Altrincham FC Match Reports

ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (0) 1 ASHTON ATHLETIC "A" YOUTH (0) 1
Altrincham won 4-2 on penalties.

NW Youth Alliance Open Cup Quarter-Final
played on Sunday, 3 February 2008 at 1.30p.m.


LINE-UP

ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Andrew JONES; 2.Jack KIMBER (capt), 3.Declan WAKEFIELD, 4. Alex MURPHY, 5. Jake LEIGH-WATSON, 6. Dominic LILLIE, 7. Daniel KILLILEA, 8. Danny BROWNE, 9. Tom BAILEY, 10. Matthew NEE, 11. Chris FRANCIS. Subs: 12. Charlie WEIR, 14. Gavin O'CONNOR, 15. Steven CRANE, 16. Ben OLIVER, GK. Lee BERRILL.

ASHTON ATHLETIC "A" YOUTH (Pale blue shirts, white shorts, socks) : 1. Khalid DALCUR; 2. Ryan RENNOX, 12. Chris DOCHERTY, 4. Rick PARRY, 5. Gavin HEYES, 6. Daniel BRADSHAW, 8. John BANASSKO, 14. Andrew SHARRATT, 7. Mike CASE, 10. Andrew MARSH, 11. Wayne SMITH. Subs: 3. Gareth PEET, 16. Robert BODIE.


YOUTH REPORT

Right: Altrincham take the management's instructions at the end of ninety minutes.

With Sam Madeley injured, Matthew Nee came in for his first start, up front alongside Tom Bailey for this game which had been switched at a late stage from being a league fixture to become the quarter-final of the NW Youth Alliance Open Cup. On the bench, Charlie Weir came back into the squad. Conditions for this game were difficult with a very strong and cold wind blowing down the length of the pitch from the club house end at Wythenshawe Town's ground. The pitch too was, not surprisingly, bobbly after the foul weather of recent weeks.

Alty kicked off with the wind behind them and, after one minute, an Ashton defender mis-cleared the ball to Bailey who tried to dribble closer to goal but had to settle for a corner. But soon a ball up the middle of the Alty defence almost set Ashton's Marsh in on the Alty goal but a fine tackle from Leigh-Watson saved the day. The Alty centre back pairing of Leigh-Watson and Murphy was to go on to have a good game (4 mins).

Ashton soon threatened again and it took a good save from Jones to keep them out, diving to his left to tip away Marsh's shot after 9 minutes. With the Alty management exhorting the players to get the ball wide rather than play long balls forward, Alty went close when Lillie's fine cross from the right was laid off by Nee into the path of Killilea whose well-hit shot from just right of goal only narrowly cleared the bar (13 mins). Another fine tackle from Leigh-Watson kept Ashton at bay at the other end and then Jones had to smother a ball as the visitors more than matched the hosts.

The game's next corner came Alty's way after 22 minutes but Altrincham were not causing much of a direct threat at this stage to the opponents' goal. Ashton had to make a change after 26 minutes when Marsh limped off. Bailey's shot wide after 31 minutes was Alty's best effort in the next ten minutes. However, a corner followed soon after this as Alty enjoyed plenty of possession. But Ashton came the closer of the sides to scoring when a fine shot from Sharratt drew an excellent save from Jones in the Alty goal (40 mins). Play now went from one end to the other and it took a very good tackle by Heyes to stop Bailey in the Ashton box (41 mins). Case then forced another save from Jones in the Alty goal before Bailey's well-timed nod-on found Nee but he scuffed his shot to the keeper. So, half-time arrived with the game goalless and Alty facing a second half in which they would be playing into the stiff wind.


Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 0 ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH 0

At the interval, Charlie Weir replaced the injured Chris Francis on the Alty left. Alty chances continued to come as Bailey had a shot saved (47 mins) before Lillie fired a shot wide a minute later. Ashton's Rennox was then booked for bringing down Nee on the front edge of the visitors' box (50 mins). An Alty corner followed and then Lillie sent an effort narrowly over the bar as Alty pressed forward. A Bailey shot then deflected off Rennox for a corner. From Killilea's corner from the right Browne arrived to volley the ball powerfully into the net from the middle of the box (54 mins).

Ashton responded by immediately winning a corner but Alty almost doubled their lead after 57 minutes when a Bailey shot was beaten out and Nee hit the frame of the goal as the rebound came to him unexpectedly at the far post. Nee now went off to be replaced by Gavin O'Connor (57 mins). Alty continued to create chances as now Killilea forced an excellent tip over the bar from the Ashton keeper. Following the corner, Ashton cleared the ball from near the goal line. But it was soon the turn of the visitors to enjoy a spell of dominance as the game went into the final half hour. After 70 minutes they won a corner on the right. The corner cleared goalkeeper Jones in the middle of his goal and Bradshaw arrived at the back post to head home an equalizer.

Altrincham errors allowed Ashton to apply further pressure and the home side then suffered a further blow when Lillie had to be taken off, injured. Steven Crane came on to replace him in midfield (81 mins). But the visitors continued to press and won two corners in succession, the first coming from another excellent save by Jones after good work by Peet (84 mins). Alty had two late chances to win the tie when Kimber's well-taken freekick was nodded on by Browne but Wakefield's head was unable to make contact from close range. Then O'Connor did well to get to the by-line and he fed Bailey but he blasted his shot over the bar (88 mins). The last meaningful action saw Alty's Jones punch the ball clear before the whistle sounded to take the game into extra-time.


90 minutes: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 1 ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH 1

Above: As dusk falls at Wythenshawe Town, centre-back Jake Leigh-Watson drives home the first spot-kick

Alty had yet another chance to score, just three minutes into extra time, when O'Connor got clear but keeper Dalcur smothered the ball very well. Two minutes later Bailey fired wide but, soon afterwards, he won a corner, following which O'Connor shot over the bar (99 mins). Alty continued to dominate this period as Browne now shot wide from 20 yards and then a well-struck shot from 25 yards by Kimber was saved by Dalcur (104 mins). But when, just before the extra-time half-time whistle, Killilea's good cross from the right came back off the underside of the bar from Weir's header, it looked like Alty would never score despite creating numerous chances.

The second period of extra time saw Wakefield make an early surge up the left but the early Alty pressure was soon ended by an Ashton corner, followed by a freekick. Just before the end of the second period a fine ball from Browne came via Killilea to Bailey whose well struck effort forced another excellent save from Dalcur in the visitors' goal (119 mins). And, so, the game went to a penalty shoot-out.

Altrincham took the first penalty and the sequence went as follows:

  • Jake Leigh-Watson scored confidently for Altrincham; 1-0
  • Andrew Jones produced a fine save from Ashton's Case; 1-0
  • Steven Crane showed why he is the regular penalty taker for Manchester County FA by netting to make it 2-0.
  • Ashton's Smith made it 2-1.
  • Tom Bailey blasted home his spot-kick to make it 3-1.
  • Heyes' spot-kick made it 3-2
  • Jack Kimber made it 4-2 with another well-taken effort.
  • Jones sealed a 4-2 win with his second save of the shoot-out, this time from Docherty.

    Altrincham had plenty of chances to have settled the game in normal time but Ashton, too, had several opportunities to clinch the tie. Indeed, both sides provided an entertaining match in very difficult conditions but it was Altrincham who proceeded to the semi-final, going a stage further than their Altrincham Youth counterparts did last season.


    After Extre Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 1 ASHTON ATHLETIC YOUTH 1
    Altrincham won 4-2 on penalties.