ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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SOUTHEND UNITED (2) 2
ALTRINCHAM (1) 1
played on Tuesday, 27 February, 2024 at 7.45pm.
SUMMARY:
In this fourth successive defeat, and for the third game on the run, Altrincham took the lead but could not hold it as more or less constant Southend pressure in the first half was rewarded by two goals in quick succession before the interval.
In Altrincham's first attack, Chris Conn-Clarke scored a fine goal, from twenty yards, in just the fourth minute.
Indeed, in their occasional first-half attacks Alty did look a potential threat but Southend attacked repeatedly, almost always up their left side. Two goals in seven minutes just before the interval gave the hosts the lead 2-1 at the break.
Their equaliser arrived in the 40th minute when ex-Alty loanee Dackers nodded down a cross for Cardwell to score.
Then, in the first added minute at the end of the first half, Fonguck got through a challenge inside the box to drill the ball into the corner of the net to Gould's left (45+1 mins).
In all of the last three games Alty have conceded twice in quick succession around half-time and in this case it was twice in seven minutes just before the break.
The second half was a more even affair but, apart from a Conn-Clarke corner which hit the top of the bar, they never really looked like scoring.
SCORERS:
- 4 mins: Chris CONN-CLARKE (Southend United 0 ALTRINCHAM 1)
- 39 mins: Harry CARDWELL (Southend United 1 ALTRINCHAM 1)
- 45(+1) mins: Wesley FONGUCK (Southend United 2 ALTRINCHAM 1)
REFEREE: Mr Jason Richardson
ATTENDANCE: 6,195 (31 in away section)
TEAM NEWS:
Altrincham had travelled to Essex seeking to end a run of three successive defeats. They could only name four subs for this match, with Banks out and Linney only fit for the bench, rumoured to be due to a dead-leg.
Once again Amaluzor was not involved, for reasons unknown, and Manchester United loanee defender Aljofree has yet to be seen since being announced on 1 February. With right-back Banks injured and fellow defenders Brockbank, Burroughs and Donawa all out on loan, Alty deployed a back three with central midfielder Marriott deployed in an uncharacteristic right midfield role.
For Southend, Kensdale was missing for the first time this season, as was Taylor.
LINE-UPS:
SOUTHEND UNITED (All dark blue with white socks): 30. Collin Andeng-Ndi, 2. Gus Scott-Morriss, 3. Nathan Ralph (c), 5. Adam Crowther, 8. Noor Husin, 24. Jason Demetriou, 7. Jack Bridge, 17. Cav Miley, 15. Marcus Dackers, 18. Wesley Fonguck, 9. Harry Cardwell. Subs: 19. Henry Sandat, 14. Jack Wood, 23. James Morton, 2. Oli Coker 10. Danny Waldron
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 21. Matt Gould, 15. Jake Cooper, 4. Lewis Baines, 16. Sam Roscoe 3. Eddie Jones, 8. Isaac Marriott (c), 6. Elliot Osborne, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 19. George Wilson, 30. Alex Newby, 14. Dior Angus. Subs: 1. Ollie Byrne, 7. Matty Kosylo, 9. Regan Linney, 44. Dan Mooney
BACKGROUND:
The original fixture had been postponed on 20 January after the pitch had been deemed unplayable; this time it was i good enough condition to be water-sprinkled before the start. For this, their second longest trip of the season, it was the first of two journeys down to Essex for Altrincham inside five days.
Altrincham arrived after three successive defeats in the past week, whilst Southend had won their last two outings including a 4-1 win over Aldershot last time out.
Though eleven points and seven places separated the clubs at kick-off, that was mainly down to the Shrimpers' ten-point deduction.
REPORT:
Southend kicked off towards the away end and, within two minutes, Bridge had won a corner on their left. Alty were penned back in the opening minutes but, in their first real foray upfield, they scored.
Newby won the ball in central midfield and set Conn-Clarke advancing left of centre. Just outside the box he fired home a low shot which beat the keeper to give Alty a lead against the run of play (4 mins).
For the third successive game, Altrincham had taken the lead.
Southend soon resumed their attacking mode, with the left wing almost exclusively their chosen route, where Bridge was a constant thorn in Altrincham's side. The Shrimpers soon won a corner off Jones (7 mins) and continued to lay siege to the visitors' defence. It was a relief when a foul on Osborne earned the Robins a freekick (15 mins).
Then Angus won a throw, after which Osborne played a diagonal ball for Newby, whose cross from the right was fumbled by Andeng-Ndi who looked less than convincing several times during the game (16 mins).
Though Alty looked to have a bit of a threat on their rare moves forward, the overall pattern was retained of home superiority as the game reached midway in the first half.
After a challenge on him, Conn-Clarke went down and stayed down as play continued and, after the physio had been finally summoned, the Alty leading scorer hobbled off before resuming his participation in the game some two minutes later (26 mins).
Whilst reduced to ten men, the ever-dangerous Bridge had won his side another corner on their left. Despite their pressure, however, Gould had not been seriously bothered in the Alty goal.
And as the half-hour mark passed, Altrincham put together their best passing move so far which culminated in a shot by Osborne which he sliced disappointingly wide (31 mins).
Next, the home keeper had to rush smartly out of his box to kick clear from an Alty through ball (33 mins).
At the other end Cardwell headed a cross, inevitably from the left, well over the bar (34 mins). Southend soon won two corners in as many minutes, with all eleven Alty players back defending them (36 mins).
But again Alty counter-attacked with Conn-Clarke's smart turn leading to a shot which deflected wide for a corner (38 mins).
With half-time approaching, Alty conceded an equaliser as, yet again, Bridge was involved, his cross being nodded down at the back post by Dackers for Cardwell to convert (40 mins).
Following the equaliser, Bridge put a freekick from the edge of the box into the Alty defensive wall before Baines lost possession allowing Cardwell a fierce shot which Gould stopped, at the cost of a corner. It was arguably the Alty keeper's first serious piece of action (43 mins).
Next, Demetriou fired well over the bar from 30 yards (44 mins) before Crowther got forward and, again, Gould was called into action, at the cost of a corner. Three added minutes were announced and, in the first of them, Southend took the lead.
An interchange of passes ended with Fonguck getting through a half-hearted challenge in the box to roll the ball just inside Gould's left post and give his side a lead with which few could argue on the balance of play (45+1 mins).
So, for the third fixture in a week, Altrincham had not only let a lead slip but had also conceded twice inside seven minutes or fewer either just before, just after, or straddling half-time.
Half-Time: SOUTHEND UNITED 2 |
After Altrincham had kicked off they were soon back in a pattern of being largely confimed to their own defensive third by Southend attacks (50 mins).
But then Alty recovered and put together a sequence of some twenty passes which earned a freekick 20 yards out from the Southend goal (52 mins). Conn-Clarke laid this off for Newby but he dragged his shot disappointingly wide of the near post (53 mins).
Alty were now more in the game than in the first half but it was the Shrimpers who went closer to scoring as Cardwell hit a shot inches wide (57 mins)>
Husin was then booked for a foul, an incident for which Mr Richardson played an excellent advantage before going back to caution the offender for his challenge on Conn-Clarke (58 mins).
Newby's freekick earned a corner on the right as it now looked possible that Alty might retrieve a point from the game (59 mins).
But, after the hour mark, Alty were fortunate when Husin failed to capitalise on a poor ball by Cooper (67 mins). Bridge then won a corner (69 mins) before Altrincham made a change from a four-man bench on which only Kosylo and Mooney were outfield players fit to come on. It was Kosylo who replaced Marriott on 74 minutes, with Osborne assuming the captaincy.
After another Southend corner had come to nothing, Mooney replaced Newby and was roundly booed by the home support as a welcome to their former player (77 mins).
At this point the hosts made a double swap with the goalscorers Fonguck and Cardwell both withdrawn in favour of Waldron and Wood (78 mins).
Alty continued to see a fair amount of the ball without threatening to score, though a Conn-Clarke corner from the left did hit the top of the crossbar (81 mins).
The home keeper was then somewhat harshly booked for timewasting (82 mins) before Osbrone's tackle earned him a yellow card, his eight of the season to add to his red card at Bromley (83 mins).
Again Alty saw plenty of possession but it was Southend's Wood who went closest as the game entered the 90th minute. Southend then won a corner before a modest four added minutes were decreed by Mr Richardson.
Late on, Mooney almost got onto a Osborne through ball but the keeper raced out to get there first and, moments later, Mooney hit a fierce shot from the right but it cleared the bar to cue more derision from his former Southend supporters (90+3 mins).
So it was now four defeats in succession for Altrincham with another long trek to Essex to follow on Saturday when Dagenham is the destination.
Full-Time: SOUTHEND UNITED 2 |