YOUTH REPORT

This was a game which Altrincham, having taken a two-goal lead, should have wrapped up comfortably but which, after a spirited fightback by Salford, they only secured with a goal against the run of play midway through the second half.

The fixture was in some doubt before kick off, following heavy rain, but after a pitch inspection the match went ahead a quarter of an hour late. Alty were wearing their newly supplied and sponsored team kit from Ian Senior's company Sensports Kits. The home side won an early corner but then City made progress up their left flank with four successive throw-ins. From a good advance up the right by Killilea, Alty won a second corner, which he took himself. Madeley rose well to nod the ball toward the back post where Weir timed his arrival well to head home the game's opening goal after 8 minutes. After the earlier rain, the sun now came out and, though the pitch was muddy in places, it was the gusty wind blowing across the pitch rather than the surface that was the main problem to the players.

Above: Alty keep the ball out in the first half but, in the process, keeper Andrew Jones injured his hand.

Next, Bailey got free and, though he hit his shot well, it went wide. Alty keeper Jones was then penalised for taking too long before clearing the ball from his hands and from this freekick a Salford corner resulted. However, Altrincham made it 2-0 after just 15 minutes when Madeley advanced into the box and, though his shot was blocked, the ball was cleared out to Bailey who scored a superb goal with a shot into the upper part of the net to the keeper's left from 20 yards or so.

Then from a Jones clearance, Bailey fed Madeley for a shot which was kept out at the cost of a corner to Altrincham (18 mins). Soon afterwards a nice Alty move involving Browne, Killilea and Kimber ended with a fine cross from the Alty captain which a diving Madeley headed narrowly wide of the back post (22 mins). Salford then enjoyed some pressure with a blocked shot and a freekick, which Murphy headed clear for a Salford corner (28 mins). From this Alty keeper Jones injured his hand as the ball was scrambled away but, after treatment, he continued to play.

More Alty pressure followed with two corners the latter of the two arriving when Bailey got free but the keeper came out and the ball was diverted into the side netting. Then a cross from Killilea was almost turned in by Lillie but the home side could not add to their lead, though another corner followed. As half time approached Madeley advanced into the box and appeared to be brought down but the referee had no interest in a penalty award (42 mins). Alty's good work was almost undone a minute before the break when Salford won a corner and Jones was glad to be able to stop the ball on the line to preserve the two-goal advantage at the interval.

Altrincham made a substitution at the interval with lee Berrill coming on to replace injured goalkeeper Andrew Jones. It was City who started the second period the more brightly and they pulled a goal back just three minutes after the re-start. the Alty defence allowed a Salford player to turn in the outer reaches of the box and though his effort was blocked the ball came out to Salford’s number four who drilled the ball into the net to make the game much tighter than it should have been had Alty taken all their first-half chances.

Indeed, after an Alty corner had been and gone, Salford now dominated the next fifteen minutes and hemmed Alty back in their own half. Berrill managed to scramble a low shot from Selcuk round his left post (54 mins) as the wind got more gusty and the sun disappeared. Just after the hour mark, Salford brought on their no.15 as a substitute and a minute later Alty replaced Madeley by Gavin O'Connor (62 mins).

Then, completely against the run of second-half play, Alty got the deciding goal. The ball came to Bailey just outside the box in a central position. The keeper and a defender came to close him down and the ball rebounded to Bailey who had a straightforward task of knocking the ball into the unguarded net from the edge of the box (65 mins). The pace of O'Connor now began to cause problems as he won a corner for Altrincham. Salford made another substitution after 67 minutes and a minute later O'Connor was felled by a late challenge which the officials did not see. He resumed after treatment and then Bailey almost got round the City keeper as Alty threatened once more after their slow start to the second half (72 mins).

But Salford kept going and won a corner before Alty brought on Crane for Killilea, with darkness descending on the proceedings (81 mins). Next, O'Connor battled past three defenders before finding Lillie who was upended on the edge of the box. Bailey fired the freekick wide (83 mins). Alty survived the final minutes comfortably to record their fourth successive league win, in which 15 goals have been scored by them.