ALTRINCHAM RESERVES : 1. Chris ROWLEY, 2. John MALONEY (capt), 3. Lee MANNION, 4. Michael RISK, 5. Andy KEOGH, 6. Ben DEEGAN, 7. Michael BROWN, 8. Danny HEFFERNAN, 9. Astley MULHOLLAND, 10. Pat McFADDEN, 11. Rod THORNLEY. Subs: 12. Colin McALLISTER, 14. Rick CHETCUTI, 15. Adam WALKER.

REPORT

These sides had only met two weeks earlier at the Horsfall Stadium with Alty winning 2-1. The Alty team differed from that match by including Danny Heffernan in midfield in place of defender Keith Wedge. Also, Rod Thornley started the game in place of Adam Walker who was on the bench. So John Maloney, who moved to right-back, was named as captain and saw his side kick off the game. Soon, following an Alty freekick 35 yards out, the ball came to McFadden who lashed a shot just over the bar from the front edge of the box (2 mins). Not long afterwards, McFadden won Alty a corner but this came to nothing. Play came to halt when Brown went down injured after a block tackle and after lengthy treatment from Alan Ainsley, he hobbled off, unable to continue. After playing a man short for a few minutes, Rick Chetcuti came on as Mike Brown's replacement (12 mins).

Thornley then had a shot blocked and with BPA unable to clear the ball effectively, Heffrenan played the ball back in and it came off a defender to Mulholland whose well hit shot from 8 yards was superbly saved by the BPA keeper. Alty maintained the pressure, however, by winning a corner soon afterwards. The home side's next chance came when Mulholland was played into the box by Deegan but he wanted too long on the ball and was seen off (18 mins). A minute later Chetcuti fired wide. Next, an excellent ball forward from Keogh set Mulholland clear and running at goal up the middle. Once again the BPA keeper made a fine save (20 mins). But Alty continued to create chances as, next, McFadden forced an excellent parry from the busy keeper, only for Thornley to fire the rebound over the bar (21 mins).

Good chasing by Mulholland then forced a defensive slip and set up McFadden for a shot which produced yet another excellent save from the Yorkshire side's keeper, who had also excelled in the away match at Bradford (27 mins). McFadden was frustrated again a moment later when his shot from the edge of the box struck the crossbar and bounced back to the keeper (27 mins). McFadden went close again after 32 minutes when he cut in well from the left but his right-footed shot was again stopped by the keeper. Thornley now tried his luck only to have his shot blocked by a defender before another effort from the edge of the box by McFadden was punched away by the keeper (33 mins). The chances continued to come as Deegan fed Thornley for a shot which thumped against the post and came out to McFadden who forced yet another save from the keeper.

Bradford won themselves a corner as half time approached but half time arrived with both goals still intact, despite the hatful of chances which had come Altrincham's way.

At the break the two members of Alty's first-team squad, McFadden and Thornley, were taken off and replaced by McAllister and Walker. Deegan was now pushed forward and almost immediately he impressed as he advanced up the left and powered in a low shot which the keeper again did well to keep out at the cost of a corner. Then a fine ball forward from Maloney found Mulholland who, from the by-line, fed Deegan. But the former Alty Youth team leading scorer lifted his shot over the bar from 6 yards. He did better a minute later when, at the end of a good move, his shot beat the keeper but came back off the upright (48 mins). Chetcuti and Walker now switched wings, with Walker going to the left and soon Mulholland had a shot which went wide. However, after this, Hefernan played in Deegan who this time beat the keeper with a low shot just inside his right post to give Alty the lead (49 mins).

But soon the BPA keeper was once more keeping Alty at bay again as e produced a stunning save from Mulholland's fine volley (51 mins). When Deegan, heading away from goal in the outer edge of the box was caught by a defender the referee awarded a harsh penalty against the defender. Mulholland made no mistake in converting the penalty kick to make it 2-0 (54 mins). Bradford only had one player on the bench and he (no.12) came on after 58 minutes. Almost immediately the sub, in the Alty goalmouth, just failed to connect with a header from a cross from the right (59 mins). Alty hit the woodwork for the fifth time in the game when Walker, whose pace up the left wing was causing problems, saw his shot pushed onto the upright by the keeper, a corner resulting (60 mins). A good ball from Mulholland was then nodded on by Walker to Mannion who had advanced left of goal. The left-back's excellent low shot became his second goal in successive matches for Altrincham (65 mins).

A very late challenge by McAllister near half way left the visitors' number three needing lengthy treatment. A couple of minutes later, with BPA still having ten men, an excellent long ball from Heffernan set Walker running to the by-line, left of goal. For once, the keeper could not hold his strong shot and the ball went into the net to make it 4-0 (67 mins). Walker was causing a lot of problems on the Alty left, ably supported by Mannion who was also getting forward well. Deegan, too, was making a good impression. Next, a fine ball from the back by Keogh set up Walker whose pace helped him get in a shot which went narrowly wide (72 mins). The keeper saved another Mulholland shot before Andy Keogh, who with Michael Risk had had a good game, had to come off with a leg injury. As he sat on the subs' bench, physio Alan Ainsley applied the contents of what looked more like a canister of weedkiller-spray than a medicinal treatment to the injured defender's leg! Alty now played the final ten minutes with ten men but got in another shot as Chetcuti's effort was blocked and then Heffernan put the follow-up over the bar (80 mins).

McAllister now moved to the back line in Keogh's absence . Soon afterwards Heffernan shot over the bar and then Alty hit the woodwork for the sixth time when Mulholland was again the unlucky striker (87 mins). A minute later BPA scored when a freekick from the left was knocked back across goal from the back post and was converted by the no.7 (88 mins). BPA were then on the end of the second slightly questionable penalty decision when their no.8 was fouled, arguably just inside the side of the box. But he was only given a freekick on the very edge of the left side of the area. Rowley, who had had little to do in the second half, saved the freekick. The game ended just after BPA's late surge ended with a freekick by the no.2 which just cleared the bar. But for the Bradford keeper Altrincham would have won more comfortably but the young Yorkshire side showed spirit in keeping going to the end.