Match Report
GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY (0) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
played on Saturday, 20 August 2016, at 3pm
SUMMARY
Bottom of the table Trinity deservedly beat a lacklustre Altrincham who scarcely troubled goalkeeper Hedge throughout this game, which was played in gusty conditions which deteriorated into squally rain. Alty started quite brightly but the hosts grew into the game. They took the lead eight minutes after the break when Dawber was left exposed by his defence. He did well to beat away an initial shot but Worsfold was on hand to net the loose ball.
With Alty adopting a formation which appeared more 5-3-2 than 3-5-2, they struggled to link up with front men Reeves and Bell.
After bringing on substitutes Menagh and Richman, Altrincham showed more attacking intent but rarely looked like breaching the Trinity backline. The hosts wrapped up the game six minutes from time when Hazel got round Cyrus in the right of the box and his pass set up Rothery to score from close range, despite Dawber getting a hand to the ball.
SCORERS:
- 53 mins: Ashley WORSFOLD (Gainsborough Trinity 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 84 mins: Gavin ROTHERY (Gainsborough Trinity 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
REFEREE: Mr Marc Edwards
ATTENDANCE: 424
TEAM NEWS
Hobson, Hannigan and Densmore remained sidelined but Jamie Menagh and new signings Adam Sumner and Nyal Bell made their debuts in the squad, the latter two starting. Sam Heathcote also came into the starting eleven at centre-back whilst Andy Dawber returned in goal after sitting out the 0-6 trouncing in midweek.
LINE-UPS:
GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY (Blue) 1. Jonathan Hedge, 2. Jake Picton, 3. Josh Lacey, 4. Matt Thornhill, 5. Adam Quinn, 6. Ioan Evans, 7.Jordan Thewlis, 8. Alex Wiles, 9. Ashley Worsfold, 10. Nathan Jarman, 11. Gavin Rothery. Subs: 12. Darnell Bailey-King, 14. Brad Beaston, 15. Jacob Hazel,16. James Reid, 21. Jake Eastwood.
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks) 1. Andrew DAWBER, 2. Sam PATTERSON, 3. Adam SUMNER 4. John CYRUS, 5. Sam HEATHCOTE, 6. Alan GOODALL (capt), 7. James LAWRIE, 8. Jake MOULT, 9. Nyal BELL, 10. Damian REEVES, 11. David LYNCH. Subs 12. Simon RICHMAN, 15. Jamie MENAGH, 14. Charlie JOYCE, 16. Danny HATTERSLEY, 20. Callum PRESTON,
BACKGROUND
Altrincham went into this game on the back of their heaviest ever home defeat, 0-6 to AFC Fylde, whilst Trinity started the match as the bottom-placed club in the table, with just a single point from their four previous fixtures.
Alty's last two visits to The Northolme had been eventful. In January 2014, they lost 5-4 and the previous season the game had been delayed for an hour by a floodlight failure before Alty cantered into a 4-0 lead only to conceded twice before the end. So there had been 15 goals in those two encounters.
REPORT
Alty kicked off, early.in bright sun but a gusty wind. They won a corner inside thirty seconds and two freekicks, all taken by Lawrie and all cleared.
Alty started with five at the back, Patterson and Sumner were presumably expected to play as wing-backs, whilst Cyrus and Heathcote flanked Goodall in the centre of defence.
In an uneventful opening, in which the players tried to come to terms with the windy conditions, a great Lawrie ball fed Patterson, whose cross from the right was a bit too hard for Reeves to divert home with his head (9 mins).
After a Heathcote foul on Worsfold, 40 yards out, from the freekick it needed a great block by Dawber from Quinn's close range effort to keep the game goalless (11 mins). New men Bell and Sumner were both having promising starts to the game but there was little to get excited about before Moult fed Patterson, whose cross just evaded the head of Bell (19 mins).
Things were looking reasonably hopeful for Altrincham but Reeves was flagged offside and play had stopped as he clipped a ball into the net (24 mins).
But Trinity were creating the better chances. After Moult had lost the ball, it took another fine save by Dawber from Wiles's shot to keep the score 0-0 (25 mins).
The two best chances so far had fallen to Trinity. And then a fine turn by Thewliss set up another opportunity but this was undone by his weak shot (28 mins).
Each side then won a corner before Trinity won another, following an acrobatic clearance by Cyrus. After this, it needed a great block by Goodall to halt Worsfold's well-hit shot from the edge of the box (32 mins).
Lynch's very late tackle near the centre spot earned him a booking and Trinity's Jarman was also cautioned, for dissent (33 mins). Alty had been on the back foot for the last few minutes and, now, the hosts threatened again as Jarman put Rothery clear but Patterson closed him down well and Dawber gathered the ball (36 mins).
Alty remained hemmed in their own half and their only forward effort at this stage was a sixty-yarder from Lawrie which was not too far off target (42 mins). A Cyrus foul meant that he was booked (43 mins). From the freekick, 25 yards out left of centre, both Worsfold and Evans won headers before Moult cleared (44 mins).
Trinity had had the better of the half after a decent start from Altrincham.
| Half-Time: GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY 0 ALTRINCHAM 0 |
Trinity kicked off in sunshine. with the Wind mostly across the pitch and partly behind Trinity. After a fairly unremarkable few minutes, Cyrus slipped and conceded a throw. Following this, Alty's defence left Dawber exposed and though the keeper did well to block a first attempt, the loose ball was converted from close range by Worsfold to put his side ahead (53 mins).
A few minutes later, an Alty error gave away a corner, after which Picton was almost played into Alty's box (57 mins). There was scant service for Reeves and Bell but a Lawrie 25 yarder took a slight deflection to win a corner. This came out to Heathcote, but he sidefooted over the bar (61 mins).
At this point Menagh and Richman came on for Heathcote and Bell (62 mins). Menagh, Altrincham's 16th debutant of the season so far, was deployed in an advanced midfield position on the left, whilst Lawrie was on the right.
After a Menagh run had been halted by Picton's tackle, Moult played in Reeves who turned well but sliced his shot, with his left foot, over the bar (65 mins). Alty were getting forward a bit better now, as Lawrie was tackled on the edge of the box.
Yet Dawber remained the busier keeper as he again saved well after a good Trinity move. Worsfold soon went down off the ball for treatment and was replaced by Hazel (72 mins).
Richman next fed Menagh whose firm shot hit a defender. Several minutes later there was a delay as Gainsborough dithered over a substitution. A minute or two later Darnell Bailey-King replaced Thewliss (79 mins). Hazel then won a corner on the left as rain started to fall and the wind gusted wildly. Bailey then fired overthe bar.
Next, Goodall's underhit back pass and the lightning quick speed of Bailey meant that Dawber had to be very smart to kick clear (81 mins). Alty's final throw of the dice saw Hattersley come on for Lynch (82 mins).
But two minutes later the game was over for Altrincham as Hazel got past Cyrus in the right of the box and his pass set up a close-range Rothery goal. Dawber did well to half-stop it but the ball found the net (84 mins).
in Following a Goodall error, Hazel fed Bailey. The ball was half-cleared then Dawber had to beat out a shot. At the other end, Alty had yet to trouble Hedge (87 mins).
With rain now lashing down, six added minutes were proclaimed. In the first of these a Richman foul got him booked. Alty continued to labour as first Patterson and then Lawrie were dispossessed.
In the fifth added minute Menagh's ball into the box allowed Reeves a difficult header which flew well wide. The game soon ended in heavy rain and gusty wind as Altrincham dropped to nineteenth and were left without a win in their opening five matches.
Whilst this was an improvement on the abject first half showing in midweek, it was not a performance to give rise to optimism that Altrincham face anything other than a long, hard slog to achieve a respectable league placing this season. Errors at the back and paucity of service to the front men will figure highly on the list of tasks to be addressed before the next match, at home to Curzon Ashton.
| Full-Time: GAINSBOROUGH TRINITY 2 ALTRINCHAM 0 |