ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
BROMLEY (1) 1
played on Saturday, 11 December, 2021 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
At a sodden Moss Lane, third-placed Bromley hit the post through Cheek after just three minutes before Alty settled. With Moult already booked, Senior joined him in the book for a foul and, from Coulson's resulting freekick, Sowumni got the better of Moult and headed the ball into the net to give Bromley a 31st minute lead.
The visitors retained their lead to the interval with Altrincham unable to threaten an equaliser.
However, in the second half Altrincham had the majority of the ball and the attacking play and went close on several occasions but could not score.
It was the first time in fifteen league games that Altrincham had failed to find the net and their recent run has now been extended to just one win in ten National League fixtures.
SCORERS:
- 31 mins: Omar SOWUNMI (ALTRINCHAM 0 Bromley 1)
REFEREE: Mr Matthew Dicicco
ATTENDANCE: 1,405, with 76 in away section. Once again the permitted attendance was capped. The new limit was not stated by the club but was believed to be c.2,500. The actual attendance, the lowest for a Saturday league fixture this season, was not helped by heavy rain and the emergence of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 which dissuaded some potential spectators.
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham made two changes as Mooney and Whitehead missed out in favour of Porter and Hancock.
Bromley brought in Charles-Cook in goal.
LINE-UP:
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 1. Tony Thompson, 3 Connor Hampson, 5 Tom Hannigan, 6 Jake Moult (c), 8 Adam Porter, 10 Josh Hancock, 11 Ryan Colclough, 15 Matty Kosylo, 24 Joel Senior, 25 Toby Mullarkey, 27 A-Jay Leitch-Smith. Subs: 7 Dan Mooney, 9 Marcus Dinanga, 17 Ben Pringle, 18 Kennedy Digie, 23 Tom Peers.
BROMLEY (All blue): 13 Reice Charles-Cook, 4 Billy Bingham, 5 Chris Bush, 6 Omar Sowunmi, 7 Luke Coulson, 9 Michael Cheek, Byron Webster (c), 20 Jude Arthurs, 18 Corey Whitely, 22 George Alexander, 24 Marcus Sablier. Subs: 2 Joe Partington, 10 James Alabi, 19 Harry Forster, 34 Jack Cawley, 11 Louis Dennis.
BACKGROUND:
With home fans once again permitted to occupy the away end, and limited numbers allowed elsewhere in the J. Davidson Stadium, (albeit for this match to a raised limit of around 2,500), watching home games at Altrincham in recent weeks has been a strange experience.
But now, in addition, security nationally had had to be tightened because of terrorist threats. So metal-detector scanning and more thorough searches of spectators on entry to the JDS have had to be introduced.
And things are likely to get worse as the new Omicron variant of Covid will impose even more restrictions on spectator behaviour at all event venues, rendering attendance at non-League football games a very different experience from how it was two years ago.
The game was played in rain throughout.
REPORT:
Altrincham kicked off towards the Chequers end.
It was the visitors who started the better and they almost went ahead inside five minutes. Having already headed a chance over the bar, Cheek's second effort, a couple of minutes later, saw him hit the base of the post (5 mins). The visitors followed this up soon afterwards by winning a corner.
Alty began to improve but the Kent side were adept at closing down the hosts with Thompson more than once forced into hurried clearances.
Next, a long shot from Alexander was saved comfortably by Thompson (15 mins) before Alty gave the ball away and Moult was drawn into commiting a covering foul which earned him a booking (17 mins).
Sowunmi's freekick from the "D" of the penalty area hit the defensive wall and cleared the bar for a corner (18 mins).
Belatedly, Altrincham came more into the game as Hancock was halted by Sowunmi before a Mullarkey sffort came out to Hancock whose shot was deflected over the bar for the home side's first corner (24 mins).
The already booked Moult conceded another freekick with a foul on Whiteley. Coulson's freekick deflected off Porter and over the bar for a corner (28 mins).
Senior then joined Moult in the referee's book for another foul on Whiteley. From 30 yards Coulson's freekick was nodded into the net by the 6ft 5inch Sowunmi who got goalside of Jake Moult to give Bromley the lead (31 mins).
Alty then wasted a freekick, won by Colcough off Whiteley (35 mins). But the hosts were struggling to test the keeper before Colclough did force a routine save on 41 minutes when he got past a defender but shot weakly.
For the third time in the game Altrincham now conceded a freekick within eminently shootable range when Cheek was fouled (43 mins). This time Bush's lay off prompted a wild shot from Coulson (44 mins).
Altrincham were conceding too many freekicks, and Porter was the next culprit, but this one came to nothing as half-time arrived with the visitors still a goal to the good.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 BROMLEY 1 |
Defending the Golf Road end, Bromley kicked off but, unlike in the first half, it was Altrincham who started the better.
An early freekick from the left dropped to Moult but Bromley saw off the danger. Next, however, Kosylo became the third home player to see yellow for a foul (49 mins).
In the next five minutes Altrincham gained two corners but failed to capitalise on them (55 mins).
On the hour mark, Forster replaced Whiteley as Bromley retained their 3-5-2 formation. Colclough did threaten soon afterwards but stumbled as he shot wide (61 mins).
Bromley now made a change as Alabi replaced Alexander (65 mins) and five minutes later Altrincham made a double swap with Pringle and Dinanga replacing Kosylo and Leitch-Smith (70 mins).
With rain still falling steadily, Bromley were successfully winding down the clock before Cawley came on for Sablier (73 mins). Altrincham now dominated proceedings with five corners gained inside a ten-minute spell (77 to 86 mins).
The nearest that Alty came to converting their pressure into a goal was between the fourth and fifth corner when Hampson prodded over the bar from barely three yards out (83 mins).
As so often recently, part-time Alty were finishing a game very strongly. But this time they were unable to snatch a late leveller, with Mullarkey and Dinanaga both failing to convert clear chances, and the four added minutes were notable only for a Bromley corner, a Colclough effort over the bar, and a late booking for Hancock (90+2 mins).
So Altrincham failed to score for the first time in a remarkable run of fifteen league fixtures. And this defeat meant that their dip in form now amounts to just one victory in ten National League games.
Nevertheless, the hosts can count themselves unlucky not to have taken something from their spirited second-half performance in which they laid siege to the visitors' goal.
| Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 BROMLEY 1 |