ALTRINCHAM FC MATCH REPORTS
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ALTRINCHAM (0) 1
EASTLEIGH (0) 0
played on Saturday, 1 February 2025, at 3pm.
SUMMARY:
Altrincham progressed to the last eight of the Isuzu FA Trophy thanks to a ninetieth-minute goal from Regan Linney.
The Alty leading scorer got past Brindley on the left before cutting in along the bye-line to plant a shot into the far corner of the net. On a difficult, soft playing surface, it was a deserved win against a functional Eastleigh side.
The first half had been, at best, a mediocre spectacle but play became more open after the break. Neither keeper was particularly busy as defences dominated.
Alty gave a first league start for more than three months to Justin Amaluzor as Crankshaw dropped out of the squad
SCORERS:
- 90 mins: Regan LINNEY (ALTRINCHAM 1 Eastleigh 0)
REFEREE: Mr James Oldham
ATTENDANCE: 1,464 (47 in away section)
TEAM NEWS:
Eastleigh were again without leading scorer Paul McCallum, as well as the suspended Stride who had been given his marching orders at the JDS a fortnight ago.
Both sides had made midfield signings in the run-up to today's match.
Eastleigh had signed experienced midfielder Ben Close on loan from Doncaster Rovers and he started. Altrincham had brought in Regan Griffiths on a short-term contract and fellow midfielder Kian Taylor had arrived as a loanee from Preston North End. Griffiths was not involved and Taylor was named on the bench.
Fernandex replaced Humphries in the starting eleven, and captain Taylor was not in the squad
Compared with the side which drew with FGR in the most recent league game, there was a single change as Crankshaw dropped out of the suqad and Amalauzor made his first start in more than three months, following injury. The cup-tied Weaver was a notable absentee from the squad, as was James Jones.
LINE-UPS:
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, white socks): 1. Ethan ROSS, 2. Lewis BANKS, 4. Lewis BAINES (c), 31. Charlie OLSON, 23. Tylor GOLDEN, 6. Elliot OSBORNE, 22. Tom CRAWFORD, 11. Justin AMALUZOR, 10. Alex NEWBY, 9. Regan LINNEY, 24. Joe NUTTALL. Subs: 5. Jake COOPER, 12. Kian TAYLOR, 14. Matty KOSYLO, 20. Kahrel REDDIN, 29. Jake BICKERSTAFF, 30 Harvey RANDLE (gk), 32. Casper PASIEK
EASTLEIGH (All yellow): 1. Joe McDonnell, 2. Richard Brindley, 5. Luis Fernandez, 6. Ludwig Francillette, 7. Chris Maguire, 18. Angel Waruih, 21. Noa Boutin, 22. Ben Close, 25. Rekell Pyke, 30. Connor Underhill, 31. Niall Maher. Subs: 13. Tommy Scott (gk), 4. Lloyd Humphries, 14. Lee Hodson, 23. Jai Semenyo, 28. Nathan Rogers, 32. Jack Fox.
BACKGROUND:
Just two weeks ago, Altrincham had won at Eastleigh, 2-1, but Eastleigh had won the reverse league fixture at the JDS, the only team to earn three points at Alty this season, to date. At that time the Spitfires were top of the Vanarama NAtional League and they went on to win their first four league fixtures.
However, in the subsequent 24 league fixtures they had only won five times, to find themselves twelfth.
They are managed by Kelvin Davis who was appointed in February 2024.
Alty were seventh in the league at kick-off.
This was the only Fifth Round tie between two National League clubs, the other seven survivors from that league being pitched against lower league opposition.
REPORT:
On a dry but dull afternoon, Alex Newby kicked off the game with Alty attacking the away end.
The effect of abundant rain over recent weeks had made the pitch very soft, which did not aid Altrincham's passing game.
The mundane early stages of the game sadly set the tone for a first half of little entertainment value.
Eastleigh won the first corner, through Underhill, but nothing came of it (8 mins). Referee Oldham did not help the flow of the game when he ordered a quickly taken Altrincham freekick to be retaken after it had promised to set Newby on a run up the left (9 mins).
Mr Oldham was to go on to annoy the home support with failing to award freekicks for several apparent fouls and, when Amaluzor seemed to be taken down in the box, it was an offside flag that intervened to add to the frustration of the home supporters (16 mins)
Soon after this, Osborne earned a corner but, truth be told, there was little to thrill the spectators as the game passed the half-hour mark.
The best chance to date arose when Amaluzor fed Linney near the penalty spot but the Alty no.9 got the ball under his feet (33 mins).
Ethan Ross then sat down for treatment, which was a cue for all eleven Eastleigh players to gather near halfway for a team talk with their manager.
Offside again came to the rescue when Linney appeared to be fouled in the box but it was the visitors who won the next corner (39 mins).
There was a slight improvement before the break as Amaluzor got in a rare shot which was blocked (43 mins). Then Olson hit a misdirected back pass which Ross did well to get to, just in time to kick it away before it could cross the goal line (44mins).
Four added minutes witnessed a Maguire long-range effort which cleared the bar (45+1 mins) before Linney got to the bye-line at the other end, which led to a home corner, but Nuttall headed this wide at the back post (45+3 ins).
Half-time: ALTRINCHAM 0 |
HT Eastleigh gained the first corner after the break when Ross gathered Brndley's deflected shot, off Golden, but the keeper was deemed to have caught the ball when it was out of play (51 mins).
Another Eastleigh corner came and went before Alty's failure to clear their lines allowed Francillette a shot which forced Ross into his first meaningful action of the afternoon (53 mins).
And then his opposite number, McDonnell came out on top when Amaluzor was put through on goal by Newby.
When Amaluzor was fouled soon afterwards, the freekick was laid off to Amaluzor himself, whose shot was saved at the second attempt by McDonnell (56 mins). There had been more excitement in the past three minutes than in the whole of the preceding game.
Play was a little more open than before the interval and an Alty corner followed but Osborne overhit this (59 mins).
After Brindley had shot wide at the away end, Linney earned a corner and two more were to follow as the second half got to its midway point (67 mins).
After these had all come to nothing, Bickerstaff came on to replace Nuttall (68 mins).
Five minutes later a skirmish between Bickerstaff and Maher saw them both booked, with a card also possibly being flashed at Banks (73 mins).
An Eastleigh corner (74 mins) was followed by an equally unproductive one earned by a well-struck 25 yarder from Golden at the other end (79 mins).
When Olson went down in the visitors' box, a freekick was awarded to Eastleigh, rather than a penalty to the home side (80 mins). Next, Humphries came on for Close (80 mins).
Having been procrastinating virtually from the start of the game, goalkeeper McDonnell was finally booked for timewasting in the 82nd minute.
Alty were in the ascendancy as they gained another corner which, yet again, failed to cause a goal threat (87 mins).
With the threat of a penalty shootout looming, Linney got past Brindley on the Alty left and jinked his way into the box and along the bye-line before smashing a shot across the keeper into the far corner of the net (90 mins).
Just two added minutes were decreed with Eastleigh then making a belated change as Semenyo replaced Underhill (90+1 mins).
Crawford was named as Man of the Match before the final whistle sounded to end a game which will be remembered for Linney's fine goal but little else in terms of quality football.
Full-time: ALTRINCHAM 1 |