ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON (2) 2
ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
played on Saturday, 9 July 2022 at 12 noon
SUMMARY:
Two goals from former Altrincham players saw the Robins kick off their pre-season with a defeat in sunny south Manchester. In fact at least eight of the West's starters were ex-Altrincham youth or reserve players!
In mitigation of the defeat, Alty fielded a starting eleven which included not one player who had started last season with club.
Most of this year's squad were not involved here as they were in the squad for a game at 3.30pm at Wythenshawe Town.
Alty had the majority of the possession but lacked a finishing touch up front. They fell behind after ten minutes when a home player was brought down in the box and former Alty reserve striker Ben Elliott sent Byrne the wrong way from the spot.
And Elliott was involved in the build up to the second goal when Alty failed to clear their lines and former Robins' winger Dontai Gabidon was on hand to net from ten yards, after 35 minutes.
SCORERS:
- 10 mins: Ben ELLIOTT (penalty) (West Didsbury & Chorlton 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 35 mins: Dontai GABIDON (West Didsbury & Chorlton 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
REFEREE: TBC
ATTENDANCE: 360
TEAM NEWS:
Absentees for Altrincham included Matty Kosylo and Ryan Colclough as Altrincham fielded a starting eleven including not one player who had started last season with them. Two had actually played regularly later in the season and they were Jordan Hulme (then on loan from AFC Fylde) and Isaac Marriott, who only joined the club around Christmas time 2021.
Most of this year's first-team players were not involved here as they were in the squad for a friendly game at 3.30pm at Wythenshawe Town.
In goal for this game at West Didsbury was new signing, Oliver Byrne from Connah's Quay Nomads, and at right-back was another new recruit in Aidan Roxburgh. Also starting the game was last season's loanee from Salford City, Hayden Campbell. Five trialists also started the game alongside left-back Jayden Matthew from the Academy.
West Didsbury included at least eight players who had plyed their trade previously for Altrincham and therefore they could boast more Robins heritage than today's starting eleven for their former club!
LINE-UPS:
ALTRINCHAM (Dark blue shirts with yellow sash, dark blue shorts, white socks with yellow tops): 1. Liam BYRNE, 2. Aidan ROXBURGH, 3. Jayden MATTHEW, 4. Isaac MARRIOTT, 5. TRIALIST, 6. TRIALIST, 7. TRIALIST, 8. TRIALIST, 9. Jordan HULME (c), 10. Hayden CAMPBELL, 11. TRIALIST. Subs: Edward IGEZE, 17. Kwame OSIGWE, Three TRIALISTS
WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON (White shirts, black shorts and socks) 1. Andrew JONES, 2. Matt COOK (c), 3. Tom WESTALL, 4. Laurence TAYLOR, 5. TRIALIST, 6. Connor HANCOCK, 7. Zeke EME, 8. Callum JONES, 9. Ben ELLIOTT, 10. Jack RYAN, 11. Dontai GABIDON. Subs: 12. Luke VAYRO, 14,15 and 16 TRIALISTS, 17. Liam DELANEY, 18. TRIALIST, 19. Joel SWIFT, 20. TRIALIST.
BACKGROUND:
The pitch at West Didsbury was in excellent condition despite the recent dry spell. Under former Alty reserves' manager, Chris Rowley, WD&C had been promoted at the end of last season and were now a NW Counties Premier club.
Altrincham wore their new away strip for this match.
REPORT:
On a very warm and sunny lunchtime, Altrincham kicked off their first pre-season game of 2022 and their first match as a full-time club.
Altrincham started quite well with Matthew making a couple of decent runs up the left. But they fell behind in the tenth minute after the same player had brought down an opponent and West were awarded a penalty, a decision to which there were no protests. Ex-Alty forward Ben Elliott sent debutant keeper Byrne the wrong way from the spot to put his side ahead (10 mins).
ALmost immediately, the visitors almost got level when Roxburgh fired in a string shot from the edge of the box but Jones, in the home goal, saved well. From the second of two subsequent corners the no.11 trialist's firm header crashed against the underside of the crossbar but did not cross the line and the ball was cleared (14 mins).
In the fifteen minutes up to the half-hour mark, each side won a couple of corners. Between Alty's pair of corners, no.11 trialist again impressed as he dribbled into the box, before being halted.
It was he, too, who forced another save from a long-range effort in the 32nd minute. A minute later Matthew dribbled towards the box and was brought down but the freekick, from just outside the box, left of goal, came to nothing.
Elliott then out-muscled one of the two ex-EFL trialist centre-backs who was holding him in the process and, off balance, the striker shot wide. But the home side did soon double its lead. Alty failed to deal with an incursion fromr the right and the ball ran to Gabidon who, from about ten yards, had time to drive the ball past Byrne to make it 2-0 (35 mins).
Byrne had not had to make a save (apart from the penalty) yet had been beaten twice as Alty went into the break two goals adrift despite having been, overall, the better side.
Half-Time: WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON 2 |
"West" kicked off the second half and each side won a corner in the opening eight minutes before the customary litany of disruptive pre-season substitutions began. Alty introduced Osigwe, who had been on the first-team bench twice last season, for trialist no.6 (54 mins).
Alty were to win five corners in the ensuing twelve minutes. The nearest these produced to a goal was the second flag-kick, from which Roxburgh's header went off target. Interspersed with the corners were two stoppages for substitutes. The hosts brought on a number 16 and 17 for Taylor and Ryan (62 mins) and Alty introduced nos. 12 and 16 for trialist no.7 and Campbell (66 mins).
But a single corner from Didsbury came closer to a goal than Alty's sequence when no.17's excellent header had to be cleared off the Alty goal line (67 mins).
After a stop for drinks midway through the half, another unproductive Alty corner came and went.
The final quarter of an hour witnessed at least four more stoppages for substitutions. The Alty no.7 trialist returrned to replace Hulme (76 mins) before subs no.14 and 15 replaced Matthew and Marriott (80 mins). The hosts next brought on no.15 for Gabidon (81 mins) before Alty swapped their keeper as no.20 replaced Byrne (86 mins). Despite a very late corner there was no way back for Altrincham.
Alty had produced more of the attacking football but had not been able to produce an end product whilst "West" had played more like the settled team that they were against Alty's patchwork of trialists, new and old players.
Full Time: WEST DIDSBURY & CHORLTON 2 |