ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (2) 2
DORKING WANDERERS (0) 1
played on Tuesday, 5 March, 2024 at 7.45am.
SUMMARY:
In an incident packed first half Altrincham went 2-0 up after just eleven minutes. Having earlier started well they won a freekick inside the D when Conn-Clarke was upended. As players stood near the site, Marriott took a quick freekick to his right from where Linney drove a low shot across Male to make it 1-0 (5mins).
The goal triggered an immediate fracas after Marriott had been barged down but no one was booked.
Then a slick Altrincham move saw Newby taken out by an awful challenge, just left of goal, but he just managed to get the ball across goal where Kosylo had a tap-in at the back post to make it 2-0 (11 mins). Again ni booking resulted for the foul on Newby.
Marc White made a bold double substitution on 18 minutes and after that Dorking settled and for the last twenty minutes or so before the interval they had Alty largely penned back. Alty were indebted to a smart double block by Cooper and Gould to keep it at 2-0.
But in added time, off the ball, an off the ball incident saw Linney red-carded and Marriott booked (45+4 mins).
The second half began with Conn-Clarke replaced by Angus and Dorking hit the bar in the first minute. Then it became very largely one-way traffic towards the Altrincham goal.
Eddy Jones brought down an opponent, and Blair hammered the resulting penalty into the roof of the net on the hour mark, making it 2-1. With Kosylo walking a tightrope of indsicipline he was subbed by centre-back Roscoe.
Although Dorking hit the bar again and won multiple corners, the home defence held out despite seven added minutes being played.
SCORERS:
- 5 mins: Regan LINNEY (ALTRINCHAM 1 Dorking Wanderers 0)
- 11 mins: Matty KOSYLO (ALTRINCHAM 2 Dorking Wanderers 0)
- 60 mins: Tom BLAIR (penalty) (ALTRINCHAM 2 Dorking Wanderers 1)
REFEREE: Mr Robert Massey-Ellis
ATTENDANCE: 2005 (187 in away section)
TEAM NEWS: Altrincham had made two changes for the match as Kosylo started in place of Mooney, and Osborne in place of Wilson; both of those displaced moved to the bench.
Byrne dropped out of the squad as Amaluzor came in after his injury absence.
Dorking were unchanged except that Craig returned from suspension, on the bench.
LINE-UPS:
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), 8. Elliot Osborne, 10. Chris Conn-Clarke, 7. Matty Kosylo, 30. Alex Newby, 9. Regan Linney. Subs: 19. George Wilson, 11. Justin Amaluzor, 16. Sam Roscoe, 14. Dior Angus, 44. Dan Mooney.
DORKING WANDERERS (All orange): 1. Harrison Male, 17. Josh Taylor, 8. Matt Briggs, 15. Joe Cook, 10. Alfie Rutherford, 4. Dan Pybus, 16. Charlie Carter, 9. Jason Prior, 22. Barry Fuller (c), 19. Haydn Hollis, 29. Tom Blair. Subs: 3. Bobby-Joe Taylor, 6. Niall McManus, 7. Jimmy Muitt, 18. Luke Moore, 5. Tony Craig.
BACKGROUND:
Just two and a half weeks ago, Altrincham lay fourth in the National League on the back of three successive wins. Just five fixtures and five defeats later, four of those matches involving long-distance away trips, Alty went into this match in ninth place, five points outside the play-off places. For their part Dorking arrived at Altrincham having just won 4-1 against champions-elect Chesterfield to move out of the relegation places.
Alty had beaten Dorking 4-1 in this fixture last season.
This was the fifth time of asking for this game, following four postponements:
- 21.10.23 waterlogged pitch
- 2.12.23 frozen pitch
- 12.12.23 clash with FA Trophy
- 6.2.24 waterlogged pitch
The match was the first of five home games for Altrincham in a sequence of six fixtures to be played over just a three-week period.
Dorking were fresh from 4-1 win over champions-elect Chesterfield
REPORT:
Dorking defended the away end, which had an admirable 187 travelling supporters, despite it being a long midweek trip and many of the fans having made the trip previously when the fixture had been postponed.
It did not take long for Altrincham to put together a smart passing move, only for the advancing Conn-Clarke to be unceremoniously brought down inside the "D". As players from both sides remained in close proximity to the scene of the foul, Conn-Clarke handed the ball to Marriott who straightaway played the ball, right, to Linney. From the edge of the box Linney drove a low shot across Male and into the net off the inside of the far post (5 mins). The referee allowed the goal to stand.
Linney's fifth-minute goal exactly replicated his goal time at Dorking last season when he had likewise put his team ahead.
As Marriott ran to his right to celebrate the goal, a defender gratuitously barged over the Alty captain and a melee developed. Mr Massey-Ellis had a discussion with his linesman but did not book the offender.
Five minutes later, Dorking almost levelled as two goalbound shots in succession were blocked (10 mins).
However, moments later it was Altrincham who scored, again. A neat build-up saw Linney feed Newby, who was nearly at the byline, left of goal. As Newby was unceremoniously clatterd by a wild lunge from Cook, he got th ball across the goalmouth where Kosylo tapped it into the net (11 mins). Once again the referee failed even to book the offender who had clattered Newby.
Despite this great start thoughts of last season's game at Meadowbank could not be totally banished as Alty had lost there 3-2 after leading 2-0 inside eight minutes.
Not surprisingly Alty enjoyed a dominant spell and Kosylo won his side two corners (15-16 mins). The newly bleached Kosylo was having a lively game.
Marc White had seen enough and with typical boldness made a double change in just the 18th minute. He brought on Craig and Taylor for Rutherford and Cook.
There was no immediate change in the pattern of the game as Linney won a freekick on the right, forty yards out. The freekick led to a home corner on the left (23 mins).
But now the Wanderers began to find their feet and had the better of things for the rest of the first half, though, in a rare counter-attack, Eddy Jones should have done better in the 34th minute when he got ito the box but could only produce a wild shot, which went well over the bar.
Next, a freekick by Blair from the left produced a corner for his side on the right (37 mins) and, as Dorking got forward, Gould had to make an important save, smothering the ball (42 mins).
The away side's pressure continued with a back-post header going narrowly wide (43 mins). Five added minutes were proclaimed, a duration more to Dorking's suiting than Alty's at this stage.
Then, off the ball, after some verbals, Linney foolishly shoved an opponent and play was halted. The referee consulted his linesman as Kosylo looked initially to be the man in the referee's bad books. However, after his consultation Mr Massey-Ellis flourished a red card at Linney and a yellow at Marriott (45+4 mins).
After no red cards at all for fully half of the season, the thirteen games since have produced three dismissals for Altrincham.
As added time resumed Josh Taylor's woeful dive in the Alty box earned him a yellow card (45+6 mins). After the fracas surrounding Linney's dismissal, the added time grew to seven miutes with Dorking faiing to convert a good chance in front of goal (45+7 mins).
Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 |
A testing 45 minutes beckoned for the ten men and, before the game restarted, Phil Parkinson brought on Angus for Conn-Clarke, preumably in the hope that the striker could hold the ball upfield to relieve the foreseen pressure on the home defence from a full-strength opponent.
Just seventy seconds into the second half, Dorking missed another good chance. A team-mate's airshot allowed Josh Taylor a shot which hit the bar (47 mins).
Taylor then won a corner which prompted another fracas on the byline as the game's churlish mood continued. That atmosphere was not helping the volatile Kosylo who was now booked (51 mins).
Dorking now had Alty's ten men penned back with the only relief at this point being undone when Newby got forward to feed Kosylo who had strayed offside (55 mins). Dorking dominance soon resumed and, when Josh Taylor cut into the box on the right, Eddy Jones brought him down, the second successive game in which the left-back had conceded a spot-kick (60 mins).
Blair hammered the penalty into the roof of the net to make it 2-1 (60 mins). Immediataly veteran captain Fuller was subbed in favour of Jimmy Muitt (61 mins).
The fourth melee of the bad-tempered match soon followed with Kosylo fortunate to escape a second booking after clashing with Briggs. He escaped with a stern lecture (62 mins).
As the pressure on the home defence continued a Dorking corner was cleared (64 mins). Soon afterwards a Blair cross just evaded his team-mates. Alty took the hint that Kosylo was a second yellow card waiting to happen so he was replaced by Roscoe as Alty shifted to a back three (66 mins).
Dorking now hit the crossbar for the second time when a fine shot from 19 yards by Bobby-Joe Taylor just beat Gould's leap to his right (69 mins).
ALty's woes did not improve when Angus got needlessly booked for kicking the ball away (75 mins). Alty now made their last change with Wilson replacing Newby (75 mins).
At the back Baines and Cooper, now joined by Roscoe, were doing a good job of keeping the visitors at bay.
From a Briggs cross it took a fine block by Gould, immediately folowed by a Cooper block to keep the ball out (78 mins). Wilson was impressing and his swerving 25 yards drew a rare second-half save by Male, at the second attempt (79 mins).
Alty's ten men produced more heroic defending as Blair shot wide and then Hollis won a corner (88 mins).
Just after Baines had been named a deserved Man of the mtahc, six added minutes were announced.
Although Dorking had dominated the second half, their attacks had lacked the guile to open up the resolute home defence and their finishing had not been incisive. The visitors' last chance was a 96th minute corner for which their keeper joined in the attack, but this came to nothing.
This win ended Altrincham's run of five defeats and they must now recover from a difficult second half in advance of the visit of Woking on Saturday.
Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM 2 |