ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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WOKING (0) 1
ALTRINCHAM (0) 1
played on Saturday, 19 November 2022 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
The hosts had the better of the opening ten minutes before Altrincham enjoyed a good spell. Although they did not trouble the home keeper unduly, Colclough did hit the crossbar (28 mins) before Woking came back into the game. However, the interval was reached goalless.
After each side had won anearly corner in the second half, Alty took the lead when Colclough's cross was headed home at the back post by Newby for his second goal in successive matches (48 mins).
It looked as if Altrincham were emerge with all of the points before a needless foul by Osborne gave the Cards a freekick. Substitute Amond scored directly from the freekick, taken some 25 yards or more out from goal, the ball flying past Byrne to make it 1-1 (90+1 mins). And that is how it ended. Following the draw at Torquay this was the second time Alty had lost a lead in added time this season.
SCORERS:
- 48 mins: Elliot NEWBY (Woking 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
- mins: Padraig AMOND (Woking 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
REFEREE: Mr James Durkin
ATTENDANCE: 2,020 (97 away)
TEAM NEWS:
Right-back Ross Barrows remained suspended and winger Matty Kosylo was still sidelined after his cruciate injury over the summer. Perennial used substitute Ben Pringle was also sidelined after damaging his foot by treading on a broken mug at home!
Alty's starting team was unchanged but, on the bench, the injured Kaja was replaced by Brad Jackson.
The Cards made one change to their starting eleven as Amond was replaced by Grego-Cox. On the bench Tyreke Johnson returned from injury.
LINE-UPS:
WOKING (Red and white shirts, black shorts, white socks): 13 Craig Ross, 2 Kyran Lofthouse, 3 Josh Casey, 4 Scott Cuthbert, 5 Joe McNerney, 8 James Daly, 12 Dan Moss, 17 Jim Kellermann, 23 Jermaine Anderson, 24 Rohan Ince, 9. Reece Grego-Cox. Subs: 10. Padraig Amond, 14. Rhys Browne, 11. Tyreke Johnson 18. Jack Roles, 29. Jake Vokins
ALTRINCHAM (Navy shirts, with yellow sash, navy shorts and 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, 17. Brad Jackson.
BACKGROUND:
Altrincham were facing an in-form Woking who, despite exiting the FA Cup in midweek, lay fourth in the National League. Alty had taken just two points from their seven previous visits this season to clubs currently in the top thirteen.
The Cards only reached the top-flight of non-League in 1992 but have been ever-present since then, apart from three seasons in Conference South between 2009 and 2012, and further single season at that level in 2018-19. So this is their 27th season at the top level. Their first seven campaigns upto 1999 saw them never finish lower than eighth and twice be pipped for the title as runners-up in the Conference.
However, since then, they have mainly finished in the middle to lower reaches of the division.
REPORT:
Altrincham kicked off with Conn-Clarke occupying the no.10 role as Newby and Colclough were deployed on the right and left flanks respectively. Loanee Connor Jennings led the attack, with both contracted forwards Hulme and Dinanga deployed on the bench.
Having won an early freekick, Alty soon gained the game's first corner through Jennings, off Cuthbert, but this came to nothing. But it was the hosts who were to enjoy the better of the opening stages as a whole with the runs of Lofthouse on the right being particularly threatening.
When Lofthouse was fouled by Eddy Jones, the resulting freekick led to a home corner (10 mins). But Altrincham soon replicated that sequence as Colclough was nudged by Moss, who received a booking (11 mins). The freekick led to an Altrincham corner, which was taken short but came to nothing (12 mins).
In the Alty midfield Woking's energetic closing down was prompting mispasses from the visitors with Lundstram enduring a particularly torrid few minutes (16 mins).
After a stoppage for treatment to Grego-Cox Lundstram did well to find Conn-Clarke. In turn, he fed Colclough whose sidefooted effort was well off target.
As the half reached its midway point, Alty began to get more into the game and a move involving Conn-Clarke, Colclough and Eddy Jones ended in a neat turn and shot by Newby but his effort was blocked (22 mins). Then, from a Jennings cross, Mullarkey connected well but was well off target with his shot (23 mins).
Woking now made an enforced change with Browne replacing the injured Kellerman (25 mins). Altrincham were in the ascendancy at this stage and earned two corners.
The first was won by Eddy Jones but was, again, taken short and, again, posed no danger but Alty regained possession and, from an acute angle, a Colclough shot hit the face of the crossbar and went for a throe-in (28 mins). Newby won the next corner, which this time was taken kong, by Colclough, but again led to no threat of a goal.
Nevertheless, Alty continued to look the more likely to score at this stage and, next, James Jones found Newby who cut in but saw his left-footed shot hit the side-netting (33 mins).
However, Woking rallied and had the better of the spell leading to the interval. As the break grew close, a needless foul by Lundstram gave Woking a freekick which Byrne punched away (43 mins) In added time, after Baines had done well to stifle an attack, the Cards gained a corner (40+3 mins). But the interval was reached with the game goalless.
Half-Time: WOKING 0 |
The second half began with Woking winning an instant corner off Mullarkey before Alty responded when Newby fed Colclough for a shot, which Ross had to save at the cost of a corner (47 mins).
Soon after this, Conn-Clarke located Colclough, who got away from Ince, and his floated cross was smartly headed home beyond the back post by Elliot Newby to give Altrincham the lead (48 mins).
Altrinham soon threatened again as Conn-Clarke got past three men and forced a save from Ross (51 mins). And another few minutes later a Newby cross saw Conn-Clarke head over the bar (55 mins) as his side continued to set the pace.
Home manager Darren Sarll responded by bringing on Amond for Lofthouse (55 mins). Then, Woking's best shot of the game, a rasper from Anderson, forced a save from Byrne at the cost of a corner (62 mins). A scramble ensued in the Alty box from the corner and another flag-kick resulted, which McNerney headed off-target.
After a stoppage for a blood injury to Marriott's knee area, Jennings was booked for a foul (67 mins). And another home corner underlined Woking's dominance at this stage (68 mins).
Chris Conn-Clarke now gave way to Osborne suggesting the adoption of a less expansive view of the game for Altrincham from now on (69 mins).
Next, from 20 yards, Grego-Cox forced Byrne to push the ball over his bar for another corner but Alty responded by forcing a save from Ross at the other end (73 mins).
On 75 minutes Roles replaced Ince as Altrincham continued to hold their narrow lead without too many alarms. As the clock ticked away, Eddy Jones found himself in the book for timewasting (87 mins). Just before the announcement of six added minutes, a Woking corner, taken by Roles, was seen off.
But, then, a needless push by Osborne gave Woking a promising freekick some 25 yards out, just right of centre. Amond's freekick beat Byrne to level the scores (90+1 mins), the second time that Alty had lost a lead in added time this season following the match at Torquay.
Nevertheless, Alty did not settle for a point and went forward in added time. A wild shot by Marriott was followed by a very late corner for the Robins (90+6 mins) before Woking won an even later flag-kick (90+7 mins). #
But the score remained 1-1 as Mr Durkin blew his final whistle soon afterwards.
Against the side in fourth position who had won their four previous league games, this away point for Altrincham was impressive but the surrender of a potential three points so late in the match left a sense of disappointment.
Full Time: WOKING 1 |