ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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ALTRINCHAM (1) 3
FARSLEY CELTIC (0) 1

Vanarama National League North match
played on Saturday, 31 August 2019, at 3pm

SUMMARY:

Altrincham secured a deserved second home win of the season but they were left still seeking a first clean sheet of the campaign after allowing Farsley to dominate the final fifteen minutes.

With Blackpool loanee Yussifu Ceesay impressing as he made his second debut for Alty and fellow loanee Ashley Hemmings, from AFC Fylde, having a much improved game in the no.10 role, Altrincham should have been leading at the interval by more than the single goal netted by Hemmings after 17 minutes.

His excellent shot from just outside the box gave Elliot Wynne in the visitors' goal no chance on his return to Moss Lane. Farsley rarely threatened but Spencer made a complete hash of an unmarked header just monents before Alty's opener.

Alty had a great chance to double their lead three minutes into the second half. From a penalty awarded for a foul on Mullarkey, Williams's spot-kick was saved by Wynne. This was Altrincham's second spot kick miss this season.

However, with Altrincham dominating, they scored two goals from open play in a six-minute spell. Firstly, Farsley went to sleep from an Alty throw in the hosts' right corner. Hulme was left completely unmarked and he nodded home a Johnston cross (61 mins).

Hulme scored his second after 67 minutes, following a freekick for a Farsley handball. Johnston fed Ceesay who was blocked and the ball fell to Hulme to lash home.

But Altrincham failed to build on this lead and allowed Celtic back into the game after Alty had withdrawn Ceesay and the Yorkshiremen had made a triple substitution. Yet again Alty failed to keep out the opposition and substitute Syers netted with a glancing header from a cross from the right with eight minutes remaining.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr John Matthews
ATTENDANCE: 913
TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham were again without Josh Hancock (calf problem) and Tom Hannigan started his three-match suspension with this game. This week's loan re-signing Yussifu Ceesay started on the left wing, whilst AFC Fylde loanee Ashley Hemmings replaced Harrop in the no. 10 shirt. Lewis Walters was the only available member of the squad not involved today, having made way for Ceesay's involvement. Shaun Densmore was replaced by Andy White at right back and Richman replaced Branson in midfield.

Former Alty keeper Elliot Wynne was the visitors' goalkeeper.

LINE-UP:

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 2. Andy WHITE, 3. Connor HAMPSON (c), 4. James JONES, 5. Toby MULLARKEY, 6. Sean WILLIAMS, 7. John JOHNSTON, 8. Simon RICHMAN, 9. Jordan HULME, 10. Ashley HEMMINGS, 11. Yussifu CEESAY. Subs: 12. Max HARROP, 14. Shaun DENSMORE, 15. Tom PEERS, 16. Conor BRANSON, 17. Jake MOULT

FARSLEY CELTIC (Green & white hoops, green shorts and socks). 1. Elliot Wynne, 2. Jordan Richards, 3. William Hayhurst, 4. Jack Higgins, 5. Thomas Allen, 6. Adam Clayton (c), 7. Tyler Walton, 8. Christopher Atkinson, 9. Jamie Spencer, 10. Nathan Cartman, 11. Luke Parkin. Subs: 12. Ben Atkinson, 13. Kyle Trenerry, 14. David Syers, 15. Daniel Ellis, 16. Isaac Baldwin.

BACKGROUND:

Mike Garnett's records reveal the past record in matches between Altrincham and the reformed Farsley Celtic. The earlier Farsley Celtic club folded in 2010 and restarted as Farsley AFC before reverting to its original Celtic name.

REPORT:

On a breezy, sunny afternoon the sides changed ends as Farsley won the toss and allowed Altrincham the kick-off. As he arrived between the sticks at the Golf Road end, former Alty keeper Elliot Wynne received a welcoming round of applause from the home fans.

Within 30 seconds, Alty loanee Ceesay had already made his mark, getting into the Celtic box before being flagged offside.

Altrincham were soon enjoying the better of the game and they won the match's first corner, after seven minutes, but Wynne punched this well clear. Ceesay soon got into the Farsley box again before a good Alty move ended with a firm shot from Hulme which Wynne saved (11 mins).

Next, Hayhurst won Celtic a corner before the game went through a rather flat period of play. But, on sixteen minutes, Farsley should have taken the lead when a cross from their left found Spencer completey unmarked. But the Celtic striker put his header very badly wide from about twelve yards.

Spencer's miss proved costly as, following the resulting goalkick, Richman fed Hemmings who, drifting to the left, from just outside the box fired an excellent shot past Wynne to give Altrincham the lead (17 mins).

Alty now defended a couple of Allen's long throws by bringing everyone back to defend. At the other end Johnston again got into a good position for a cross but, for the third time, this proved inaccurate (24 mins). Both of Alty's loanees, Ceesay and Hemmings were proving troublesome to the visitors but without any further clear chances being produced at this stage (28 mins).

From an Alty freekick Hemmings now put the ball comfortably over the bar from 20 yards (31 mins). Next, play briefly stopped when part of an advertising hoarding blew off its mounting at the Hale End of the ground (35 mins).

With Alty on top, a fine ball up the inside-right channel by Williams set up Hulme for a well-struck shot which Wynne saved (37 mins). Another move, involving more than ten passes, soon followed but without an outcome of note.

Half-time arrived with Alty 1-0 ahead and, for the sixth time this season, having opened the scoring. On those previous occasions they had only held on to the three points once!

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1
FARSLEY CELTIC 0
After Farsley had kicked off the second half, Alty won an early corner through Richman. Following this, Mullarkey, who had come upfield for the corner, was fouled by Higgins to the right of goal and a spot-kick was awarded. With Johnston having had his recent effort saved against Brackley Town, Williams was the taker, having despatched several penalties successfully for his previous club Warrington Town.

However, Wynne savd Williams's effort, low to the keeper's left, to leave the score at 1-0 (48 mins).

The goal led to a spell of dominance from the hosts, with Ceesay cutting inside to win Alty a 52nd minute corner. Next, a fine run by Hemmings ended with a shot wide of the mark (53 mins). Soon, a Ceesay shot maintained the pressure as it yielded another corner before a stoppage was needed for treatment to a Wynne hand injury, just before the hour nark.

Soon afterwards a routine Alty throw near the right corner flag found Farsley asleep and from the resulting cross by Johnston, a totally unmarked Hulme nodded home Alty's second goal from about six yards out (61 mins).

but Farsley were decidedly second best at this stage and looked set for a heavy defeat. Indeed, Alty soon won another corner but, when Williams was pulled up for handball near halfway, he got himself unnecessarily booked, presumably for dissent (64 mins).

Then, following a freekick for a Farsley handball, the ball was played for Johnston who chased impressively to reach it just before he reached the byline, right of goal. He played the ball inside to Ceesay in the six yard box. The Blackpool loanee was blocked but the ball fell to Hulme who swept it into the net to make it 3-0 (67 mins).

Straight after this, Ceesay was replaced by Peers who almost immediately came close to scoring from a ball up the inside right channel, which he stabbed narrowly wide (69 mins). Alty continued to dominate and more goals seemed inevitable as Williams and then Richman each shot at goal from 25 yards.

After Alty had brought on Branson for Richman (72 mins), Farsley made a triple change with Ellis, Trenerry and Ben Atkinson replacing Higgins, Hayhurst and Cartman respectively (75 mins).

From this point on Alty seemed to settle for what they held and the new trio of Celtic players had a boosting effect on their team's performance.

Alty have yet to keep a clean sheet this season and Farsley's pressure now told as a cross from the right was glanced home off the head of Syers (82 mins). It is now twelve games, including four at the end of last season, since Alty have prevented at least one opposition goal.

White then became Alty's second wholly avoidable booking when, for the second time this season, he committed a minor foul and moved the ball away (83 mins). Alty were now stuck on the defensive and Thompson's flap at a corner allowed Ellis a shot which went well of target.

Next, Spencer played a ball across the Alty goalmouth as the visitors looked far more likely to make it 3-2 than Alty were to add to their lead (87 mins). Ben Atkinson was booked now for an apparent verbal indiscretion (89 mins).

In the first of the four declared added-minutes, a bicycle-kick from Syers flew narrowly over the bar as Farsley finished the game on top.

So, Altrincham secured their second home win of the campaign but will be disappointed not to have recorded a clean sheet. And a second penalty miss of the campaign was another disappointment in a performance which, especially in the first period of the second half, was as good as has been seen this season.

Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 3
FARSLEY CELTIC 1