ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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FC HALIFAX TOWN (0) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) o
played on Monday, 30 August, 2021 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
Halifax had the better of the first 35 minutes but only forced one good save from Thompson [right], from a shot by the influential Matty Warburton.
However, Altrincham enjoyed a good ten minutes before the interval and, had Dinanga been a bit sharper on more than one occasion, they might have had something to show for their efforts. So half-time arrived with a blank scoreline.
The Shaymen dominated the start of the second half and, taking advanntage of a slip by Jake Moult, they deservedly took the lead through Slew (58 mins).
Alty made three changes between the hour mark and 76 minutes, with Jackson, Leitch-Smith and Pringle replacing Mooney, Hancock and Bunney. But the visitors were unable to force an equaliser as Halifax continued to pose a threat at the other end.
Waters added a second five minutes from time to seal Alty's fate and they could not complain as the game ended 2-0 to the Shaymen.
Altrincham dropped to twelfth albeit with a game in hand on many clubs ahead of their game next Saturday against Dover Athletic.
SCORERS:
- 58 mins: Jordan SLEW (FC Halifax Town 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 85 mins: Billy WATERS (FC Halifax Town 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
REFEREE: Mr Adam Herczeg
ATTENDANCE: 1,941
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham showed one change as new signing Joe Bunney replaces the injured left-back David Fitzpatrick who joined the litany of injured defenders comprising Densmore, Digie, Hampson and White.
Matty Kosylo was another absentee from the squad, with the bench also unchanged from the match at Torquay meaning there was no place again for Sean Williams.
LINE-UP:
FC HALIFAX TOWN (All blue) 1. Sam Johnson, 2. Jay Benn, 31. Niall Maher (c), 6. Tom Bradbury, 20. Harvey Gilmour, 4. Luke Summerfield, 26. Martin Woods, 10. Matty Warburton, 25. Jordan Slew, 3. Jack Senior, 11. Billy Waters. Subs: 7. Jamie Allen, 8. Kieran Green, 17. Kian Spence, 21. Tyrell Warren, 5. Jesse Debrah.
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks) : 1. Tony THOMPSON, 24. Joel SENIOR, 25. Toby MULLARKEY, 5. Tom HANNIGAN, 29. Joe BUNNEY,, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 14. Connor KIRBY, 7. Dan MOONEY, 11. Ryan COLCLOUGH, 10. Josh HANCOCK, 9. Marcus DINANGA. Subs: 4. Ritchie SUTTON, 16. Bradley JACKSON, 17. Ben PRINGLE, 23. Tom PEERS, 27. A-Jay LEITCH-SMITH.
BACKGROUND:
Having not played on the previous Saturday, when they beat Torquay United, Alty were only playing their second fixture of the season whilst the Shaymen were starting their third game, having lost one and won one.
REPORT:
FC Halifax kicked off and won an immediate freekick which Mullarkey cleared. Soon Jack Senior got in a shot but it went comfortably into Thompson's arms (3 mins).
When Dinanga won a freekick any potential respite for Alty was aborted by a poor deadb-all kick from Mooney (6 mins). Soon Thompson had to push a home effort round the post for the game's first corner (7 mins).
Alty then belatedly got forward but Jack Senior saw off Dinanga inside the box (9 mins).
Next, a Kirby error drew him into a foul and a home freekick which Hannigan, Alty's best player in this match, headed clear. A collison between Bunney and Woods now led to a stoppage before the Halifax man continued, with a bandaged head (16 mins).
Warburton was particularly impressing for Halifax and his low cross only just evaded Gilmour in the goalmouth (24 mins). It then took a fine tackle by Hannigan to stop Benn inside the Alty box (29 mins).
Halifax continued on the front foot and when Warburton, out of nothing, turned and fired at goal it took a good save from Thompson, diving to his right, to keep the shot out at the cost of a corner (33 mins).
The nearest to an Alty threat came when Bunney won a header to set Dinanaga in on goal but the striker was pulled up for a foul. Moments later Dinanga's poor control wasted a potential chance from a Mooney feed (36 mins).
Belatedly Alty now got a foothold in the game as they won their first corner (37 mins). However, Dinanga's disappointing afternoon continued as as Hancock played him in but the striker's attempt to find Mooney was misplaced (39 mins).
Nevertheless, Alty continued in the ascendancy as half-time approached but the nearest to a goal threat came when Colclough fed Dinanga, who executed a poor volley (45+2 mins).
So half-time arrived goalless, with Alty's good ending to the half, after initially being second best, giving some home to the travelling support for the second half.
| Half-Time: FC HALIFAX TOWN 0 ALTRINCHAM 0 |
As in the first half, it was the hosts who dominated the early stages after the break, with Waters heading over the bar early on (47 mins). Soon afterwards, Mooney was booked for a late challenge (48 mins).
Thompson soon had to make a routine save from Waters before Benn blocked a Colclough effort at the other end (50 mins).
Alty did create a decent chance in the 55th minute but Hancock scuffed his effort to the keeper. Just after Dinanga had been seen off at one end, Halifax scored at the oher end as Slew fired home from a Waters pass (58 mins).
Alty continued to be wasteful on the odd occasions when they posed a goal threat, this time Hancock lifting a shot over the bar from a Dinanga feed (62 mins).
At this point Mooney gave way to Jackson; the young winger only completed ninety minutes once last season in the National League and appears to be starting in the same vein this campaign.
The Halifax goal prompted Alty to get forward and Colclough got in two shots, the first of which went narrowly wide (65 mins).
Next, Allen replaced Slew for Halifax as Leitch-Smith also came on, for Alty, for Hancock (66 mins).
Kirby's foul on Summerfield earned him a booking for the second successive game (70 mins) and, as Alty continued to get forward, a snap shot from Leitch-Smith brought Johnson into a rare piece of action in the home goal (74 mins).
Once again the two sides made a simultaneous change, Green for Woods for the hosts and Pringle for Bunney for Altrincham (76 mins).
As the minutes ticked away an Alty corner was the best that they could muster (81 mins). But Halifax wrapped up the game in the 85th minute when Waters scored after Pringle's header had come to him.
Alty were unable to rescue the game in the closing stages, which included three added minutes, and they could have no complaints at the outcome of the game.
They ended the afternoon in twelfth place ahead of a home encounter with Dover Athletic next weekend.
| Full Time: FC HALIFAX TOWN 2 ALTRINCHAM 0 |