Match Reports, 2003-04


ALTRINCHAM YOUTH (1) 2
ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH (0) 1

NWYA Premier Division Match
played at Wythenshawe Town,
on Sunday, 28 September, 2003, at 2pm.



LINE-UP

ALTRINCHAM YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks ): 1. Barry GEORGE, 2. Adam DOUTHWAITE, 3. Matthew TOOTH, 4. Luke KILLEEN, 5. Kelvin LUGSDEN, 6. Stuart COOK, 7. Lewis CHALMERS (capt.), 8. Stevie TAYLOR, 9. Steve LUNT, 10. Andy THORPE, 11. Josh COLLINS. Subs: 14. Paul BREIDENBACH, 15. Michael BAILEY, 16. Anthony POTTS, 18. Clint WALKER.

ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH (Blue & white striped shirts, blue shorts and socks).


MATCH REPORT

Altrincham captain Alex Frost injured an ankle in the warm-up so Lewis Chalmers took on the captain's armband. The centre-back pairing today was Josh Collins and Kelvin Lugsden, whose brother Kieran Lugsden was absent, ill. Barry George was back in goal after playing last week for the England Partially-Sighted XI as their sighted goalkeeper. Luke Killeen came into the team as Steve Lunt's attacking partner.

The sides started at the opposite ends of the table and Altrincham soon gained the upper hand but Ashton were to prove resilient opposition. Alty won two early corners, the second arising from Taylor's very useful lob from 30 yards which the keeper tipped just over the bar (11 mins). From Adam Douthwaite's corner, Josh Collins met the ball well but his effort went over the bar. After a foul on Lunt, Chalmers fired in a 25-yard free-kick which the keeper saved (14 mins). A 30-yarder from Ashton, which cleared the bar comfortably, was the visitors' response (19 mins). Another foul on Lunt yielded a free-kick, from which Taylor shot over the top. Then Killeen's swerving effort narrowly cleared the bar as Alty maintained the pressure (20 mins). Alty next came close when Cook's shot was diverted to Lunt who gathered the ball well but fired narrowly wide (25 mins).

Taylor was working hard in midfield whilst Cook was also showing some promising movement on the left as the players contended with a very bobbly pitch. Alty continued to press but were judged offside from a pass by Cook (30 mins). A minute later, just after Killeen's effort had been blocked by the keeper, Lunt got into the left of the box and lashed the ball home to put Altrincham ahead. Alty continued to dominate with George little employed in the Alty goal as his defensive shield did its job well. Tooth and Taylor then combined well with Killeen whose final shot went narrowly wide (41 mins). Following a throw from Douthwaite, Tooth got in a good cross which went right across the Ashton goalmouth before being cleared. A foul on Cook then brought a booking for the Ashton number five. However, Chambers's well struck free-kick was saved. Just before the break a shot from Ashton's no.6 was saved comfortably by George before the referee awarded the fourth or fifth foul throw of the half.

Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM YOUTH 1 ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH 0

Killeen won an early corner for Altrincham (49 mins) as Altrincham continued to enjoy most of the attacking play. Lunt then seized on slack defending in the visitors' box but his shot went narrowly too high before a Chambers free-kick went close to the opposition upright. A poor goal-kick then gave Killeen an opening but he shot over the top. Soon, a cross from the right from Killeen almost found Lunt but then Tooth and Cook combined on the left and from Lunt's looping cross from the left Killeen nodded home at the back post to make it 2-0 (61 mins). Good work by Douthwaite, Thorpe and Taylor saw Tooth feed Lunt for another crack at goal which just cleared the crossbar (62 mins). Lunt soon won a corner, from which Collins got on the end of Cook's kick but the danger was cleared. However, Alty soon won another corner when Chalmers's 25 yarder was tipped round the post by the Ashton keeper. Next, Taylor had a shot blocked before a Douthwaite free-kick saw Chambers's header fumbled over the bar by the keeper for another Alty corner on the left (67 mins).

Ashton then won a freekick on the front, right edge of the Alty box which was driven into the wall and from the follow-up the no.10 shot narrowly wide (69 mins). Alty then brought on Breidenbach for Killeen (71 mins). A long throw from Chalmers on the right was then met by a nod from Lunt which grazed the outside of the Ashton upright (77 mins). Andy Thorpe was then booked for blocking an Ashton free-kick before a farcical scene took place when an Ashton player handled the ball 25 yards out. The offender was booked but before Chalmers could take the kick the referee called over the Ashton no.10 and booked him too. Then he called a third Ashton player from the wall and sent him off (85 mins). Presumably the wall had not retreated and the official had decided to book each member of it individually. After a good two minutes had elapsed the free-kick was finally taken and led to a corner for Altrincham. A second corner soon followed, which ended in offside. (87 mins).

Ashton then broke forward along the left-hand channel and Douthwaite was drawn into a tackle which conceded a penalty in the outer edge of the box. The Ashton no.17 drove the spot-kick perfectly into the bottom corner though George made a great effort to get to it (90 mins). The referee then played a further six minutes of added time during which there was an alarm when Collins went down injured but, after treatment from Neil Thomason, Josh recovered. After a foul on Lunt, the already booked no.5 received a lecture before Cook's free-kick was cleared off the line, following a deflection. Although the margin of victory was narrow, Altrincham dominated much of the game against a dogged Ashton side. On Tuesday Alty face a formidable challenge when Yorkshire side Hallam, who have already beaten Barrow Youth away from home, come to Moss Lane for an FA Youth Cup match (7.45pm), with the prize of a trip to Barnsley for the winners in the First Round proper of the competition.

Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM YOUTH 2 ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH 1
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