Match Reports, 2004-05

ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks) 1. Sam FOX, 2. Chris WAUGH, 3. Tom BANE, 4. Richard GRESTY, 5. Matt GARLAND, 6. Adam BALL, 7. Paul LEWIS (capt.), 8. James MONAGHAN, 9. Terrell FREEMAN, 10. Lee HENDLEY, 11. Ryan STEWART. Subs: 12. Tom HORNER, 15. Daley O'NEILL, 14. Hassan ZAREH-OURANG, 16. Alex MIKE, 17. Chris BOWCOTT (gk).

EAGLEY YOUTH (Yellow shirts, blue shorts, blue socks) 1. JONES, 2. HENRY, 3. LEECE, 4. DARBY (T.), 5. EDWARDS, 6. ASPEN, 7. HARTLEY, 8. DALEY (B.), 9. McCLEMENS, 10. BIRCHBY, 11. MORRIS. Subs: 12. ALLEN, 15. HARGREAVES.

REPORT

Altrincham made several changes due to injury and unavailability. Coming into the side were centre-back Richard Gresty, who had been at Macclesfield Town. Paul Lewis returned to captain the side, whilst Terrell Freeman came in up front for Sam Cawthra. Amongst those missing through injury was Arron Hevingham, who had been captaining the side in Lewis's absence. Ryan Stewart replaced Adam Walker on the left.

Close control was difficult on a bobbly Ericstan Park pitch at Baguley and Altrincham were the slower to adapt to the tricky surface, as Eagley settled to a neater passing game. However, the visitors lost Morris after he and Waugh had both been injured in a tackle (15 mins). Soon after this, B. Daley advanced up the middle and fed Birchby, who won a corner. Substitute Allen finally came on to replace the withdrawn Morris for Eagley (19 mins). A minute later Altrincham took the lead when Stewart advanced on the left and his cross was hooked home by Hendley as he beat the keeper to the ball (20 mins).

From Waugh's pass, Ball then shot firmly across goal as it looked as if Altrincham would gain the upper hand (21 mins). But Eagley got level after 24 minutes following one of many freekicks conceded by Altrincham in the opening stages. This freekick came after Allen had got past two Alty men, only to be fouled 20 yards out. B. Daley drove the freekick low, to the right of the defensive wall and into the net past a seemingly unsighted Fox in the Alty goal (24 mins).

After an Alty corner and freekick had come to nothing, Freeman nodded an aerial ball on for Stewart and his pass set up Lewis for a shot from 20 yards which went narrowly wide (28 mins). Garland then got in a good tackle at the back to see off the threatening Birchby before Fox made a good save from Leece's bicycle kick from a cross from the Eagley right (31 mins). Garland's partner Gresty was also doing well for Altrincham. Eagley pressed, with most of their attacks coming up the right side. An Eagley corner was cleared but a cross came back into the Alty area which T. Darby headed wide (36 mins). Alty conceded another needless freekick, 25 yards out, but from this the ball ended up with Fox. His clearance was picked up by B. Daley inside his own half and he slotted the ball forward to Leece, whose pass located Birchby, advancing without challenge into the box, from where he scored comfortably, driving the ball low into the far side of the net (39 mins) from 15 yards or so.

Things got worse two minutes later when Leece got behind the defence on the right and drove a fine shot into the net to make it 3-1 to Eagley (41 mins). But Eagley had not finished yet. After passing the ball well, Eagley got the ball to B. Daley whose firm, low shot to the near bottom corner from the right bobbled out of Fox's grip and, though the keeper recovered immediately to gather the ball, the linesman judged that it had crossed the line. Alty were now 1-4 down, having conceded three of those goals in a five minute period (44 mins). Fox then did well to stop Henry's shot with his legs as half-time approached (45 mins). Eagley had made good use of the wings especially the right in building their first half lead whilst Altrincham had at times lacked composure on the ball and resorted to hopeful long balls.

Alty won an early corner (50 mins) and then Freeman hooked an effort narrowly wide after a build up by Waugh and Hendley (51 mins). Fox had to make a good point blank save at the other end from Allen, at the back post, to give Eagley a corner (58 mins). Eagley then used their only other substitute, Hargreaves, who replaced McClemens (60 mins). With Eagley having kept Alty penned back for the previous ten minutes, the home side made a change of their own with Mike replacing Freeman up front (62 mins). Immediately Mike won a corner with his persistence.

Altrincham were now looking more of an attacking force and they soon made another swap, Ball being replaced on the right by O'Neill (66 mins). A fine ball from Lewis for Mike won Alty another corner. Then Hendley did well on the left but his shot was just wide (72 mins). But Hendley did even better soon afterwards, getting to the by-line to the left of goal before slotting the ball past the keeper to make it 2-4 (73 mins).

Eagley survived a strong penalty appeal when Edwards seemed to catch Hendley in the box, a corner resulting (79 mins). Alty continued to press and Hendley struck the post (81 mins). A penalty was finally awarded when Mike was victim of an attempted trip in the box although he did not go down. Monaghan confidently drove the penalty home to set up a tense finale at 4-3 to the visitors (85 mins). Despite further pressure, Eagley held on and for the last couple of minutes of added time kept the ball well away from their own goal.

Alty paid the price for their first half lapses but with the arrival of Mike in the second half they looked a more threatening force.