ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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ALTRINCHAM (0) 4
CHESTER FC (0) 0

Vanarama National League North match
played on Saturday, 2 March 2019, at 3pm

SUMMARY

For the second time in seven days Altrincham netted four second-half goals to bring their week's tally to ten goals scored and none conceded.

After a first half largely lacking in goalmouth action, Thompson's full-length save being the nearest to a goal, the second half started with Altrincham all over the place at the back. Indeed, had Waring not made a hash of good chance to head at goal, the visitors might have taken a 48th minute lead.

But then Chester captain Scott Burton, who earlier this week had revealed that he had joined Chester after summer overtures from Altrincham, was sent off for a second yellow-card offence, a foul on Williams.

Barely a minute later Altrincham took the lead when Hancock laid on a close-range goal for Joe Piggott to add to his hat-trick at Curzon Ashton last time out. Alty then doubled the lead in the 63rd minute when Hancock drove the ball home after Johnston had got the ball across goal from the right at the third attempt, following two defensive blocks.

Five minutes after that Hancock himself netted a third Altrincham goal from close range. With Johnston running repeatedly at the defence and Chester showing little real fight, a fourth goal arrived in the ninetieth minute. Richman's effort was touched in by Johnston to complete the scoring.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Andrew Kitchen
ATTENDANCE: 1,714
TEAM NEWS

Altrincham remained unchanged as regards the starting eleven but Jordan Hulme returned to the squad on completion of his four-match suspension. So there was no place for Mason Fawns nor for the injured Ben Harrison, Max Harrop and James Poole. Tony Thompson retained his place in goal with Steven Drench again on the bench, apparently with a knee injury.

Chester were likewise going into the game with their leading striker on the bench; Akwasi Asante was returning from injury.

Before the game, new Altrincham signing Matthew Chadwick was present at the warm-up though not fit enough to start. Also there was goalkeeper Elliot Wynne who has recently been on loan at Trafford.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, 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. Joe Piggott, 10. Josh Hancock, 11. Yusifu Ceesay. Subs: 12. Callum Dolan, 14. Simon Richman, 15. Jordan Hulme, 16. Shaun Densmore, 20. Steven Drench

CHESTER FC (All yellow): 1. Grant Shenton, 2. Bradley Jackson, 3. Matthew Waters, 4. Scott Burton (c), 5. Danny Livesey, 6. Steven Howson, 7. Craig Mahon, 8. Gary Roberts, 9. George Waring, 10. Anthony Dudley, 11. Daniel Mooney. Subs: 12. Simon Grand, 14. Lloyd Marsh-Hughes, 15. Sean McAllister, 16. Ben McKenna, 17. Akwasi Asante

BACKGROUND

This was the return league fixture after Alty had secured a 2-1 win at the Swansway Stadium earlier in the campaign. The game started with Altrincham seventh, a point ahead of Chester FC, who had played an additional game.

Alty's historical record against Chester FC is provided by Mike Garnett...

REPORT

On a dull but dry afternoon, Chester kicked off and they soon committed the first foul, on Piggott, after just 40 seconds. The visitors' offending continued with three more fouls in the opening five minutes; in the last instance Jackson escaped a deserved card for a late challenge on Ceesay (5 mins).

The disruptions to the flow of the game continued as the referee now decreed a change of match-ball (8 mins). When play resumed, after Altrincham had failed to clear their lines, Chester gained the match's first corner (9 mins). After this, a 25 yarder from Chester forced Thompson into a full-length dive to his left. He pushed the ball away and then scampered to block any danger from the loose ball near the byline (10 mins).

Johnston was soon making his trademark runs and one of his low crosses, from the left, went across the face of goal (16 mins). But, despite plenty of Altrincham possession, there was an absence of action for either keeper over the next few minutes as misplaced final passes and poor decision-making undid some promising Altrincham approach play. This pattern continued upto and beyond the half-hour mark. After that point it was Chester who began to enjoy more of the ball.

Indeed, play became increasingly scrappy as half-time approached. Two minutes before the end of the 45, Burton was booked for prolonged holding against Hancock as the Alty man sought to get clear in midfield (43 mins). In short, it had not been a first half to remember by any stretch of the imagination.

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0
CHESTER FC 0

Altrincham started the second half dreadfully. Having kicked off, they almost immediately struggled to clear their lines as, first, Hampson delayed a clearance and Chester regained possession and, then, Ceesay skied an attempted clearance fifteen yards back into his own penalty area. Alty then conceded a freekick, after which a fine cross from the left found Waring unmarked. But the Chester striker got his header all wrong, heading the ball downwards and wide of the target (48 mins). It was to prove a costly miss.

Sean Williams was then fouled by the already cautioned Burton and referee Kitchen had no hesitation in showing a second yellow and a red card to the visitors' captain. Before the game, Burton had revealed that he had turned down approaches from Altrincham to join Chester but he had now done his rejected suitors a good turn by reducing the oppositon to ten men for the remaining 40 minutes (50 mins).

Despite Johnston making a mess of the resulting freekick, Altrincham soon had the ball in the net as Hancock displayed good skill, left of centre, before hitting the ball low across the goalmouth. Piggott arrived to slide the ball into the net from close range (51 mins). It was the loanee's fourth goal in two games.

Sometimes going down to ten men fires up the affected side but this was not the case with Chester; Altrincham went on to dominate most of the remainder of the afternoon.

Andy White now got forward and fed Piggott whose well-struck shot was beaten out by Shenton, the former Trafford goalkeeper (55 mins). But Shenton's goalkeeping counterpart now gave away a ridiculous corner at the other end as he mis-dribbled the ball on the byline. The goalkeepers continued to be centre-attraction as, now, Shenton sat down for treatment which prompted a drinks break and a tactical team talk for the other players at their respective technical areas.

Soon, Thompson was again involved as he kicked the ball short to Hannigan who, under pressure, returned it to the keeper who then skied a sliced clearance (61 mins).

Things improved as Johnston again threatened up the right wing. His first two attempts to cross were blocked but, at the third attempt, he got the ball through the defence and Hancock drove the ball into the net to make it 2-0 (63 mins).

Jackson's very late challenge on Hancock saw him escape a yellow card before Alty brought on Hulme for Piggott (66 mins).

Soon, Johnston won a corner and after Moult's header had been parried, Hancock scored again to make it 3-0 (69 mins).

This prompted an exodus from the away end of the ground. On the pitch, Richman came on to replace Moult who had been Alty's best player up to that point (70 mins). Two minutes later, McAllister replaced Mahon for Chester and, three minutes after that, Alty introduced Dolan in place of Ceesay (75 mins).

Alty now attacked almost at will, winning four corners in the nest seven minutes.

From the first of these, Hannigan miscued a good chance and, from the third, Williams tried a very ambitious volley from Johnston's corner but mishit it well off target (81 mins). Next, Marsh-Hughes came on for Waring for Chester (83 mins).

As Alty remained on the front foot, two more corners were won. With the game into its final minute, Richman shot from right of goal and the ball seemed to take a touch off Johnston before beating Shenton to make it 4-0 (90 mins).

Surprisngly, despite the six substitutions and the injury stoppage for Shenton, the referee played barely a minute of added time before bringing the game to its conclusion.

The sending off of Burton was obviously a significant factor in the outcome but Chester will be disappointed at the lack of fight shown by the remaining ten men. The win for Altrincham lifted them up to fifth in the table ahead of Tuesday's visit from Blyth Spartans.

Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 4
CHESTER FC 0