ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS


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SOLIHULL MOORS (4) 5
ALTRINCHAM (0) 0

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 29 January 2022 at 3pm


SUMMARY:

A dreadful afternoon for Altricham actually started quite well. Indeed, it was against the run of play Solihull when took an eighteenth-minute lead through Andy Dallas's tenth goal in four games, after the visitors had stood off him. Earlier Colclough had forced a good save from Boot and Pringle had underhit a decent chance.

Shortly afterwards it got even worse for the Robins when Berkoe's off-the-ground challenge on Maycock prompted a red card (22 mins).

Moments after Shaun Densmore had come on for Hancock, as Alty tried to make up for Berkoe's dismissal, Solihull's Osborne took advantage and scored a second goal for the Moors (26 mins).

And it became 3-0 when more good work by Jamie Osborne led to another goal for Dallas, so it was 3-0 (35 mins).

It could have been even worse in the next five minutes but for Thompson's heroics, as Alty fell apart. The respite was short as a well-worked fourth goal arrived through Maycock after 42 minutes, his goal making it 4-0 at the interval.

In a low key second half, it was not until 82 minutes before Barnett made it 5-0 to the hosts. Kosylo rounded off a wretched afternoon when he kicked out at an opponent in added time and got a wholly irresponsible second red card for Altrincham.

Despite gleaning just seven points from the last 51 and securing only one win in 17 league matches, Alty remain ten points clear of the relegation spots. They may owe survival this season to Macclesfield Town's demise as there would have been four relegation places this season had the Silkmen not gone bump.


SCORERS:


REFEREE: Mr Paul Marsden
ATTENDANCE: 2,090


TEAM NEWS:

For this match, Altrincham were again without Tom Hannigan (injured) and they made three changes as Tom Peers returned from his loan at Curzon Ashton to start this game, with Jordan Hulme unavailable.

Captain Jake Moult and Dan Mooney moved to the bench as Ben Pringle and Isaac Marriott started in midfield. Matty Kosylo made a return on the bench, too.

Moors made one change as Osborne came in to start in place of Barnett.


LINE-UPS:

SOLIHULL MOORS (Yellow and blue): 1. Ryan Boot (GK) (c), 2. James Clarke, 6. Alex Gudger, 7. Joe Sbarra, 8. Callum Maycock, 10. Jamey Osborne, 14. Harry Boyes, 19. Andrew Dallas, 22. Ellis, 24. Danny Newton, 25. Lois Maynard. Subs: 3. Jordan Cranston, 11. Ryan Barnett, 18. James Ball, 26. Jack Myatt (gk), 27. Kyle Hudlin.

ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 1 Tony Thompson (c), 19. Jamie Morgan, 25. Toby Mullarkey, 18. Kennedy Digie, 24. Kevin Berkoe, (c), 8. Elliot Osborne, 32. Isaac Marriott, 17. Ben Pringle, 10. Josh Hancock, 11. Ryan Colclough, 23. Tom Peers. Subs: 2. Shaun Densmore, 27. A-Jay Leitch-Smith, 15. Matty Kosylo, 6. Jake Moult, 7. Dan Mooney .


BACKGROUND:

Altrincham went into the game with just two wins from their previous twenty-one matches in all competitions. In contrast Solihull had won their last three matches, scoring ten times and not conceding at all. Striker Andy Dallas had hit nine goals in those matches!


REPORT:

Altrincham kicked off with a stiff breeze behind them and they made the better start. From an acute angle a Colclough shot skimmed off the turf but goalkeeper Boot parried it onto the post at the cost of an early corner (4 mins).

Soon afterwards, Peers won possession and fed Pringle but his shot ran comfortably to the Moors goalkeeper from 22 yards

A foul by Jamie Osborne allowed Alty to remain on the front foot but nothing came of this. Boot was busy again when he he had to clear the ball outside his box but Alty were given offside (7 mins).

Just after a promising Alty counter-attack had been halted, Solihull took the lead against the run of play. The goal came following a smart save from Thompson after Sbarra had been put through on goal (17 mins). Digie cleared the ball for a throw and Alty lost concentration allowing Dallas to fire a shot under Thompson to open the Moors' account (18 mins).

It was Dallas's tenth goal in four outings.

Then it got worse as Berkoe felled Maycock and, as both of the defender's feet had left the ground, the on-loan Salford City defender was shown a red card by Mr Marsden (22 mins).

Alty responded by bringing on Densmore to fill in at the back, with Hancock the unfortunate man to be withdrawn (25 mins). Before Densmore could settle, Boyes got the better of him and fed Osborne who netted the Moors' second goal (26 mins).

Play resumed with Alty looking devoid of confidence and it was not too long before they found themselves three down as Osborne was allowed to get past Colclough and then advance unchallenged before Dallas netted his second and his side's third goal of the afternoon (35 mins).

Alty then experienced a torrid spell; Sbarra won a corner before Osborne was allowed a free shot at goal as he advanced unchallenged up the pitch. Next, Thompson had to make a good save (38 mins).

And, after this, a Sbarra header was blocked by Thompson prompting a melee in which the ball skimmed off the crossbar. Alty were all over the place as, next, Osborne fired over the bar (41 mins).

The inevitable followed as Solihull took a 4-0 lead, through a well constructed move initiated by Gudger, before via Boyes and Dallas, the ball came to Maycock who scored the goal (42 mins).

Three added minutes witnessed more alarm for Alty as Thompson clattered the advancing Dallas but was spared any punishment by an offside flag (45 mins). Three added minutes were completed leaving Altrincham four down at the interval for the second time in five weeks.


Half-Time: SOLIHULL MOORS 4
ALTRINCHAM 0


Kosylo replaced Pringle for the second half but after they had kicked off The Moors resumed where they had left off. An early shot cleared the bar just before a cross narrowly evaded the head of Dallas (47 ins).

A trip on Osborn earned Mullarkey a booking (50 mins) before Clarke got past Morgan and Digie had to concede a corner (52 mins). The largely one-way traffic continued and when Dallas slipped the ball through Thompson's legs, Alty were indebted to Mullarkey for clearing off the line for a corner (59 mins).

Another home corner followed before Alty belatedly won their first corner for the best part of an hour after Colclough and Morgan had combined (63 mins).

The home side had taken their foot off the pedal and they now made a double change with Cranston and Barbett replacing Maycock and Boyes (71 mins).

At last Alty put together a decent second-half attacking move which ended as Kosylo forced a good save and won a corner (72 mins).

There was a bizarre incident as Colclough lost his focus and indulged in a prolonged argument with some home supporters before his manager signalled for him to get his act together. Manager Parkinson set Mooney warming up as it seemed that a substitution was on the cards to save Colclough from himself but it never happened.

However when Colclough regained his focus, at least partiallly, his next act was to foul an opponent and earn a yellow card (75 mins).

Densmore now made a fine run up the right and won a corner (77 mins). But moments later the experienced right-back was booked for a foul on Cranston (78 mins).

The giant forward Hudlin now replaced Dallas (79 mins) as the game semed to be drifting to its conclusion. But Solihull mustered a fifth goal when Barnett was allowed space to score with a right-footed shot (82 mins).

There was still time for Sbarra to fire over the bar (85 mins) and to have a shot blocked by Mullarkey (88 mins).

In the first of three added minutes Altrincham's disastrous afternoon culminated in rank indiscipline as the hot-headed Kosylo raked the shins of an opponent and deservedly saw the second of his side's red cards.

It is ironic that Alty's deadly rivals for more than a century could be the club which keeps this underperforming team in the National League as, despite one in 17 league matches (and that was against a Weymouth team who had only had ten men for more than an hour) they remain ten points cear of the relegation places.

Had the Silkmen not gone under, there would have been four relegation spots and as things stand Altrincham occupy that fourth relegation spot on Points Per Game.


Full Time: SOLIHULL MOORS 5
ALTRINCHAM 0