ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
Return to News Page
WEALDSTONE (2) 4
ALTRINCHAM (0) 0
played on Saturday, 4 March 2023 at 3pm.
SUMMARY:
It was a very disappointing afternoon in North West London for a tired-looking Altrincham.
After an even and fairly uneventful start, Wealdstone got on top with four successive corners, which Alty defended unconvincingly (13 to 15 mins). But having survived that sequence, Alty conceded and again, as has occurred several times recently, it was a headed goal.
The goal came when Ilunga got past Sinclair on the home side's left and his fine cross was headed in at the back post by Obiero (17 mins).
A bad decision by Linney, soon afterwards, when he opted to go it alone, instead of feeding the unmarked Sinclair to his right for a tap-in equaliser, was a costly error (22 mins).
As Altrincham struggled to put together a coherent performance, Wealdstone took advantage and the hosts soon went 2-0 up. A counter-attack involving Hutchinson led to a fine finish by Obiero for his second goal of the afternoon (30 mins)
Half-time arrived with the part-timers leading 2-0 against a disappointing Altrincham side.
Inside three minutes of the second half it was 3-0 as Andrews headed in after a corner had been twice nodded by team-mates before reaching him from a corner.
A tired Altrincham failed to get to the end of the game without further punishment as Dyer netted a fourth in the fifth added minute. Alty had never threatened to get back into the match and were soundly beaten by the part-timers.
SCORERS:
- 17 mins: Michah OBIERO (Wealdstone 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 30 mins: Michah OBIERO (Wealdstone 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 48 mins: Corie ANDREWS (Wealdstone 3 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 90(+5) mins: Alex DYER (Wealdstone 4 ALTRINCHAM 0)
REFEREE: Mr Lloyd Wood
ATTENDANCE: 1,411
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham had signed Harry Perritt from Accrington Stanley and Kyle Ferguson had joined on loan from Accrington Stanley on the eve of this match. Both new signings started and Danny Cashman also came into the starting eleven.
Dropping out were the suspended James Jones whilst an apparently injured Isaac Marriott, as well as Jordan Hulme, moved to the bench. Josh Lundstram assumed the captaincy for the first time this season.
LINE-UPS:
WEALDSTONE (Blue shirts, whiyte shorts and socks): 13. Sam Howes, 2. Jack Cook (c), 4. Ashley Charles, 10. Corie Andrews, 24. Charlie Barker, 21. Brooklyn Ilunga, 17. Dom Hutchinson, 18. Alex Dyer, 22. Max Kretzschmar, 14. Michah Obiero, 28. Sam Habergham. Subs: 6. Mason Barrett, 8, Nathan Ferguson, 9. Olufela Olomola, 16. Sonny-Blu Lo-Everton, 27. Tarrelle Whittaker.
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1 Oliver Byrne, 30. Harry Perritt, 8. Josh Lundstram (c), 5 Kyle Ferguson, 6. Lewis Baines, 2. Eddy Jones, 10. Elliot Osborne, 11. Danny Cashman, 28. Maxi Oyedele, 35. Tyrese Sinclair, 29. Regan Linney. Subs: 4. Isaac Marriott, 18. Ben Pringle, 9. Jordan Hulme, 21. Matt Gould, 27. Aaron Bennett
BACKGROUND:
Alty had yet to take a point or even score at Grosvenor Vale before this match, which pitched a now full-time Altrincham against their still part-time opponents from Berkshire.
Wealdstone had been uncharceteristically thrashed 5-0 last time out whilst Alty were unbeaten in four games after three wins and a draw. At kick-off, the sides lay level on points in eleventh and twelfth places with the Robins having a better goal difference after having played a game more than their hosts.
REPORT:
After a minute's applause in honour of a recently deceased Wealdstone supporter, the game kicked off and was fairly even and uneventful to start with.
With two debutants in Ferguson and Perritt in the back four, both returning after playing for the club previously, Altrincham bore an unfamiliar look. Perritt, signed from Accrington Stanley, was deployed at right-back, with Ferguson, on loan from Harrogate Town, alongside him as the right-sided centre-back. Another loanee, Danny Cashman was deployed as a numbert ten with only one winger in the starting eleven, Sinclair. In all, the maximum of five permissable loanees were named in the Altrincham squad.
It was not until the thirteenth minute that the game came to life as the hosts won the first of what was to become four successive corners, a sequence which underlined Altrincham's season-long frailty in dealing with aerial balls from set-pieces.
The first coner was conceded by Perritt and the second, an inswinger, had been won off Ferguson. A good header by Baines led to the third flag-kick whilst the fourth came off a swing of the boot by Osborne. Alty managed, just about, to weather these corners (15 mins).
But the respite was short as Ilunga surged past Sinclair on the Wealdstone left wing. From his cross, Obiero headed home the opening goal of the afternoon (17 mins).
In retrospect it can be said that the turning point of the afternoon arrived shortly afterwards, midway through the first half. Good work from Oyedele had got Linney heading at goal with Sinclair in support and only keeper Howes to beat. Rather than play a simple ball for Sinclair to knock the ball into what would have been an empty net, Linney made the wrong decision and tamely hit the ball at the advancing keeper (22 mins).
The consequences of that missed opportunity were not long in being realised as Wealdstone doubled their lead on the half-hour. Hutchinson initiated a counter-attack and, with the referee allowing play to continue despite a seeming foul on the Wealdstone player, Obiero slotted the ball into the far corner of Byrne's net to make it 2-0 (30 mins).
Things got no better when Osborne found himself booked for a foul challenge (32 mins).
Altrincham continued to labour with the causes seemingly being a combination of tiredness from a heavy schedule and the need for players to adapt to team changes and new personnel.
There was a slight improvement in Altrincham's performance before the break and this led to Wealdstone's Barker seeing yellow for a foul on Sinclair who was to be on the wrong end of a number of foul challenges (41 mins).
Fouls on Osborne and Ferguson earned further freekicks by the time the half had reached added time (45+1 mins). But nothing threatening materialised from these dead balls.
In fact, in the third added minute, it took a good block by Ferguson to halt a Hutchinson threat, but a corner resulted for the home side (45+3 mins). This went harmlessly to Byrne before the teams went off for the break with Altrincham having offered very little in the first half.
Half-Time: WEALDSTONE 2 |
Soon after the restart Baines cleared from an incursion by Kretschmar, at the cost of a corner. And, once again, the corner curse struck as Altrincham conceded a third goal. From the corner, Wealdstone were allowed to win three successive headers across the Alty box, the last of which, by Andrews, found the back of the net to put the game beyond any prospect of a comeback by the visitors, who nw faced a 3-0 deficit (48 mins)
Cook. the home captain, who had won the first header leading to the third goal, was now withdrawn as Wealdstone brought on Barrett (50 mins).
Another foul on Sinclair then brought a booking for Charles (52 mins).
Alty were offering no threat at the other end with striker Linney, who had impressed in his earlier games, since joining from FC United of Manchester, looking out of sorts.
Ferguson then joined Osborne in the referee's book (55 mins) as loanee Bennett came on to replace fellow loanee midfielder, Cashman, who has yet to make an impression since arriving from Coventry City (55 mins).
At last, Altrincham actually landed a shot on target when Obeiro gave the ball away to Sinclair and the Rochdale loanee forced only a routine save from Howes (59 mins). Two minutes later Sinclair actually got in another shot but this was underhit and ran to Howes.
Midway through the half, Alty saw off a Wealdstone corner before midfielder Pringle came on to replace striker Linney confirming that the afternoon had been written off in terms of any points gathering (69 mins). With a hectic schedule of games ahead, it was now quite sensibly a case of damage limitation rather than all-out expenditure of attacking effort to try and retrieve the game.
Yet another foul on Simclair, one of the few lively figures in the Altrincham team, earned Ilunga a caution (70 mins), after which the recently signed Lo-Everton replaced Hutchinson (71 mins).
Next, Dyer spurned an opportunity with a shot over the bar (74 mins), after which Olomola came on for Andrews (76 mins).
The match was drifting towards in inevitable conclusion when Altrincham won a rare corner, which Baines headed over the bar from Pringle's kick (82 mins). As the game petered out, the hosts also won a corner (87 mins) before four added minutes were announced.
With play into the fifth added minute, a mistake by Peritt allowed Olomola to cross the ball for Dyer to score off the underside of the bar. Although the ball rebounded into Byrne's arms, it had clearly crossed the line to record a 4-0 thumping for Altrincham.
with four more away games in succession over the next ten days, three of them in the league, Altrincham will need a sharp uplift in performance if that sequence is not to be a painful one.
Full Time: WEALDSTONE 4 |