ALTRINCHAM YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks) 1. Sam FOX, 2. Paul LEWIS, 3. Ryan STEWART, 4. Marcus MADDIX, 5. Matt GARLAND, 6. Alex MIKE, 7. Aron HEVINGHAM (capt.), 8. James MONAGHAN, 9. Ben DEEGAN, 10. Lee HENDLEY, 11. Kieran SALMON. Subs: 12. Daley O'NEILL, 14. Sam CAWTHRA, 15. Terrell FREEMAN, 16. Tom HORNER, 17. Dion DEPEIAZA.

EAGLEY YOUTH (Yellow shirts, blue shorts and blue/yellow socks) 1. JONES, 2. HENRY, 3. HARTLEY, 4. DARBY (T), 5. EDWARDS, 6 ASPEN, 7. ALLEN, 8. DARBY (B), 9. McCLEMENTS, 10. BIRCHBY, 11. LEECE. Subs: 12. POWER, 14. ILIFF, 15. STEVENS, 16. MOSS.

Above: Paul Lewis, Aron Hevingham and Alex Mike.

With Paul Lewis in an unaccustomed role at right-back, Altrincham won two early corners, the second from Lewis's excellent pass to Salmon. Stewart then teased the Eagley defence with a well struck ball forward but a goalkick resulted. After their bright start, it nevertheless took a fine sliding tackle from the retreating Maddix to halt an Eagley incursion into the Alty penalty area (10 mins).

When an Eagley player overhit a pass to a team-mate the ball fell for Hendley who advanced up the inside-right channel before hammering an unstoppable shot into the net off the underside of the crossbar (12 mins). Altrincham were now playing well and when Aspen brought down Stewart, the Eagley midfielder was booked (16 mins). Aspen redeemed himself with a good lob soon afterwards which was only narrowly wide of the Alty goal. But Alty won four more corners before the half-hour mark. Mike was causing Eagley problems on the right, but Fox in goal was a virtual spectator for Alty. Maddix and Garland were keeping Eagley at bay down the middle and it just seemed a matter of time before Alty would score again. Another corner followed for Alty after 35 minutes from which Hevingham headed narrowly over. Hevingham and Monaghan were snapping effectively in midfield whilst the team as a whole was playing some neat football on a very good, if slightly sloping surface.

Soon, a Hevingham shot was fumbled by Jones but Eagley cleared the danger. After Stewart had been penalised on the Alty left, Birchby got in a header which cleared the Alty bar (39 mins). Eagley improved as the half wore on and from a McClements feed, Birchby struck the outside of the post with a well taken shot (43 mins). Birchby almost immediately got behind the Alty defence and forced a very good save from the advancing Fox, near the edge of his box. Half-time arrived with Alty good value for their lead but with Eagley having got back into the game in the latter stages of the first half.

The second half started with an early Altrincham freekick from which Deegan rose well and headed firmly against the crossbar (46 mins). McClements then had a shot deflected at the other end which Fox saved well. An Eagley corner followed before Alty won one of their own. The second half was proving a more even affair than the first half hour of the game and though Hendley won his side another corner, Altrincham were not having it their own way (64 mins).

Alty now brought on Cawthra, on the left, in place of Salmon (64 mins). Five minutes later Eagley brought on Stevens for Hartley and soon Iliff replaced Leece. Eagley won two corners between which they substituted B. Darby by Power (77 mins). Altrincham then won a corner when Mongahan forced the keeper to tip the ball over the bar. Deegan was then replaced by Pepeinza for Altrincham (84 mins). The sides traded attacks until Altrincham spurned three chances in quick succession, with weak or misdirected shots, in the last two minutes. The final whistle signalled Altrincham's first league win this season, at the fourth attempt. At times they had shown encouraging signs of forming an understanding between players who are almost all new to the team this season. With an FA District Cup representative game next Sunday and an FA Youth Cup match against Southport on the following Monday, the Altrincham management team will need to use the full extent of their squad before resuming the NWYA league campaign the following week.