ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE (0) 1
played on Saturday, 20 March, 2021 at 3pm
behind closed doors
SUMMARY:
A fairly even first half, in which each team had good spells, ended goalless. The nearest Alty came in the first half was a looping header by Ryan Colclough from left of goal which was headed off the line. For Dagenham, Weston was a repeated threat in the first half, on the right wing, but the Daggers failed to capitalise on a couple of freekicks from threatening positions, just outside the penalty area.
Despite getting the ball across the goalmouth at least five times during the match, there was no one on the end for the hosts who looked toothless.
The match was decided by a superb 79th minute freekick from 25 yards or more by Wright, after Hannigan had committed a foul on substitute McQueen.
It is now seven defeats in their last ten games for Alty, a sequence which has brought them just five points.
In mitigation Alty have a long list of absentees through injury.
SCORERS:
- 79 mins: Will WRIGHT (ALTRINCHAM 0 Dagenham & Redbridge 1)
REFEREE: Mr Gareth Rhodes
ATTENDANCE: Behind closed doors.
TEAM NEWS:
For the second successive match Altrincham were without Montel Gibson, Dan Mooney, Fisayo Adarabioyo, Andy White and Shaun Densmore, who were all injured.
In addition. both Alistair Smith and Connor Hampson were missing from the squad, as they had been in midweek, making it seven absentees plus the suspended Kosylo.
As regards the starting eleven, Zouma and Kosylo dropped out of the squad whilst Moult and Ceesay came in to start. For Ceesay it was his fiftieth game for Altrincham.
LINE-UP:
ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white chest panel, black shorts, white socks): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 24. Joel SENIOR, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 25. Toby MULLARKEY, 19. Reagan OGLE, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 8. Sean WILLIAMS, 11. Yusifu CEESAY, 34. Ryan COLCLOUGH, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 9. Joe PIGGOTT. Subs: 4. Ritchie SUTTON, 17. Nyal BELL, 32. James HARDY, 23. Tom PEERS, 30. Simon RICHMAN
DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE (Amber shirts and socks, blue shorts) 1. Elliot Justham, 3. Elliott Johnson, 6. Kenny Clark, 20. Will Wright, 27. Liam Gordon, 18. Mohammed Sagaf, 4. Dean Rance ©, 23 Saidou Khan, 11. Myles Weston, 25. Scott Wilson, 10. Angelo Balanta. Subs: 13. Josh Strizovic, 2. Callum Reynolds, 17. Darren McQueen, 22. Mauro Vilhete, 21. Adrian Clifton.
BACKGROUND:
Altrincham had won the reverse fixture 1-0 but on their last two visits to Moss Lane, the Daggers had won 5-0 on each occasion!
Although it was three weeks into March, this was Alty's first game at Moss Lane in 2021.
REPORT:
Dagenham kicked off towards Golf Road and an early error by Ogle allowed Weston to get in a low cross (1 min). Indeed Dagenham were to give the Alty left-back a torrid afternoon and soon it was Wilson getting in aother cross, to the backpost, where Alty were relieved to see Gordon fail to make anything of a decent opening (5 mins).
Altrincham's first sign of getting into the game was a Piggott effort which cleared the bar comfortably from the edge of the box. The visitors had had the better of the opening stages.
But the Robins soon improved and Ceesay won the game's first corner (13 mins). Then, a Ceesay cross, deep to the back post, was met by Colclough's clever looping header which was goalbound till a defender headed it off the line, and another corner followed (16 mins).
From an further corner, won by Piggott, Moult headed over the bar (20 mins). For the visitors, Weston continued to look lively and from his pass Wilson turned well but dragged his shot narrowly wide (25 mins).
Another Alty corner, won by Ogle, came and went (27 mins). However, goalmouth excitement was negligible before Weston won his side another corner, getting past Ogle. The ball was cleared to Balanta, and another Daggers' corner resulted before Colclough counter-attacked and won Alty a corner of their own (39 mins).
As half-time approched Williams felled Wilson but the victim's freekick was very poor and cleared the bar (43 mins).
Another freekick was soon conceded which, from 25 yards, Wright hit narrowly wide (45 mins). A minute of added time ensued before the goalless first half ended. It had been fairly even but neither keeper had been much employed.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 0 |
At the interval midfielder Simon Richman came on in his secondary role as a right-back, to replace Ogle, who had had a trying first half against Weston in particular. Senior therefore moved to left-back in place of Ogle.
Alty started the second half better than the first as good Hancock cross led to a corner (48 mins).
The former Barnet man, Vilhete was the visitors' first sub when he replaced debutant Khan (51 mins).
Next, Alty were unable to capitalise on a mistake by Johnson whch led to Colclough laying the ball acrooss the face of the Dagenham goal but no one was on hand to finish it off (53 mins).
Richman was impressing as he got up the right flank but his cross was headed wide by Colclough (55 mins). Soon it was Ceesay's turn to put in a cross across the goalmouth which again went unfinished by any team mate (56 mins).
But Altrincham now had a scappy spell as they lost the ball three times in a two-minute spell. Next Moult was booked for a foul (61 mins) before Dagenham echoed Alty by laying a ball across the face of goal which no one could finish off.
After Balanta had cleared the bar with a shot, Clifton replaced Sagaf (63 mins)
Yet again Alty got in a cross from the right, from Ceesay, but this time the keeper collected it. Rance now joined his opposite number as captain, Jake Moult, into the referee's book for a foul from behind (66 mins).
Another Ceesay cross just evaded Colclough as Alty created chances but failed to convert them for want of someone getting into the goalmouth.
Next Bell replaced Piggott who had been unable to influence the game (70 mins). Three minutes later Peers came on for Ceesay who rarely completes ninety minutes.
Despite plenty of endeavour, neither keeper had had a save of note to make as McQueen now replaced Wilson for the visitors (75 mins).
Within minutes of the Dagenham man's introduction, Hannigan's crude challenge on McQueen gave the Daggers a freekick 25 yards out, right of centre. It also earned Hannigan a booking (78 mins).
Wright hit the freekick superbly into the upper reaches of Thompson's goal as he dived to his left, putting the Daggers ahead (79 mins).
Things did not improve as Coclough became the hosts' third man to be booked (81 mins).
Once again Alty put a cross into the goalmouth which went unconverted (84 mins). As time ticked away Dagenham won a late corner (89 mins).
A generous five added minutes saw Alty win a corner (90+3 mins) but there was no way back with the last chance being yet another Alty cross from the right, by Richman, which again was not met by any incoming player.
It had been a close game but Altincham badly need a player who can get on the end of the crosses which their wide players create with regularity.
| Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE 1 |