the back post by Reeves. However, the header struck the crossbar and left Wrexham's two-goal cushion intact (90 mins).

Altrincham could not find a way back and dropped three places to nineteenth after a difficult run of fixtures, including six against the current top eight. The fixtures were made worse by an horrendous sequence of injuries affecting their small squad. It gets no easier as ambitious Eastleigh are the next visitors to the J.Davidson Stadium, this Tuesday.

Full-Time: WREXHAM 3 ALTRINCHAM 1
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