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ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts and red socks): 1. Chris WALKER, 2. Daniel FRADLEY (capt), 4. Tom COSGRAVE, 5. Jake LEIGH-WATSON, 3. Daniel MILLEN; 7. Callum GARNER, 6. Dan SHAW, 8. John BENNETT, 11. Joel BROWNHILL; 9. Josh SMITH, 10. Mattie ELLIS. Subs: 12. Paul CORDOCK, 14. Chris FRANCIS 15. Tyrone WATSON, 16. Lewis KILKENNY, 17. Reece LYNCH, GK: Ryan NICHOLAS.
AFC LIVERPOOL YOUTH (All blue) 21.Chris BRINKSHAW; 2. Nathan STANTON, 3. Kieran LONG, 4. Kevin McGIN, 5. Conor MURPHY, 6. Jordan GERRARD, 7. Dean WILLIAMSON, 8. Joe EVANS, 9. Lloyd MOLYNEUX, 10. Billy SMITH, 11. Thomas HALKYARD. Subs: 12. Louie MANSFIELD, 17. Matt McDERMOTT, 14. Danny LYONS, 15. PAul RAWLINGS, 16. Daniel STOKES.
Altrincham were without the injured Ben Oliver, so Daniel Millen played at left-back. Declan Wakefield has left the club leaving Tom Cosgrave and Jake Leigh-Watson as the centre-back pairing. Up front, Mattie Ellis was making his debut, on loan from Rochdale. AFC Liverpool were in the care of a coaching duo which included former Altrincham favourite Mark Maddox, who also doubled as physio today.
Above: Ellis, far right, opens the scoring.
The game kicked off in warm sunshine and Alty took the lead after just 90 seconds. A ball over the AFC defence was well controlled by Ellis who took it on into the box. Though driven to the right of goal, he slotted the ball home confidently. Ellis nearly made it two quick goals on his debut as he forced a fine save from the keeper a minute later. But then AFC equalized in bizarre fashion when Fradley's clearance cannoned off the back of Liverpool's Williamson and looped over the stranded Walker into the net (5 mins). But Alty almost immediately regained the lead when Bennett, Smith and Ellis combined, with the last-named taking the ball round the keeper to make it 2-1 (6 mins). The frantic opening period continued as a Liverpool cross was diverted onto his own crossbar by Leigh-Watson (8 mins).
Liverpool were going at Alty with pace and directness but a two-footed challenge from Halkyard saw him booked for a foul on Brownhill (11 mins). Long then went close for AFC with a shot from the left and, after this, a corner was won by the visitors after Walker had made a fine save, tipping a shot over the bar. Soon after this a ball up the middle left Cosgrave against Molyneux and the striker chipped the ball over keeper Walker to level the scores at 2-2 with just 16 minutes gone.
Though Liverpool won two corners in the next few minutes the scoring went quiet now. The referee stopped play for a long discussion with one of his linesmen, which seemed to be about the flagging of offside decisions. But soon afterwards the ref allowed play to continue for an age after the linesman had raised his flag, and during this period a Liverpool shot was tipped onto the bar by Walker. After this, another discussion between ref and linesman ensued (34 mins). Ellis then volleyed narrowly wide at the other end before two more AFC corners materialised. But then Alty won themselves a corner, which came to nothing (41 mins). A fine ball from Shaw set Brownhill running but, with the game runing into the fourth added-minute, it was the visitors who threatened with yet another corner. However, Alty survived this and also another minute of play, before the interval arrived.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 2 AFC LIVERPOOL YOUTH 2 |
Liverpool dominated the start of the second half, winning five corners without reply by just after the hour mark. Alty's best moment in this period came when Ellis went down in the box but the referee was right not to point to the spot (53 mins). On the hour, each side made a change with visitors bringing on Mansfield for Halkyard and Alty replacing Brownhill by Francis. From the fifth AFC corner of the half, Alty were lucky that an unmarked Liverpool header was nodded into the ground and ran comfortably to keeper Walker. As so often happens after one side has exerted sustained pressure, the opposition scores. And so, Alty did so, taking the lead against the run of play thanks to good work by Francis who got free on the left. His effort came to Smith who made it 3-2 to the home side (64 mins).
Liverpool continued to press, with first a cross and then a volley going wide of the Alty goal before the visitors brought on McDermott as a substitute (69 mins). Liverpool then got a slightly fortuitous penalty when Leigh-Watson was harshly judged to have brought down the visitors' no.10 in the box. Williamson converted the spot kick impressively to make it 3-3 (72 mins). The manner of the equalizer was perhaps fortunate but it was certainly deserved by the visitors (72 mins).
After Evans had been booked for the visitors, Millen had to make a fine covering tackle to stop the opposition. With 12 minutes left Tyrone Watson replaced Garner. Alty had now come back into the game and Bennett forced a good save from the visitors' keeper (80 mins). But then AFC's McGinn hit a fine 25-yard effort which Walker did well to tip round the post for a corner (81 mins). Next Alty brought on Cordock for Smith (84 mins). Watson then did well on the Alty right, his shot across goal just finding Francis at the back post but he was only able to divert the ball against the upright from a sharp angle (85 mins). Liverpool won a late corner and then they missed a decent chance just after the added time period had started. But the score remained level which was probably a fair result, though the vsiitors may feel that their possession in the second half should have been converted into more goals. Alty stuck to their task well in what was a very entertaining game played at a fast pace on a very warm afternoon.
| Full-Time:ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 3 AFC LIVERPOOL YOUTH 3 |
