ALTRINCHAM RESERVES: 1. Craig ELLISON, 2. Paul MONAGHAN, 3. Ashley BROWN, 4. Colin McALLISTER, 5. Danny HEFFERNAN, 6. Dwaine LINDSAY (capt), 7. Michael BROWN, 8. Griff JONES, 9. Pat McFADDEN, 10. Michael SUTTON, 11. Tom BAKER. Subs: 12. Ryan STEWART, 13. Billy BLOWER (gk), 14. Anthony BINGHAM, 15. Danny GRIMSHAW.

CLITHEROE RESERVES (All blue): 1. Lee PICKUP, 2. Simon WOODFORD, 3. Leigh ABBOTT, 4. Jamie ?, 5. Andy ELLIS, 6. Stephen PROCTER, 7. Darren FOTHERGILL, 8. Shaun DAVIES, 9. Sam BEAN, 10. Danny ?, 11. Andy TURNER?. Subs: 12. Tery FOTHERGILL, 14. Wayne DUXBURY?, 15. Danny RUBY, ?gk Liam McCARTHY.

REPORT

In the early stages Clitheroe did not look like a side which had recently lost 10-0 to Southport Reserves and they won the game's first corner (3 mins). Alty's first chance came when a cross from the right was headed wide of goal by McFadden (5 mins) and soon afterwards Sutton forced a good save from the visitors' keeper, Pickup. Baker was soon showing his skill on the left and became the victim of several fouls as the game progressed. Next, Lindsay was unable to convert Baker's cross from the left with a header (11 mins). But Alty now began to settle and pass the ball about and from Sutton's ball from right of goal, McFadden volleyed the ball home to put Alty ahead (14 mins). The goal had been well constructed from the back with Ellison gathering the ball and quickly throwing it to Monaghan before being conveyed to McFadden to score.

Baker was then knocked off balance as he shot from just inside the box but his appeals for a penalty met deaf ears from the referee (19 mins). Clitheroe than got in a shot which went close but Alty were the dominant side and, following an Alty corner, Lindsay shot wide (27 mins). Their second goal arrived after 32 minutes. It came after Brown's cross had come to Baker towards the back post and he had been left in too much space and duly despatched the ball into the net. The third goal arrived two minutes later when Monaghan and McFadden got the ball to Baker and his firm shot was parried into the corner of his own net by the keeper (34 mins). Though Alty's pressure continued with another corner, Clitheroe were very unlucky not to pull back a goal soon afterwards when their number ten's shot came back off the post and in the aftermath Turner fired in a thunderbolt from 30 yards which Ellison saved magnificently, diving to his right to push the ball away (39 mins).

At half-time, Clitheroe changed their goalkeeper but it was Ellison who was the first of the keepers under pressure as he spilled a cross from Darren Fothergill but this was soon forgotten as Alty scored their fourth goal. From a Baker prompt, Alty got to the by-line, left of goal and via Sutton the ball came out to Jones whose firm shot found the net (48 mins). Another foul on Baker yielded a freekick and, when the freekick deflected off the wall, Alty gained a corner-kick. But Clitheroe then got to the other end where Ellison did well to dribble the ball round an attacker but when he tried to repeat the act, he was almost caught out as he lost possesion but the visitors no.10 shot over the bar (51 mins).

After 54 minutes, Ryan Stewart took over at left back for Ashley Brown and a minute later Alty went five up. The goal came after Jones won the ball off an opponent and fed Sutton, whose low shot found the net (55 mins). Clitheroe then won a corner from which their no.6 hit the outside of the post (60 mins). Alty now made a double change with Bingham and Grimshaw coming on for Baker and Lindsay (61 mins). Then Clitheroe brought on their no.15 for no.11 (66 mins). Soon after Brown had fed McFadden, who was blocked in the box, Clitheroe got a goal back. It came after what appeared to be a foul on Mike Brown, who had picked up the ball from a goalkeeping clearance but, with no whistle sounding, Clitheroe advanced and the ball came to no.15 who finished well to make it 5-1 (70 mins).

Both sides then had shots wide of the target before Terry Fothergill replaced no.6 for Clitheroe (74 mins). No sooner had Clitheroe used their last sub when centre-back Ellis then went down in obvious pain and was unable to continue and his side had to play with ten men. Soon Grimshaw got in a shot which won a corner but Alty then made their man advantage tell and scored a sixth goal when Brown found Bingham well and from an acute angle he beat the stranded keeper (82 mins). Clitheroe won a corner for themselves but soon Alty made it 7-1 when a neat move set up Brown for a shot and he scored well (83 mins). Clitheroe did win another corner but the referee blew for full-time soon afterwards without allowing any added time.

This was Alty's fourth successive win and underlined their ability to score goals this season. They have yet to record a clean sheet but the defence generally played well tonight. Once again a good result had been achieved despite the necessary chopping and changing of the starting line-up which is inevitable in a reserves' side.