ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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AFC FYLDE (1) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) 1

Emirates FA Cup 4th Qualifying Round match
played on Sunday, 25 October, 2020 at 3pm
behind closed doors

SUMMARY:

Altrincham went out of the FA Cup at the first hurdle. In a match which never set the pulse racing, Alty fell behind to a dreadful goal. Thompson played out a goalkick to debutant Darren Potter who was just inside the penalty area. He dwelt on the ball and was dispossessed by Philliskirk with the ball breaking towards goal for former Alty man Jordan Hulme to score straightforwardly past the exposed Thompson (43 mins).

Early in the game Hulme had hit the post after turning smartly past his marker but neither side otherwise troubled their opponents' keeper in the first half.

More poor defending cost Alty a second goal in the 54th minute when Burke's low ball into the box allowed Tollitt to collect and drift across his marker to score.

For Alty, Kosylo was the brightest spark but it was Ceesay and Hampson who combined to create Altrincham's goal on the hour mark, with Peers scoring from close range. However, Altrincham barely laid a glove on Fylde in the remainder of the game and must now concentrate on getting their league campaign up and running as they seek a first win at Hartlepool on Tuesday night.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Diciccio
ATTENDANCE: Behind closed doors.
TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham started without last season's first team regulars of Williams (injured), Hannigan, White, and Mooney, as well as summer newcomer Clayton, with the recent Covid-19 positive tests possibly a factor in one or more of these absences from the inital eleven.

There was a debut for Darren Potter, the veteran midfielder, signed in midweek, as Alty exhibited three changes from their last outing, a fortnight earlier, at Eastleigh. From that game, Senior, White and Williams were the non-starters today, whilst Potter was joined by Hampson and Densmore in coming into the starting eleven.

Facing Alty was their former talisman, Jordan Hulme, but whilst ex-Coaster Tony Thompson faced his former employers, another ex-Fylde man, Tom Hannigan, was only named on the bench. Matty Kosylo was another who had played for both of today's teams.

LINE-UP:

AFC FYLDE (All white): 1. Chris Neal, 2. Luke Burke, 3. Luke Conlon, 5. Nathan Pond (c), 6. Alex Whitmore, 7. Ben Tollitt, 8. Danny Philliskirk, 9. Jordan Hulme, 10. Nick Haughton, 12. Luke Burgess, 17. David Perkins. Subs: 21. Johnston(gk), 11. Junior Mondal, 14. Nathan Shaw, 16. Jordan Lussey, 18. Kurt Willoughby, 19. Reagan Ogle, 24. Jack Byrne

ALTRINCHAM (All yellow, with red and white sash on shirts and shorts): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 20. Shaun DENSMORE, 25. Toby MULLARKEY, 4. Ritchie SUTTON, 3. Connor HAMPSON, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 27. Darren POTTER, 15. Matty KOSYLO, 23. Tom PEERS, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 11. Yusifu CEESAY. Subs: 2. Andy WHITE, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 7. Dan MOONEY, 30. Simon RICHMAN, 12. Curtis MILLER.

BACKGROUND:

The sides had drawn in September, 2-2, in a pre-season friendly at the same venue.

Whereas Altrincham had been promoted to the National League over the summer, AFC Fylde had been relegated back to National League North.

REPORT:

On a dry afternoon, with a capless Tony Thompson shielding his eyes against the sun at kick-off, this second game in a month between the sides kicked off at Mill Farm. This time a place in the FA Cup First Round was at stake, whereas the previous meeting had been a friendly which had ended two-apiece.

An early Kosylo shot cleared the bar after a Fylde defensive mix-up but the hosts then went much closer as Hulme turned past his marker and saw his shot beat Thompson but came back off the far post (5 mins).

But after that early excitement the game settled into a far more mundane pattern with each side cancelling out the other. Fylde captain Nathan Pond then deliberatly kicked the ball out of play and sat down for treatment before resuming (15 mins).

Two minutes later a Hulme effort from 20 yards went well off target, left of goal, as the game became scrappy. Pond soon sat down again and this time was unable to continue, being substituted by new signing Ogle, with Whitmore assuming the captaincy (24 mins).

When Hampson was clattered by Bird, the Alty man stayed down, though he did eventually resume without needing any treatment. The Fylde offender, Bird, was deservedly booked for a rash challenge (26 mins).

Kosylo was looking Altrincham's brightest attacking player but the game itself was producing nothing in the way of goalmouth action as it went past the half-hour mark. Proving that some things never change, Hulme then received a lecture from referee Dicicco for dissent (39 mins) before Hampson sliced a shot very wide for the visitors (41 mins).

With little prospect of a goal being created by outstanding skill, Altrincham gift-wrapped the lead to Fylde in the 43rd minute. Thompson played out a short freekick to Potter, who was just inside the penalty area directly in front of him. The midfielder did not seem to sense that Philliskirk had closed him down and the Fylde man's challenge led to the ball running forward towards goal where Hulme swept it past the exposed Alty goalkeeper to give Fylde the lead.

As three added minutes started there was a fracas between Densmore and Philliskirk, in which Moult became involved, and the Alty captain and the Fylde midfielder were both lectured by the referee.

So half-time arrived with neither side having demonstrated meaningful attacking credentials and with both keepers decidedly under-employed.

Half-Time: AFC FYLDE 1
ALTRINCHAM 0

The second half started in uninspiring fashion with three fouls in the opening four minutes. And it did not get much better before Philliskirk's foul on Hancock earned him a booking (52 mins).

Then, out of nothing, Burke sent a long hopeful ball low into the box where Tollitt picked up the ball, as he drifted from left to right towards the penalty spot with his marker behind him. He swept a low shot past Thompson to double the Coasters' lead (54 mins).

Things got worse for Alty as Kosylo got himself booked (56 mins). Soon afterwards, the same Alty player went down in the box vainly appealing for a penalty before a foul on Ceesay earned Burke a lecture.

Next, Ceesay won a corner and, whilst nothing came of this directly, the ball was soon recycled up the left through Ceesay before a low Hampson cross from the byline was turned into the net from close range by Tom Peers, making his fiftieteh start for The Robins (60 mins). Both goals in the second half had come unexpectedly rather than from any sustained pressure.

Immediately, Mooney came on for Ceesay (60 mins) but there was no building on the goal by Alty before Potter was replaced by Richman (67 mins). Next a home freekick earned Fylde a corner before Alty made their final change with Miller replacing Peers (71 mins).

Further disription in play came as Fylde brought on Shaw for Houghton (73 mins). The game continued in uneventful fashion with Fylde looking reasonably comfortable with their lead and Altrincham lacking any real attacking bite. And so the game drifted towards its conclusion interrupted by another change as Mondal replaced Tollitt for the hosts (86 mins).

A Mullarkey cross evaded Kosylo as the game went into five added minutes. Alty did fashion a half chance in the third added minute, as Mooney laid the ball off from a freekick to the advancing Densmore but he skied his shot miles over the bar to sum up a disappointing afternoon for Altrincham.

Altrincham had not played nor trained fully for the previous fortnight owing to Covid-related matters so their rustiness was explicable to some degree but they will need to be much better than this by Tuesday when they travel to Hartlepool United for their next league match.

Full Time: AFC FYLDE 2
ALTRINCHAM 1
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