ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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CHESTERFIELD (1) 2
ALTRINCHAM (1) 1
played on Tuesday, 16 January, 2024 at 7.45pm.
SUMMARY:
Altrincham were unlucky to emerge with nothing from a good performance against the league leaders but, ultimately, unclinical finishing cost them dear.
After Chesterfield had started the better, albeit without seriously threatening to score, Alty enjoyed a good spell with Regan Linney getting past his marker in the box and forcing the keeper to concede a corner (19 mins).
And, soon afterwards, Linney had the ball in the net but was deemed offside.
Midway through the first half and against the immediate run of play, the hosts took the lead with a good move. Dobra fed the ball to the right and from Jacobs's cross, Ollie Banks arrived to sweep the ball into the net (25 mins).
Dan Mooney then wasted the best chance of the half by firing miles over the bar after good work from Linney and Conn-Clarke (32 mins).
But Alty got their deserved equaliser as the game went into added time in the first half. A three-man Altrincham counter-attack culminated in Linney's clever back-heeled ball which Conn-Clarke netted from 19 yards in a central position (45+1 mins).
In the second half Altrincham gave as good as they got but fell to an 84th minute winner from their former player, substitute James Berry, who played a neat one-two as he drifted in from the left before curling the ball into the net.
SCORERS:
- 25 mins: Ollie BANKS (Chesterfield 1 ALTRINCHAM 0)
- 45(+1 min) Chris CONN-CLARKE (Chesterfield 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
- 84 mins: James BERRY (Chesterfield 1 ALTRINCHAM 2)
REFEREE: Mr Dale Baines
ATTENDANCE: 6,571 (152 in away section)
TEAM NEWS:
Both teams had rotated their squads the previous Saturday in the FA Trophy and both had lost their ties.
But whereas Alty manager Phil Parkinson had made five changes to the starting eleven which had beaten Barnet in its most recent game, Paul Cook had named an entirely new starting eleven for the FA Trophy, comprising players whose lowest squad number was 36!
Baines, Marriott, Mooney, Conn-Clarke and Linney had all been omitted from the Trophy starting eleven with Kosylo, Amaluzor, Brockbank, Angus and Wilson starting instead. All of the former group of five started this match whilst none of the latter group did so.
Alty's plans were upsetbefore kick-off when goalkeeper Ethan Ross pulled out in the warm up with a leg problem, so Matt Gould started in goal for the first time in the league this season.
For Chesterfield, former Altrincham man Ryan Colclough was out with an injured ankle. Another ex-Alty man Jeff King was not in the Spireites' squad but James Berry, who had been on Alty's books but never played apart from in friendlies, was on the bench. Jamie Grimes was back for the hosts, the captain having completed a three-match suspension.
LINE-UPS:
CHESTERFIELD (Blue) 1. Harry Tyrer, 22. Ryheem Sheckleford, 21. Ash Palmer, 5. Jamie Grimes (c), 3. Branden Horton, 4. Tom Naylor, 8. Darren Oldaker, 28. Ollie Banks, 10. Michael Jacobs, 17. Armando Dobra, 9. Will Grigg. Subs: 12. Tyrone Williams, 18. James Berry, 7. Liam Mandeville, 27. Joe Quigley, 35. Mike Jones.
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 21. Matt Gould, 2. Lewis Banks, 15. Jake Cooper, 4. Lewis Baines, 3. Eddie Jones, 8. Isaac Marriott (c), 6. Elliot Osborne, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 30. Alex Newby, 44. Dan Mooney, 9. Regan Linney. Subs: 16. Sam Roscoe, 7. Matty Kosylo, 14. Dior Angus, 19. George Wilson, 11. Justin Amaluzor
BACKGROUND:
Altrincham had beaten Chesterfield in the reverse fixture, back in August, but went into this game in fifth place some 22 points behind the league-leading Spireites.
This was the only one of five Tuesday fixtures to survive the snow and ice which had caused the postponement of the rest of the planned games. Here the pitch was in good condition as the snow had skirted the Derbyshire town.
REPORT:
Chesterfield kicked off and enjoyed the majority of the possession in the uneventful early stages of the match. It was noticeable that Alty winger Dan Mooney, on his second league start since returning to the club, was having to spend most of his time in his own half, aiding the defence.
The first shot of the game saw Jacobs feed Ollie Banks who, from just outside the box, saw his effort just clear the bar (9 mins).
The Spireites' next probe ended with a wild cross by Horton (11 mins). Gould, starting his first league match of the season was then almost caught out trying to dribble the ball to safety, with a corner arriving in the aftermath. At last there was some action at the other end as Marriott and Conn-Clarke set Linney running towards goal but loanee keeper Tyrer was out quickly to clear.
Alty now settled into a spell where they were on top and, after a foul on Newby had produced a freekick, Linney won his side a corner on the left. Taken by Newby, Osborne arrived beyond the back post but his unchallenged downward header disappointingly went wide (15 mins).
Alty went closer four minutes later when, this time, Osborne did well to locate Linney who, inside the left of the box, beat his marker and fired a shot across Tyrer which the keeper diverted to his left for a corner. Taken from the Alty right by Eddy Jones, the ball came back to the left-back whose well-struck shot was not held by Tyrer, and Linney put the ball in the net, only for offside to be decreed (20 mins).
Moments later Alty threatened again when Newby's 25-yarder was only parried by the less than convincing looking keeper. And the pressure continued as Newby went down in the box after getting onto a Mooney cross, but no penalty was signalled.
However, completely against the immediate run of play towards the home goal, Chesterfield took the lead.
Dobra did well to fend off Marriott in left midfield and he found Jacobs on the right. His cut-back allowed the incoming Ollie Banks to fire a shot past Gould from the outer centre of the box (25 mins). Gould had seen far less of the ball at this stage than his counterpart Tyrer.
Although Chesterfield now enjoyed plenty of possession, Alty spurned a great chance to equalise as the lively Linney played a one-two with Conn-Clarke before finding Mooney unmarked, right of goal. The winger chose to hit the ball first time and ballooned his effort way over the bar (32 mins).
Linney and Eddy Jones were the standout players for Altrincham at this stage and the latter soon did well to shepherd a dangerous ball back to Gould as Jacobs threatened (41 mins).
As the half drew to its end, ALtrincham threatened again but Conn-Clarke's attempted chip from 20 yards, from a Banks feed, cleared the bar (43 mins)
But with two added minutes just starting, Altrincham scored a well-constructed equaliser.
Alty got three men breaking forward against two defenders. Conn-Clarke played a pass to Newby who fed the ball to his right to Linney on the front edge of the box. The striker smartly back-heeled the ball for Conn-Clarke to score a fine goal with Tyrer stranded in the middle of his box (45+1 mins). It was a deserved equaliser as Altrincham had been the more threatening team going forward and the Spireites had scored from their only shot on target in the first half.
Half-Time: CHESTERFIELD 1 |
Altrincham kicked off, through Conn-Clarke, and won an early corner on the left followed, soon afterwards, by a second, earned by Lewis Banks (53 mins). But the nearest to either side troubling the goalkeeper was Conn-Clarke's speculative effort from 30 yards which flew miles over the bar (54 mins).
Chesterfield responded with two corners in succession just before the hour mark.
When Palmer and a Ollie Banks collided near the dugouts (62 mins), the former Stockport man needed lengthy treatment and emerged with a dressing on his chin.
Dobra then became the night's first booking, for a foul on Conn-Clarke (68 mins). Paul Cook now made a double change bringing on Mandeville and Berry for Jacobs and Dobra (69 mins).
Next, an excellent ball by Osborne set Conn-Clarke free on the right of the box but he took a poor touch and the ball ran comfortably to the keeper when he had had a good opportunity to score (71 mins). Mooney, who had had a mixed evening, was then withdrawn in favour of Amaluzor (72 mins) and, three minutes later, Angus came on for Linney who is still eturning to full fitness but who had looked sharp tonight.
History repeated itself when Osborne again produced a fine ball to get Conn-Clarke heading goalwards but the Irishman, once more, took an uncharacteristically poor touch (80 mins).
Quigley for Gregg was Paul Cook's final change of personnel, the former Wigan man having had certainly not been "on fire" for the Spireites (82 mins).
Soon after Amaluzor had been flagged offside for the second time and, out of nothing, Chesterfield snatched the lead. Berry played a one-two on the left with Ollie Banks before curling a fine shot round Gould's left hand to make it 2-1 (84 mins).
Immediately Kosylo came on for Newby (84 mins) but it was the hosts who threatened again before a poor cross from the left let Altrincham off the hook (87 mins).
Soon after Angus had been booked for a gratuitous barge on Tyrer, which the keeper unconvincingly exaggerated, Berry was then booked for kicking out at an opponent when an appeal for a foul did not go his way (89 mins).
In the five added miutes Amaluzor won a freekck on the "D" but Conn-Clarke put this narrowly over the bar (90+2 mins). Deep into added time Chesterfield won a freekick in the "D" from which Oldaker struck the upright but a 3-1 win would have been a travesty and, indeed, the actual 2-1 victory was harsh on the Altrincham side.
Had Alty been more clinical, with Mooney, Conn-Clarke and Osborne all spurning decent openings during the match, it could have been more rewarding for them, especially as, at the other end, Gould had barely a save to make throughout the match.
Full-Time: CHESTERFIELD 2 |