ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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ALTRINCHAM (1) 3
KING'S LYNN TOWN (0) 0

Vanarama National League match
played on Tuesday, 23 March, 2021 at 7pm
behind closed doors

SUMMARY:

King's Lynn started brightly but after a rasping shot from Simeon Jackson had hit the crossbar, Altrincham took a 16th minute lead when Josh Hancock headed home a left wing corner at the near post.

Play went through a fairly uneventful spell after that though Alty did have the ball in the net again in the first half but Jake Moult was clearly offside and it was rightly ruled out.

Richards also forced a smart tip over the bar from Thompson (36 mins) but Alty led by the only goal of the game at half-time.

The visitors' bad luck continued in the second half as another fine long shot from Jackson again crashed against the bar (51 mins).

Seven minutes later, a foul on Hardy gave Hancock a freekick from 22 yards which deflected off the wall and past the keeper to make it 2-0. And, within two more minutes, it became a flattering three-nil lead as an interchange between Hardy and Piggott saw the Telford man net a finely worked goal (60 mins).

Alty settled for that and competently absorbed plenty of King's Lynn possession without any real alarms to complete their biggest win of the season.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Paul Marsden

ATTENDANCE: Behind closed doors.
TEAM NEWS:

For Altrincham James Hardy, Simon Richman and Alistair Smith came into the starting eleven in place of Regan Ogle, Sean Williams and Yusifu Ceesay.

Montel Gibson, Dan Mooney, Fisayo Adarabioyo, Andy White and Shaun Densmore all remained sidelined by injury. Matty Kosylo was completing his suspension whilst Connor Hampson had had to self-isolate after someone at the school where he teaches had tested positive for Covid.

Yoan Zouma was also not in the squad which may or may not have been injury related.

King's Lynn had furloughed at least half a dozen of their players but strangely they had then been permitted to bring in at least as many new players, mostly loanees from other clubs. Indeed two of the, Howard and Baggott, had only arrived in the previous two days and both started tonight.

LINE-UP:

ALTRINCHAM (Red shirts with white chest panel, black shorts, white socks): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 30. Simon RICHMAN, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 25. Toby MULLARKEY, 24. Joel SENIOR, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 29. Alistair SMITH, 34. Ryan COLCLOUGH, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 32. James HARDY, 9. Joe PIGGOTT. Subs: 8. Sean WILLIAMS, 17. Nyal BELL, 11. Yusifu CEESAY, 23. Tom PEERS.

KING'S LYNN TOWN (All blue with yellow sash on front of shirts): 1. Theo Richardson, 4. Kyle Callan-McFadden, 5. Chris Smith, 7. Michael Clunan (c), 24. Sonny Carey, 25. Tyler Denton, 31. Simeon Jackson, 9. Michael Gash, 39. Rob Howard, 8. Jordan Richards, 38. Elkan Baggott Subs: 12. Michael Gyasi, 15. Tai Fleming, 28. Alfie Payne, 34. Jordan Davies, 30. Paul Bastock.

BACKGROUND:

This was King's Lynn's first ever visit to Moss Lane; it came 364 days after their planned visit, last season, should have been played. In fact, today's game was on the sixth date that had been fixed for the clubs to meet at the J Davidson Stadium since 2020.

Altrincham were first meant to host King's Lynn Town during 2019-20 season, in National League North. The original date for the fixture at Moss Lane was 22 February 2020, before the first Covid lockdown. However, for some reason, shortly before the scheduled date, the fixture got moved on to 24 March, leaving Alty with no game on the original February date.

The game was then moved again to 31 March 2020 by which time it could not be played as lockdown rules had come into force and the National League season had been suspended. So although both clubs were promoted to the National League for 2020-21, they never met at Moss Lane in 2019-20 season.

This season, in the National League, King's Lynn Town were scheduled to visit the J Davidson Stadium on 8 December 2020, only for a waterlogged pitch at Moss Lane to cause that game to be postponed and rearranged for 12 January 2021.

Then, that rearranged game also had to be postponed, because of Covid issues at King's Lynn Town. That meant that five prospective dates for the Linnets' first-ever visit to Altrincham had come and gone!

REPORT:

After a minute's silence to mark the anniversary of the first national Covid lockdown, the visitors kicked off.

An Alistair Smith effort yielded the game's first corner in the third minute. Following that, Hardy jinked into the box but his effort cleared the bar (4 mins). For the visitors, Carey was soon impressing as the Linnets made a bright start to the match.

The game's first shot on target came from Gash but his twenty-yarder, a low effort, was routinely saved by Thompson (13 mins).

Alty had a let-off after fourteen minutes when Simeon Jackson, who like Gash had been a scourge to Alty when playing for other clubs, fired in a rasping 22-yarder which left Thompson beaten but it cannoned back off the crossbar to the keeper's relief.

Playnow switched to the other end where a deflected Colclough shot earned Altrincham, a corner on the left. This was headed in at the near post by Josh Hancock to give Altrincham the lead, a little against the run of early play (16 mins).

After the goal Altrincham enjoyed the ascendancy with Colcolough prominent on the home side's left wing.

Lynn threatened to level in the 26th minute as Denton was played in towards the byline inside the Alty box but he was adjudged to have handled the ball (26 mins). Next, after Baggott had been booked for a foul (30 mins) the visitors again went close when Richards was allowed to advance up the middle and his well struck shot was smartly tipped over the bar by Thompson who was grateful that the shot had been hit more or less straight at him (36 mins).

Moult headed the resulting corner clear.

Following an Alty corner, Moult then had the ball in the visitors' net but he was clearly offside and the goal did not stand (38 mins).

As half-time approached a fine turn by Hardy led to his feeding Piggott but his momentary delay allowed a defender to block his shot (45 mins).

In the one added minute Carey's excellent left-footed shot went only narrowly wide. But Alty got to half-time a goal to the good though the visitors had gone close several times to scoring themselves.

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1
KING'S LYNN TOWN 0

Alty kicked off towards the Golf Road end and an early Piggott shot deflected out of play for a corner. Having arrived at Altrincham without match fitness, Piggott has so far struggled to make an impression but he was much more in evidence in this game than previously. However, Hardy's corner was taken very poorly (47 mins).

Just as in the first half, Jackson now hit a long shot, from at least 25 yards, that again cannoned off the crossbar with Thompson beaten and with the Linnets unable to capitalise on the loose ball (51 mins).

Next, after Piggott had got into the box, Smith hit a shot very high over the bar (52 mins). Hardy was then fouled by Richards. From 22 yards, slightly right of centre, Josh Hancock's freekick deflected off the wall and looped past Richardson to double Alty's lead.

Jackson's two shots against the bar and this slightly fortuitous Alty goal must have confirmed to King's Lynn that their luck was out tonight (58 mins).

It was Hancock's eleventh goal of the season, five of which have been penalties.

King's Lynn's hope of a comeback was finally extinguished, just two minutes later, when Hardy and Piggott played a slick one-two on the right, with Hardy advancing onto the return ball inside the box before poking it past Richardson for an excellently worked third Altrincham goal (60 mins).

Moments later Piggott did well right of goal but his ball across the face of goal went unconverted by any team-mate.

Lynn responded to their misfortune by bringing on Gyasi for Smith (62 mins)> Alty then enjoyed a spell of dominance, which included a corner from another deflected Piggott effort (66 mins). Not for the first time, Colclough then drew a foul but Hancock's freekick was disappointing.

When Thompson, Smith and Gyasi converged on a through ball near the Alty byline the visitors gained a corner which came to naught (72 mins).

Alty now took the foot of the accelarator and each side may a swap. Davies came on for Jackson for the Linnets and, a minute later, Nyal Bell replaced Piggott up front for Altrincham (76 mins).

The visitors were seeing plenty of the ball and a good run by Gyasi earned his side a corner (77 mins). Nevertheless, Alty were still an occasional threat on the break as Senior demonstrated, getting into the box but steeering his shot just wide (80 mins).

For Alty, Williams now came on for Hardy, who had played well (81 mins), before Payne replaced Richards for the visitors (82 mins).

King's Lynnn threatened with a ball up the middle for which Thompson came out to head clear but Richman down hurt in the same incident. However, depaite his protestations the injured Richman got up after treatment to find himself harshly booked by Mr Marsden. To add injury to insult, Richman was left hobbling (85 mins).

Just after a poor shot from Colclough, Richman had to be replaced by Ogle at right-back (87 mins). Alty were managing the game well but Lynn did convert their possession into a late corner (90 mins). However, four added minutes did not alter the score.

So Alty ended a winless four-game run and lifted themselves up to eleventh, though having played several more games than most of their rivals. This was a deserved win but King's Lynn will feel the margin shoiuld have been narrower.

Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 3
KING'S LYNN TOWN 0

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