ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS

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YORK CITY (0) 1
ALTRINCHAM (1) 2

Isuzu FA Trophy
Quarter-Final match
played on Saturday, 11 March 2023 at 3.15pm.

SUMMARY:

Altrincham moved into the semi-finals of the Isuzu FA Trophy with a deserved win at York.

After forty minutes, which had witnessed few chances and during which Alty had shaded the game, Jordan Hulme put his side ahead when, after 21 passes, he received the ball in the box from a Baines cross from the left and turned well to score into the bottom-left corner (41 mins).'

York had a better spell in the early stages of the second half but James Jones made it 0-2 after 62 minutes with a header from a freekick by Eddy Jones.

Substitute John-Lewis headed a consolation in the fifth-added minute when Ferguson was off the pitch after a head injury.

SCORERS:

REFEREE: Mr Lewis Smith

ATTENDANCE: 3,867 (663 in away section)

TEAM NEWS:

For this FA Trophy quarter-final at York City, Altrincham manager Phil Parkinson sprang a surprise with the inclusion in the starting eleven of loanee striker Joe Hugill from Manchester United.

Hugill, who stands 6ft 2ins tall, was one of the trio of United starlets whose arrival on loan was announced on 1 February 2023.

However Joe had not even been named in an Altrincham squad before today but he got his chance with Regan Linney cup tied.

Hugill joined United from Sunderland for £300,000 in summer 2020, having previously been with Newcastle United. He has been a prolific goalscorer in United's PL2 Division One side.

Also unexpected was the inclusion of striker Zak Goodson on the bench; he had been recalled from his loan at Boston United. In defence, Baines returned in place of Ferguson who moved to the bench.

York have made five changes from their most recent league outing, with Fallowfield, Dyson, Whittle, John-Lewis, and Ellis dropping out and Crookes, Forde, James, Duku and Mafuta coming in

LINE-UPS:

YORK CITY (Maroon shirts, white shorts and socks): 18. Ryan Whitley,3. Adam Crookes, 4, Maxim Kouogun, 6. Paddy McLaughlin (c), 9. Shaq Forde, 16. Mitch Hancox, 19. Dan Pybus, 21. Gus Mafuta, 23. Luke James, 27. Manny Duku, 28. Michael Duckworth. Subs: 7. Alex Hurst, 10. Scott Burgess, 25. Maison Campbell, 8. Olly Dyson, 17. Sam Sanders, 2. Ryan Fallowfield, 14. Lenell John-Lewis,

ALTRINCHAM (Dark blue shirts with yellow sash, dark blue shorts and socks): 1 Oliver Byrne, 30. Harry Perritt, 26. James Jones, 6. Lewis Baines, 2. Eddy Jones, 8. Josh Lundstram, 4. Isaac Marriott, 28. Maxi Oyedele, 35. Tyrese Sinclair, 9. Jordan Hulme (c), 39. Joe Hugill. Subs: 21. Matt Gould, 27. Aaron Bennett, 11. Danny Cashman, 10. Elliot Osborne, 5. Kyle Ferguson, 32. Zak Goodson, 18. Ben Pringle

BACKGROUND:

The sides faced each other knowing they were two matches away from booking a date in the Trophy Final.

This was Altrincham's fourth successive away game and the first of two trips in four days to York with a National League match to follow on Tuesday.

To reach this stage, York had seen off Southend United (Away), Chelmsford City (Home) and Blyth Spartans (Home).

Altrincham's victims had been Bracknell Town (Away), Wrexham (Home) and Curzon Ashton (Home).

Altrincham had won their last three visits to York, all of the matches being knock-out fixtures in 2019-20 season. But for this match York have been buoyed by a fine 3-0 away win at Bromley last time out whilst Altrincham were smarting from a run of three successive away games without a win.

REPORT:

Kick-off for this match was delayed by fifteen minutes to accommodate a larger than expected attendance.

Once the match was under way, the opening stages were largely played out in midfield as the sides got the measure of each other.

There were a few bright moments in the early stages which came to nothing for the visitors, such as when Oyedele won possession but then could not keep the ball in play following a one-two with Sinclair (8 mins) and when Eddy Jones dispossessed Forde but nothing came of that either (10 mins).

York, for their part, won a freekick through Forde after Pybus had advanced on the left. A resulting header from the freekick by Kouogun dropped comfortably for Byrne yet constituted the first effort on target (14 mins).

Another York freekick soon arrived but came to nothing before James Jones got forward and Lundstram fed Hulme who won the game's first corner (17 mins). Another Alty corner soon arrived after Hulme had laid the ball across goal where Sinclair tried to get on the end of it (20 mins).

Alty were now having the better of things and they created the best chance of the afternoon, so far, when James Jones's high ball found Baines who chested the ball down but his resulting shot was blocked (27 mins).

There was not much to quicken the pulse before Sinclair put an effort miles over the bar (34 mins). Indeed, Sinclair had a lively spell at this stage without being able to manufacture a clear sight of goal (39 mins).

Finally, the deadlock was broken as Altrincham put together a twenty-one-pass move which culminated in Baines's cross from th left locating Hulme, who swivelled to shoot, right-footed, into the bottom-left corner of the York net to make the score 0-1 (41 mins).

York's reply was a shot by Duku but his effort went straight to Byrne after the York man's advance had been hampered by good defensive harrying (43 mins). One added minute did not change the scoreline.

Half-Time: YORK CITY 0
ALTRINCHAM 1

York had the better of the opening stages of the second half and Byrne had to be alert to gather the ball ahead of Mafuta and Doku (50 mins).

But it was Altrincham who earned the half's first corner through a well-struck shot by Hulme which the keeper diverted impressively (51 mins).

Nevertheless, it was the Minstermen who were generally on top in the early stages of the second half without seriously threatening to equalise.

Just before the hour mark Alty did get forward, through a fine run by Oyedele and, soon afterwards, Alty won a freekick just outside the box. The freekick was taken by Eddy Jones and his namesake, James, rose to head home a second goal for the Robins (62 mins).

York's response was to bring on Fallowfield for Mafuta (65 mins) with the substitute earning his side a corner soon afterwards. Another home change saw John-Lewis come on for Duku (69 mins) and then, shortly after a wild shot from Marriott had left the precincts of the LNER Stadium, Dyson came on in place of the home captain, McLaughlin (73 mins).

York now spurned a decent chance when Hancox headed over the bar (74 mins), after which the Minstermen brought on centre-back Ferguson in place of forward Sinclair (75 mins).

James now came to life for York and he forced a good save from Byrne, who pushed his shot round the post (78 mins). James soon also won a freekick but this only led to a throw-in (82 mins).

Alty's second change was to bring on Osborne for Oyedele, who had again played well for his temporary employers (85 mins). Next, as the clock wound down, Zak Goodson appeared in place of Hugill (87 mins).

York won two corners in the first two minutes of the four that had been decreed. But less happily, they also picked up the game's only booking for a foul on the hardworking Marriott. Play then halted for a head injury to Ferguson and whilst he was off the pitch York scored a consolation goal.

It came when, yet again, Alty conceded from an aerial ball, which John-Lewis headed into the net (90+5 mins). But it was only a consolation goal as Altrincham deservedly advanced to within ninety minutes of a final at Wembley for the first time since 1986.

Full Time: YORK CITY 1
ALTRINCHAM 2

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