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The Morecambe team (below) is as listed on the programme sheet so may not reflect any late changes.

ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Lewis BISHOP, 2.Tom BARCLAY (capt), 3. Rick COLULO, 4. Alex MURPHY, 5. Kieran RAYNES, 6. Marcus BAXBY, 7. Danny BROWNE, 8. Michael SIMCOCK, 9. Tom BAILEY, 10. Kyle JOHNSON , 11. Anthony DAVIES. Subs: 12. Reza ZAREH-OURANG, 14. Rick CRAWFORD, 15. Paul BARRY, 16. Jason MELLING-FONG, 17. David LEIGH (gk).

MORECAMBE "A" (All yellow): 1. Tiernan KELLY, 2. Andy LEIGH, 3. Danny WISDOM, 4. Tom WHARF, 5. Phil McLUCKIE, 6. Ashley DUNN, 7. Jack HELM, 8. Gary BALL, 9. Aaron TAYLOR, 10. Chris ANDERSON, 11. Paul JARVIS. Subs: Danny McGHAN, Lewis WILKES, Jamie McKENNA, Curtis WOOD, Matthew BALL.

REPORT

Alty had lost 3-0 at home to Morecambe in a league match a week before this match between the same two sides at Moss Lane in the final of the Neil Thomason Trophy, which is named after the late Altrincham FC Youth team coach. A minute's silence was held in remembrance of Neil before kick off.

For Alty, Lewis Bishop returned in goal but they were still without defender Michael Howe, who had only recently recovered from illness. Within a minute of kick-off, Morecambe had won the game's first corner but the opening few minutes were reasonably even, though it was the Shrimps who won two more corners before Alty opened their corner-kick account on the quarter of an hour. The Morecambe corners had come, firstly, when Bishop had done well to tip out Helm's shot; following this a shot from the back post by Wharf had to be cleared off the line by Baxby at the near post. Alty did threaten before they won their corner when Browne did well and got the ball across from the right to Davies, whose shot went out for Alty's first corner. Unfortunately, Baxby's flag kick went low into the sidenetting at the near post (15 mins).

Colulo made a fine tackle to see off Ball and this led to Altrincham gaining a corner on the right but this came to nothing. When Baxby's trip on the edge of the Morecambe box gave the visitors a freekick, Bishop beat out Jarvis's kick and, from the rebound, Taylor's shot won Morecambe another corner. After this, Murphy's clearance went to an opponent, as Morecambe threatened again with rain now falling steadily (21 mins). The visitors were now getting on top and, after Bishop had beaten out a shot from the Morecambe left, the rebound was put wide by another Shrimps' player (24 mins). Next, after Wisdom had hit the bar, Anderson's follow-up header was cleared off the line by Murphy as Morecambe began to dominate (27 mins). With the rain intensifying, a quickly taken freekick by Colulo led to Morecambe gaining possession and soon afterwards they opened the scoring. The goal came when the impressive Helm's header was well saved by Bishop but the loose ball fell for Wharf, who scored comfortably from close range (35 mins).

Morecambe were now playing some excellent passing football. When Raynes was late into a tackle on Leigh, play continued and the resulting drive from Dunn only narrowly cleared the Alty bar (40 mins). Three times in a minute, as the first half ended, Morecambe fired in shots over the Alty bar. Then, in the second minute of added time a late challenge from Baxby saw the Alty midfielder booked. The resulting freekick, from 40 yards out forced Raynes to head over his own bar to concede a corner but Alty suruvived this to go into the interval just a goal behind.

At the interval, Rick Crawford replaced Kyle Johnson up front for Altrincham and the home side won an immediate corner as the rain now eased off. However, Morecambe soon threatened again when the pace of Taylor got him past Murphy on the Morecambe right and from his cross, Barclay slipped in the Alty goalmouth as he attempted to clear and Alty were fortunate to see the ball ricochet out for a corner to the visitors. Though this was cleared, a cross from the Morecambe right very soon found Gary Ball unmarked and his well placed reverse header went into Bishop's goal off the inside of the keeper's left post to make it 2-0 (52 mins). Alty's best effort of the half came when Simcock's 25-yarder hit the net-support behind the goal after it had fizzed past the keeper's right upright (53 mins). Each side then won a corner apiece before Alty brought on Melling-Fong for Baxby (61 mins). Play resumed with a freekick from near half way from which Jarvis fed Anderson who, on the edge of the box, was allowed to turn and shoot low, just inside Bishop's left post to make it 3-0 (62 mins). "Get goal-side" was manager George Heslop's forlorn cry to his Altrincham team.

Browne continued to battle for Alty in midfield but Morecambe were now dictating the game. They went close again after 69 minutes when Leigh was allowed to cut into the Alty box but his cross rolled across the face of the Alty goal. Then Leigh fed Taylor who won his side a corner. After this, Bishop was left exposed as two Morecambe players were unmarked when a looping high ball came into the box, but the Alty keeper did well to punch clear. As Morecambe continued to impress, they made a double change as their numbers 12 and 15 replaced Wisdom and Dunn (76 mins). Alty were exposed again soon afterwards when Jarvis's header hit Lewis's legs and rebounded out to a Morecambe player who made it 4-0 (78 mins).

Alty failed to threaten at the other end as Morecambe kept their foot on the accelerator. A quick freekick by the Shrimps caught Alty cold and from Helm's cross Taylor's first effort was pushed out by Bishop but the Morecambe striker put the rebound past the keeper to make it 5-0 (81 mins). It was now a matter of damage limitation for Altrincham but they were breached once again after 85 minutes when an excellent passing move was ended with Leigh's sidefoot shot past Bishop's left hand to make it 6-0. The happy goalscorer was then booked for removing his shirt. At this point Barry came on for Simcock. Though Alty won a corner in the two added minutes at the end of the ninety, they could not gain the consolation of a goal.

Morecambe fully deserved their emphatic win and the onlooking first-team manager Sammy McIlroy will have been impressed with the latest generation of youth players at his club. Jack Helm was deservedly named as Man of the Match.