ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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MAIDSTONE UNITED (1) 2
ALTRINCHAM (1) 3

Vanarama National League match
played on Saturday, 10 December 2022 at 12.30pm

SUMMARY:

Altrincham made heavy weather of overcoming Maidstone to secure their second away win of the season. Altrincham largely dominated the first half but again, as at Torquay earlier this season, they failed to convert their chances and, as half-time approached, only led 1-0 through a 20th minute goal by Lundstram. The midfielder had converted smartly after Mullarkey had advanced and Newby had put in a cross from the right (20 mins).

Newby fired off-target twice, Mullarkey went close with a cross-shot and a Conn-Clarke effort was cleared off the line by Ellul, but out of nothing the Stones equalised from the spot. The penalty was awarded by Mr Durkin, after protracted thought, as he adjudged James Jones to have handled the ball in making a routine clearance under no pressure.

Booty beat Byrne from the spot though the Alty keeper dived the right way, to his left (43 mins). The Stones then finished the half strongly but it remained level at the break.

However, Altrincham regained the lead after 64 minutes when Connor Jennings bundled in from close range after Mullarkey had got forward on the right following good work by Conn-Clarke and Newby (64 mins). Alty then seemed to have settled the match when a fine cross-field ball from Colclough found Conn-Clarke who finished excellently to make it 1-3 (73 mins).

But Altrincham allowed the hosts back into the game when Booty converted from the edge of the box to make it 2-3 in the 85th minute. Nevertheless the visitors got through to the final whistle without too many further alarms.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr James Durkin

ATTENDANCE: 1,730 (52 from Altrincham)

TEAM NEWS:

For their line-up, Altrincham were unchanged for the third successive game.

Matty Kosylo (recovering from ACL injury) and Ross Barrows (broken ankle) remained sidelined by injury for the visitors.

Maidstone keeper Sandford, the club's Player of the Month, had to be subbed last Saturday so his replacement in that game, Mersin, continued in goal today.

LINE-UPS:

MAIDSTONE UNITED (Amber and black shirts, black shorts and socks): 30. Yusuf Mersin , 4. Joe Ellul, 8. Sam Corne, 5. George Fowler, 10. Jack Barham, 15. Regan Booty, 17. Christie Pattison, 18. Binnom-Williams (c), 20. Reiss Greenidge, 21. Roarie Deacon, 32. Sha'mar Lawson. Subs: 3. Ryan Galvin, 19. Hady Ghandour, 16. Josh Fawole, 24. Kodi Lyons-Foster, 28. Harley Earle (gk).

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black socks, 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, 21. Matt Gould, 17. Brad Jackson.

BACKGROUND:

This match was streamed live by the National League and was also being played directly against a 3pm kick off in the televised World Cup quarter finals. Attendance may also have been affected by freezing weather and widespread snow across parts of the country.

Maidstone became the first team to play Altrincham twice in the league this season, following the reverse fixture which took place on the opening day of the campaign and ended as a 1-1 draw at Moss Lane. This was the first clash between the clubs since 1988-89 season wehn the Stones got promoted to the Footbaal League, only to go bust in 1992 and re-form in their present incarnation.

The Stones started the game in twentieth place with Altrincham sixteenth; there was a five point difference between the clubs at kick-off.

REPORT:

For the first time in 34 years Altrincham visited Maidstone, albeit this time at a different venue in the Kent town.

On a cold afternoon, the game started fairly uneventfully as the Vanarama National League launched its new live streaming venture. Pattison's shot across goal was the nearest to any excitement at this early stage (3 mins).

Things improved a bit in the sixth minute as Conn-Clarke fed Colclough who lashed a wild shot well off the target (6 mins). And, when the giant home captain, Binnom-Williams, had a shot it, too, was equally far from the mark (8 mins).

The mishit shots continued when Deacon fired well wide (11 mins). However, Altrincham now began to get the upper hand with a neat passing move ending when Colclough had a shot blocked after ten or so passes amongst his team-mates had created the chance (14 mins).

Colclough was not having the best of afternoons as, next, he sent in a wild cross followed, shortly afterwards, by another cross from the left which bore no fruit (16 mins).

A better move followed as Baines, Jennings, Conn-Clarke and Mullarkey combined before Conn-Clarke's shot deflected to the keeper (19 mins).

But it was not too long before the visitors took a deserved lead. Mullarkey, who had a fine game getting forward from his right-back berth, fed Newby whose low cross was swept home by Josh Lundstram with a low shot (20 mins).

Maidstone responded with two corners before another multi-pass move by Altrincham culminated in Newby cutting inside and forcing the keeper to shovel his shot round the post for a corner but this ended up in the keeper's arms (24 mins).

Deacon's third transgression still did not draw a caution from Mr Durkin before a fine run by Conn-Clarke was halted by a foul on the edge of the penalty box "D" (26 mins).

However, Conn-Clarke put the freekick over the bar, disappointingly (27 mins).

Alty continued comfortably on top but, from another advance by Mullarkey, Newby curled a presentabe chance wide of goal (30 mins). There was a response by Maidstone as Barham forced a save, at the second attempt, by Byrne (34 mins). Next, another Alty corner came and went.

Alty again failed to reinforce their superiority as Colcough fed Mullarkey whose effort, from right of goal, went narrowly wide of the far post (36 mins). Soon afterwards, Newby fed Conn-Clarke, who got the ball past the keeper but Ellul got back to clear off the line (37 mins).

As half-time approached Maidstone won a corner, which was cleared but, as James Jones hoofed the ball upfield it bounced up and he was judged to have handled the ball, thougb play continued for several seconds before Mr Durkin decided to award a spot-kick.

Half-Time: MAIDSTONE UNITED 1
ALTRINCHAM 1

Although Byrne dived to his left, Booty's shot just beat him inside the upright to level the scores in a game which Alty had largely dominated up to this point (43 mins). Gaining parity gave Maidstone the impetus to get forward but a rattled Altrincham kept the scores level till half-time.

Alty kicked off the second half and their first sight of goal came when Jennings threaded the ball through to Newby but the ball ran to goalkeeper Mersin (48 mins).

However, it was Maidstone who almost took the lead when, following a throw-in on the left, Deacon hit the undersit of the crossbar (53 mins). This ckose shave sparked Alty into winning three corners inside the next ten minutes.

Mullarkey won the first of the trio before a Lundtsram shot from 25 yards went narrowly wide (57 mins). Then, after Deacon had been booked (59 mins), a low cross from Newby earned the third corner in the sequence.

Finally Altrincham got the second goal that their play had deserved when Conn-Clarke and Newby fed Mullarkey, marauding again on the right wing. His low cross was bundled home from close range by a combination of Jennings and a defender (64 mins).

Naidstone responded by bringing on Fawole for Pattison (66 mins), a home corner soon following. This was to be the first of four home corners in as many minutes. After the third of these, an Ellul header was pushed away from point-blank range by Byrne.

Having survived these shaky few minutes, and just after Colclough had lost possession, the former Scunthorpe winner did bmuch better. His fine ball from the right located Conn-Clarke who finished impressively to make it 1-3 to the visitors.

Following what seemed to be a decisive goal, Coclough won a corner, following which another corner resulted (78 mins).

Now Maidstone's Lawson, an impressive teenage loanee from Millwall, who was making his debut, was replaced by Ghandour (79 mins). However, Altrincham continued to look in control before Jackson came on for Conn-Clarke (83 mins).

Maidstone next won a corner, which was half-cleared, and the ball came to Booty who scored from the edge of the box to make it 2-3 (85 mins). Alty then had to scramble a ball clear from their own goalmouth as Maidstone pressed for what had seemed an unlikely equaliser just a few minutes earlier.

In the first of four added minutes Jennings was put clear but the onrushing keeper prevented the Alty forward getting in a shot as the ball ran on for a goalkick. The game ended with a 2-3 scoreline which was narrower than it should have been had Altrincham taken more of the chances they had created.

The win lifted Alty to fourteenth, albeit having played more games than some rivals but victory extended an undefeated run to five games.

Full Time: MAIDSTONE UNITED 2
ALTRINCHAM 3

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