ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) (1) 2
ALTRINCHAM (1) 3

Vanarama National League North match
played on Saturday, 15 September 2018, 3pm

SUMMARY

A run of one win in their last seven games and the absence from the starting line up of Jordan Hulme, James Poole, Shaun Densmore and Connor Hampson did not augur well for Altrincham as they took to the field at third-placed Bradford (Park Avenue). But the injury-hit visitors put in a good performance to emerge with three points which lifted them to twelfth in the table.

Altrincham took a seventh-minute lead when a Johnston cross from the left was beaten out but rebounded off a defender for Tom Peers to bundle home at the back post. But, just before the interval, a freekick from the left by Nicky Clee, one of four ex-Robins in the Bradford squad today, was helped on by a team-mate and Killock got to the ball before goalkeeper Wynne to level the scores.

The Avenue started the second half well and deservedly led after 52 minutes. Branson was allowed to advance up the middle, play a one-two with a team-mate, and score from close range after Elliot Wynne had done well to beat out his first attempt. Just three minutes later John Johnston dribbled towards goal but was blocked. However, the ball came back to him and his deflected shot beat Drench to restore parity.

Bradford were then hit with a third Alty goal in the 61st minute. It came when Johnston fed substitute Harrop, who had only been on the pitch for four minutes. From wide left of goal, the midfielder drove a superb low shot across Drench and into the far bottom corner of the net to make it 2-3.

Altrincham then kept BPA at bay and despite a sequence, towards the end of the game. of six corners in as many minutes for Avenue, and the introduction of the tall Nowakowski to add height up front, the hosts had to settle for a second successive defeat following their 5-3 loss against Chester FC last week.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Adam Herczog (who was an assistant referee at Moss Lane last week)
ATTENDANCE: 454
TEAM NEWS

Simon Richman was again obliged to start at right-back in the absence of Shaun Densmore and Conor Hampson. Top scorer Jordan Hulme, believed to be suffering with conjunctivitis, could only be named on the bench as was James Poole, as he continued his return to fitness after long-term injury.

BPA included four ex-Alty men in their squad. Nicky Clee, Luca Havern and Ryan Toulson all started whilst Danny Boshell warmed the bench.

LINE-UPS:

BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) (Green shirts and socks, white shorts): 1. Steven Drench, 2. Ryan Toulson, 3. Danny Lowe, 4. Nicky Wroe, 5. Shane Killock (c), 6. Gianluca Havern, 7. Ben McKenna, 8. Conor Branson, 9. Jake Beesley, 10. Chris Dawson, 11, Nicky Clee. Subs: 12. Mark Ross, 14. Danny Boshell, 15. Jamie Spencer, 16. Oli Johnson, 17. Adam Nowakowski

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks) 1. Elliot Wynne, 2. Simon Richman, 3. Andy White, 4. James Jones, 5. Tom Hannigan, 6. Jake Moult (c), 7. John Johnston, 8. Sean Williams, 9. Tom Peers, 10. Josh Hancock, 11. Owen Dale. Subs: 12. Max Harrop, 14. Jordan Hulme, 15. Liam Goulding, 16. James Poole, 20. Tony Thompson

BACKGROUND

Before today's match, all but two of Alty's nine points had come from away trips so their away form gave hope that a poor overall run of just one victory in their last seven fixtures might be improved upon today.

REPORT

After a minute's silence in memory of two BPA supporters, the home side kicked off on a bright afternoon. Nicky Clee, who was to be the home side's man of the match, prompted an early move at the end of which Beesley fed Dawson, who forced a fine, one-handed save from Elliot Wynne (4 mins). At the other end Hancock lifted a shot over the bar but the visitors were soon to take a seventh-minute lead. Alty advanced up the left and when the ball came into the box from Johnston, it was beaten away but the ball rebounded off a defender for Peers to poke home his first goal of the season at the back post from very close range (7 mins).

Alty continued to have the better of things as a freekick, won and taken by Johnston, was struck at the keeper by Hancock (14 mins). For BPA, a McKenna effort sailed well over the bar before a crude challenge by Branson on Hancock prompted the first yellow card of the afternoon for the BPA midfielder (20 mins).

A Clee freekick soon led to a home corner, which came to nothing, before BPA went close when McKenna's cross just evaded Wroe. Not long afterwards, one of a litany of Bradford long throws, this time by Toulson, was allowed to bounce across the Alty penalty box. Killock hooked the loose ball goalwards but Wynne made an excellent save, which led to a home corner (33 mins).

From this corner a Havern header was cleared off the line by White as the hosts now had the upper hand (34 mins). But then Andy White won his side a corner, but this was poorly taken by Johnston, before a slip by Richman allowed McKenna to get free at the other end and this move led to a freekick on the BPA left, 40 yards or so from goal. Clee's aerial freekick was knocked down inside the box with Killock getting to the loose ball just ahead of the advancing Wynne to level the score at 1-1 (40 mins).

As the interval approached McKenna again got free on the home side's left but, this time, he shot narrowly wide (43 mins). Next, when White miscontrolled a difficult aerial ball, he committed a foot-up foul which got him booked (45 mins).

In the two added minutes of the first half, Alty rallied and won three successive corners but without threatening to convert any of them.

Half-Time: BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 1
ALTRINCHAM 1
A quiet opening to the second half started with a Dale cross across the BPA goalmouth but gradually the Avenue got on top. When Branson advanced up the middle he was allowed to play a one-two with a team-mate before his effort at goal was well blocked by Wynne. However, the ball came back to Branson who put his side 2-1 ahead (52 mins).

Arguably the turning point of the match arrived two minutes later when Beesley nodded on a long throw only for Branson to hit his effort miles over the bar from a clear opening. And BPA paid the price, just a minute later, when Altrincham equalised. Johnston dribbled his way to the edge of the box before he was halted, only for the ball to rebound to him. His goalbound shot took a deflection and beat Drench to make the score 2-2 (55 mins).

Next, Harrop replaced Dale so Hancock moved to the left wing to allow Harrop to partner Williams in central midfield (57 mins). Soon after this, a long-range effort from Hancock cleared the bar, before Johnston got free and slid the ball forward to his left to Harrop. From an acute angle, left of goal, Harrop drove a superb low shot across Drench and into the far, bottom corner of the net to restore Altrincham's lead (61 mins).

Wroe's blatant pull on Moult earned the former Barnsley player a yellow card (66 mins). The resulting freekick was badly wasted by Alty who played it short and only succeeded in giving away a throw-in. Oli Johnson now came on for BPA's Dawson (69 mins) before a deliberate foul by Havern got the former Alty defender cautioned (70 mins).

BPA's disjointed play at this stage continued to pose no threat to the visitors before Poole replaced Peers in the 75th minute.

Prompted by Clee, Bradford now won three corners in succession, which came to nothing, the last being dreadfully taken as Wroe trundled the corner-kick low to the first Altrincham defender. Soon afterwards, the linesman somehow divined that he should award another BPA corner when Wynne smothered a ball to the right of his goal, with his body shielding the view completely from the assistant in question who was on the other side of the pitch. Two more home corners were soon awarded to bring the tally to six in as many minutes (82 mins).

BPA now introduced the lanky Nowakowski to replace Lowe as they gave themselves a more direct option up front (82 mins). After another long throw by Clee had been nodded wide, BPA made their last switch when Wroe gave way to Spencer (86 mins).

Harrop then picked up his third card of the season, for what the referee indicated was a series of offences. However, Altrincham saw out the closing stages, which included four added minutes, without any serious alarms to record their third win of the season, all of which have come on the road and have involved scoring three goals in each of those victories.

Alty's next league fixture is in a fortnight at Kidderminster, before which Whitley Bay visit Moss Lane in the FA Cup.

Full-Time: BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 2
ALTRINCHAM 3