ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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GATESHEAD (1) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) 2

Emirates FA Cup First Round match
played on Saturday, 6 November, 2021 at 3pm

SUMMARY:

Two late goals rescued this tie for a generally out of sorts Altrincham who, once again, were weakened by multiple player injuries.

The match got off to an error-strewn opening from both sides. The Heed then got on top and should have gone ahead but Langstaff failed to convert a Campbell ball (16 mins).

However, Altrincham grew into the game midway through the first half, without troubling Gateshead too much apart from a Mullarkey volley which Chapman saved (28 mins).

The break was reached goalless but, inside a minute of the resumption, Alty fell behind as Campbell netted from the edge of the box with a low shot.

And it became 2-0 when a home freekick from the left was allowed to drift into the net from Olley (79 mins). However substitute Dinanga made it 2-1 from close range, after Kosylo had made the chance (83 mins).

And Alty snatched a dramatic equaliser in the 95th minute when a hopeful ball was hoisted forward and nodded on to Moult who scored from five yards.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Tom Parsons

ATTENDANCE: 1,066 (211 from Altrincham)

TEAM NEWS:

Altrincham were again short-handed with Tom Hannigan joining the injured list with a back spasm.

On the positive side was the inclusion, for his debut, of defender Kennedy Digie who had been sidelined since pre-season. And Ryan Colclough was also back in the starting eleven. Daniel Whitehead came in for his first start for the club, whilst new loanee Adam Porter was on the bench.

So, in addition to the suspended Ben Pringle, who spent the afternoon commentating on the game for Radio Manchester, there was still a long list of injured or indisposed players comprising Hampson, White, Thompson, Leitch-Smith, Mooney, Jackson, Furman and Kirby.

LINE-UP:

GATESHEAD (White and black): 1. Jacob Chapman, 2. Alex Nicholson, 14. Louis Storey, 6. Mike Williamson, 24. Matty Jacob, 12. Dan Ward, 20. Owen Bailey, 10. Greg Olley (c), 11. Adam Campbell, 19. Cedwyn Scott, 7. Macaulay Langstaff. Subs: 18. Ryan Wombwell, 9. Paul Blackett, 17. Connor Pani, 4. Jack Hunter.

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow shirts, blue shorts, yellow socks): 21. Matt GOULD, 24. Joel SENIOR, 25. Toby MULLARKEY, 18 Kennedy DIGIE, 19. David FITZPATRICK, 6. Jake MOULT (c), 10. Josh HANCOCK, 29. Daniel WHITEHEAD, 11. Ryan COLCLOUGH, 23. Tom PEERS, 31. Barry BAGGLEY. Subs: 30. Steven DRENCH, 2. Shaun DENSMORE, 8. Adam PORTER, 9. Marcus DINANGA, 15. Matty KOSYLO, 32. Tom WALKER.

BACKGROUND:

This was Altrincham's ninth successive FA Cup tie which had been drawn out of the metaphorical hat as an away fixture. Althiugh they faced opponents from a step lower in the pyramid, it was The Heed who were the full-timers against a part-time Alty.

Alty arrived after three straight league defeats to face a Gateshead side with a 100% home record in six outings this season, games in which they had scored twenty times.

Updated data from the late Mike Garnett's records reveal the balance of previous encounters with Gateshead...

REPORT:

After two less than efficient attempts at holding a minute's silence in advance of Remembrance Day, the game got under way and was forgettable for the opening ten minutes. Both sides were giving the ball away with regularity and the only corner of the opening stages came from a Mullarkey miskick (5 mins).

Things got marginally better but there was little quality football being played. However, the home side were getting the upper hand against a lacklustre Altrincham.

Indeed, the hosts should have scored in the sixteenth minute when former York forward Langstaff failed to convert an excellent low cross from the right by Campbell.

By midway through the first half, The Heed were playing some decent football as Altrincham continued to labour. However it was a home player, Olley, who was first into the referee's notebook when he brought down Colclough (27 mins).

At last Altrincham created a decent chance when Baggley's freekick from the above offence fell for Mullarkey but his volley from 15 yards was halted by the keeper, Chapman (28 mins).

Alty now enjoyed their best ten minutes of the game so far and when Ward fouled Moult, he became the match's second booking (35 mins).

At last Altrincham won a corner, through Senior (38 mins), but nothing came of it. As half-time approached Whitehead was booked for a late challenge on Olley (40 mins).

It took a smart save from Gould, at the feet of Olley, to prevent Gateshead snatching an interval lead (44 mins) but the interval arrived with the match still goalless and Altrincham having been second best.

Half-Time: GATESHEAD 0
ALTRINCHAM 0

Altrincham brought on Kosylo for Baggley for the second half but, inside a minute, they found themselves a goal behind, as Langstaff fed Campbell to put his side ahead with a low shot which beat Gould, to his right, from the edge of the box (46 mins).

Alty's immediate response was good as Senior forced Chapman to punch the ball away (48 mins).

But when Digie, who understandably had a less than perfect game on his debut after such a long lay off, lost the ball after a poor pass from Gould, Gateshead fired in a shot which went narrowly wide (51 mins).

After the sides had traded unproductive forward movements, a low Kosylo cross almost found Peers in the goalmouth (58 mins).

Gateshead then won a corner off Senior, after which Gould made a fine save at the other end following a poor header from Digie which surrendered possession (62 mins).

Colclough seemed to be Alty's most potent forward thread and it was a shot from him which soon forced a block from Chapman (62 mins)

Altrincham were now seeing more of the ball but without really threatening to score before Adam Porter became Alty's second debutant of the day as he replaced Whitehead who, himself, had made his first start for the club in this match (71 mins).

After three successive fouls by Alty, (Peers, Kosylo and Digie being the offenders), Alty made a double swap as Walker and Dinanga became their third and fourth substitutes in place of Hancock and Peers (77 mins).

Next, Mullarkey was booked for a foul on Bailey (79 mins). From the resulting freekick by Olley the ball was allowed to drift into the net off the back post as Campbell failed to make contact. That goal seemed to make the tie secure for the hosts (79 mins).

But just four minutes later, out of the blue, Altrincham got a goal back when Kosylo beat a defender and his low cross was converted by Dinanga from six yards (83 mins).

Gateshead now withdrew Campbell as Hunter came on (84 mins). As a number of the floodlights seemed to have failed it was a gloomy International Stadium for the closing stages.

As tie ticked away for Altrincham, Gateshead won a late corner (88 mins) before they brought on Blackett for Scott (90 mins).

Five added minutes were proclaimed and Gateshead looked home and dry as the clock moved into the last of those five. But a hopeful punt upfield saw the ball fall for Moult, seemingly off Mullarkey, and the Alty captain swept it home for a remarkable equaliser in a game which seemed to have been lost (90+5 mins).

It was Moult's fourth goal in the last nine fixtures and it secured a replay on 16 November.

Full Time: GATESHEAD 2
ALTRINCHAM 2

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