ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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BOREHAM WOOD (0) 1
ALTRINCHAM (1) 1
played on Saturday, 27 August 2022 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
Altrincham emerged with a well-deserved point from their fourth draw in five outings this season.
Boreham Wood started the game much the better side with five throws in the Alty half, and a corner, in the opening six minutes before Bennett fed Colclough who was halted impressively by Evans (8 mins). Three more Wood corners followed, however, as the home side re-asserted itself and dominated play up to the half-hour mark. To add to Alty's woes, both Conn-Clarke and Brockbank were booked by that stage.
Altrincham had a bit more of the game in the ten minutes before the interval and began to get forward a little more, albeit without creating any real chances. But in the third added minute Altrincham snatched the lead. Dinanga fed Bennett, who turned smartly before placing the ball into the net to give his side an interval lead against the overall run of play.
But the lead did not last as Ndlovu headed an equaliser from a corner in the 48th minute. Play then became more open with the inevitable breaks occasioned by substitutions.
Alty came close to retaking the lead in the 83rd minute when impressive substitute Kaja set up Dinanga but his shot hit the underside of the bar and was cleared. The game could have gone either way in the closing stages but ended in a draw as Altrincham were left still seeking their first win.
SCORERS:
- 45(+3) mins: Aaron BENNETT (Boreham Wood 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
- 48 mins: Lee NDLOVU (Boreham Wood 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
REFEREE: Mr David Richardson
ATTENDANCE: 807 (43 in away section)
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham made three changes for the match at Boreham Wood, as Ollie Byrne, now with international clearance, replaced Dermot Mee in goal, Liam Brockbank came in for Jake Cooper and, up front, Marcus Dinaga replaced Jordan Hulme. Brad Jackson displaced Alex Sami on the bench.
LINE-UPS:
BOREHAM WOOD (All white): 1 Nathan Ashmore, 2. Dion Kelly-Evans, 3. Femi Ilesanmi, 5. Will Evans, 7. Josh Rees, 9. Lee Ndlovu, 10. Tyrone Marsh, 12. Jamal Fyfield, 17. Jack Payne, 19. Erico Sousa, 20. Zak Brunt. Subs: 6. David Stephens, 11. Danny Newton, 14. Danny Ellioott, 15. Dennon Lewis, 18. George Williams.
ALTRINCHAM (All dark blue with yellow sash on shirts): 1. Ollie Byrne, 3. Liam Brockbank, 5. Toby Mullarkey (c), 26. James Jones, 6. Lewis Baines, 10. Elliot Osborne, 8. Josh Lundstram, 16. Chris Conn-Clarke, 11. Ryan Colclough, 27. Aaron Bennett, 30. Marcus Dinanga. Subs: 9. Jordan Hulme, 17. Brad Jackson, 18. Ben Pringle, 23. Jake Cooper, 33. Egli Kaja
BACKGROUND:
The Wood went into the game in seventh position in the National League after winning twice and drawing once in their four previous starts. For their part, Altrincham lay twentieth were seeking a first win after three draws and a defeat in their disappointing early campaign.
REPORT:
Aaron Bennett got the game under way but it was the hosts who were to dominate the opening period winning five throw-ins in the Alty half, as well as a corner, in just the first six minutes of the contest.
However, Altrincham soon posed a threat of their own when Bennett did well to put Colclough in on goal only for Will Evans to excel in blocking off the Alty man's advance (8 mins).
Soon afterwards, Colclough won a freekick but then wasted the freekick with a poor effort which he put well over the bar (11 mins). However, the Wood soon reasserted themselves with two more corners in as many minutes as Altrincham found themselves under pressure (15 mins).
When Byrne punched an Ndlovu cross towards Marsh, the former FGR fortunately man put his effort over the bar. Next, a Marsh effort won a corner after which Conn-Clarke was booked as he slid in recklessly on an opponent (21 mins).
Byrne's uncertainty with aerial balls was seen again as his punch allowed Sousa a chance which the Wood man failed to take (25 mins). The home side's prfligacy continued as Ndlovu turned well, only to fire over the target (28 mins).
Brockbank became the second Alty man to be booked for a foul on Kelly (29 mins). After another home corner had come and gone, Altrincham began to get a bit more forward momentum after the half-hour mark.
But a good Alty move was halted by Marsh's foul on Mullarkey which earned the Wood player a caution (37 mins).
The resulting freekick, taken by Conn-Clarke to the near post, almost found Baines's head at the near post.
Colclough made it a trio of Altrincham bookings with the game well into added time (45+2 mins) but there was still time for Altrincham to snatch the lead before the interval.
The breakthorugh arrived when Dinanga fed Bennett, who did well to turn a defender, before slotting the ball calmly into the net (45+3 mins). The goal was against the overall tenor of the first half but it meant that Altrincham were ahead in a game this season for the first time.
Half-Time: BOREHAM WOOD 0 |
The visitors' lead barely lasted two and half minutes before Boreham Wood equalised in the second half. Even before that, a fine header by Marsh had needed Lundstram to divert the ball over the bar for a corner. However, the corner was not dealt with, as Byrne seemed to hesitate, and Ndlovu headed it into the net at the back post (48 mins).
It might have been expected that Boreham Wood would now seize the initiative but the next few minutes were relatively scrappy, with Kelly-Evans becoming the second home man to be booked (51 mins).
For Altrincham, Lundstram was the pick of the performers as play passsed the hour mark fairly uneventfully. The substitutions started after 64 minutes when Brunt gave way to Lewis for the Wood. Things improved as Alty put together arguably their best move of the match, which culminated in a corner, won off Fyfield (66 mins).
Shortly aftewards, Kaja came on for Conn-Clarke (69 mins) and the Albanian had an instant impact as he got up the left but Mullarkey skied the final ball into the trees rather than hitting the target (70 mins).
Then, after 74 minutes, Ben Pringle made his customary appearance from the bench, on this occasion replacing Bennett. The hosts responded wih Newton replacing Ndlovu (76 mins).
More changes further disrupted the flow of the game as Brad Jackson made his first appearance of the season, coming on in place of Colclough (80 mins). From a Wood corner, Lewis's downward header now went narrowly wide.
It was Alty, however, who almost clinched a late winner when Kaja fed Dinanga and, with Ashby-Hmmond commiting himself, Dinanga hit a powerful shot against the underside of the bar when a placed effort might have been more successful (83 mins).
A corner resulted but nothing came of it. Williams now replaced Marsh (87 mins) before Lewis shot wide for the hosts (88 mins).
In the final minute of normal time, Kaja won a corner, followed two minutes later by another corner earned by a Dinanga shot. But the four added minutes could not separate the sides as Altrincham emerged with a well-earned point, their fourth drawn match in five encounters this season.
Full Time: BOREHAM WOOD 1 |