Despite fielding his first team, and enjoying home advantage against a side from four levels below them in the pyramid, Phil Parkinson's Altrincham side lost the Cheshire Senior Cup Final to Congleton Town.

Having gone out of the FA Trophy recently in a penalty shootout, Altrincham lost this match by the same process.

In the match itself, The Bears took an eleventh-minute lead when Needham's low shot rounded off a neat build-up.

Altrincham laboured to impose themselves and barely troubled the visitors' keeper, Dave Parton, a former Robins' employee before captain Jordan Hulme cut in smartly from the left and drove home a fine shot to level the score after 39 minutes.

However, Congleton regained the lead in the 45th minute when Matt Gould caught the ball, but as James Jones backed into him, he could not hold on to a corner from the visitors' left and the ball found its way into the net, being recorded as an own goal.

Alty went on to dominate much of the second half, in terms of possession, but without seriously troubling Parton, though there were several failures by Alty to hit the target when they should have done.

Finally, the hosts equalised for a second time in the 80th minute when a low ball from the right byline by Marriott went through Parton's hands into the net to make it 2-2. This goal was attributed to Hulme by the tannoy but it was the keeper's touch which diverted into the net.

So the match went to penalties where Alty had the advantage not only of going first but also of having the spot-kicks taken at the home end.

Sadly, a sizeable number of home supporters resorted to the unsporting tactic of waving mobile phone torchlights at the Congleton players as they took their kicks, but to no avail.

Linney missed the target with the first Altrincham penalty, before Congleton scored their opener and then Goodson converted his kick to make it 1-2. Next, substitute Ben Pringle hit the bar before Congleton took a 1-3 lead in the shoot-out.

James Jones made it 2-3 before Congleton wrapped up the win 2-4 on penalties.

Their 435 supporters in a gate of 1153 gave their side great support throughout and the players rejoiced with them before receiving their winners' awards and the Cheshire Senior Cup trophy.

In contrast Altrincham were left heading to their final match of the season with just one win (against Runcorn Linnets in the CSC) in eight games in all competitions, a run which has an unwanted symmetry with the start of the season when nine winless matches were successively recorded in the National League.

SCORERS:

• 11 mins: Daniel NEEDHAM (ALTRINCHAM 0 Congleton Town 1)
• 39 mins: Jordan HULME (ALTRINCHAM 1 Congleton Town 1)
• 45 mins: OWN GOAL Matthew GOULD (ALTRINCHAM 1 Congleton Town 2)
• 80 mins: OWN GOAL Davi PARTON (ALTRINCHAM 2 Congleton Town 2)

In what seemingly constituted Phil Parkinson's first-choice of players, when injuries were taken into account, Altrincham appeared to prioritise lifting the club's first cup silverware since 2009 over their final National League fixture less than 48 hours later when the same players would, no doubt, be fatigued by 90 minutes action tonight.

At the back, Lewis Baines dropped to the bench to accommodate James Jones who needed match practice after his four-match suspension. Elliot Osborne was missing from the squad as Luke Burgess started. Owen German came into the squad as a named substitute.

Gould and James Jones were the only Alty players to have started all four Cheshire Senior Cup ties this season, with 23 different names having constituted the three line-ups before tonight in this competition.

Two Alty old boys figured in the visitors' starting eleven, goalkeeper Dave Parton and defender Lewis Short who nowadays plays at centre-back.

LINE-UPS:

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 21. Matt Gould, 30. Harry Perritt, 5. Kyle Ferguson, 2. Eddy Jones, 8. Josh Lundstram , 4. Isaac Marriott, 26. James Jones, 27. Aaron Bennett, 11. Luke Burgess, 9. Jordan Hulme (c), 29. Regan Linney. Subs: 6. Lewis Baines, 14. Owen German, 18. Ben Pringle, 24. Ryan Forde, 32. Zak Goodson.

CONGLETON TOWN (Yellow and white shirts with black sash, white shorts and socks) 1. David Parton, 2. Mackenzie Faulkner, 3. Jordi Nsaka, 4. Peter Williams, 5. Ryan Read, 6. Lewis Short, 7. Arron Johns, 8. Shakeel Jones-Griffiths, 9. Tom Pope (c), 10. Ethan Hartshorn, 11. Daniel Needham. Subs: 12. Marco Fregapane, 14. George Sankey, 15. Thomas Hampton, 16. Darren Chadwick, 17. William Buckley.

Before kick off, this match had a bizarre setting; it was a cup final being held on one of the finalists' home ground, and it was on a Thursday night, at the behest of the CCFA, even though neither team had another midweek match, and this meant that Alty had to play the game two days before what could have been a crucial final game of the season for Saturday's opponents Aldershot Town.

Having not played at home in the competition this season, a home venue for the final was not to be expected.

Altrincham had previously won the CSC on seven occasions.

Congleton Town had just completed their league season, finishing eighth in the NWCFL Premier.

On a drizzly evening at the J. Davidson Stadium, Altrincham kicked off towards a very well populated away end occupied by more than 450 vociferous Congleton supporters.

Altrincham were soon enjoying plenty of possession and won two early corners. The first was won by Linney's burst towards the left bye-line and the second was earned by Bennett. Neither corner came to anything (5 mins).

The hosts continued to set the agenda as Perritt got forward up the right giving Linney a shot at goal which he put wide of Parton's left upright (7 mins).

But, then, in their first meaningful attack, Congleton scored a well-worked goal which Needham converted with a low shot from the outer reaches of the box (11 mins). Their fans roared their delight but their lead was very nearly short lived as Perritt again got up the right wing and his shot beat Parton but rebounded back to the grateful keeper's arms off the inside of the far upright (13 mins).

Alty's recurrent vulnerability to corners again manifested itself soon afterwards when, from a left-wing corner, Congleton were allowed a free header which somehow got blocked but which, quite easily, could have put the Bears two goals ahead (15 mins).

Not for the last time Linney was caught offside (18 mins) before a fine Perritt tackle halted a Congleton attack (19 mins). After a brief stoppage for treaaent to Burgess in the Congleton box (24 mins), play comntinued with Altrincham still lacking a creative edge going forward.

Perritt was then injured in a firm 50/50 challenge neat half way on the Alty right but he was able to resume after treatment (31 mins)

Moments later, a foul by Jones-Griffiths on James Jones earned the Congleton man a booking (32 mins).

Alty then won three corners in as many minutes. From the first, a poor pass by Bennett ended any threat and neither of the other two flag-kicks created any danger to the visitors' goal (36 mins).

Linney won another corner soon afterwards but, again, there was no goal threat as a consequence (38 mins). But, finally, Alty got an equaliser. From the left Hulme cut into the box past a defender, who had over-committed himself, and Alty's captain smashed a right-foot shot across Parton from the left which found the back of the net (39 mins).

Bennett then fired narrowly wide from twenty yards as half-time approached (42 mins).

Following a freekick awarded against Ferguson, some forty yards out, Johns now got in a shot which Gould saved comfortably (43 mins). However, a bad slip by James Jones almost let in Williams but the ball ran safely to Gould before a foul by Eddy Jones yielded a Congleton freekick which led to a corner on their left.

From the corner, Gould rose to collect the ball in a crowded goalmouth but, as James Jones backed into him, the ball dropped out of his grasp and somehow found the back of the net for what was credited as an own goal to give Congleton a 2-1 lead (45 mins). In added time Burgess fired narrowly over the bar from just inside the box as Altrincham continued to find it hard to work the visitors' goalkeeper.

Congleton kicked off the second half but Altrincham gained an ealy corner which, once more, came to nothing (47 mins). At the other end Johns hooked an effort over the bar (48 mins).

Excellent play by Linney now saw him feed Bennett who somehow contrived to shoot wide of the keeper's left post when he should certainly have been on target (49 mins). Then Linney again impressed but, from the right byline, his shot was held by Parton; it was a rare shot on target nevertheless (50 mins).

Following a Perritt overlap, Burgess went down under a challenge in the box but his penalty appeals went unanswered, though a corner resulted (53 mins).

The visitors were still well in the game and enjoyed an excellent spell around the hour mark. After winning a corner, they continued to exert pressure and earned another corner on 61 minutes.

Alty now made a double change with a freshly-shorn Ben Pringle and striker Zak Goodson replacing loanees Burgess and Bennett respectively (63 mins).

Pringle was soon to be robbed of possession leading to a Congleton attack which ended in their own unanswered penalty appeals as Jones-Griffiths went down in the box (64 mins).

Alty continued to labour to create any more tests for goalkeeper Parton before Linney again did well on the left where he fed Lundstram. Like Bennett earlier in the game, Lundstram very disapppintingly put an excellent chance wide (69 mins).

Altrincham continued to enjoy possession and forward momentum without troubling Parton before Ferguson hit a powerful, if speculative, thirty-yarder which went narrowly wide of goal (78 mins).

However, Alty then equalised, albeit it seemed to need an own goal to acheive parity. It arrived after Marriott had advanced on the right and his low cross-cum-shot squirmed out of Parton's grasp and was diverted into the net to make it 2-2 (80 mins). Hulme may have got a slight touch to the cross but the ball was not going in until Parton inadvertently diverted it.

Surely there was to be only one winner now as a full-time virtually first-choice eleven faced a tiring part-time team from four levels lower in the pyramid?

An exhausted Congleton captain, the former Port Vale striker Tom Pope, was replaced by Hampton immediately after the goal (80 mins) and Alty proceeded to win three successive corners, with Chadwick replacing Jones-Griffths between the second and third corner (83 mins).

The Bears made another change in the 87th minute when Fregapane came on.

A Goodson effort trickled past the post (88 mins) before a fine Lundstram run up the right only led to a goalkick for the visitors.

Three added minutes were decreed and, in the last of these, Buckley replaced Needham who had scored the opening goal but was surpsingly replaced for the impending penalty shoot-out (90+3 mins)

And so, for the second time in a month, it was to be a penalty shoot-out at the J. Davidson Stadium.

Jordan Hulme won the toss and the penalties were taken by Alty at the Golf Road end. Unfortunately, numerous Altrincham supporters brought little credit to the club as they thought it clever to switch on their mobile-phone torches and wave them around behind the nets as Congleton took their kicks. Surprisingly the referee took no action to stop this but the fans' behaviour had no effect on the Congleton penalty takers.

1. Regan Linney missed the target, clearing the bar with his effort. (Altrincham 0-0 Congleton Town)
2. Peter Williams scored, sending Gould the wrong way. (Altrincham 0-1 Congleton Town)
3. Zak Goodson scored, sending the keeper the wrong way (Altrincham 1-1 Congleton Town)
4. Congleton netted (Altrincham 1-2 Congleton Town)
5. Ben Pringle hit the bar (Altrincham 1-2 Congleton Town)
6. Ryan Read netted (Altrincham 1-3 Congleton Town)
7. James Jones converted his penalty (Altrincham 2-3 Congleton Town)
8. Lewis Short scored to win the match (Altrincham 2-4 Congleton Town)

---

Shoot-Out: ALTRINCHAM 2 penalties converted CONGLETON TOWN 4 penalties conveted

---

---

Link to ARCHIVE INDEX