ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS


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SOUTHPORT (2) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Vanarama National League North match
played on Tuesday, 3 September 2019, at 7.45pm


SUMMARY:

A very poor first half cost Altrincham this game but, having got back into it with an improved second half showing, Simon Richman saw a red card for his second cautionable offence which left the ten men with too much to do.

From Southport's seventh long throw into the Alty box, Correia bundled the ball home at the back post (32 mins). Glynn then doubled the lead with an impressive volley (45 mins).

After Alty had brought on Hancock and Ceesay in the second half Alty pulled a goal back when Hulme headed in a Hemmings freekick. With Mohamed inexplicably not sent off for a second bookable offence, Richman did suffer that fate for Alty (82 mins), which was their third red this season.


SCORERS:


REFEREE: Mr Simeon Lucas
ATTENDANCE: 904 (145 in away terrace, i.e. excl. those in the main stand)
TEAM NEWS:

There were some surprises in the Altrincham line-up. There was a first start of the season for captain Jake Moult, despite his only match time since his summer operation being a short substitute appearance at Boston on Bank Holiday Monday.

Elsewhere in the line-up, Ashley Hemmings, who had performed well as no.10 last time out, was now deplayed back on the wing as Simon Richman unexpectedly wore the number ten shirt.

Yusifu Ceesay was an unexpected omission from the starting eleven amidst unconfirmed rumours that he had been delayed in arriving at the ground. With Tom Hannigan suspended, the centre-back pairing of 22 year-olds Jones and Mullarkey continued, whilst Lewis Walters had gone on loan to Buxton since Saturday. Shaun Densmore was again omitted from the squad.

There was a welcome inclusion, on the bench, of Josh Hancock, who had been out with a calf problem following his early season suspension.

Southport included former Alty loanee Andy Parry on their bench but there was no place for former Alty midfielder Paddy Lacey. Amongst Alty's ex-Sandgrounders were Tony Thompson and Andy White.


LINE-UP:

SOUTHPORT (Amber shirts, black shorts and socks): 1. Dan HANFORD, 2. Reagan OGLE, 3. Jack DOYLE, 4. Dean WINNARD, 5. Ryan ASTLES, 6. David MORGAN (c), 7. Kieran GLYNN, 8. Russell BENJAMIN, 9. Raul CORREIA, 10. Jack SAMPSON, 11. Bradley BAURESS. Subs: 12. Connor WOODS, 13. Devarn GREEN, 14. Andy PARRY, 15. Zehn MOHAMED, 16. Charles ALBINSON

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


BACKGROUND:

Southport went into the game in 15th place, ahead of 17th-placed Altrincham solely on goal difference. The Sandgroundesrs had mustered just six goals from their own players plus an opposition own goal in their total of seven goals netted this season, over eight matches. After a good start to the season, Southport had lost their three most recent fixtures.

Mike Garnett's records reveal the past record in matches between Altrincham and Southport...


REPORT:

Southport kicked off towards the away end and, within the first minute, Simon Richman was penalized for a challenge which had little wrong with it. Port started the better with keeper Hanford's long ball reaching Morgan via Bauress and the home captain's shot flew just over the bar (3 mins).

Next, Morgan won a corner (5 mins) before supporters witnessed the first of what was to be a litany of long throws by Ogle which brought back memories of Histon and their incessant use of this direct tactic.

When, after this, Alty did not deal effectively with a Port long ball, Thompson did well to block a point-blank effort from Sampson, which earned the hosts a ninth-minute corner for which, as ever, all eleven Alty players were dragooned into their own area. Predictably when Thompson punched clear, Port immediately regained possession and another long throw from Ogle earned them another corner.

Southport remained on the front foot as Correia was fed the ball but he was driven to the right and his shot ran weakly to Thompson (13 mins). Next James Jones had to make an important lunge to clear for yet another long throw. Jones berated his team-mates for their failings before this could be taken. And, once again, the long throw produced a corner, Southport's third in the opening fifteen minutes.

Altrincham were barely getting out of their own half and, with Moult and then Mullarkey both passing the ball to opponents, this pattern continued. But, at last, Alty strung together eight passes but these ended with an ineffective cross from Hemmings.

At last Alty had a bit of forward momentum as Johnston's shot was now deflected narrowly wide for a twentieth-minute corner. But the visitors' errors continued as Richman now lost possession and Thompson had to make a decent save from Benjamin (22 mins).

Benjamin also went close soon afterwards, following a subsequent Southport corner. Another rare Alty foray saw Hanford smother the ball ahead of Hulme's arrival (28 mins).

Thompson produced another fine save when the impressive Glynn turned smartly, advanced up the middle and fired at goal. On the half-hour mark, Morgan was booked for a foul on White, who needed treatment.

Southport's seventh long throw into the Alty box now produced the game's opening goal as the missile was nodded on to Correia, who bundled it into the net at the back post (32 mins). His and and an Alty defender's clash on the line resulted in the netting becoming dislodged and a step ladder and several groundstaff were summoned to fix the problem. As the DiY continued, all 11 Alty players were gathered together by Phil Parkinson for a pep talk.

But this had little immediate effect as Alty's lacklustre performance continued with two more corners soon conceded (37 mins). Next a lunge from Richman earned him a yellow card (38 mins).

Alty survived another corner (40 mins) as the home side continued to dominate the first half. A cynical trip by Benjamin on Hemmings gave Alty a freekick but why the Port player was not booked for his professional foul was unfathomable (43 mins).

In the final scheduled minute of the first half Mullarkey was unable to clear the ball, to the right of the penalty area, and so Sampson played the ball, inside, to Glynn who hit a superb volley past Thompson from the edge of the box to make it 2-0 (45 mins).

Three added minutes were decreed before Altrincham got to the interval after their worst 45 minutes of the season, with a 2-0 defecit being a far from unjust reflection of their poor performance.


Half-Time: SOUTHPORT 2
ALTRINCHAM 0

Hancock started the second half in place of Williams and, after kicking off, Altrincham showed a bit more life than in the preceding 45 minutes. Although a 25 yarder from Moult was comfortably saved, it did represent an actual shot on target (49 mins).

Ogle's long throws were now into double figures but Altrincham continued to give the ball away cheaply, with Jones and Hampson now catching the passing malaise.

After 56 minutes, Ceesay replaced Johnston and, almost immediately, the gangly left-winger won a corner. From this, Moult's goal-bound header was headed off the line by a Port defender (58 mins).

Soon afterwards, Benjamin, who should have been booked in the first half, was finally cautioned when he slid in on Moult (59 mins). Port now replaced the injured Ogle, their long-throw expert, with Mohamed replacing him (62 mins).

After a decent spell from Alty, at the other end, a twenty-yarder from Morgan had to be smartly pushed round the post by Thompson for a corner. Increasingly heavy rain was now falling as Mohamed, just two minutes after joining the game, picked up a yellow card for fouling Hancock (64 mins).

When the already booked Mohamed now felled Ceesay, Mr Lucas took the easy way out and awarded a freekick but no second yellow. Justice was done when Hemmings's freekick was headed home by Hulme to make it 2-1 (67 mins).

Altrincham now looked as if they might just retrieve something from the game as Southport's physical challenges underlined that they were rattled.

The visitors won a corner which came to nothing, just before Southport brought on Green for Glynn (76 mins). Referee Lucas was then centre of a bizarre episode as Hampson was caught on the head and a freekick seemed to have been awarded. However, the man in black then went over to his linesman, seemingly to debate what to do next. After an inordinate bit of dilly-dallying he awarded an uncontested bounce-up to Alty (81 mins).

Seconds later, Richman lunged into a challenge on halfway and, though he largely missed his target, he was shown a second yellow card and a red, Alty's third of the season so far (82 mins).

Whilst Richman might not have too many grounds for complaint, the inexcusable inconsistency in Mr Lucas not sending off Mohamed for his second foul, earlier in the half, was glaring.

Hemmings was then booked when he went for a 50-50 ball and was deemed to have committed a foot-up offence (85 mins). Although Alty won a corner soon after this, the ten men were unable to threaten too much in the closing stages.

Added time of four minutes was announced during which Port won two corners. In the fourth added minute Port brought on defender Parry for Correia, whilst Alty inexplicably brought on Peers for Hampson. How the striker was expected to influence proceedings at such a late stage was a mystery (90+4 mins).

Mr Lucas's final act of note, after he and his linesman had got a throw-in decsion wrong, was to book Jones for his understandable dissent (90+6 mins).

Below par though some of the officiating had been, Altrincham lost this game themselves through an inept first-half performance. Southport showed early energy to prevent Alty getting their passing game going and their direct approach kept the Alty defence under pressure. But once the visitors had scored Altrincham looked capable of snatching a draw until Richman's dismissal.

Following Hancock's suspension at the start of the campaign and subsequent bans for Williams and Hannigan, by 10 September Richman will have been the fourth member of the squad to have served a suspension this season.


Full-Time: SOUTHPORT 2
ALTRINCHAM 1