ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (0) 2
YORK CITY (1) 1
played on Saturday, 12 November 2022 at 5.20pm
SUMMARY:
When Altrincham fell behind following defensive frailties after fifteen minutes there was a sense of deja vu, the Robins having conceded at roughly the same point in their previous home match.
The goal came when Duckworth was left in space at the back post from a right-wing corner and his header back across goal was nodded home by Kouogun with goalkeeper Byrne only able to help it into the upper reaches of the net. However, Altrincham improved and should have been level by half-time, notably when Conn-Clarke delayed pulling the trigger when well placed in the goalmouth just before the break.
Nevertheless, they did equalise nine minutes after the interval when Colcough got free of a defender, who was holding him, and advanced from the halfway line on the left. He fed the overlapping Eddy Jones whose looping cross was impressively volleyed home by Newby from a central position.
It was another impressive move which won the game as Alty headed clear a York punt upfield by Ross. Jennings executed an excellent flick on to Newby, to his right. His first-time pass was slid in to Colclough who finished conclusively past Ross to make it 2-1 (74 mins). Alty were relatively comfortable as they retained their lead to the end of five added minutes and recorded their first points in four league fixtures.
SCORERS:
- 15 mins: Maxim KOUOGUN (ALTRINCHAM 0 York City 1)
- 54 mins: Elliot NEWBY (ALTRINCHAM 1 York City 1)
- 74 mins: Ryan COLCLOUGH (ALTRINCHAM 2 York City 1)
REFEREE: Mr Daniel Middleton
ATTENDANCE: 2,371 (511 in away section)
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham were rocked on the eve of the match by news that Ross Barrows had been handed a three-match ban following the Wealdstone game eleven days earlier in which he had not even been shown a yellow card. The FA had decided that video evidence of an unspecified incident warranted what was effectively a retrospective red card.
Fortunately, Toby Mullarkey had recovered from injury so he took over as captain and operated in the right-back berth an his side's only change apart from, on the bench, where Dinanga replaced Pringle.
For York, Fallowfield, James and Kerr were replaced by Kouogun, Kouhyar, and Hurst in the starting eleven.
LINE-UPS:
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Oliver Byrne, 5. Toby Mullarkey (c), 26. James Jones, 6. Lewis Baines, 2. Eddy Jones, 8. Josh Lundstram, 4. Isaac Marriott, 28. Elliot Newby, 11. Ryan Colclough, 16. Chris Conn-Clarke, 35.Connor Jennings. Subs: 9. Jordan Hulme, 10. Elliot Osborne, 23. Jake Cooper, 30. Marcus Dinanga, 33. Egli Kaja.
YORK CITY (Pale blue shirts, white shirts and socks): 1. Ethan Ross, 4. Maxim Kouogun, 28. Michael Duckworth, 17. Sam Sanders, 12. Alex Whittle; 19. Dan Pybus, 21. Gus Mafuta, 8. Olly Dyson, 11. Maziar Kouhyar, 7. Alex Hurst, 14. Lenell John-Lewis (c). Subs: 5. Fraser Kerr, 18. Ryan Whitley, 16. Mitch Hancox, 23. Luke James, 27. Manny Duku
BACKGROUND:
Kick off had been moved to 5.20pm to accommodate BT Sport's live transmission of the game.
The sides had last met in a league match at Moss Lane in 2019 when the Minstermen had won 3-1 in National League North.
REPORT:
Despite the game being televised live, York brought more than five hundred supporters as their team kicked off towards Golf Road. And the Minstermen won an early corner off Mullarkey (2 mins) as the visitors started well.
For Alty, the returning Mullarkey was quickly beginning to get forward up the right but his side was soon facing three successive corners. THe first won by Mafuta, like their earlier one, was poorly taken but, neverthless, it led to the second of the trio. This one was pushed away by Byrne before the giant Mafuta won another flag-kick, this time on the right.
Aimed beyond the back post it found Duckworth who outjumped his marker to direct the ball towards the near post wher Kouogun got his head to it with Byrne only able to push the ball into the roof of the net as he collided with Eddy Jones on the goal-line. So, just as in the match on the previous Tuesday, Alty had gone behind early (15 mins).
Two fouls in two minutes by York stifled any immediate response before Alty landed a well-struck shot on target from 20 yards by Conn-Clarke (20 mins). Newby, who was to have a lively match, soon won a first corner for his side, which Mullarkey headed but Ross saved the effort comfortably. After Conn-Clarke had gone down in the box, another Altrincham corner followed but this was punched clear (25 mins).
There was little significant over the next few minutes before Newby earned a freekick on the Alty left, 30 yards out (31 mins). Following this, another Alty corner was won and as the hosts enjoyed a better spell, another corner soon followed which Colclough overhit (33 mins).
York then got forward and, from a clear opening, John-Lewis hoofed his effort badly over the goal into the Golf Road but he was comfortably offside anyway (36 mins).
Soon afterwards, a good run forward by Mullarkey culminnated in his stroking a shot just wide of the far post from the front edge of the box (38 mins). A reflection of York's discomforst as the half headed towards the interval was the commiting of three poor challenges in as many minutes. First, Pybus brought down a rapidly moving Colclugh and was duly booked (41 mins).
Then, Dyson hauled down Mullarkey and also found his way into the referee's book (42 mins). And the third victim was Newby, who was brought down by Whittle, before the offender made a poor attempt at feigning his own injury only to effect a rapid recovery when he realised the referee was not taken in. He escaped a booking, however (43 mins). Arguably, a fourth offence followed when Conn-Clarke was fouled but the referee did not award that one.
As three added minutes were decreed, Alty won a corner from a Jennings cross. Following this, Alty put together a good move up the middle which should have culminated in Conn-Clarke putting the ball over the keeper but he took an extra chance and the chance had gone.
So half-time arrive with York still ahead but, on the balance of play, especially in the latter stages, Altrincham should have been level.
Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 |
The second half began, as the first half had finished, with a York foul, this time on Conn-Clarke but the next man in the book was actually Alty's James Jones who dived in to make a challenge (50 mins).
From the Yoek freekick Byrne palmed the ball away, which led to a York shot which earned a corner (52 mins).
However, Altrincham then scored a well-constucted equaliser as Colcough, despite being held, got free of his marker just inside the York half on the Alty left. He fed the overlapping Eddy Jones whose looping cross from the left was steered into the net by an unmarked Newby, whose foot met the ball just as it landed in the goalmouth (54 mins).
Alrtrincham enjoyed a good spell as the hour-mark was passed and another corner was won by the hosts.
York responded with a change as Hancox replaced Dyson (63 mins). James Jones was then penalised on Alty's right-byline but the next goal threat came at the other end when Newby played a ball into the goalmouth which just evaded Conn-Clarke (66 mins).
Next, a York corner from the left landed on the top of the Alty bar and, soon afterwards, Kougon was booked for a foul on Newby (70 mins). Alty threatened again when Colclough cut into the box and his snap-shot, low towards the near post, was only held by the keeper at the second attempt (72 mins).
The respite for York was short as an excellent move gave Altrincham a second goal. Ross's pount upfield was cleared up to Connor Jennings whose smart reverse pass found Newby on the right. His first-time through ball located Colclough who hit the ball firmly into the upper reaches of the net to the keeper's left (74 mins).
Next, both sides made double changes as Osborne came on for Marriott in Alty's midfield, and Kaja for Conn-Clarke (78 mins).
Two mintes later, York's Kerr replaced Hurst and Kouhyar was replaced by James (80 mins).
York won two corners, which came to nothing (85 mins), before Connor Jennings gave way to Dinanga (86 mins).
Five added minutes were decreed as Colclough was deservedly named Man of the Match.
The final act saw goalkeeper Ross sent up for a late York freekick but as Alty cleared the ball and the York goal remained unguarded, a home player was clattered. The referee immediately blew for full time as Altrincham ended their run of three successive defeats to climb a place to seventeenth in the league.
After a slow start, this had been a much better performance than of late by Altrincham particularly in the second half.
Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 |