ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts shirts, black shorts & red socks) : 1. Lewis BISHOP, 2. Tom BARCLAY, 3. Ashley McGRATH, 4. Richard GRESTY (capt), 5. Michael RISK, 6. Dean WHITE, 7. Hassan ZAREH-OURANG, 8. Andy KEOGH, 9. Ben DEEGAN, 10. Astley MULHOLLAND, 11. Anthony DAVIES. Subs: 12. Matty WILLIAMS, 14. Ben SHANKS-PEPPER 15. Richard CRAWFORD, 16. Curtis CONNELL, 17.Mike PERKINS.

EAGLEY YOUTH (Yellow and blue) 1. Cameron REID, 5. Tom CAREY, 3. Jock CUNLIFFE, 14. Ste BURROWS, 6. Ashley YOUNG, 4. Scott McNAIR, 7. Harry WINTER, 10. Tom HARDMAN, 8. Dean O'DONOGHUE. The following starters had no numbers on the team sheet: Joe STEVENSON, Si WALSH and neither did substitute, Ollie JOHNSON.

REPORT

The only change to the starting line-up from last Saturday's battle with Bootle was that Dean White started and Matty Williams moved to the bench. So, Astley Mulholland partnered Ben Deegan up front. Ben played with a booble hat and gloves on. Whilst the gloves may have been prompted by the cold, wet day, the headgear was necessary to protect a head injury picked up whilst playing for the Cheshire County FA in their 1-1 draw with Durham FA on Saturday. It was good to see former Alty Youth left winger Josh Collins amongst the crowd. Josh has spent the last two years in the USA and is shortly to return there. He has now passed the necessary "badges" and hopes to work as a football coach.

Kick-off was delayed by twenty minutes as the visitors had been held up by an accident on the M60, so the game finally got under way at 2.50pm in steady rain, which had been falling all day. There was, thankfully, no repeat of the bruising battle last week against Bootle. The referee established his authority today with an eighth minute booking for O'Donoghue and thereafter the game was played competitively but fairly. After Alty had won a corner, Eagley posed an early threat when a good move up their right ended with Young's shot from 12 yards which Bishop saved well (14 mins). Alty won their second corner following a long throw by Gresty and another corner immediately followed this one. But an Eagley counter attack saw an effort from their no.11 just poked clear by the home defence (21 mins). After a Zareh-Ourang shot had been saved by Reid, Alty continued to press and when an advance by Deegan and White led to the ball coming out to Zareh-Ourang in the centre just outside the box, he fired a well-aimed, low shot into the bottom corner of the net to the keeper's right to put Alty one up (23 mins).

Alty went close again soon afterwards when Deegan and Mulholland combined for the latter to head wide from the former's cross from the right. Keogh then went close as well, before more Alty pressure produced a corner which was half cleared. But a fine block tackle near halfway by McGrath saw the Alty man emerge with the ball and feed it forward to Mulholland. He rounded the keeper to score (30 mins). Four minutes later play was stopped by the linesman and, after the referee had consulted him, Hardman was booked, presumably for a verbal offence. Alty continued to attack and a low shot from Mulholland forced a save from Eagley's keeper.

In midfield Keogh and Zareh-Ourang were playing well and from a Keogh feed, everyone stopped except Mulholland, who raced in behind the static defence to slide the ball past Reid to make it 3-0 (36 mins). The referee then had words with the protesting Eagley manager, who presumably felt the goal was offside. Following the restart an Eagley player, for once, got past Gresty but shot wide (37 mins). Bishop then had to deal with an overhit back-pass and the ball cannoned off a Eagley player as the keeper kicked the ball but it was cleared.

From an Alty corner Davies found Deegan at the back post but his header went wide. Then a 25-yard effort from Eagley's Hardman just cleared the Alty bar (42 mins). Some late Eagley pressure got its reward when, moments before the end of the first half, they advanced up the right and as keeper Bishop came to clear, an Eagley player poked the ball to a colleague (no.15) who scored to make it 3-1 at the break (45 mins).

Alty won an early corner in the second half following which they almost scored as Davies's cross came via Deegan to Keogh but his close range effort came back off the upright (50 mins). The surface was now getting sticky under the relentless rain, as an Eagley corner came and went. After White had been tripped on the Alty right, the freekick by Davies found Keogh's head and he headed the ball into the far corner ot make it 4-1 (61 mins).

Dean White and Eagley's Carey were then booked after a minor spat and soon afterwards Eagley "scored" but the effort was ruled offside. Alty soon brought on Williams for Deegan, who had played for Cheshire the day before (66 mins). Then Davies set Keogh free and he fed Williams but his shot rose over the bar (69 mins). Next White gave way to Crawford (73 mins). Moments later, the new striker shot narrowly wide from Williams's pass. An Alty corner soon followed , following which Williams shot wide. Then Ben Shanks-Pepper came off the bench to replace Andy Keogh (76 mins).

Another Alty corner came and went before an Eagley cross flew across the Alty goal but an incoming player at the back post lifted the ball over the bar (84 mins). Crawford and Williams then interchanged passes which set Crawford free and he skilfully lifted the ball over the keeper to make it 5-1 (85 mins). Ashley McGrath ws booked for kicking the ball away after being given offside but though Eagley won a last minute corner, the score remained 5-1 at the final whistle. This was a good Alty performance in a game played in poor conditions.