Match Report

ALTRINCHAM (1) 4 ALDERSHOT TOWN (0) 0

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 19 March 2016, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Altrincham lifted themselves out of the bottom four with an impressive 4-0 win over an Aldershot Town team which has now conceded twelve goals in two visits to Cheshire this month.

Alty started with leading scorer Michael Rankine on the bench following injury but still netted four times, for the first time in the league since their 4-1 win against Chester on New Year's Day 2015. And you have to go back to April 2014 and a 5-0 away win at Histon to find a bigger margin of victory.

Aldershot started the game quite brightly but then Altrincham improved and deservedly took a 32nd minute lead. Following a Sinnott throw from the right, Lawrie lashed a low, left-footed ball into the box where Damian Reeves turned it into the net from close range.

Alty doubled their lead some 90 seconds into the second half when Josh Ginnelly scored a superb goal. The on-loan Burnley man ran more than fifty yards up the left before slotting a low shot across goalkeeper Smith and into the net. The game was over for Aldershot when they conceded an unnecessary penalty on the hour mark. Lawrie was blatantly pushed over, as a high Sinnott cross sailed over the head of everyone in the box. Jake Moult blasted home the spot kick to make it 3-0 after 61 minutes.

Man of the Match Ginnelly got forward again in the 69th minute and, from his cross, Sinnott volleyed an excellent goal, his second in successive games. After the match Shots' captain and goalkeeper, Phil Smith, and a number of players seemed to apologize to the sizable away following, the same fans who had witnessed the Hampshire club's 8-2 thrashing at Chester on their last visit to the North West.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Robert Jones
ATTENDANCE: 1,292
TEAM NEWS

Michael Rankine had recovered from illness to return to the bench where he was joined by new loan signing, Jimmy Phillips from Gateshead. Jordan Sinnott again started in right midfield with Scott Leather at right-back.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts , black shorts white socks) 17. Tim DEASY, 6. Scott LEATHER, 5. Luca HAVERN, 28. Marcus HOLNESS, 3. Adam GRIFFIN, 2. Jordan SINNOTT, 4. Jake MOULT (capt), 8. Simon RICHMAN, 7. James LAWRIE 15. Josh GINNELLY, 10. Damian REEVES. Subs: 12. Sam HEATHCOTE, 19 Ryan CROWTHER, 26. James PHILLIPS, 14. Josh O'KEEFE, 9. Michael RANKINE

ALDERSHOT TOWN (Blue) : 1. Phil Smith, 5. Jack Saville, 24. Nathan Ralph, 16.Jake Gallagher, 12. Cheye Alexander, 11. Tom Richards, 14. Omar Beckles, 17. Giorgio Rasulo, 7. Sam Hatton, 20. Alfie Pavey, 23. Ross Lafayette. Subs: 13. Dan Thomas, 3. Sean McGinty, 8. Jim Stevenson, 10. Charlie Walker, 15. Rhys Browne.

BACKGROUND

Altrincham went into this game on the back of a run of just one win in their previous 14 games. It was their first home game since the departure of manager Lee Sinnott and caretaker boss Neil Tolson was on the touchline with his new assistant, Matt Doughty.

Mike Garnett reminds us of the history of games betweeen the two clubs:

REPORT

With Alty defending the away end, which accommodated a good number of travelling supporters, Aldershot kicked off. Inside 30 seconds, Lafayette had won a corner but, from this, a foul in the box came to Alty's assistance.

After an uneventful few minutes, a Pavey shot was blocked after an energetic run forward by Gallagher. In the eighth minute, a good ball from Moult found Ginnelly and, from the edge of the box, the Burnley loanee curled a fine shot just over the bar (8 mins).

Then Aldershot went close as a run from MK Dons loanee Rasulo led to a shot going just wide of Deasy's post (9 mins). Alty then grew into the game but the nearest to a goal for either side was a Reeves header which looped comfortably to keeper Smith from a Leather cross (17 mins).

Once again for Alty, Ginnelly was looking lively and he is rapidly becoming the best loan player at Moss Lane since Ryan Shotton from Stoke City, and he went on to play in the Premiership.

Next a Sinnott run ended in a corner, which Leather headed over the bar (19 mins). On 22 minutes a superb long ball from Ginnelly, left of centre, was expertly taken down on his chest by James Lawrie, who then seemed to be fouled but no penalty award followed, much to the Alty man's annoyance.

Alty were now on top and, next, a fine Sinnott cross found Ginnelly, who sold his marker a dummy, before his shot gained a corner (26 mins). Keeper Smith missed the corner kick and an Alty throw followed on the right. Over on the touchine, Sinnott was clattered and a dozen or more players from each side engaged in a melee, from which only the original offender, Ralph, was shown a yellow card, with home supporters calling for a red (28 mins).

Alty remained in the ascendant as a Reeves cross from the right was met by a Ginnelly volley, which Smith saved (30 mins). After a Sinnott throw on the right near the corner at the Shots' end, Lawrie lashed in a low ball which Reeves converted in his typically predatory fashion from close range to give Altrincham the lead (32 mins).

In an almost exact replay of Alty's game the previous Saturday at Barrow, ten minutes before half time they lost a defender to a facial injury. This time it was Leather who had to leave the pitch and go down the tunnel for repairs. However, unlike at Barrow where Alty lost their 1-0 lead during Holness's ten-minute absence in the treatment room, this time Leather was able to return after a five-minute absence, during which Sinnott had covered at right-back.

During Leather's absence, as blatant a hand ball as you will ever see, from Beckles, was not given as a foul. Then The Shots won a freekick, 27 yards out, right of centre. Following Ralph's freekick, Alty half cleared this only for Pavey to slice an effort over the bar (40 mins).

The five minutes of playing with ten men had wrested the initiative from Altrincham as Aldershot came back into the game. A Griffin foul on Rasulo was followed by Hatton winning a corner. As the game went into its 45th minute, from a Ralph cross, a Pavey header had to be shovelled smartly over the bar by Deasy for a corner. In the first of three added minutes, Deasy was in action again, saving with his legs from Rasulo.

In the second added minute, Lafayette was booked for a foul on Leather. And in the final added minute the visitors won a freekick, 40 yards out. Following Hatton's freekick, Beckles guided a shot wide. Half time arrived soon afterwards with Altrincham holding a deserved lead.

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 ALDERSHOT TOWN 0

Some 90 seconds into the second half, Griffin won the ball and fed Ginnelly. The young winger started running from some twenty yards inside his own half. He outpaced and evaded two challenges before getting almost to the byline, from where he slipped the ball through goalkeeper Smith's legs to record a wonderful goal and make it 2-0 to Altrincham (47 mins).

Soon afterwards, Ginnelly tormented Aldershot again as he won a corner, which Smith punched clear. In the 51st minute, striker Charlie Walker came on for Hatton. Once again Mr Jones failed to give Alty a freekick as, now, a blatant push by Beckles on Reeves went unpunished (54 mins).

However, two minutes later, Griffin was penalised near half way and was booked (56 mins). Next, the already booked Ralph fouled Leather and a freekick was awarded.

Just after a low Sinnott freekick had been cleared, Sinnott sent in a cross which was too high for his team mates in the box. But a Shots' defender, Beckles, needlessly and quite clearly, pushed over James Lawrie and Mr Jones had a straightforward decision to award a penalty to Altrincham. Jake Moult hit his spot kick firmly and, though Smith got a hand to it, he could not stop it entering the net to make it 3-0 (61 mins).

With Aldershot claiming a Havern foul, Alty broke forward and from a Ginnelly cross from the left, Sinnott volleyed impressively home, to make it 4-0 (69 mins). Having, for several weeks, had the unwanted mantle of being named as the National League player with the most shots and no goals to his name, Sinnott broke that duck last Saturday at Barrow with a superb freekick.

Going into this game the National League had now given the Alty man the title of the player with most shots per goals scored. But Jordan's second goal in successive games has blown away that unwanted title as well. And both of his goals have been well worth the wait!

After Ginnelly had needed facial treatment for a challenge which had gone unpunished, Aldershot brought on the former Histon man Stevenson for Pavey (72 mins). After a Holness foul on Lafayette, Rasulo put his freekick from a central position, 22 yards out, over the roof at the Golf Road end (76 mins).

Ten minutes from time, Alty brought on Gateshead loanee Jimmy Phillips for his debut. Three minutes later, Aldershot introduced Browne for Rasulo (83 mins) and then it was Alty's Crowther who replaced Ginellly who received a deserved ovation as he left the pitch (85 mins).

The changes continued as Rankine replaced Reeves (88 mins). Aldershot's jittery defending continued to the end as keeper Smith sliced a kick out for a corner when Rankine closed him down. Four added minutes passed without any change to a 4-0 score which lifted Alty out of the bottom four and level on points with Torquay United who have scored one goal more.

Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 4 ALDERSHOT TOWN 0
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