Match Report

GATESHEAD (0) 2 ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 17 October, 2015, at 3pm

SUMMARY

After a fairly even but goalless first half, an Alty side lacking five injured players, conceded in the fourth minute after the interval. A cross was allowed to come in from the Heed's left and Bowman rose, unchallenged, to head his side ahead.

The visitors remained on the back foot till after the simultaneous introduction of wingmen Clee and Bowerman, on 59 minutes. They changed the whole complexion of the match. Alty went from 0-1 to 2-1 up inside three minutes. First, Clee won and took a quick throw from the left corner. This led to a well struck effort from Moult which Russell pushed onto the bar. Rankine was on hand to nod home the loose ball (77 mins).

Alty's second was scored by Bowerman after Richman had attempted an overhead shot inside the box (79 mins).

The visitors were not able to hold on and, in the second added minute, Gateshead equalised. A dubious freekick against Leather was half cleared and substitute McLaughlin netted from just outside the box.

A draw was probably a fair result and it keeps Altrincham 19th.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Jason Whiteley
ATTENDANCE: 911 (48 away supporters)
TEAM NEWS

Coburn, Marshall, Densmore, Crowther and Parry were all out, injured. However, Griffin and Richman returned to the side.

New loan signing from Sunderland, Honeyman, started for the hosts who madeseveral changes after recent indifferent form.

LINE-UPS:

GATESHEAD (White shirts, black shorts and socks): 1. Sam Russell, 4. Jamie Chandler, 5. James Curtis, 12. Gus Matufa,16. Jordan Cranston, 19. Ryan Bowman,6. Ben Clark 7. James Marwood, 20. Danny Johnson, 21 George Honeyman 22. Simon Ramsden, Subs: 11. Jimmy Phillips, 9. Jon Shaw, 13. Shaun MacDonald, 15. Nathan Buddle, 26. Patrick McLaughlin

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow shirts and socks, blue shorts ): 17. Tim DEASY, 6. Scott LEATHER, 5. Luca HAVERN (capt), 3. Adam GRIFFIN, 4. Jake MOULT, 8. Simon RICHMAN, 14. Josh O'KEEFE, 7. James LAWRIE, 10. Damian REEVES 9. Michael RANKINE, 20. Jordan SINNOTT Subs: 11. Nicky CLEE, 18. George BOWERMAN, 12. Sam HEATHCOTE, 23. Callum WILLIAMS, 24. Rhain DAVIS

BACKGROUND

Michael Rankine had scored the only goal in this fixture last season, when playing for Gateshead. Mike Garnett's record of previous games between the two clubs shows...

REPORT

After a scrappy start, a gentle Bowman header to Deasy was the nearest to any early goalmouth action (7 mins). At the other end, keeper Russell had blocked a Rankine effort before a Lawrie shot was also blocked (9 mins).

The game's first corner was won by Bowman on Gateshead's left but Deasy was called into action on 14 minutes as he beat out Mafuta's shot. This had come after Richman had failed in an attempt to dribble out of his team's defence.

Next, as things improved on the pitch, Reeves did well and, via Rankine, O'Keefe saw his effort blocked. For the hosts, Johnson could only produce a weak shot after Honeyman had got past Sinnott on the Heed's left. Moments later Johnson fired wide, across goal (19 mins).

The hosts were on top when Cranston got past Sinnott but his cross narrowly evaded Marwood in the goalmouth. Soon, Sinnott got forward and delivered two good crosses but neither side was showing real incision going forward.

However, Gateshead went close in the 29th minute when Bowman's flick on saw Honeyman go inches wide with a first time effort as he got ahead of Havern.

For Alty, Richman won a corner on the right but this was cleared. There was not much width about Alty's play but a Sinnott throw did earn them a corner (34 mins).

Gateshead's Curtis wasted a good chance with a free header from Curtis at the back post from a Cranston freekick (36 mins). After a foul on Richman, Honeyman tugged back Sinnott and was booked (39 mins).

Next, a Rankine header dropped just over the bar from Sinnott's freekick before Alty's best chance of the half arrived. Richman fed the ball into the box where Reeves, under pressure, failed to connect with his intended shot (41 mins).

In the one added minute. Lawrie lost the ball and it was worked forward to Johnson whose shot deflected for a corner, which Sinnott, who is proving a capable right-back in the absence of Densmore, cleared.

Alty had put in a decent performance without threatening too often.

Half-Time: GATESHEAD 0 ALTRINCHAM 0

Early in the second half Griffin intercepted the ball and played in a cross for Reeves who could not quite gather it. Then, Rankine found Lawrie whose smart chip landed on the roof of Russell's net. A scrappy spell of mis-passing followed before Richman stood off a Gateshead player near their left corner. The resulting cross found the unmarked Bowman, who headed the ball into the net.

After Lawrie had been halted at one end, a long ball reached Marwood at the other but he lifted his shot well over the bar (51 mins). A home corner, then a Johnson shot just wide, did not augur well for Altrincham who were posing no real threat of their own (54 mins).

A double change came in the 59th minute as Clee came on for O'Keefe and Bowerman for Reeves. The sides now exchanged corners before Bowerman won a further corner on the left (65 mins).

After Johnson had forced a save on a counter attack, Gateshead took Marwood off and brought Phillips on (68 mins). Next, Clee shot wide from a Rankine feed as Alty were now getting forward with more conviction. Clee's guile on the left and Bowerman's preparedness to run at defenders were paying dividends.

When Clee won a throw in the left corner, he quickly took it himself. The ball came out to Moult whose well struck shot was pushed out by Russell. Rankine was the quickest to react and nodded the ball into the net, off the underside of the bar, from close range, to level the score (77 mins).

Immediately, Gateshead withdrew Honeyman, who had had a good first half but a quiet second period, in favour of McLaughlin. However, within a minute Alty had scored again as Bowerman netted from a Clee pass, after Richman, inside the box, had tried an overhead kick (79 mins).

Alty were on top now and, next, Rankine got to the byline and won a corner. There was panic in the Heed defence but Bowerman missed a great chance as his shot went wide of the post from 10 yards (82 mins).

Sub Buddle now replaced Curtis (83 mins). Rankine suddenly sat down for treatment and was replaced by Heathcote (85 mins). Alty had an escape when Clark headed badly over the bar after an aerial ball had evaded Heathcote.

Next, a foul on Bowerman gave Altrincham a freekick 30 yards from the Heed goal but Sinnott put the freekick well over the bar (89 mins). Gateshead soon pressed again and a McLaughlin header hit the outside of the post from a cross from the left.

A minimum of four added minutes were to be played and, early in this period, Leather was harshly penalised near half way. The freekick was only half cleared and the ball came out to Phillips, who fired home from the edge of the box (90+2 mins).

There was time for a foul on Lawrie to yield a freekick, 35 yards out, but Richman hooked an effort wide after a poor Lawrie freekick. Play continued into the sixth added minute when Bowerman got in a cross from the left but the game was to end all square.

A draw was probably a fair result. A weakened Alty side had shown some spirit but it had taken the substitutions to give Alty the upper hand after earlier dominance from Gateshead.

Full-Time: GATESHEAD 2 ALTRINCHAM 2
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