ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (0) 2
PRESCOT CABLES YOUTH (4) 5
NWYA Premier League match
played on Sunday, 23 April 2017,
at Valley Road, Flixton, k.o. 2.30pm
LINE-UPS
ALTRINCHAM (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1 Cameron Terry, 2 Will Hall, 3 James Ohara, 4 Tom Kelly, 5 Harry Sherdian, 6 Calvin Boyd, 7 Pete Iacovou, 8 Kieran Furse, 9 Ricardo Pembele, 10 Dylan Scanlon, 11 Declan McGloin. Subs: 12 Declan Lewis, 15 Gabriel Dare, 16 Joe Mather, 17 Thabari Jambaya.
Subs used were Dare on for Hall, Lewis on for Furse, Jambaya on for Mcgloin, Mather on for Pembele
REPORT
This game was played on a sunny afternoon at Alty Youth's current home at the Valley Road ground of the defunct Flixton FC (and more recently, of Northwich Villa). Early defensive confusion allowed the visitors' no.8 to get in on keeper Terry. The Cables man went down under the keeper's challenge but, as the referee pondered a possible spot-kick award, the ball was poked into Alty's net to give the visitors a 1-0 lead (4 mins).
The visitors threatened again in the 13th minute when, following a corner, Alty captain Iacovou had to head the ball away from his own goal-line. Prescot continued to set the pace, winning a series of three freekicks against the harassed Alty defence. From the last of these, Prescot's no.4 scored from 20 yards with an effort which seemed to take a significant bobble before hitting the net. So it was already 0-2 after just 20 minutes.
Altrincham made a substitution moments later as Dare replaced Hall.
Just as the hosts were beginning to get into the game, Prescot scored a third goal when their keeper's long punt up the middle set the unmarked no.11 free and he netted efficiently (28 mins).
Alty continued to concede freekicks against a physically stronger Prescot side but, when the visitors netted a fourth in the 43rd minute it was simply down to failure to close down Cables' no.16 who, out of nothing, was allowed time and space to drive home a shot from more than 25 yards.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 0 PRESCOT CABLES YOUTH 4 |
Altrincham made a double change at the interval as Mather and Jambaya replaced Furse and McGloin. Still, as in the first half, Altrincham conceded freekicks in the opening stages before Lewis replaced Furse (55 minutes).
The visitors' no.10 then had an effort cleared off the line before they won three corners in as many minutes. Alty responded with a corner of their own and, soon afterwards, a shot from the edge of the box by Scanlon flew into the net to make it 1-4 (68 mins). The goal lifted Alty and they soon won another corner when Iacovou's shot had to be pushed aside by the keeper. Following this, a fine cross from Sheridan was met by a header into the net by Mather to make the score 2-4 (73 mins).
Alty were now on top but they wasted a chance to narrow the gap further when, from a very promising freekick position, a training ground routine went horribly wrong and the ball ran tamely for a goalkick. Alty's dominance at this stage was evident in five of the game's next six corners going Alty's way. In the midst of this sequence Altrincham hit the post before Prescot cleared Lewis's effort off the line. Mather then blasted a good chance over the bar as an Altrincham comeback looked on the cards as the game went into the final ten minutes.
But as the game went into added time, Prescot got forward again with their no.2 getting impressively to the byline, right of goal, and feeding the no.9 who hammered in a fifth goal at the near post to settle the outcome once and for all (90+2 mins).
So, an Alty Youth side, deprived of many of its eligible players who have been promoted to the reserves and first team, had restored some pride after a very disappointing first-half display.
| Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 2 PRESCOT CABLES YOUTH 5 |