ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts shirts, black shorts & red socks) : 1. Danny CHEBRIKA, 2. Tom BARCLAY, 3. Ashley McGRATH, 4. Richard GRESTY (capt), 5. Danny GRAY, 6. Dean WHITE, 7. Hassan ZAREH-OURANG, 8. Ben SHANKS-PEPPER, 9. Matty WILLIAMS, 10. Curtis CONNELL, 11. Anthony DAVIES. Subs: 12. Kieran RAYNES, 14. Astley MULHOLLAND, 15. Andy KEOGH, 17. Michael RISK,

FURNESS ROVERS YOUTH (Blue & white stripes, blue shorts and socks) 1. Ricky GADSDEN, 2. Ryan COWARD, 3. Jamie HAMILTON, 4. John CONNELL, 5. Jordan McBAIN, 6. Tom HOLMES, 7. Steve CASKEY, 8. Jasper CAREY, 9. Dean CROSSMAN, 10. Mike ROBINSON. (Played with ten men).

REPORT

For their first match of 2006, Altrincham manager George Heslop put four of his players on the bench for disciplinary reasons after they had failed to meet pre-match reporting deadlines. So, Raynes, Mulholland, Keogh and Risk, who had all started Alty's last game, were omitted today in favour of White, Connell, Gray and Shanks-Pepper. But Furness Rovers had even greater problems, as they could only muster ten starters today for their long journey from Cumbria.

Alty soon went ahead with Williams converting at the back post as the keeper attempted unsuccessfully to clear with his feet (1 min). It was not long after the restart that the home side won a corner and they went on to spend much of the game in the Furness half. Next, Zareh-Ourang had an effort cleared off the line and then Gray and Williams interchanged passes inside the box before the centre-back lashed the ball home to make it 2-0 after just seven minutes. Alty continued to dominate and Shanks-Pepper saw a well-hit 25-yarder hit a defender. Furness's first effort at goal was a forty yarder from Carey which went wide before Davies's effort from 25 yards at the other end went narrowly off target too (11 mins). Soon afterwards, Williams poked an effort past the post. However, after Connell's shot had been deflected just wide to win a corner Furness won their first corner. Though Gresty's advance out of defence was halted, the ball came to Williams, who found Connell to his right. Connell's cross was converted at the back post by Gray, for his second goal of the match (19 mins). Injured striker Ben Deegan's place was looking in jeopardy as Gray staked his claim to a regular starting position!

After Zareh-Ourang and Shanks-Pepper had combined well, Connell lashed in Alty's fourth, the ball striking the base of the keeper's left post before cannoning across into the other corner of the net (23 mins). After a great run by McGrath had taken him past three men, Alty won another corner as Furness struggled to get out of their own half. Soon after this, Ben Shanks-Pepper made it 5-0 with a finely struck shot from 20 yards at the end of a neat passing move by the home side (29 mins). Another Alty corner arrived soon afterwards before Barclay's effort from 25 yards just cleared the bar (32 mins). After another good passing move involving Zareh-Ourang, Barclay, Connell and McGrath, Shanks-Pepper got the ball to Connell who seemed to have hooked the ball home but Dean White, his cousin, stole in to make sure the ball crossed the line and claim the goal, which made it 6-0 (36 mins).

A Gresty surge upfield led to Barclay winning a corner from which Williams headed Davies's cross over the bar. Soon afterwards, Connell also headed over the cross bar before Zareh-Ourang won his side another corner (44 mins). Moments before the interval Barclay fed White who expertly lashed the ball into the net, off the crossbar, from 30 yards to make the interval score, 7-0.

After Furness had got into the Alty half in the opening minutes of the second period, Alty replied with Williams finding the side-netting from a fine ball by Connell (48 mins). Some more neat passing from Altrincham yielded a freekick near the right corner after the lively White had been fouled. The Furness keeper dropped the freekick as he attempted to gather it under the bar and before he could reclaim it, Connell nodded it into the net to make it 8-0 (52 mins). Next, Barclay's low cross from the right came across the goalmouth to Davies who turned well and lashed the ball into the net to make it 9-0 after 54 minutes. Alty made it 10-0 a minute later after Davies had won the ball and the keeper missed a chance to gather the gall, allowing Connell to tap the ball home for his hat-trick. Despite a linesman's flag, the goal stood (55 mins).

Soon White had hit the post as Alty's all-time youth record score (15-1) looked within reach, against a spirited but outclassed and outnumbered Furness side. McGrath made a good tackle to stem a potential threat from Carey for the visitors before Alty brought on Andy Keogh for Hassan Zareh-Ourang in midfield (57 mins). Furness survived a fumble by their keeper after which Davies put the loose ball over the bar just before Astley Mulholland came on for Matty Williams (61 mins). White then ended another Alty move by gaining a corner kick and another flag-kick followed a few minutes later (66 mins). Alty made it 11-0 when the keeper failed to hold a Mulholland shot and it span back over his head into the net (67 mins).

Soon, more good work from White led to a volley from Mulholland which was blocked by a defender. Next, Keogh fired well over the bar as Chebrika remained unemployed in the Alty goal at the other end. Alty made it 12-0 after 72 minutes when White completed his hat-trick, getting a faint touch on to Barclay's shot from the right as it sped into the net. Alty now took off Gresty and brought on Raynes (75 mins). After a consultation between the referee and the Alty bench, the game continued, though the visitors were now down to nine men. Two Alty corners followed shortly afterwards and, following the second, White's diving header went just wide from a cross from the left (80 mins). With Danny Gray now camped upfield looking for his hat-trick, Furness assumed a damage limitation strategy with everyone back behind the ball. Connell had an effort cleared off the line by Carey and Gray came close with a shot over the bar after good work by Davies. Then, the Alty centre-back had a header saved from a McGrath cross from the left. Alty's last chance saw White lift the ball over the bar from six yards (90 mins).

Next Sunday sees the reverse fixture against Furness Rovers and Alty can expect a more difficult ride against a presumably full strength home side which, despite its difficulties today, did not give up .