ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (1) 2
EASTLEIGH (0) 1
played on Saturday, 26 November 2022 at 3pm
SUMMARY:
Altrincham should have won this game by a bigger margin against an uninspiring Eastleigh side whose 90th minute goal gave the result a closer margin than was merited. Altrincham took the lead in the thirteenth minute when Eddy Jones cut the ball back from the byline, left of goal, for Elliot Newby to score his third goal in successive games after arriving on loan from Stockport County.
In a game of generally moderate entertainment value, Alty finally got a second goal after 78 minutes through Ryan Colclough's effort from just inside the box.
This had followed an unsavoury episode when an off the ball clash between Colcough and Eastleigh's Camp left the visitor's defender overacting a supposed injury. Colclough was booked for his offence but not before a mass episode of "handbags" had ensued.
Eastleigh substitute Whitehall was unmarked to head home at the back post from a Camp cross in the ninetieth minute to make it 2-1. But Alty rode out five added minutes comfortably enough to take the three points.
SCORERS:
- 13 mins: Elliot NEWBY (ALTRINCHAM 1 Eastleigh 0)
- 78 mins: Ryan COLCLOUGH (ALTRINCHAM 2 Eastleigh 1)
- 90 mins: Danny WHITEHALL (ALTRINCHAM 2 Eastleigh 1)
REFEREE: Mr Steven Copeland
ATTENDANCE: 1,683 (30 in away section but as the game was unsegregated this must have been an estimate)
TEAM NEWS:
Right-back Ross Barrows was completing his three-match suspension and winger Matty Kosylo remained sidelined after his cruciate injury incurred over the summer.
Altrincham were unchanged, other than on the bench where Pringle replaced Cooper.
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, 18. Ben Pringle, 30. Marcus Dinanga, 17. Brad Jackson.
EASTLEIGH (All blue): 1. Joe McDonnell, 2. Brennan Camp, 4. Nigel Atangana, 6. Christian Maghoma, 8. Ousseynou Cissé, 7. Charlie Carter, 10. Jake Hesketh, 12. George Langston, 14. Tristan Abrahams, 17. Vincent Harper, 21. Oscar Rutherford. Subs: 3. Michael Kelly, 9. Danny Whitehall, 11. Ryan Hill, 16. JJ McKiernan, 23. Lloyd
BACKGROUND:
Seventeenth-placed Altrincham took on eleventh-placed Eastleigh, with the hosts yet to beat any team in the current top fourteen after eleven attempts this campaign.
However, Eastleigh had never won at Moss Lane in four previous visits.
REPORT:
On a dull afternoon at the J. Davidson Stadium, Eastleigh kicked off towards Golf Road.
An early foul by Harper on Conn-Clarke yielded a freekick which came to nothing (4 mins) before a Newby cross likewise ended up in the arms of McDonnell (6 mins).
The visitors' keeper was proving the busier of the two on the field when he now fielded a defected shot from Colclough (9 mins).
After Newby had won possession, eight Alty passes culminated in a shot wide by Conn-Clarke (12 mins). But Alty scored with their next attack as Eddy Jones got to the left byline and cut the ball back for Newby to sweep into the net for his third goal in successive matches (13 mins).
With Easteigh offering little going forward, Colclough was put through on their goal but McDonnell saved with his legs (15 mins).
Following a foul on Rutherford, Hesketh's freekick led to a cross which was headed well over the bar by Carter (18 mins). Alty themselves soon won a freekick for a foul on Conn-Clarke, which the victim himself fired at the keeper.
Eddy Jones then put an effort well wide (23 mins) just before another chance went begging when the ball got stuck under Jennings's feet.
The home side's dominance was underlined by three corners in two minutes (27-29 mins), the last of which gave Baines a chance at the back post which went unconverted (30 mins).
Belatedly Eastleigh created a chance of their own when Abrahams's cross was put narrowly over the bar by Carter (38 mins). Next Alty's Jennings fed Colclough for a shot which went miles off target (40 mins).
After this, Eddy Jones advanced and his cross came out to Colclough who forced a save (44 mins). When Cisse was felled by Marriott, it was a case of David bringing down Goliath in terms of stature (45 mins).
The freekick was hooked wide but earned a corner, the visitors' first of the game (45+1 mins). But the half ended with Altrincham just one goal ahead despite their dominance.
Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 1 |
The afternoon was now quite breezy as Altrincham kicked off and they won the half's first corner via Colclough on the left (52 mins).
After this a Conn-Clarke cross was cleared out to Mullarkey who lashed his shot over the bar (53 mins).
Eastleigh now brought on Whitehall up front for winger Rutherford, a former Southampton youngster (54 mins). However, play was now rather scrappy until Jennings wasted a good chance to open his Altrincham account as he shot wide (59 mins).
Next, Marriott got himself booked for a foul on Whitehall (61 mins). The Easteigh freekick was blasted straight at Baines in the Alty wall but, after being felled by the shot, the Alty defender was soon able to continue.
The lacklustre visitors made another change as Hill replaced Hesketh (63 mins). Play was more even than it had been in the first half but neither side was producing much in the way of goalmouth entertainment at this stage.
After an Alty corner had come and gone (70 mins), the game came to life for the wrong reasons. As Camp and Colclough contested possession the ball went out for a throw-in. As Colclough walked away, Camp dropped to the turf holding his head and writhed on the ground (71 mins).
When Camp eventually got up, holding the back of his neck, the referee booked Colclough (73 mins) as the home crowd jerred Camp and went on to boo him loudly for the rest of the match.
Moments later Camp was all over Colclough which prompted a melee and a booking for the offender (74 mins).
Finally Alty got a second goal as Newby fed Colclough to drive the ball home from just inside the box, right of centre (78 mins).
After Eastleigh had won a corner, Lloyd came on for Abrahams (80 mins). Two minutes later, Jackson replaced Colclough (82 mins). An Alty corner soon followed (83 mins) before another stoppage for a newly ginger-haired Dinanga replaced Conn-Clarke (84 mins).
Alty continued to look comfortable before Jackson fed Newby to win a corner (87 mins). From this the impressive Mullarkey toe-ended an effort narrowly wide.
Disappointingly, Alty conceded a back post header to an unchallenged Whitehall from a cross from the right by Camp, to make it 2-1 (90 mins).
Five added minutes saw Hill get forward to the byline, which led to a team-mate hiting a 25 yarder which was blocked by Byrne (90+2 mins).
But the hosts saw out the remaining minutes during which Whitehall picked up a yellow card (90+4 mins).
The win lifted Alty up to fifteenth against an Eastleigh side whose poor performance belied their top-half position in the league.
Full Time:ALTRINCHAM 2 |