ALTRINCHAM RESERVES: 1. Craig ELLISON, 2. Paul MONAGHAN, 3. Ashley BROWN, 4. Dwaine LINDSAY (capt), 5. Colin MCALLISTER, 6.Griff JONES, 7. Michael BROWN, 8. John MALONEY, 9. Pat McFADDEN, 10. Mike SUTTON, 11. Tom BAKER. Subs: Ryan STEWART, Danny GRIMSHAW, Laurence BALL.

REPORT

Based on information kindly supplied by Neil Brown.

With the first-team playing at Cambridge United on the same day, there were no first-team squad members in the Altrincham Reserves' side today and they showed that they did not need any help with this convincing win at Nethermoor, a bogey ground for Altrincham's first team. Victory took Alty to the top of the Lancit Haulage Lancashire League, a tribute to their free-scoring performances this season which have yielded 43 goals in ten games despite the constant enforced changes to the starting eleven. Today, Paul Monaghan returned at right back, in place of Steve Aspinall, whilst Dwaine Lindsay moved to replace the injured Danny Heffernan at centre-back. John Maloney returned to the starting line-up, in midfield.

After about 10 minutes, the Alty management reacted to Guiseley's switch to 4-5-1 by adapting their own 4-4-2 to a 3-5-2 formation. To achieve this, Dwaine Lindsay moved to centre midfield with Griff Jones and John Maloney on either side of him. Alty soon took the lead when a Mike Brown picked up the ball just inside the opposition half and crossed for Mike Sutton. Mike's shot was saved but Pat McFadden was on hand to tap the ball home (13 mins). Seven minutes later Mike Brown took a corner to the rear post from where it came out to McFadden, near the by-line. His cross into the centre was met by a powerful header from Dwaine Lindsay (20 mins).

Tom Baker made it 3-0 to Alty after 29 minutes with a left-foot strike into the top right-hand corner, from a feed by McFadden, who had received the ball from Mike Brown. Just before the interval McFadden scored his second from Mike Brown's feed. Pat rounded the keeper to the left and scored into the empty net (44 mins).

Pat McFadden's hat-trick arrived after 52 minutes following a good build up through the middle. The keeper saved a shot and the ball came to McFadden who scored through a maze of players' legs. After 60 minutes Alty made a double change as Danny Grimshaw came on for Mike Sutton and went up front, whilst Laurence Ball replaced Paul Monaghan in defence. Three minutes later a through ball found Griff Jones. He found McFadden, who beat the offside trap and struck a powerful shot which the keeper did well to get his hands to. The ball span up and looped into the net to make it 6-0 (63 mins). Alty now introduced Ryan Stewart on the left wing, in place of Tom Baker (65 mins).

Danny Grimshaw completed the scoring after 82 minutes This seventh goal arrived after a Guiseley corner. Alty broke away with three against three and the move ended with Grimshaw scoring in an unusual way. About twenty yards out, he was tackled by a defender and the ball ricocheted off the defender and the challenge also resulted in Grimshaw's left boot being ripped off. However, the Alty man retained his composure to make it 7-0 with his stockinged foot!

Manager Neil Brown was very pleased with his side's first clean-sheet and what he described as a "very good team performance". Indeed, Pat McFadden could have added to his tally near the end when he got through against the keeper, who dived early, but the otherwise lethal Alty front-man put his shot into the prostrate keeper's path. Neil said that as a result of this wastefulness, the four-goal striker "might be dropped next week"!