ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (0) 1
SOUTHEND UNITED (0) 0
played on Saturday, 25 March 2023 at 3pm.
SUMMARY:
In what proved to be a tight game with few real chances, Altrincham secured a 1-0 win thanks to an eigthieth-minute penalty converted by substitute Regan Linney. Linney had been brought down on the right bye-line after good work from fellow substitute, debutant Luke Burgess from Oldham Athletic, who fed the striker.
Powell wasted a good chance to equalise minutes later when Southend substitute and ex-Alty man Dan Mooney presented him with a clear opening. But he dragged his shot wide.
For Southend it was a sixth straight league defeat whilst for Altrincham it was a first league clean sheet in 24 outings.
SCORERS:
- 80 mins: Regan LINNEY (ALTRINCHAM 1 Southend United 0)
REFEREE: Mr Steven Copeland
ATTENDANCE: 3,041 (318 im away end)
TEAM NEWS:
Alty made two changes as Osborne and Oyedele dropped out and Welch-Hayes and Bennett came into the starting eleven. Despite fully participating in the warm-up, Sinclair was not in the squad, perhaps because of planned rotation ahead of the midweek clash with Notts County and next Saturday's Trophy semi-final.
LINE-UPS:
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Oliver Byrne, 26. James Jones, 5. Kyle Ferguson, 6. Lewis Baines, 2. Eddy Jones, 34. Miles Welch-Hayes, 8. Josh Lundstram, 4. Isaac Marriott, 27. Aaron Bennett 9. Jordan Hulme (c), 39. Joe Hugill. Subs: 10. Elliot Osborne, 11. Luke Burgess, 29. Regan Linney, 18. Ben Pringle, 30. Harry Perritt,
SOUTHEND UNITED (All yellow)1. Steve Arnold, 2. Gus Scott-Morriss, 3. Nathan Ralph (c), 5. Shaun Hobson, 6. Ollie Kensdale, 7. Jack Bridge, 9. Rhys Murphy, 16. Harry Taylor, 17. Cavaghn Miley, 18. Wesley Fonguck, 23. Harry Cardwell. Subs: 10. Dan Mooney, 11. Callum Powell, 4. Louis Lomas, 24. Jason Demetriou, 39. Jake Hyde
BACKGROUND:
Following a run of six successive away games, Altrincham started a run of three home games on the run with this fixture against Southend United who arrived on a run of five successive defeats. Nevertheles they were four points ahead of Altrincham in the table.
REPORT:
Altrincham kicked off towards the away end and they started the better of the two teams, though Hugill's second-minute pot-shot, well over the bar, was the nearest to a threat on goal.
But a defensive mix-up almost cost Alty dear a few minutes later, but Miley could only sidefoot his shot straight to Byrne (7 mins). Ferguson then needed two cotton-wool plugs to staunch a nose bleed which he had presumably incurred from a collison (8 mins).
Lundstram, who was to have another fine game and was later to be named Man of the Match, now put in a cross which Welch-Hayes met with a header which just cleared the bar (10 mins) as Altrincham continued on the front foot. However, it was the Shrimpers who gained the match's first corner through a combination of Murphy and Bridge on the left (11 mins).
For Alty, Hulme showed great persistence in thrwe successive fifty-fifty situations and this led to Bennett feeding Hugill who earned Alty a corner of their own (13 mins).
Next Bennett fired off target after more good work from Lundstram (14 mins).
Welch-Hayes, back from an injury lay-off, was deployed as a right wing-back today rather than in the backline as he had been predominantly in his previous appearances, and he was getting forward with regularity.
Following a rare foray forward by Southend, on their left, Alty were fortunate to survive a goalmouth melee which culminated in a blocked shot by Miley (22 mins). At the other end, a Lundstram shot deflected for a corner but nothing came of it (25 mins).
And Southend went close to taking the lead on the half-hour mark, when a cross from the left was headed onto the outside of the upright from Ralph's prodigious leap. Play was fairly even at this stage and it soon took a fine tackle by Ferguson to halt Cardwell (34 mins).
A miskick clear by goalkeeper Arnold went to Hulme but he, in turn, miskicked before he could take full advantage (37 mins). The visitors then won another corner when a goalbound Bridge effort struck Baines (41 mins)
As the interval approached, Welch-Hayes found himself booked for a foul (44 mins). But, after one added minute, the goalless first half came to a conclusion with parity a reasonably fair reflection of a first half in which Alty had seen more of the ball but the visitors had gone the closer to scoring.
Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 0 |
After Southend had kicked off, Altrincham almost struck an early blow as good play by Hulme led to Lundstram's ball acorss the goalmouth. from the right, which was just too high for any team mate to convert.
Aly then won a freekick, with Ralph being booked for the offence (48 mins). A foul on Marriott, as he surged upthe middle, also earned Taylor a booking very soon afterwards (50 mins).
Play went through a scrappy period, albeit with Altrincham on the front foot for the most part. A promising advance by Bennett unfortunately ended in his pass not reaching Hugill (58 mins).
However, Southend enjoyed a good spell from the hour mark, with Murphy unsuccessfully appealing for a penalty before he was subbed by Powell (61 mins).
Alty's first change saw debutant loanee Luke Burgess from Oldham Athletic coming on to replace Bennett and assume the number ten role (63 mins).
After 71 minutes Altrincham made a change up front with Hulme giving way to Linney. But Southend continued to threaten with a fine tackle being needed by Baines to halt Powell (72 mins).
At the other end the keeper was not being worked and a speculative 35-yard effort from Burgess did not trouble him either (72 mins),
A few tame boos greeted the introduction of former Alty winger Mooney, who replaced Fonguck (74 mins). And Mooney soon launched a hopeful 25 yarder at goal but it went wide (74 mins).
The match's decisive monet arrived when Burgess did well in the centre of the Southend half and found Linney, ahead of him, to the right. As Linney got towards the byline, right of goal, he was brought down by Ralph and a penalty was awarded. Linney allowed the keeper to go this right before planting the ball into the net to the keeper's left. So it was 1-0 to Alty (80 mins).
But soon after the restart, Southend should have equalised. Mooney made a characteristic advance on the left, cut inside and laid the ball off for Powell. But, with a clear sight of goal, he somehow managed to hit his shot comfortably wide of the keeper's left upright (82 mins).
Miley was now booked for a foul on Marriott (85 mins) before Hyyde came on to replace Bridge (87 mins).
Altrincham successfully saw out four added minutes, no least by winning a corner and keeping the ball in the vicinity of the corner-flag quadrant.
It had not been a pulsating match but there had been plenty of honest endeavour from both sides. Altrincham were deserved winners overall though, on another day, Southend might well have taken something from the match. They will have left the J Davidson Stadium rueing an effort which struck the woodwork and missing the best opening of the game.
Full Time: ALTRINCHAM 1
SOUTHEND UNITED 0