Match Report

LINCOLN CITY (1) 1 ALTRINCHAM (1) 1

Vanarama National League match
played on Tuesday, 22 September, 2015, at 7.45pm

SUMMARY

Altrincham secured their first away point of the season with a performance which was much improved on their poor showing last Saturday, when they slumped 0-4 to Braintree Town.

But the game was marred by a bad injury to Lincoln's Sparrow, following a reckless challenge by Jake Moult. After he had committed two further foul, manager Lee Sinnott substituted the Alty midfielder ten minutes before half-time to forestall a potential dismissal.

Lincoln had taken an eighth minute lead. Crowther lost possession and, following a cross from the Lincoln right, the ball came back from left of goal to Power. The Imps' captain converted the chance comfortably.

But Altrincam responded well and equalised in the sixteenth minute. The goal came after Rankine had won a corner on the Alty right. From Sinnott's corner, Crowther netted with a rising shot at the back post.

Altrincham started the second half well but, as the half wore on, they came under increasing pressure. Lincoln struck the post from a superb shot by MUldoon just after the hour mark and Havern made a superb acrobatic clearance from a header by the statuesque Matt Rhead a couple of minutes later.

But the visitors defended well to secure a deserved point.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Oliver Yates
ATTENDANCE: 1,893 (41 in away end)
TEAM NEWS

Altrincham brought Jake Moult and Ryan Crowther back into the starting eleven as Damian Reeves dropped to the bench and Shaun Densmore was ruled out by injury.

LINE-UPS:

LINCOLN CITY (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks):: 1 Paul FARMAN, 2 Bradley WOOD, 4 Craig STANLEY, 5 Luke WATERFALL, 6. Chris BUSH, 7 Jack MULDOON, 8 Alan POWER, 9 Matt RHEAD, 12 Terry HAWKRIDGE, 18 Lee BEEVERS, 21 Matt SPARROW. Subs: 10 Liam HEARN, 17 Elliot HODGE, 16 Alex SIMMONS, 23 Nat BROWN, 13 Aidan GRANT

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow shirts and socks, blue shorts): 17. Tim DEASY, 6. Scott LEATHER, 22. Andrew PARRY, 5. Luca HAVERN (capt), 3. Adam GRIFFIN, 4. Jake MOULT, 8. Simon RICHMAN, 7. James LAWRIE, 20. Jordan SINNOTT, 19. Ryan CROWTHER, 9. Michael RANKINE. Subs: 10. Damian REEVES, 18. George BOWERMAN, 12. Sam HEATHCOTE, 14. Josh O'KEEFE, 25. Ioannis STOUPPIS.

BACKGROUND

Mike Garnett kindly provides details of our record against Lincoln City...

REPORT

Following half an hour of monsoon-like rain, City kicked off defending the away end. Four minutes into the match, Moult was penalised, some 35 yards out from his own goal and a City corner followed.

Alty's first decent attacking move ended as Farman grabbed the ball ahead of Lawrie (6 mins). But when Deasy blocked a shot from the Lincoln right, it produced a corner to the Imps. Just after this, Crowther lost the ball on the Alty left. A Lincoln ball from right to left was brought down and played into the goalmouth where Power scored comfortably (8 mins).

Another Lincoln corner soon arrived before a very poor challenge by Moult prompted a brief melee near half way on the Alty right. City resumed with ten men as the injured Sparrow was treated off the pitch. He briefly got to his feet but then went down and as the game continued a stretcher was summoned.

On the pitch, a Crowther 20-yarder was beaten out by keeper Farman (14 mins) and then Rankine won a corner. Substitute Simmons came on for Sparrow (15 mins).

From Sinnott's corner on the Alty right, Crowther scored into the roof of the net with a well struck shot from beyond the back post to make it 1-1 (16 mins). It was only Altrincham's third away goal of the season.

With their tails up, Altrincham threatened again as Lawrie forced Farman to tip out his shot for a corner (18 mins). Altrincham were enjoying s good spell and, next, following a Rankine cross, Sinnott had a shot blocked (21 mins).

Next, a Lawrie shot was beaten out unconvincingly by Farman and Sinnott then fired over, under a challenge, from the rebound. As Altrincham continued to play well, a Crowther shot was blocked. Meanwhile, the Imps were giving the ball away from time to time.

After a foul on Richman, Sinnott's freekick led to a Rankine nod to Farman. Lincoln got back into their stride with a corner from a long range shot (32 mins). As no one was upfield, the ball soon came back when the corner was cleared.

Crowther was causing Lincoln problems on the Alty left and then a Richman shot flew just wide. But soon another foul by Moult induced the referee to call over his captain, Luca Havern, to hear his final warning to Moult (35 mins), Lee Sinnott had seen enough and immediately ordered Bowerman to prepare to replace the errant midfielder to prevent him being dismissed later in the match, The switch of personnel arrived a couple of minutes later (37 mins).

Given Alty's shortage of personnel through injury, Moult's recklessness was a blow to the visitors' cause (38 mins). This prompted a reshuffle as Bowerman slotted in on the right.

Another Lincoln corner was negotiated by Altrincham before a wild clearance into touch by Bush gave Alty some respite. It was then a Lincoln man's turn to be lectured by the ref for a foul and, indeed, Stanley talked himself into the book.

A tetchy four added minutes ended with the score still 1-1 at the break.

After a rocky start Alty had done well.

x

Half-Time: LINCOLN CITY 1 ALTRINCHAM 1

Alty were out first for the second half and, unusually for them, they went through a collective warm up routine on the touchline with Neil Tolson before their opponents emerged. The home fans booed ref Ollie Yates as he appeared.

Alty won an early corner and then Leather lashed a shot very high and wide (48 mins). The centre back soon skied another shot from a Bowerman feed. Alty had started the half well before they conceded a corner, which Parry cleared (52 mins). Next, Rankine did well and, from wide left, his shot hit the side netting (53 mins).

Parry headed clear another Imps corner but soon after this Havern deflected a shot for another corner, which Rankine cleared (58 mins). The home side now mounted further pressure as Muldoon turned smartly, right of goal and smacked a shot across Deasy onto the far post (61 mins).

Some relief came as Rankine broke upfield and tried to chip the keeper, unsuccessfully. But Lincoln were now on top and when Rhead won a header at the back post, it needed an acrobatic Havern clearance off the line to save Alty (65 mins).

Midway through the half Alty introduced Reeves for Crowther (67 mins). But Alty were now less under the cosh though an Imps' corner on the left arrived via Simmons (71 mins).

Parry now did well at the back post at the cost of a corner, which was followed by another flag kick as Alty failed to keep the ball upfield (74 mins).

But a wild back pass soon gifted Alty a corner of their own on their left before play switched ends where Hodge shamefully dived in the box after mis-controlling the ball. On 79 minutes Hawkridge was taken off and striker Hearn came on.

A jinking Sinnott run gave Alty some respite but his shot flew wide and then a Griffin 25 yarder cleared the bar (81 mins). Another fine Sinnott run upfield came after he had dispossessed Power, with an Alty corner resulting, which was poorly taken by Lawrie. Lawrie then had a shot blocked before committing a foul.

At the other end, Havern made a superb tackle in his own box (84 mins). Lincoln won another corner, which Leather cleared. When Bowerman was flattened on the left side of the Lincoln penalty area, Sinnott produced a very wild freekick which flew miles too high and wide (89 mins).

A Rhead dive was ignored by the referee before three added minutes were played. During these, a great Leather block was followed by the same player conceding a corner. But the visitors negotiated the closing stages successfully to record their first away point of the campaign.

Following the debacle against Braintree, this had been an encouraging and hard working performance.

Full-Time: LINCOLN CITY 1 ALTRINCHAM 1
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