Altrincham played their second pre-season friendly of the summer at Broadhurst Park on Tuesday night and a team which, by the latter stages, largely comprised academy youngsters and trialists, was outplayed by an impressive FC United team.

The hosts took a thirteenth-minute lead when Cane's shot from just outside the box took a deflection which led to Byrne conceding at his near post.

It was 2-0 to FCUM after 24 minutes when Hartley somehow got between two Alty defenders in the centre of the box and slotted the ball past Byrne.

Four minutes or so later Alty conceded a third after Cooper, out on the left, misplaced a short pass leaving Roscoe to chase back after Donohue, who went on the score (28 mins).

Alty got a goal back in the 39th minute when promising trialist Swales controlled a ball from the left before slotting it past the keeper from the edge of the box.

Alty changed their keeper and the entire back four at the interval. Indeed, both sides were to make numerous changes in a disjointed second half.

FCUM made it 4-1 after 62 minutes when Munro finished off a move up the home side's right wing.

This was a game which told Phil Parkinson more about the prospects of his Academy graduates and trialists than it told the outside world what his preferred starting eleven might be for the National League season.

SCORERS:

• 13 mins: Max CANE (FC United of Manchester 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 24 mins: Keegan HARTLEY (FC United of Manchester 2 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 28 mins: Michael DONOHUE (FC United of Manchester 3 ALTRINCHAM 0)
• 39 mins: Kelan SWALES (FC United of Manchester 3 ALTRINCHAM 1)
• 62 mins: Charlie MUNRO (FC United of Manchester 4 ALTRINCHAM 1)

Regan Linney faced his former team in an Altrincham starting eleven that included one trialist (Swales), three summer signings (Banks, Roscoe and Wilson) and two Academy graduates (German and Tom Jones).

Of their ten subs, only Matt Gould and Lewis Baines had ever started a league game for Altrincham. Substitutes Morton, Njie, Cata and Wiliams had all graduated through Altrincham's youth or/and academy system, whilst trialists Lawton, Boateng and Ellis had all featured in the game at Lancaster last weekend.

LINE-UPS:

FC UNITED OF MANCHESTER (White shirts, black shorts): 1. Patrick Boyes, 2. Ethen Vaughan, 3. Guy Hall, 4. Paul Ennis, 5. Palinkas 6. Curtis Jones, 7. Aaron Morris, 8. Michael Donohue, 9. Max Cane, 10. Declan McLoughlin, 11. Keegan Hartley. Subs: Khadim Thiam, Jay Fitzmartin, Charlie Munro, Luke Griffiths, Pawel Zuk, 3 trialists, Charlie Oliver, Lewis Coulton.

ALTRINCHAM (All dark blue, with yellow sash on shirts): 1. Ollie Byrne, 2. Lewis Banks, 5. Jake Cooper, 6. Sam Roscoe, 3. Eddy Jones, 4. Owen German, 7. George Wilson, 8. Elliot Osborne, 10. Kelan Swales (trialist), 11. Tom Jones, 9. Regan Linney. Subs: Matt Gould, Sean Lawton (trialist), 19. Ryan Morton, 18. Sheriff Njie, Edson Cata, 23. Loui Williams, Khan, Lewis Baines, 16. Mark Ellis (trialist), 14. Kwame Boateng (trialist)

This was Altrincham's second pre-season match of 2023 following a 1-0 reverse at Lancaster three days earlier. The opposition was again an NPL (step 3) side.

Altrincham almost took a very early lead when Tom Jones impressively controlled a ball from the left and, from right of goal, his low cross narrowly evaded Linney in the centre of the goalmouth (5 mins).

Alty had another good chance three minutes later when a corner from the left by Swales led to a volley over the bar from the incoming Roscoe.

At the other end a deep cross from the right was miscued, back across the penalty area, by McLoughlin.

In the thirteenth minute the hosts took the lead when a neatly constructed move saw Cane beat Byrne at his near post with a shot from just outside the box. The shot appeared to take a deflection which may explain how the ball found the back of the net.

Trialist left-winger Swales was looking as lively as he had done in his previous appearance and he now won a corner, which came off Cooper for a goal kick (17 mins). Soon afterwards Swales himself volleyed over the bar from around the penalty spot.

Soon after an impressive run by Hall had led to a McLoughlin shot, which went wide (21 mins), the Rebels doubled their lead.

A cross from the right by Vaughan evaded Alty's central defence and Hartley was able to hook the ball home, with Byrne perhaps unsighted (24 mins).

After Alty had won another corner, they were soon stunned to concede a third goal. This came when Cooper, out on the left prodded a ball towards Roscoe but it fell short, allowing Donohue to intercept the ball and advance on goal, hotly pursued by Roscoe.

Inside the box, the United man turned the ball past Byrne to make it 3-0 (28 mins).

Alty responded with successive shots by Banks and Eddy Jones being blocked by defenders (31 mins) before Alty escaped what seemed to be a good penalty shout as Osborne appeared to push an opponent in the back inside the box (35 mins).

At last Altrincham forced a save from the home keeper when Linney found Swales, whose rising shot forced a good save from Boyes (36 mins).

Shortly afterwards Altrincham got a reward for their forward play as Swales controlled a ball on the front edge of the box, cleverly switching the ball from one foot to the other before planting his shot into the net to make it 3-1 (39 mins).

So half time arrived with Alty two goals adrift.

Not surprisingly Altrincham changed their back four and goalkeeper at the interval as custodian Gould, right-back trialist Boateng, left-back trialist Lawton and centre-backs Lewis Baines and Mark Ellis replaced Byrne, Banks, Cooper, Roscoe and Eddy Jones.

FCUM also made a number of changes of personnel for the second half. Fitzmartin, Thiam, Munro, Oliver, Coulton and Griffiths replaced Vaughan, McLoughlin, Hall, Ennis, Palinkas and Morris.

The opening stages of the second half were unremarkable.

Then, Gould was called into action to save from Fitzmartin (55 mins). Soon afterwards, Cane gave way to a United trialist (58 mins).

However, a fourth home goal now arrived through former Sandgrounder Munro, after Fitzmartin had got past German on the Alty left byline (62 mins).

Altrincham next withdrew Linney for Morton before United gained two corners in succession.

At the back, substitute Thiam was impressing at right-back for the hosts who also soon introduced a trialist (no.20) for goalscorer Donohue (67 mins).

Next, Gould was forced to make two decent saves (69 mins) before Loui Williams replaced Swales for Altrincham (71 mins).

Another United trialist replaced Hartley (75 mins) whilst Alty brought on Njie, Khan and Cata (76 mins).

Yet another stoppage saw former Barrow man Pawel Zuk come on for the hosts in place of Jones (78 mins).

The game was now drifting as Alty were fielding numerous inexperienced youngsters and United were content with their comfortable lead.

This match revealed little about Phil Parkinson's first-choice eleven but enabled him to run his rule over numerous youngsters and trialists.