ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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ALFRETON TOWN (0) 0
ALTRINCHAM (3) 7

Vanarama National League North match
played on Saturday, 6 April 2019, at 3pm

SUMMARY

Altrincham inflicted on Alfreton Town their heaviest ever home defeat with a dominant display at the Impact Arena. It might have been a different story had referee Mulhall acceeded to strong Alfreton appeals inside the first minute when Clarke went down in the box. But, after that, it was pretty much all Altrincham.

Altrincham took the lead in the eighth minute when home keeper Ramsbottom failed to deal with a Johnston cross from the right. Blackpool loanee Ceesay was on hand to head against the crossbar from close range before he nodded the rebound into the net.

Before the half-hour mark Altrincham lost left-back Connor Hampson to injury but, with right-back White having switched flank to replace Hampson, Alty's no.2 got himself to the left by-line from where he cleverly cut the ball back for Hulme to sweep it into the net (32 mins).

Five minutes before half-time Altrincham gained a slightly fortunate penalty when Ceesay's flicked ball was handled by a defender. Johnston converted the spot-kick to make it 3-0 by half-time.

A fairly uninspiring fifteen minutes after the break were ended when White advanced once more and the ball was worked to Hancock, who scored from the edge of the box in the 61st minute. Alfreton then won a penalty after a challenge by Jones, but former Alty midfielder Jordan Sinnott saw his penalty well saved by Tony Thompson.

Three goals in the final three minutes, plus added time, brought the tally to seven for the visitors. Goal number five came in the 87th minute after substitute Matt Chadwick had advanced on the right towards keeper Ramsbottom, who blocked the shot but the loose ball fell for Ceesay to net his second goal of the match. Three minutes later it was 0-6 when Moult's goalbound effort, following a Chadwick corner, was diverted into the net by Hulme.

And the icing on the cake arrived in the third added minute when James Jones shot home from the edge of the box following another Chadwick corner.

Alty moved up to fifth in the table, ahead of a tough midweek fixture at AFC Telford United.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Sam Mulhall
ATTENDANCE: 538
TEAM NEWS

Altrincham were unchanged as regards the starting eleven but on the bench James Poole returned, having only started one league match this season through injuries.

Shaun Densmore and Elliot Wynne were involved in the warm-up but were not in the squad, whilst loanees Callum Dolan and Billy Sass-Davies were not in evidence.

LINE-UPS:

ALFRETON TOWN (All red): 1. Sam Ramsbottom, 2. Josh Clackstone, 3. Josh Wilde, 4. Tom Platt, 5. Luke Shiels (c), 6. Martin Riley, 7. Reece Styche, 8. Bobby Johnson, 9. Danny Clarke, 10. Jordan Sinnott, 11. Adam Curry. Subs: 12. Richard Peniket, 14. David Lynch, 15. Danny O'Brien, 16. Nathan Hotte, 17. Declan Bacon.

ALTRINCHAM (Purple shirts and shorts, white 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. Josh Hancock, 11. Yusifu Ceesay. Subs: 12. James Poole, 14. Max Harrop, 15. Matt Chadwick, 16. Simon Richman, 20. Steven Drench.

BACKGROUND

This was a clash between two of the top sides in the form guide; Alfreton had won three and drawn two of their previous five matches and were unbeaten in six games. Alty were unbeaten in five with four wins and a draw.

Mike Garnett kindly provided the pre-match statistical record of matches between the two clubs. Each club's record on the other's home ground is better than the home record.

Alfreton included former Alty players Jordan Sinnott and David Lynch in their squad, with the former starting and the latter on the bench.

REPORT

Altrincham made a sluggish start and in just 14 seconds they saw Styche fire narrowly wide from a Johnson feed. And, still well inside the first minute, they survived a very plausible penalty appeal as Clarke seemed to be pulled over deep inside the box.

But the visitors then began to settle and won the game's first corner, in the fourth minute. After this, Ceesay got to the left byline and crossed but Johnston only managed to make contact with the back of his head. Soon Johnston advanced on the right and keeper Ramsbottom slipped over allowing the ball to go across the face of goal to Ceesay. From close range the tall left-winger only managed to head the ball against the crossbar but he was able to nod home the rebound to put Altrincham ahead (8 mins).

When Clarke again went down looking for a penalty Mr. Mulhall took him aside for a lecture but, with the striker still irate, his captain was needed to calm him down (15 mins).

By the sixteenth minute the match ball was already the third to have seen action during the game after two had been rejected with presumed deflation problems. When Hampson was tripped whilst advancing at speed, the offender, captain Shiels, was booked (18 mins). Following a scrappy spell, a White shot from 22 yards was saved by Ramsbottom. Alty were now on top and, after the industrious Williams had won the ball in midfield, a neat move culminated in Johnston feeding Hulme, whose low cross from the right was almost turned in by Ceesay but a defender blocked his effort (23 mins).

Alty then had a narrow escape when a Clarke cross was blocked by Thompson but Clackstone almost bundled the ball into the net. Hampson then went down for treatment; whether this was a consequence of his earlier clattering by Shiels was not clear. Three minutes later Hampson went down again and was unable to continue. Richman replaced him, the substitute going to right-back whilst White switched to the left (28 mins).

The positional switch had almost immediate dividends as White advanced to the left by-line before cutting the ball back perfectly for Hulme to sweep into the net for Alty's second goal (32 mins). Clarke was then booked for a combination of a foot-up foul and persistent dissent (33 mins).

Hulme then tried an audacious 45-yarder which goalkeeper Ramsbottom bizarrely elected to chest rather than catch and he was fortunate that it bounced off him safely (35 mins).

From a home freekick from 30 yards, Thompson saved well but then undid his good work by throwing the ball out to an opponent. Just after a freekick, won by Williams, Ceesay, who was on the front edge of the box, hooked the ball forward where it hit a defender's arm. The referee pointed to the spot and Johnston dispatched the spot kick, sending Ramsbottom the wrong way (40 mins).

As the first 45 minutes closed, with Altrincham well in control, a fine passing move up the pitch culminated in a deflected shot by Hulme. Two added minutes passed uneventfully.

Half-Time: ALFRETON TOWN 0
ALTRINCHAM 3

Alfreton brought on O'Brien for Styche at the interval before Altrincham kicked off. Apart from a home corner which Thompson failed to gather, play was uneventful before Alfreton replaced the volatile Clarke by fellow-striker Richard Peniket (56 mins). When Thompson punched away a home freekick awarded against Williams, the hosts' captain Shiels needed treatment to what appeared to be a blow to the head (57 mins).

The second half belatedly came to life when a well-worked team goal, featuring an advance by Andy White, was scored by Hancock from the edge of the box, making it 4-0 (61 mins). The still dazed-looking Shiels now went off to be replaced by Hotte (62 mins).

In the sixty-fourth minute Wilde went down under Jones's challenge and Alfreton were awarded a penalty. Sinnott's spot-kick was a decent effort but Thompson did well to beat it away to his right (65 mins). Immediately Chadwick came on as a right-wing replacement for Johnston (65 mins).

Next, Chadwick advanced and Ceesay was in on the keeper but Ramsbottom won the duel (71 mins). Altrincham were well on top as Hulme delayed shooting when he had a good opening. On 76 minutes there was a welcome return for the injury-ravaged James Poole who replaced Hancock. Soon, Alty again carved open the home defence with Hulme in a one on one against Ramsbottom who again saved his side with a good block.

Poole was then needlessly booked as he blocked a freekick (80 mins).

With three minutes of normal time remaining Chadwick burst into the box on the right; Ramsbottom again blocked well but the ball ran left to Ceesay who netted the ball for his second goal of the afternoon and his sides fifth (87 mins).

With Alfreton's defence all over the shop, Ceesay now played in Poole but the home keeper again stopped what seemed a certain goal at the cost of a corner. From Chadwick's corner the ball came to Moult whose goalbound effort was diverted en route by Hulme who claimed his second goal of the afternoon, making it 6-0 (90 mins).

The rout was completed in the third of four declared minutes of added time. From a corner on the right the ball found its way to centre-back Jones who fired home from 15 yards or so to complete the scoring (90+3 mins).

Full-Time: ALFRETON TOWN 0
ALTRINCHAM 7