ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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ALTRINCHAM (0) 1
ALDERSHOT TOWN (1) 2

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 14 November, 2020 at 3pm
behind closed doors

SUMMARY:

Altrincham lost their third successive match despite an improved second-half performance and for the third successive home game the match was blighted by heavy rain and a gusty wind.

Aldershot started well and took a deserved lead in the twelfth minute. A clearance found its way to Edser who exchanged passes with Panayiotou just outside the corner of the box on the Shots' left. Edser sold Robbins a dummy as he moved inside and from the edge of the box, he beat Thompson at the near post. Otherwise Robbins had a good half for Alty.

After weathering the early dominance of the visitors, Alty got into the game and, six minutes after falling behind, should at least have tested keeper James. Peers was put clear up the middle but he delayed his shot just long enough for the back-tracking Ogie to get in a foot to concede a corner. However, Kosylo took three poor corners during the first half as Alty failed to trouble the opposition keeper before the interval.

Alty were better in the second half and debutant Dales hit the crossbar with a fine shot (65 mins). But The Shots doubled their lead against the run of play in the 80th minute when substitute Kandi slotted home from the edge of the box.

Altrincham did get their first home goal, very late on, when good work by debutant Smith fed Peers who turned and shot from inside the box with keeper James making a hash of trying to save it and only helping it into the net (89 mins).

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Andrew Kitchen
ATTENDANCE: Behind closed doors.
TEAM NEWS:

With eight players in the treatment room during the week (Ritchie Sutton, Andy White, Sean Williams, Toby Mullarkey, Simon Richman, Fisayo Adarabioyo, Dan Mooney and Yusifu Ceesay), Altrincham had signed three new players on the eve of this game; striker Jamie McDonald, winger Andy Dales and midfielder Alistair Smith. Along with Billy Sass-Davies, Rowan Roache, Will Hall and Joe Robbins that made seven new faces arriving in a fortnight.

The Alty teamsheet revealed that Josh Hancock was only a sub today, having taken a knock last time out, but Fisayo Adarabioyo had recovered to start. None of the other injured players was in the squad. There was a debut for Andy Dales but Will Hall, Lewis Salmon and Rowan Roache had all dropped out from the squad, with the bench today including two more potential debutants in Alistair Smith and Jamie McDonald.

LINE-UP:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white chest panel, black shorts, white socks): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 24. Joel SENIOR, 28. Billy SASS-DAVIES, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 3. Connor HAMPSON, 19. Joe ROBBINS, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 15. Matty KOSYLO, 32. Andy DALES, 23. Tom PEERS, 9. Fisayo ADARABIOYO. Subs: 10. Josh HANCOCK, 20. Shaun DENSMORE, 12. Curtis MILLER, 31. Jamie McDONALD, 29. Alistair SMITH

ALDERSHOT TOWN (All yellow) 1. Brad James. 2. George Fowler, 6. Kodi Lyons-Foster, 8. Josh Rees (c) 11. Harrison Panayiotou, 12. Alfy Whittingham, 17. Joseph Hungbo, 20. Toby Edser, 22. Giles Phillips, 25. Shadrach Ogie, 36. Mike Fondop. Subs: 1. Mitchell Walker, 7. James Rowe, 10. Chike Kandi, 14. Joel Nouble, 23. Killian Colombie

BACKGROUND:

Alty started the game in 21st place.

Alty's league record against Aldershot Town before tonight's game was:

REPORT:

After a dry morning the game kicked off in rain which was to intensify and, combined with a gusty wind, the weather affected proceedings for the third successive game at the J. Davidson Stadium. This time Alty kicked off with the wind broadly behind them but the visitors were soon getting the upper hand. After an early visitors' corner had come to nothing, Aldershot carved out a chance as Panayiotou fed new signing Hungbo but Thompson was alert to make a good block (4 mins). The same player shot into the side-netting shortly afterwards as Alty remained on the backfoot.

Alty slowly got going and a decent move in the tenth minute ended in an Aldershot goalkick off Kosylo. But The Shots then wasted a good chance as Panayiotou shot poorly wide when presented with a chance in the goalmouth (11 mins).

The respite was short as the visitors now took a twelfth minute lead. From an Alty clearance the ball came to Edser some 30 yards out towards the left. He played a one-two with Panayiotou, to his left, and advanced into the box where he sold a dummy to Robbins before also wrong-footing Thompson with a right-foot shot into the near, but unguarded, corner of the net.

Rain was now pouring down as Alty rallied to win a corner through Peers. Following a freekick for a foul on Adarabioyo, Peers was then put clear, running up the middle. He took a slightly heavy touch which gave the retreating Ogie the time and opportunity to get his foot in and divert the ball for a corner (19 mins). A Joel Senior overlap soon earned another corner (24 mins) but this was taken poorly by Kosylo and went straight to a defender.

The play went through a pretty scrappy spell, upto and beyond the half-hour mark, with Aldershot showing little likelihood of doubling their lead and Alty failing to create anything meaningful going forward.

However, more good work from Senior earned a freekick and, from Hampson's kick, a corner resulted. Once again, this came to nothing though Hampson's dead-ball did at least require a clearance (40 mins).

Two added minutes added at the end of the half saw a Hungbo effort run fairly comfortably, low, to Thompson.

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0
ALDERSHOT TOWN 1

Although now playing into the wind, Altrincham started the second half with a bit higher tempo as the rain continued to fall. Fowler was booked for a foul on Dales who, after a quiet first half on the left wing, was getting more involved now.

The freekick came back out to Senior who hit his shot well but it was blocked by a defender. There was then actually an Alty shot which reached the target, from Dales, but James saved it comfortably (50 mins).

At the other end, an advance up the left ended in a lay-off for Fondop but his shot was well off target.

Alty continued to show more enterprise than in the first half and, next, a neat move involving Hampson and Kosylo ended with Peers being closed down in the goalmouth. Aldershot immediately counter-attacked and it needed a fine covering tackle by Hampson to halt the danger, with a corner following (57 mins).

Although the rain had eased by the hour mark, the play was unexceptional from both sides before Dales advanced and moved in from the left to hit a fine, dipping shot over James but unfortunately it came back off the crossbar and only led to a corner (65 mins).

Kosylo then forced a save from James, low to his right, but again the resulting corner came to nothing (66 mins).

Just after Hannigan ahd recovered from a collision with James in the air, Alty made a double change with two debutants, McDonald and Smith, replacing Adarabioyo and Dales (72 mins).

Aldershot were largely content to sit on their lead before Alty's final change saw Miller replace Robbins, who had generally had a good game in midfield. But with Altrincham setting the agenda, albeit without too much in the way of creating chances, they fell further behind against the run of play. Whittingham laid off the ball to substitute Kandi who placed a firm, low shot into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards to make it 0-2 (80 mins).

A fine run fom MIller produced a corner (83 mins) but Aldershot otherwise protected their lead until the 89th minute. Then, a smart chip forward by Smith found Peers, left of goal and facing away from the target. But he turned and hit a rising shot which James, for some reason, attempted to punch rather than catch and the keeper ended up helping the ball into his net for Alty's first home goal of the season.

In four added minutes Panayiotou gave way to Rowe (90+1 mins) but Altrincham were unable to rescue a point and remained in 21st place in the table ahead of the midweek visit of Chesterfield.

Once again, failure to take the odd chances that are created was an unwanted characteristic of this game as was consistently poor dead-ball kicking, especially at corners. But, largely through injury, there were only four starters today who might be called regulars from last season and with a number of very recent arrivals it is perhaps not surprising that players have not become fully accustomed to team-mates' play.

Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 1
ALDERSHOT TOWN 2
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