ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (1) 2
YEOVIL TOWN (1) 2
played on Saturday, 20 August 2022 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
An added-time equaliser saved a disappointing Altrincham from a home defeat against a well organised Yeovil Town, who twice led in the match.
Alty have yet to lead in a game this season and they again fell behind early on when Linton skilfully controlled a pass, turned and scored with a fine shot from the edge of the box after just nine minutes.
Altrincham enjoyed plenty of possession but the Glovers closed down well and the Robins barely troubled keeper Smith. However, they got level in the 40th minute when Conn-Clarke burst up the middle and the ball came to Colclough. From the left, his ball was expertly stereed home from beyond the back post by Toby Mullarkey.
In an often lacklustre second half, Alty seemed to have gifted the points to Yeovil when Osborne gave away possession and impressive substitute Toure netted at the second attempt (72 mins).
With time running out and Altrincham seemingly running out of ideas, Colclough fired in what looked like a shot from left of goal. But Albanian substitute Kaja expertly stooped and back-headed the ball onwards and into the far side of the net to make it 2-2.
SCORERS:
- 9 mins: Malachi LINTON (ALTRINCHAM 0 Yeovil Town 1)
- 40 mins: Toby MULLARKEY (ALTRINCHAM 1 Yeovil Town 1)
- 72 mins: Gime TOURE (ALTRINCHAM 1 Yeovil Town 2)
- 90(+2) mins: Egli KAJA (ALTRINCHAM 2 Yeovil Town 1)
REFEREE: Mr G Rhodes
ATTENDANCE: 1,621, 142 in away section.
TEAM NEWS:
Jordan Hulme returned to start, displacing Marcus Dinanga, who moved to the bench where he was joined by new signing Egli Kaja. With Byrne's international clearance still not received, Manchester United loanee Dermot Mee kept goal, given Gould's bad injury last week.
LINE-UPS:
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 29. Dermot Mee, 5. Toby Mullarkey (c), 26. James Jones, 6. Lewis Baines, 23. Jake Cooper, 10. Elliot Osborne, 8. Josh Lundstram, 16. Chris Conn-Clarke, 11. Ryan Colclough, 27. Aaron Bennett, 9. Jordan Hulme. Subs: 3. Liam Brockbank, 18. Ben Pringle, 28. Alex Sami, 30. Marcus Dinanga, 33. Egli Kaja
YEOVIL TOWN (Pink & purple striped shirts, purple shorts, pink socks): 1. Grant Smith, 2. Morgan Williams, 5. Max Hunt, 19. Charlie Wakefield, 32. Josh Staunton, 3. Jamie Reckord, 7. Matt Worthington, 8. Lawson D'Ath, 17. Chiori Johnson, 14. Malachi Linton, 9. Alex Fisher. Subs: 10. Gime Toure, 16. Sam Perry, 20. Will Buse, 24. Matt Grivosti, 34. Alfie Pond
BACKGROUND:
Both teams went into this, their fourth fixture, seeking a first win. Alty lay 22nd with two points and Yeovil had a single point to their name and lay one place lower than the hosts.
REPORT:
On an immaculate pitch, prepared for the last time by long-serving groundsman Neil Brown, Yeovil kicked off towards the Golf Road end on a sunny but breezy afternoon.
New Altrincham loanee keeper Mee was soon in action when he had to deal with a couple of back passes as the visitors shaded the opening stages. Alty's first meaningful effort came from Jordan Hulme but it ran easily to keeper Smith (5 mins).
The game's generally scrappy opening came to life in the ninth minute when Alty stood off as Worthington was allowed to pass the ball to Linton on the front edge of the box. He skilfully controlled the ball before turning to fire smartly past Mee to give Yeovil the lead.
Next, after a Colclough effort had been blocked, a counter-attack up the right by Wakefield earned the Glovers a corner, which Lundstram headed clear (11 mins).
Altrincham themselves now gained a fortunate corner from a deflection but, with Yeovil deploying two banks of four and closing down smartly, the home side was not creating any real chances. A twenty-pass move from Alty promised better than a wild shot over the bar at its concusion (20 mins).
More lengthy possession from Altrincham was not translated into anything resembling a goal threat before play was halted for treatment to Johnson which prompted an unofficial drinks break.
From a freekick awarded after an Osborne foul on D'Ath, Yeovil won a corner which Hunt headed at Mee (29 mins).
With four centre backs making up their back line, Altrincham were lacking much thrust up the flanks apart from that threatened by the well-policed Colclough. But they continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession and it finally got a reward, albeit from individual skill rather than a flowing move. Conn-Clarke evaded two challenges as he advanced up the middle from halfway before finding Colclough, to his left.
Colclough's effort went low across the goalmouth, beyond the back post. But Mullarkey was on hand and expertly steered the ball back across goal and into the far corner of the net to level the scores (40 mins).
Just as in their first home game of the season, Alty had conceded early and equalised shortly before the interval again this afternoon. But their play was in need of some more penetrative forward play with new signings Kaja and Sami prime candidates to provide that element from the bench.
Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 |
But the second half started with no changes of personnel. The half started bizarrely as Colclough attempted to catch an errant ball above his head rather than let it go out of play. Colclough soon did better as he won two corners in as many minutes before Bennett, later named Man of the Match, gained a third corner moments later (51 mins). Neither this trio of corners, nor one won at the other end, produced a goal threat.
Play was becoming a scrappy stalemate as the hour mark approached. Then, Cooper became the first player to be booked when he slid in on an opponent after a poor first touch (60 mins).
Chris Hargreaves now brought on Toure in place of striker Fisher (61 mins) and he was to prove a handful to the Altrincham defence. Next, a Yeovil corner came and went before Altrincham made a double swap with Kaja and Pringle replacing Bennett and Conn-Clarke (70 mins).
Wth the game seemingly drifting to a draw, a calamitous mistake by Osborne cost Altrincham a second goal. He gave the ball away some 25 yards from goal and, at the second attempt, Toure found the net (72 mins).
After treatment for Johnson, he was replaced by Grivosti whilst the referee delivered a lecture to a frustrated Colclough (75 mins).
With ten minutes to go, Hulme chased a lost cause, won the ball and forced a save by Smith with his legs (80 mins). However, it was to prove his last contribution as Dinanga came on to replace the Altrincham captain (81 mins).
Winger Kaja was not getting any service on the Alty right as time ticked away. On 87 minutes Perry replaced D'Ath with Altrincham's cause looking lost as they laboured to create any chances.
Alty's last chance seemed as if it might have gone when Colclough lashed a shot well over the bar in the 89th minute.
However, five added minutes were decreed and soon Lundstram fed Colclough on the left, from where he aimed a shot at goal. It looked to be heading to the keeper but Kaja stooped in the left-centre of the box smartly, flicked his head at the ball and it looped up slightly on its trajectory to beat the keeper as it sailed into the net at the back post (90+2 mins).
The goal lifted Alty and a spell of pinball followed in the visitors' box but they emerged with a point, despite a firm shot from Dinanga in the fifth added minute, which Smith saved.
So it is three draws from four outings for Alty and this point lifted them two places to twentieth ahead of a trip to Boreham Wood next Saturday.
Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 |