ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS


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ALTRINCHAM (2) 4
BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 2

Emirates FA Cup Third Qualifying Round match
played on Saturday, 6 October 2018, 3pm


SUMMARY

Altrincham twice came from behind to advance to the Fourth Qualifying Round after an eventful game at the J. Davidson Stadium. Despite a bright opening from Alty, the visitors got into the game and took the lead after 30 minutes. Jake Moult's alleged trip on Beesley allowed the BPA striker to convert the resulting penalty past Tony Thompson, who had been restored to the Alty goal. However, video evidence shows Beesley clearly dived as there was no contact whatsoever with the Alty captain.

Altrincham levelled three minutes later when Hampson advanced and fed Hulme, who was clearly being held in the box but kept going. His ball across the goal was turned in at the back post by Hampson who had continued his run forward. Five minutes later Alty fell behind again when, despite having all ten outfield players back to defend a corner, they left defender Killock unmarked and he scored with a low shot.

Moult made amends for his lapse over the pnalty, in the 44th minute, when he scored with a deflected shot from the edge of the box.

Altrincham finally got their heads in front in the 62nd minute when James Jones emulated Killock by scoring with a low effort from a corner. The score became 4-2 in the 84th minute when Hulme battled past a challenge before planting the ball past Drench. Altrincham dominated the closing stages to secure the £15,000 prize money and a place in Monday's draw.


SCORERS:


REFEREE: Mr Dean Watson
ATTENDANCE: 780
TEAM NEWS

Tony Thompson replaced Elliot Wynne in goal and the only other change saw Jordan Hulme return in place of Tom Peers. Shaun Densmore made a welcome reappearance on the bench after an injury absence.


LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red stripes, black shorts, red socks): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 2. Andy WHITE, 3. Connor HAMPSON, 4. James JONES, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 7. John JOHNSTON, 8. Sean WILLIAMS, 9. Jordan HULME, 10. Max HARROP, 11. Owen DALE. Subs: 12. James POOLE, 14. Tom PEERS, 15. Josh HANCOCK, 16. Liam GOULDING, 17. Joe THOMPSON, 18. Shaun DENSMORE, 20. Elliot WYNNE.

BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) (Yellow shirts, white shorts and socks): 1. Steven DRENCH, 2. Mark ROSS, 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. Ryan TOULSON, 13. Jack ANDERSON, 14. Danny BOSHELL, 15. Jamie SPENCER, 16. Lewis KNIGHT, 17. Adam NOWAKOWSKI, 18. Oli JOHNSON.


BACKGROUND

This was the clubs' second clash in three weeks following Alty's 3-2 league win at the Horsfall Stadium. Bradford had only won once previously at Moss Lane.

REPORT

BPA opted to change ends so Altrincham kicked off towards the Golf Road end and faced the bright sunshine. It was Altrincham who dominated the opening stages and, as early as the third minute, after Hannigan had fed Williams, the latter's shot, from left of centre, deflected off a defender and struck the far post.

Williams was then way off beam with a skied shot (8 mins) before a superb 30-yard effort from Harrop was well saved by Drench, diving to his right (9 mins). In their first attack of note, the visitors' Beesley poked an effort wide, a minute later.

Bradford now began to get in the game after the opening fifteen minutes and Jones's sliced clearance gave them their first corner. Referee Dean then delivered a lecture to Hulme for dissent (17 mins). Clee now drifted inside from the left and fed Beesley who, in turn, located McKenna whose shot from right-centre beat Thompson at the near post only to come back off his left upright (22 mins).

Three minutes later Beesley forced a corner off Jones as the visitors now enjoyed the better of the game. On the half hour Moult went for a 50-50 ball with Beesley and the forward dived to the ground with no contact whatsoever from the Alty captain but a penalty was awarded. From this Beesley narrowly beat the diving Thompson to his right to give the Avenue a 1-0 lead (30 mins).

Thompson then kept Alty in the game with a fine save from McKenna, which gave the visitors a corner (36 mins). A couple of minutes later Hampson got the better of Clee as the Alty left-back advanced up the wing. He fed Hulme who was clearly being held by a defender, deep inside the box. The referee either chose to ignore the holding or was waiting to see if an advantage accrued. Hulme spared him a decision as he overcame the holding to get the ball across the face of goal and Hampson, who had continued his run, finished off the move by netting near the back post (36 mins).

Just two minutes after levelling the score, criminal defending by Altrincham from a Bradford corner gifted the visitors the lead once again. Despite having all eleven men back to defend a BPA corner from the left, no Altrincham player was anywhere near centre-back Shane Killock as he smartly scored with a low effort past Thompson (38 mins).

But, as half-time approached, Moult seemed to have been blocked off but the ball came back to him and, this time, his shot from just outside the box took a deflection off Havern's head and wrong-footed Drench to make the score 2-2 (44 mins).

After the re-start, Moult was caught by a poor challenge from Wroe and the former Barnsley man was booked (45 mins).


Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 2
BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 2

Bradford made a change at the interval as Havern was replaced by Spencer, with Branson moving into the back line. A McKenna cross earned an early corner for the visitors before substitute Spencer found himself in the book just four minutes after joining the game, for a foul on Harrop (49 mins).

Four minutes later BPA had to make a further change as Dawson sat down for treatment before being replaced by veteran ex-Alty midfielder Danny Boshell (53 mins). Boshell initially took to the field as no.12 only to have to back-track and change to number fourteen.

Alty now won three of the four corners awarded in a six-minute spell before the hour mark. From the last of these, taken from the right, Jones replicated Killock's first-half effort by sweeping the ball into the net to give Altrincham the lead for the first time in the afternoon (62 mins).

When Dale was tripped as he advanced towards the box, Branson became the third Yorkshireman to be booked and it was not long before Killock became the fourth, for a foul on Harrop (68 mins). Moments later Johnston was clattered as the visitors adopted a robust approach.

A double substitution by Altrincham took place in the 72nd minute with Hancock and Poole replacing Johnston and Williams. A disconsolate JJ was comforted by manager Parkinson as he left the field.

When Dale was clattered by the already booked Spencer, the BPA sub was fortunate to escape a second card (76 mins). Thompson was then warned for timewasting, after which a Hancock ball went across the face of the visiors' goal. Bradford's final substitution was a replay of their move in the league match three weeks ago as the tall Nowakowski came on to add height to the visitors' cause. He replaced Wroe (79 mins).

Three minutes after this, Peers replaced Dale for Altrincham. Altrincham wrapped up their win in the 84th minute when Hulme held off a challenge as he cut in from the left before firing past Drench from 15 yards to make it 4-2. The visitors never looked like recovering from that blow and it was Alty who went close, again, as Hancock forced a save. The referee called over Jake Moult to witness a second lecture to Hulme for dissent (90 mins). Altrincham won a couple of late corners which they used to wind down time in the left corner. In the fifth added minute Hancock's fine turn and shot forced Drench into his final action of the afternoon.

On an afternoon when Kidderminster, Chester, Hereford and Telford all went out of the FA Cup unexpectedly, Altrincham showed character to come back twice from a deficit to earn their place in Monday's FA Cup draw.


Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 4
BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 2