ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) (0) 1
ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

Pre-season friendly match
played on Tuesday, 3 August, 2021 at 7.45pm

SUMMARY:

Altrincham fell behind to a twelfth-minute penalty very harshly awarded against one of the trialists for alleged handball. The spot kick was converted by the hosts' new signing, Rawson, from Chesterfield.

For Alty there was just one clear chance in the first half which Hancock wasted, sliding the ball wide from a good position. So it was 1-0 at half-time.

It took till the 68th minute for either side to get a shot in goal when Hancock fired straight at the keeper.

With the game drifting, Kosylo cut in from the left and was tripped. He took the freekick himself, from 20 yards out, and scored to make it 1-1 (84 mins).

Alty then made it 2-1 when Miller, who had a good game as a second-half substitute, cut in from the left and his speculative low shot was fumbled by the trialist keeper and tapped in by Tom Peers (88 mins).

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Darius Bradley
ATTENDANCE: TBA
TEAM NEWS:

Having played quite a few of his first string against Stoke in early afternoon, the Altrincham team facing BPA was necessarily makeshift. The starters included three trialists who, according to the BPA stream commentator would remain anonymous at Phil Parkinson's request but they were freely named on the Radio Robins commentary on the match.

For now, at least, we will respect the Alty manager's wishes here and not identify them although they all seem to be proper trialists rather than Alty reserves as was suggested on the radio.

LINE-UP:

BRADFORD (Park Avenue) (White): 1 Trialist A, 2 Mark Ross, 4 Trialist N, 5 Luca Havern, 7 Rob Guilfoyle, 8 Jake Hibbs, 9 Luke Rawson, 11 Lucas Odunston. 12 Jordan Windass, 14 Adam Marriott, 18 Brad Dockerty. Subs: 3 Matty Downing, 6 Trialist J. 10 Oli Johnson, 13 Trialist O, 15 Trialist L, 16 Trialist M, 17 Seb Bolton

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and white socks): 1. Tony THOMPSON, 2. TRIALIST. 3. TRIALIST, 4. Will HALL, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 6. TRIALIST, 7. Tom PEERS, 8. Connor KIRBY, 9. Fisayo ADARABIOYO, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 11. Matty KOSYLO. Subs: 12. Curtis MILLER, 14. Ryan MERTON, 15. Sean HIGGINS, 16. Harlan RODGERS-MORRIS

BACKGROUND:

This was Alty's second match on the same day, a different squad having lost to a Stoke U-23 side during the afternoon. Bradford have added a perimeter fence between the running track and pitch and now play on an artificial surface.

REPORT:

BPA kicked off towards Cemetery Road and the hosts started the better, winning an early corner (4 mins). But Alty should have taken the lead when the right-back trialist fed Hancock but he turned and shot wide, across the keeper (7 mins).

However, it was BPA who took the lead in the twelfth minute in fortunate fashion. Guilfoyle's freekick from deep on the left was harshly adjudged by the referee to have been handled by the trialist left-back and a spot kick was awarded, which new signing Rawson converted, sending Thompson the wrong way.

Kosylo soon won a corner but Altrincham were unable to create another opening before Kosylo fired an effort wide in the 24th minute. And after a home corner had come and gone it was Kosylo, again, who fired in a long-range effort which was narrowly off target (36 mins).

Altrincham had enjoyed plenty of possession without seriously threatening to break their duck in front of goal before half-time.

Half-Time: BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 1
ALTRINCHAM 0

Miller came on at the interval replacing the unnamed midfield trialist and the visitors won the half's first corner (49 mins). Alty were again enjoying plenty of possession but creating no chances.

Indeed neither keeper was being troubled as the game reached the hour mark. Then Windass fired narrowly wide before the Altrincham trialist right-back's back pass gave the hosts a corner (62 mins).

BPA made three substiutions as Downing, Johnson and a trialist came on. On 65 minutes Alty brought on Morten to replace Adarabioyo (65 mins). Peers now moved centrally to lead the attack.

Altrincham had a chance when Hancock made space well but he fired straight at the keeper to record Altrincham's first shot on target of the game in the 68th minute.

On 70 minutes youngster Higgins replaced the trialist left back just before a home corner. Next Rodgers replaced Hall for Alty (73 mins) before another stoppage was needed to allow the hosts to change their goalkeeper.

Bradford's fifth corner came and went as did Alty's third flag kick. After this a Miller twenty-yarder was saved (79 mins).

A Hannigan foul led to a home corner before Alty had a chance to score when Peers found space but he delayed his shot and was closed down (82 mins).

Another long shot from Miller recorded Alty's third shot on target, all of whuich had come in the final twenty minutes or so of the game. At this stage they had recorded seven efforts off target.

As time ticked away, Kosylo cut in from the left but was brought down. Kosylo himself took the freekick and curled it over the wall past a flat-footed keeper to his right, to level the score at 1-1 (84 mins).

Play was now end to end. As Miller cut in from the left, he shot low towards the near post where the possibly unsighted keeper could only fumble it, leaving Peers to tap home what had seemed an unlikely winner for his side (88 mins).

Full Time: BRADFORD (PARK AVENUE) 1
ALTRINCHAM 2

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