ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (0) 2
MANCHESTER UNITED XI (1) 1
played on Saturday, 30 July 2022 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
A host of substitutes, a mixture of trialists, Academy graduates and squad players produced an exhilarating final twenty minutes which saw Altrincham transform a 0-1 deficit into a 2-1 victory.
United's youngsters had taken the lead on the hour mark with a shot from twenty yards by Forson.
But Alty dominated the final period and levelled in the 81st minute when Amaar Hussain crossed from the left and trialist right-winger Kaja headed the ball down to Dinanga who smartly poked the ball home (81 mins).
Wave after wave of attacks then produced the winner as. Kaja advanced on the right and fed Dinanga, who turned smartly before scoring (87 mins). Kaja is an Albanian who has been on AFC Wimbledon's books.
New signing Samizadeh was also much involved in the closing stages.
SCORERS:
- 60 mins: Omari FORSON (ALTRINCHAM 0 Manchester United XI 1)
- 81 mins: Marcus DINANGA (ALTRINCHAM 1 Manchester United XI 1)#
- 87 mins: Marcus DINANGA (ALTRINCHAM 2 Manchester United XI 1)
REFEREE: Mr David McNamara
ATTENDANCE: 1,638 (305 in away end)
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham included new (re-)signing James Jones, which meant that centre-back Toby Mullarkey was deployed at right-back. But the other new arrival at Moss Lane this week, Alex Samizadeh, started on a bench which comprised no fewer than ten players.
LINE-UPS:
ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Oliver Byrne, 5. Toby Mullarkey, 16. James Jones, 6. Lewis Baines, 3. Liam Brockbank, 8. Elliot Osborne, 4. Tom Pugh, 7. Ben Pringle, 11. Ryan Colclough, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 9. Jordan Hulme (c). Subs: 1* Matt Gould, 22. Aidan Roxburgh, 15. Kwame Boateng, 17. Jake Cooper, Blank shirt. Mitch Rose, 18. Harlan Rodgers Morris, 12. Amaar Hussain, 19. Egli Kaja, 14. Marcus Dinanga, 23. Alex Samizadeh
MANCHESTER UNITED XI (All white): 1. Dermot Mee, 2. Charlie Wellens, 3. Marc Jurado, 4. Bjorn Hardley, 5. Tyler Fredricson, 6. Ethan Galbraith (c), 7. Omari Forson, 8. Toby Collyer, 9. Mateo Meija, 10. Kobbie Mainoo, 11. Sam Mather. Subs: 12. Pye, 13. Wooster,14. Ennis, 15. Aljofree, 16. Gore, 17. Bennett
BACKGROUND:
This was Altrincham's final pre-season home game but only their second game at the J. Davidson Stadium this summer. Amongst the United entourage was former Alty striker Colin Little, who has a coaching role at Old Trafford, and also present was another Alty hero in the shape of Ken McKenna.
REPORT:
On a cloudy but deceptively warm afternoon, United kicked off towards the Golf Road end, the match starting five minutes late for some reason. Alty's first attempt at goal came when Jurado's clearing header went to Mullarkey but he lashed his shot comfortably wide of the back post from right of goal (6 mins).
United soon settled into a display of impressive possession and slick passing but Byrne was not troubled in the early stages.
Altrincham got forward again when Colclough fed Osborne and he set Mullarkey forward, up the right. His cross just evaded the head of a diving Conn-Clarke in the goalmouth (12 mins). And Conn-Clarke soon threatened again as he forced a save from Mee after good work from Pugh in midfield (13 mins).
However, Alty almost fell behind when Mainoo got the better of Jones and advanced on goal up the middle but Byrne came out smartly to block. However, the ball rebounded off Mainoo and went only narrowly wide (14 mins). United's slick passing continued and a neat one-two earned them the game's first corner (19 mins).
Alty reciprocated soon afterwards when Conn Clarke fed Brockbank whose cross earned his side a flag-kick (23 mins). Steady drizzle was now falling as the game continued as a pleasant enough spectacle but devoid of much goalmouth excitement. At the half-hour mark the game halted for a drinks break.
United did spurn a chance, however, after 37 minutes. Mainoo fed Forson and his shot was blocked but not held by Byrne. However, Meija put the chance wide of the beckoning net.
Conn Clarke then earned Alty another corner, from which a back-post header from Baines was saved by Mee (38 mins). Conn Clark then forced a save (42 mins) and soon afterwards a cross from the left by Pugh had to be tipped over the bar by Mee for another corner.
At the other end, Byrne again came out impressively to block an effort from Meija after the number nine had got himself past Jones (45+1 mins). So half-time was reached without any goals.
Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 |
Half-time brought a tannoy appeal for a qualified referee as one of the assistants had gone lame. The break extended to more than twenty minutes before the game resumed.
Alty broguht on Albanian trialist Kaja on the right wing in place of Pringle. A poor clearance by the visitors' keeper soon gave Colclough a sight of goal but his 25 yarder went narrowly wide (46 mins).
Pugh was then very late with a challenge on the United captain before Alty made another substitution with Boateng, a trialist, coming on at right-back in place of Mullarkey (49 mins).
When Pugh lost the ball and Meija was put clear, inexplicably the United striker crossed the ball to no one when he had a clear sight of goal (51 mins).
Next, Colclough won a corner (55 mins) which was cleared out to Kaja, whose well hit shot from 20 yards narrowly cleared the bar (56 mins). Then Conn CLarke played a fine ball to set Hulme in on goal but his shot was blocked (59 mins).
For United, a cross was punched clear by Byrne moments before a pot-shot by Forson from 25 yards flew into the upper reaches of the Alty net to give United the lead on the hour.
Alty now made four changes with Samizadeh coming on for Conn Clarke, trailist midfilder Mitch Rose replaced Osborne, up front Marcus Dinanga came on for Hulme and Jake Cooper replaced Jones at centre-back (62 mins).
For their part United brought on Pye, Ennis and Gore (63 mins).
Colclough now got forward but, from 20 or more yards, he screwed his effort well wide (65 mins). Soon after this, the former Scunthorpe winger felt aggrieved that he had not been awarded a freekick and took a very late swipe at an opponent. He was deservedly booked for his petulance (69 mins).
Alty now made three more changes with Gould replacing Byrne in goal, Hussain replacing Brockbank and Roxburgh replacing Colclough. Hussain settled on the left wing, with Roxburgh at full-back (73 mins).
From now on Altrincham played some exhilarating attacking football, with wave after wave of attacks. First, Academy graduate Hussain did well to turn into space and find Dinanga whose shot crashed against the crossbar (75 mins).
Next Samizadeh won the ball well and, from the left, forced the keeper to smother the ball. Baines had now assumed the captaincy as Alty put together another good move with Hussain forcing the keeper to tip his shot from twenty yards round the post.
The attacks continued with Kaja's well-stuck effort forcing a save (80 mins). United's resistance was broken soon aftewards as Hussain crossed from the left and Kaja headed the ball down for Dinanga, who poked the ball home from slightly right of centre to level the score (81 mins).
The pressure continued with Rose feeding Samizadeh who forced an excellent block. Next, Kaja put Hussain through and it took another smart block by a defender to halt him at the cost of a corner (83 mins).
Moments later Samizadeh rounded the keeper before being halted but he had been given offside in any case.
At this point Academy midfielder Harlan Rodgers Morris replaced Baines (84 mins). United did respond briefly as Jurado curled a shot wide (85 mins).
Finally another Altrincham attack produced what proved to be the winning goal as Dinanga and Kaja exchanged pases before Dinanga turned well and hit his shot into the net (87 mins).
There was no way back from United as Altrincham's impressive final twenty minutes had brought about a stirring victory which put the preceding seventy minutes into the shade for entertainment. The fact that several trialists had played well leaves Phil Parkinson with a tricky decision or two as to who he might be able to sign for the forthcoming season. And amongst the Academy graduates, Hussain showed his promise as an attacking force on the left during his second-half cameo.
Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 |