ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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BOREHAM WOOD (0) 0
ALTRINCHAM (0) 1
played on Saturday, 21 November, 2020 at 3pm
behind closed doors
SUMMARY:
In a goalless first half, injury ravaged Altrincham had the better of the opening 25 minutes before Boreham Wood seized the initiative for the remainder of the half. In a first half of only moderate quality The Wood came closer to taking the lead when Thomas cut in from the left and hit a 20 yarder which beat Thompson but smacked against the cross-bar (34 mins).
In a second half of few goal chances, Altrincham scored an 87th minute winner. Kosylo advanced on the right and his ball forward saw one substitute, Ceesay, chase the ball as goalkeeper Ashmore came to meet him. The ball broke loose behind the keeper and another substitute, McDonald, was on hand to score into an open goal. The win takes Alty up to fourteenth in the table.
SCORERS:
- 87 mins: Jamie McDONALD (Boreham Wood 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
REFEREE: Mr Martin Woods
ATTENDANCE: Behind closed doors.
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham were without six injured players in Andy White, Sean Williams, Toby Mullarkey, Simon Richman, Dan Mooney and Tom Peers, whilst Yusifu Ceesay was only fit enough to be named on the bench. Joel Senior returned to start in place of Shaun Densmore at right-back whilst, on the bench, Ceesay replaced Curtis Miller.
Having encountered Tom Denton in the Chesterfield side in midweek, Alty faced another big front man today in Matt Rhead, whom Alty had previously encountered in his Lincoln City days.
Boreham Wood were without the injured Kieran Murtagh, Mark Ricketts and Corey Whitely.
LINE-UP:
BOREHAM WOOD (All white): 1. Nathan Ashmors, 3. Femi Ilesanmi, 5. Tom Champion (c), 7. Piero Mingoia, 8. Gus Mafuta, 9. Kabongo Tshimanga, 12. Jaml Fyfield, 14. Sorba Thomas, 15. Matt Rhead, 19. Kane Smith, 20. Adam McDonnell. Subs: 2. Danny Woodards, 6. David Stephens, 16. Zaine Francis-Angol, 17. Ryan Huddart, 18. Shaquile Coulthirst.
ALTRINCHAM (All yellow, with blue and white diagonal sash on shirts): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 24. Joel SENIOR, 28. Billy SASS-DAVIES, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 3. Connor HAMPSON, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 29. Alistair SMITH, 15. Matty KOSYLO, 32. Andy DALES, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 9. Fisayo ADARABIOYO. Subs: 19. Joe ROBBINS, 31. Jamie McDONALD, 20. Shaun DENSMORE, 4. Ritchie SUTTON, 11. Yusifu CEESAY.
BACKGROUND:
This was Altrincham's second ever visit to Boreham Wood, having won there, 1-0, on their inaugural trip in 2015. Coincidentally today was the fifth anniversary of the first-ever meeting between the clubs when the Hertfordshire team visited Moss Lane and were likewise beaten 1-0, in 2015.
Despite their lengthy injury list, Alty arrived buoyed by a 3-2 win over Chesterfield in midweek, whilst The Wood had not won any of their previous three league fixtures.
REPORT:
Altrincham started the better of the two sides and won two corners inside the opening five minutes, with Kosylo and Senior prominent on the Alty right.
The hosts responded with a corner of their own, won off Senior, in the ninth minute, after which Kane Smith fired well over the bar.
Neither keeper had been troubled before Alistair Smith's low cross earned Alty another corner, which was cleared. A promising Alty move then ended with a Moult miscue which bissected the byine between the corner flag and the goal post (19 mins).
Smith then glanced a header wide from a Senior cross as Altrincham continued to be the better team but without landing an effort on target (21 mins).
After a Boreham Wood appeal for a penalty had been rightly dismissed, the home side improved but could muster no more at this stage than a weak shot from Tshimanga which ran to Thompson (32 mins).
McDonnell was the first name in the referee's book for a foul on Hancock (33 mins) but The Wood almost snatched the lead when Thomas cut inside Senior on the left wing and, from 20 yards, thumped a shot past Thompson but it came back off the crossbar (34 mins).
Former Salford City man Mafuta was now booked for a professional foul on Kosylo as the Alty man got past him near halfway (37 mins). With the home side now on top, Tshimanga again cut in from the left but this time fired over the bar (39 mins).
As half-time approached, a rare slip by Sass-Davies allowed Tshimanga another chance but he fired well over the bar on this occasion (41 mins). Alty won a late corner before the interval but the break arrived with the game remaining goalless.
| Half-Time: BOREHAM WOOD 0 ALTRINCHAM 0 |
After an early home shot over the bar, a slip by Hannigan allowed Tshimanga to threaten but Hampson covered well to block his effort (47 mins).
Altrincham then carved out the best chance of the game to date as Kosylo, Senior and Dales combined to give Hancock a shot but the keeper made a fine save to his left at the cost of a corner (50 mins).
Alty had another half chance soon afterwards when a Kosylo shot deflected to Adarabioyo but the ball got stuck under the striker's feet in front of goal. But then Dales went down injured and had to go off. Playing on briefly with ten men, a Smith header from a Kosylo cross went straight to Ashmore's hands.
Soon, however, Ceesay came on to replace the injured Dales on the left wing (56 mins).
Alty then hacked the ball away after a home corner before Alistair Smith was booked for a rugged challenge, on the hour mark.
Five minutes later Adarabioyo was replaced by McDonald up front for Altrincham (65 mins). The visitors now enjoyed a good spell in which Hancock had a well-hit shot impressively saved by Ashmore (71 mins).
Coulthirst then replaced McDonnell for the hosts (74 mins) as the deadlock continued.
It was now the home team's turn to enjoy a better spell but, apart from an unthreatening corner, Alty were not particularly under pressure. Alty then responded at the other end as a McDonald shot was blocked (83 mins).
Champion now seemed to kick McDonald off the ball but escaped censure (84 mins) before the deadlock was finally broken when a Kosylo through ball left Ceesay chasing and Ashmore rushing out of his goal. The Alty man got to it first and the ball broke off the keeper, towards goal. McDonald was quickest to react and put the ball into the empty net from about 12 yards (87 mins).
However, McDonald then got himself booked after a skirmish with Mafuta (90 mins) before Boreham Wood were unable to profit from an injury time corner.
A very late change saw Robbins replace Hancock (90+2 mins) before the final whistle confirmed Alty's second win of the week, which lifted them up to fourteenth.
Whilst Alty may not be as prolific or expansive as in recent seasons they are proving tighter at the back, with this their third clean sheet of the campaign. Once again Senior and Kosylo were amongst Alty's better players.
| Full Time: BOREHAM WOOD 0 ALTRINCHAM 1 |