ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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YORK CITY (0) 0
ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Emirates FA Cup, Round One match
played on Sunday, 10 November 2019, at 12.45pm

SUMMARY: A goal eight minutes from the end of normal time by Tom Peers secured Altrincham's place in Round Two of the FA Cup and condemned York City to their first defeat of the season.

Alty had started the game well before York settled as the first half ended goalless.

Maguire's theatrical fall over Tony Thompson convinced referee Bell to award a penalty, which was a very dubious decision. But Thompson saved Bond's spot kick and a follow-up hit the bar (57 mins). Despite losing Ceesay to injury soon afterwards Altrincham raised their game in the final stages.

Peers fired home Hulme's feed from about 15 yards to put Alty ahead before they saw out the closing stages fairly comfortably despite the home keeper going up for three corners.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Jeff Bell
ATTENDANCE: 3222 (354 in away end)
TEAM NEWS:

Yusifu Ceesay started for the first time after his injury lay off but Connor Hampson remained sidelined, on the bench. Tom Peers was preferred up front as Jordan Hulme moved to the bench.

LINE-UP:

YORK CITY (Red and blue) 1. Peter JAMESON, 2. Kallum GRIFFITHS, 3. David FERGUSON, 4. Sean NEWTON, 5. Steve McNULTY, 6. Joe TAIT, 7. Adriano MOKE, 8. Andy BOND, 9. Dan MAGUIRE, 10. Kieran GREEN, 11. Alex KEMPSTER. Subs: 12. Paddy McLAUGHLIN, 14. Elliott DURRELL, 15. Jordan BURROW, 16. Macaulay LANGSTAFF, 17. Joshua KING, 18. Ryan WHITLEY, 19. Harry SPRATT.

ALTRINCHAM (All yellow): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 2. Shaun DENSMORE, 3. Andy WHITE, 4. James JONES, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 7. John JOHNSTON, 8. Sean WILLIAMS, 9. Tom PEERS, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 11. Yusifu CEESAY. Subs: 12. Max HARROP, 14. Simon RICHMAN, 15. Jordan HULME, 16. Toby MULLARKEY, 17. Connor HAMPSON, 20. Joel TORRANCE

BACKGROUND:

This match, Alty's seventh away fixture in their last eight fixtures, had been switched to Sunday lunchtime to accommodate TV highlights coverage. It was Altrincham's fourth successive away draw in this season's competition, after trips to Chester FC, Halesowen Town and Southport.

The game was potentially the last ever FA Cup tie at Bootham Crescent as York prepare to move to the outskirts of the city.

REPORT:

After a minute's silence and the Last Post had sounded for Remembrance Day, Altrincham kicked off in bright sunshine towards the home end and started the game much better than the hosts. Densmore and Ceesay both got into the York box in the early stages before a Ceesay shot was blocked (4 mins). York keeper Jameson soon had to dive smartly at the feet of Peers after a White feed, as Alty continued on the front foot.

Johnston won the game's first corner, which was quickly followed by the vistors' second. Just past the quarter of an hour, York came to life and won themselves two corners which came to nothing.

Alty threatened again when Peers won the ball and, from the resulting move, a Peers effort was blocked (20 mins). Jones was then both penalised and booked for what looked a reasonable challenge on the front edge of the Alty box. From a central position Newton's freekick smacked across the crossbar (23 mins).

Over the next ten minutes, each side won a corner as clear openings remained absent at both ends of the pitch. The five minutes before the interval also witnessed a corner apiece. As the break approached Moke was booked for deliberate hand-ball (44 mins) before the half ended goalless with Altrincham well worth parity.

Half-Time: YORK CITY 0
ALTRINCHAM 0

The first action of the second half saw Densmore advance but shoot wide (48 mins). Next, after Johnston had earned a corner, his subsequent cross was headed against the woodwork by Hancock, who was flagged offside (54 mins).

Soon after a home corner had been half-cleared, Thompson dived for a ball to the right of his goal and as he then attempted to gather the loose ball, Maguire arrived at the same time and went down theatrically, earning a penalty from the referee. It was a dubious decision by Mr Bell.

Bond hit his spot kick to Thompson's right but the keeper blocked it impressively with a follow up being hit against the bar and cleared (57 mins).

York now brought on Burrow for Green (59 mins). Alty were on the backfoot at this point but they then got forward and won a corner as Johnston was about to meet an aerial ball at the backpost (61 mins). When Ceesay got past his man but was cynically brought down, a freekick was awarded but no card shown by the referee.

Following an Alty corner, Hancock was then felled off the ball and again a freekick but no card was the decision of Mr Bell. Alty suffered a blow when Ceesay, just back from injury, pulled up lame and had to be replaced by Hulme (67 mins).

After dealing with a York corner, Alty were then halted as Newton needed treatment off the pitch for which the referee chose to stop play (72 mins).

On 77 minutes, Durrell replaced Maguire for City before McNulty found his way into the book for an apparent handball (79 mins). Soon after an excellent Densmore tackle in midfield had halted an advance by York, the ball came to Hulme. He chested the ball down and fed Peers to his right. Alty's no.9 calmly controlled the ball before firing past Jameson from about 15 yards (82 mins). The goal prompted rapturous scenses in the well-populated away section .

York now introduced Langstaff for Griffiths (83 mins). Three minutes later, Alty made a switch as Williams was replaced in midfield by Richman (86 mins). Altrincham now gave a masterclass in winding down the clock as they engineered three throw-ins in succession up by the left corner flag. Hulme then won a corner, at which point Johnston got himself needlessly booked for delaying its taking as he protested that an opponent was encroaching (88 mins).

In the final minute of normal play York won a corner, for which goalkeeper Jameson went up to the penalty area. Alty now took off Johnston and brought on Harrop (90+1 mins). Somehow, Mr Bell then found five added minutes to add to the ninety. Mr Bell's inconsistency of application of the laws continued as he failed to book Langstaff for an agricultural challenge on Hannigan as he headed the ball clear.

With Steve McNulty being announced over the tannoy as York's Man of the Match, Thompson palmed away the ball and a York corner resulted with Jameson going forward again and staying upfield as a further corner resulted. But Altrincham saw out the final stages to ensure their place in the Second Round.

The match statistics showed that Altrincham deserved their win, having had more possession (59%), more shots and more shots on target than their hosts, who had not lost previously all season.

Full-Time: YORK CITY 0
ALTRINCHAM 1