ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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BLYTH SPARTANS (1) 2
ALTRINCHAM (1) 1

Vanarama National League North match
played on Saturday, 2 September 2018, at 3pm

SUMMARY

After having the better of the opening stages, Altrincham fell behind in the 26th minute when Reid and Horner exchanged passes before Reid's instinctive lob beat Wynne and found the back of the net. But it took just three passes from the re-start of play for Altrincham to level the score with Hancock hitting a low shot into Jameson's bottom right-hand corner (27 mins).

The Spartans improved after the break, though a 1-1 draw looked to be on the cards until the 83rd minute. Then Williams's attempted clearance from the left of his own goal struck an opponent. Blyth worked the ball left to Rivers, who had time to get the ball out from under his feet and direct a rising shot into the upper part of the net from the edge of the box.

Despite this setback Altrincham should have equalised in the 88th minute when substitute Poole's shot was parried by Jameson into the path of the unmarked Peers. Somehow he contrived to hit the ball comfortably over the bar from just a few yards out. Alty dropped to thirteenth

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr John Matthews
ATTENDANCE: 635
TEAM NEWS

Altrincham were without John Johnston, who is expected to be out for a fortnight or so; Connor Hampson, who faces several weeks' absence with a broken hand, and Ben Harrison who has had a recurrence of last season's knee injury and may be facing an operation. Alty made one change as Josh Hancock returned to the starting eleven in place of loanee Brendon Daniels who had returned to Port Vale. However, there was also a striking new look to one of Alty's players as top scorer Jordan Hulme, playing his last game before a one-match suspension, sported a new blond hair-colour.

Alty's Max Harrop had enjoyed a loan spell at Blyth in 2011/12 season and had actually played for the Spartans against Altrincham in the two clubs' most recent league clash, in January of 2012, which ended 1-1.

LINE-UPS:

BLYTH SPARTANS (Green and white striped shirts, balck shorts, green socks): 1. Peter Jameson, 2. Michael Liddle, 3. Ian Watson, 4. Kieran Green, 5. Nathan Buddle, 6. Aaron Cunningham, 7. Jarrett Rivers, 8. Sean Reid, 9. Daniel Maguire, 10. Lewis Horner, 11. Robert Dale (c). Subs: 12. Andrei Ardelean, 14. Adam Wrightson, 15. Connor Oliver, 16. Jack Butler, 19. Bradley Skirpan

ALTRINCHAM (All purple): 1. Elliot WYNNE, 2. Shaun DENSMORE, 3. Andy WHITE, 4. James JONES, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 7. Owen DALE, 8. Sean WILLIAMS, 9. Jordan HULME, 10. Max HARROP, 11. Josh HANCOCK. Subs: 12. James POOLE, 14. Tom PEERS, 15. Liam GOULDING, 16. Simon RICHMAN, 20. Tony THOMPSON.

BACKGROUND

Altrincham, unbeaten on the road this season, faced a Spartans' team with just a single win to its name this season, but that had been a tremendous 8-1 victory over Chester FC. On their last visit to Blyth, in December 2016, Alty had won an FA Trophy replay, 3-2, whilst the last league clash here had witnessed a 1-1 draw in January, 2012.

It was therefore a pleasant change today to visit Northumberland in bright summer sunshine for Alty's third successive away game in the North East.

REPORT

After changing ends, the Spartans kicked off, down the slight slope, at their well-appointed Croft Park ground. After just 70 seconds Hulme was put clear but was marginally offside. A fine pass from Williams to Hulme led to his cross which a twisting Harrop headed only marginally wide as Altrincham started the game the better (6 mins). Indeed, the visitors gained three corners inside the opening ten minutes, or so, with the industrious Hulme going close with a shot deflected into the side-netting to earn the last of this sequence of flag-kicks.

But Blyth themselves soon threatened when a ball over the top meant that Jones had to be alert to jostle Maguire as he almost got free, and the ball ran to Wynne. Blyth's first corner arrived in the 15th minute and, as the hosts improved, a 25-yarder from Horner fizzed narrowly wide (17 mins).

After another Alty corner had been and gone, Hulme again found the side-netting before indicating his displeasure to the linesman at not getting a corner. Booked already five times this season, Hulme escaped any censure for his dissent this time.

It was to be Blyth who took the lead, in the 26th minute, against the overall run of play to date. Liddle fed Reid, who exchanged one-touch passes with Horner before Blyth's number eight instinctively hooked the ball over the advancing Wynne to make it 1-0.

Remarkably, Altrincham equalised directly from the re-start as three passes up the middle culminated in Josh Hancock's well-placed low shot from the edge of the box, which beat Jameson's dive to his right to find the corner of the net (27 mins).

Altrincham soon took their corner count to five with two more flag-kicks earned by the half-hour mark. Alty continued in the driving seat as Hancock fired narrowly wide but then Blyth improved for the ten minutes before the interval. A Maguire shot had to be beaten out by Wynne (35 mins) before Robbie Dale, a few minutes later, played in Maguire and Wynne again had to do well to block the Blyth forward's effort, albeit at the cost of a corner (37 mins).

Next, it took a fine Jones tackle to halt another Blyth incursion and an even better challenge from the young centre-back came moments later. After this a Robert Dale cross looked certain to be converted by Rivers before White made a vital challenge deep in his own goalmouth (44 mins). Altrincham won a sixth first-half corner in added time but the scores remained level at the interval, with the home side having grown into the game after Altrincham had set the early pace.

Half-Time: BLYTH SPARTANS 1
ALTRINCHAM 1

After a fluent Alty move had come to nothing, Wynne had to make a good save to tip the ball away after an Altrincham clearance had hit James Jones in the face (48 mins). It was not to be the last time a clearance which hit a team-mate was to cause Alty problems.

Wynne, who was having by far the busiest of his three games for Alty to date, then had to make another save as a route-one punt by Jameson located Maguire, who turned well and volleyed at goal (57 mins). Maguire soon caused more problems as he turned past Jones, 45 yards from goal and the defender pulled him back to concede a freekick and earn a yellow card (58 mins). At this point Blyth introduced Oliver for Green before the freekick led to a header over the Alty bar.

When Alty gained a freekick just inside their own half moments later, the quick-thinking Woillliams spotted Jameson off his line and, had the Alty midfielder's attempted lob been more accurate, it might have caused the home keeper problems as he slipped in attempting to recover his ground (60 mins). Blyth, however, were now looking the better side despite a slick Alty move involving Moult, Densmore (twice) and Owen Dale which ended in Hulme's back-heel which went wide. Spartans now took off the injured Watson and introduced Wrightson (63 mins).

When Owen Dale tripped the lively Wrightson, it was the Crewe loanee's fourth foul of the match but, somehow, he avaded a booking for his rash challenges (67 mins). Alty now made a swap as Poole, still regaining match fitness after injury, replaced Harrop in midfield (68 mins).

Altrincham now enjoyed a bright few minutes in which Hulme was halted in the box before Hancock executed a fine turn only to see his shot parried by Jameson for a corner (71 mins). Next, Peers replaced Hancock (72 mins).

Soon, a Peers drive went across the goalmouth before a Williams shot went wide (78 mins). Then Peers's fine threaded ball allowed Hulme a clear sight of goal but Jameson saved with his legs (79 mins). When Hulme then won a throw and took it quickly to set Owen Dale in on goal, the loanee miskicked from a threatening position left of goal and only a corner resulted (80 mins).

Soon after a Blyth corner had been taken, Williams looked to clear the ball from the byline left of the Alty goal. However, his clearance struck a Blyth player and the ball was worked inside to Rivers. The Blyth man got the ball under his feet but was allowed the time to extricate it and plant a rising shot beyond Wynne from the edge of the box, left of centre, to give Spartans the lead (83 mins).

For the third time in the afternoon the normally lethal Hulme now found the sidenetting, this time from a flick following a corner, before the Alty wall withstood a driven freekick from Robbie Dale (86 mins). Reid was then booked for a foul on Densmore just outside the box. From this, Poole's well-struck shot was only parried by Jameson. The unmarked Peers seemed certain to score from a few yards out but, somehow, he drove the ball comfortably over the bar to the relief and despair of away and supporters respectively (88 mins).

In three added minutes at the end of the game Blyth won a corner as Alty failed to get back to parity. So, Altrincham had dropped a point which had looked fairly secure. This has become something of an unwanted habit this season, with already eight points having been dropped from winning or drawing positions, namely versus Spennymoor (2 pts), FC United (3), Guiseley (2) and Blyth(1), whilst only one point (v Leamington) has been accrued from a losing position.

Full-Time: BLYTH SPARTANS 2
ALTRINCHAM 1