ALTRINCHAM RESERVES: 1. Craig ELLISON, 2. Steve ASPINALL, 3. Ashley BROWN, 4. Colin McALLISTER, 5. Danny HEFFERNAN, 6. Dwaine LINDSAY (capt), 7. Michael BROWN, 8. Griff JONES, 9. Pat McFADDEN, 10. Mike SUTTON, 11. Tom BAKER. Subs: 14. Paul MONAGHAN, 15. Kwame BARNETT, 16. John MALONEY.

REPORT

After about 15 minutes of the game, Lancaster changed to a 3-5-2 formation and Alty followed suit. So, Ashley Brown moved to the left with Baker, Lindsay and Jones inside, and Mike Brown on the left. Heffernan, McAllister and Aspinall made up the back three. The first half was fairly even, with Steve Aspinall using his experience to help his younger team-mates. The Giant Axe grass was rather long but Aspinall was playing some good long balls. Nevertheless, the game remained goalless at the interval.

Alty took the lead after 50 minutes after Lindsay and Jones combined to get the ball to McFadden, who got round the back of the defence to score. The lead lasted just three minutes when poor defending allowed Lancaster in. Alty allowed City to advance up the visitors' left and with defenders drawn towards the ball, and with Alty thinking the ball had gone out of play on a pitch on which the long grass made the markings unclear, Lancaster finished off their move with a shot into the top corner (53 mins).

After 59 minutes, Monaghan replaced Aspinall who had taken a knock on his previously injured ankle. Alty took the lead again on the hour mark but, again, were soon pegged back once more. The second Alty goal had arrived when McFadden and the City keeper went for a 50/50 ball, collided and the ball broke for the Alty man to scramble the ball home (60 mins). Just two minutes later, City levelled, following another attack up their left.

After 64 minutes, Barnett and Maloney came on for Jones and Ashley Brown. Alty went ahead for the third time after 74 minutes as Mike Brown found Tom Baker. He fed McFadden, who got behind the defence and buried a fine left-foot shot into the top right of the net. Alty's hat-trick scorer was then moved to left-back in a 4-5-1, leaving Barnett as the lone striker but, yet again, the lead was quickly lost when panicky defending allowed City to level (77 mins). Alty had several chances to clear before City scored, but failed to do so.

Alty now wobbled for several minutes but recovered to dominate the closing stages. From a freekick, 30 yards out, by Monaghan, the ball was curled to the back post where, from 12 yards out, Barnett powered a superb header into the net to clinch the game (87 mins).