ALTRINCHAM RESERVES (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Chris ROWLEY, 2. John MALONEY, 3. Keith WEDGE (capt), 4. Aaron EDWARDS, 5. Laurence BALL, 6. Danny HEFFERNAN, 7. Colin POTTS, 8. Pat McFADDEN, 9. Astley MULHOLLAND, 10. Peter THOMSON, 11. Justin BOWLER. Subs: 12. Ben DEEGAN, 14. Rick CHETCUTI, 15. Lee MANNION, 16. Michael BROWN.

REPORT

In defence, Altrincham were without Colin McAllister and trialist Adam Eaton, who was injured. So, midfielder John Maloney was pressed into service at right-back. First team squad members Colin Potts, Pat McFadden, Danny Heffernan, Peter Thomson and Justin Bowler all started though only Potts and McFadden had ever started a first-team game for Altrincham. McFadden was deployed in an unfamiliar midfield role as Thomson and Mulholland formed the strike pairing.

The game kicked off almost 15 minutes late due to the visitors' delayed arrival at Moss Lane. Alty had the first shot at goal when a good through ball set Mulholland in on the keeper but, not for the last time, the visitors' number one made a good stop. Rain was now falling as Edwards conceded a corner to the visitors at the other end. From this, a Rossendale player headed narrowly wide (7 mins). Alty almost went behind when Edwards was unable to deal fully with an awkwardly bouncing ball on the edge of the box and a Rossendale player was able to fire a shot against the bar which came out and struck the prostrate keeper, Rowley, but fortunately bounced away for him to gather safely. Conditions were tricky with the rain adding to a gusty wind as Heffernan now fired a shot at goal which the Rossendale keeper saved. Next, an excellent chip from Potts found Thomson whose attempted lob over the keeper almost worked, but the Rossendale number one managed to claw the ball out for a corner on the Alty right (17 mins).

But the visitors took the lead after 20 minutes when an excellent ball from their no.9 set the no.10 free in the box and he finished well, tucking the ball, low, just inside Rowley's right upright. Neither side threatened a goal in the next few minutes, though a fine ball from Maloney set Mulholland running at goal but the defence closed around him (27 mins) From a Potts freekick Thomson headed into the Golf Road before the same player shot wide from 25 yards, on the half-hour mark. Rossendale then scored an excellent second goal. Their no.9 fed the no.7 who jinked cleverly past three Alty men on the edge of the box before returning the ball to the no.9 who finished well. So it was now 2-0 to the visitors (32 mins). Two minutes later they made it 3-0 when the no.9 got behind Edwards to score past the exposed Rowley (34 mins).

Alty almost got a goal back when a fine cross from Potts was met by a stretching McFadden but he could only poke the ball narrowly wide. Then, from Ball's good move forward, Bowler won a corner with a deflected shot and another Alty corner soon followed when Thomson's header from very close range was diverted out by the keeper. But then Rossendale won a corner for themselves as Alty continued to labour. Indeed Rossendale almost made it 4-0 when a fine ball from the no.6 allowed the no.9 to head against the underside of the bar just before the interval.

Alty started the second half with a shot from Potts which went narrowly wide. Maloney then got to the byline to win a corner. Following a short-corner routine, the keeper dropped Potts's shot but no goal resulted and then an excellent shot from Potts was well saved at the cost of another corner to Altrincham. Rossendale then wasted a great chance when their no.10 blasted over from very close range as the Alty defence parted (50 mins).

Peter Thomson now gave way to Ben Deegan up front (51 mins). Deegan soon had a shot blocked before Chetcuti came on for his debut in place of Ball (56 mins). The sub slotted into the right of midfield as Alty went to a three-man backline. Altrincham now had the upper hand but were not producing clear openings. They then made their final change as Lee Mannion replaced Astley Mulholland 60 mins). Pat McFadden went up front with Deegan. Within a short time McFadden won the ball on the left and got it, via Potts, to Chetcuti whose excellent shot found the net to make it 3-1 (64 mins). Rossendale immediately brought on no.14 for no.8.

Alty almost made it 3-2 when an excellent run to the by-line, left of goal, by Bowler led to his cross being met by Deegan but somehow Rossendale cleared his shot off the line and then scrambled the ball clear. In the resulting breakaway the visitors' no.10 blasted over from a good position (66 mins). The same player fired narrowly wide after 72 minutes as Alty's period of dominance began to wane. The visitors now won two successive corners and, from the second, a header struck the Alty woodwork for the third time in the match. Another Rossendale corner soon followed before a shot from Potts won a fortunate corner on the Alty right. Potts's low, diagonal corner was superbly met by Chetcuti's first-time shot into the net to make it 2-3 (78 mins). Alty thought that they had levelled the score two minutes later when the Rossendale no.5 headed past his own keeper but Deegan was adjudged to have fouled the defender and the goal did not stand.

Rossendale's no. 11 now gave way to no.16 (84 mins). Alty continued to push for an equaliser and won a corner (86 mins). Following this, the keeper saved a McFadden header from a fine ball by Mannion (87 mins). Though Alty continued to press, a goal would not come. Rossendale finally used their last sub (no.17) as the game went into added time but even three minutes additional time did not help the home side with Deegan's header wide, from a left wing cross. the nearest they came to retrieving a game which they lost with a disappointing first-half performance. This was their first defeat of the season and though they spurned several chances to score an equaliser, the visitors had hit the woodwork three times and deserved their victory.