ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS


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SOUTHEND UNITED (2) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) 0

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 19 March 2022 at 3pm


SUMMARY:

In a match which never rose above the mediocre, Altrincham enjoyed the better of the first half-hour but, once they had conceded, they were very much second-best for the remainder of the match.

In front of almost 6,000 spectators at Roots Hall, Altrincham almost took an early lead when a fine, rising shot by Kosylo hit the inside of the upright (10 mins). The first period was to continue without too much further incident before good defensive cover by Colclough halted Dennis after Thompson had rashly rushed out of his goal (27 mins).

Then Cooper glanced a header off target from a Mooney corner (29 mins) but Altrincham fell apart in the last ten or more minutes of the half. Firstly, after a Cooper error, Southend gained a corner from which they scored through Dalby off the underside of the bar, as Thompson had been unable to collect the ball. His appeals for a foul went unheeded (35 mins).

With errors creeping into their game, it got worse for Altrincham a few minutes later when a Kosylo pass was intercepted. From the Southend left, the impressive Bridge's ball presented Dennis with an easy goal to make it 2-0 (41 mins).

For the second half Hulme, who had taken a first-half knock to his head, was replaced by Leitch-Smith. In the second half Altrincham never looked like retrieving anything from the game whilst Southend did not do enough to add to their two-goal lead.

Defeat dropped Altrincham two places to fifteenth.


SCORERS:


REFEREE: Mr Aji Ajibola


ATTENDANCE: 5,976 (60 in away section)


TEAM NEWS:

In an otherwise unchanged matchday squad, Tony Thompson returned to keep goal after missing three matches with an infected arm and Phil Parkinson elected to go without a sub goalkeeper as cover today.

Centre-back Toby Mullarkey was making his one hundredth appearance for Altrincham in this match.

For the opposition, Bridge, Clifford and Dennis all came in to start as the Shrimpers made three changes, with Atkinson, Demteriou and Powell dropping to the bench and midfielder Jack Wood displaced the substitute keeper as a substitute.


LINE-UPS:

SOUTHEND UNITED (All blue): 1. Steve Arnold, 3. Nathan Ralph (c), 5. Shaun Hobson, 21. Harrison Neal, 7. Jack Bridge, 10. Sam Dalby, 12. Tom Clifford, 38. Noor Husin, 35. Ollie Kensdale 27, Leon Davies, 30. Matthew Dennis. Subs: 8. James Dunne, 20. Will Atkinson, 24. Jason Demetriou, 11. Callum Powell, 25. Jack Wood

ALTRINCHAM (Yellow shirts and socks, blue shorts): 1. Tony Thompson, 23. Harry Perritt, 25. Toby Mullarkey, 14. Jake Cooper, 28. Eddy Jones, 8. Elliot Osborne, 32. Isaac Marriott, 7. Dan Mooney, 15. Matty Kosylo, 11. Ryan Colclough, 29. Jordan Hulme (c). Subs: 10. Josh Hancock, 24. Kyle Ferguson, 17. Ben Pringle, 20. Andy White, 27. A-Jay Leitch-Smith.


BACKGROUND:

After a wretched start to life in non-League, Southend had spent the early part of the season towards the wrong end of the table. Ironically their season had been kick-started by a win at Altrincham, following the Shrimpers' appointment of new manager Kevin Maher. But their thirteen-game unbeaten run had come to a shuddering halt at Roots Hall in mid-week, when local rivals Dagenham and Redbrodge had beaten them 3-0.


REPORT:

Altrincham kicked off but the game was not one to animate the crowd in the early stages. An early foul on Colclough was to be the first of many during the game commited on the man recognised as the visitors' major threat.

However, it was the visitors who were soon loking the better side and after a good move, started and finished by Mooney (8 mins), it was not long before Alty almost took the lead.

Marriott fed Kosylo and his excellent, rising shot beat Arnold but came back off the upright before Southend got it away for a corner (10 mins). This was to be the height of a real goal threat before a stoppage was needed for treatment o a head injury to Hulme. He continued but as the game passed the half-way mark of the first half, it was still far from compelling viewing.

The first real alarm for Alty came when Thompson rashly came out of his goal and it took excellent covering from the back-tracking Colclough to halt Dennis (27 mins). At the other end a Colough shot deflected to Arnold's hands before another self-induced mistake gave Southend a hope of a goal (33 mins).

The unforced errors continued with, next, Cooper allowing Dalby to force a block from Thompson, which led to a corner.

From that corner by Clifford, Alty conceded a goal as Thompson was unable to hold the ball, with a suggestion that he was being fouled. The ball was poked onto the underside of the crossbar by Ralph with the linesman both confirming that the ball had crossed he line and also that, in his view, Thompson had not been impeded by an oppoinent (35 mins).

And it soon becane 2-0 as Clifford fed Bridge on the left and his cross gave Dennis an easy conversion to make it 2-0 (41 mins).

Altrincham errors contiued as, now, Osborne's poor back-pass forced thompson to rush out and block Dennis, injuring both men in the process (45 mins). Three added minutes ended with Altrincham having been transformed from the better side for half an hour into a jittery team looking vulnerable at the back.


Half-Time: SOUTHEND UNITED 2
ALTRINCHAM 0


Both sides made changes presumably both enforced, at the interval. For Altrincham, Leitch-Smith replaced Hulme (concussion) and Atkinson came on for Ralph.

After an unremarkable few minutes, Perritt earned a booking for a foul on Bridge (52 mins). Meanwhile Colclough was fouled yet again as a faltering Alty raised litle hope amongst their supporters of recovering from their two-goal deficit.

Indeed, the hosts looked the more likely to score the next goal but Thompson made a fine save to keep out a rising shot from Neal on the hour mark. Next, Hancock replaced Kosylo (64 mins) as play meandered on.

Southend were comfortable with their lead and showing little real inclination to add to their score whilst what proved to be Alty's last throw of the dice saw Pringle replace Marriott in midfield (74 mins). The Robins did muster a shot fro Colclough but Husin blocked this effort, from Colcough (79 mins).

After Mullarkey had reacted to a challenge by Dennis, he picked up a booking (83 mins).

Alty's error contiued as Southend wound down the clock with two late changes; Dunne replaced Husin (88 mins) and Wood came on for Bridge (90 mins).

What had started was a confident Alty, having arrived iwth one defeat in their previous seven games, ultimatel saw them leaving Roots Hall as a well-beaten side, bedevilled by self-induced errors and very little punch going forward.


Full Time: SOUTHEND UNITED 2
ALTRINCHAM 0