Match Reports
ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (2) 3 CURZON ASHTON YOUTH (0)0
NWYA Premier Division league match
played on Sunday, 11 March, 2012 at 2.30pm
LINE-UP
ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Adam REID, 2. Josh MASON, 4. Joe COOMBS, 5. Alex WEATHERBY, 3. Sam GRIMSHAW (capt); 7. Liam RUTLEDGE, 6. Alan TANSINDA, 8. Oliver RILEY, 11. Josh PALMER; 9. Derryn OFORI, 10. Denico WALTERS. Subs: 12. Duncan WATMORE, 14. Sam ROWLEY, 15. Thomas DAVIDSON, 16. Shakeel DEPEIAZA, 17. Jordan MAINOO-HAMES, GK. Ross BOOTH.
REPORT
Altrincham kicked off on an unseasonably warm and sunny afternoon. The opening minutes were marked more by endeavour than composure from both sides, who lay third and fourth respectively in the Premier Division at kick off. They proved to be evenly matched in the initial stages of this game, as play switched from end to end on a bobbly surface.
Joe Coombs found himself booked after 15 minutes for a foul which the visiting bench saw as a "last man" offence. The referee judged otherwise and showed a yellow card to the Alty defender (16 mins). The resulting freekick gave Ashton a corner whuch Reid punched clear.
Altrincham took the lead a minute later in unusual circumstances. Curzon's no.10 was bringing the ball out of his defence when he trod on the ball. Alan Tansinda seized on the loose ball and fired a fine shot over the keeper which dropped into the net to prolong the midfielder's impressive record of goals in recent matches. He ran straight across to celebrate with the Alty bench but did not give them his trademark celebratory dance on this occasion!
Palmer was having some good moments on the left but it was Mason, Tansinda and Ofori who then combined to win a corner, before Joe Coombs committed another foul, which prompted the opposition bench to call for a second yellow card. The centre-back escaped with a lecture and a final warning, witnessed at the referee's request by his captain Sam Grimshaw (22 mins). A Curzon attack now ended with their no.10's sliced shot, followed soon after by the no.11's volley which cleared the bar. At the other end, Walters also poked an effort over the bar as the sides provided an entertaining, end to end game.
After a Curzon player had dived in on Walters, Alty were awarded a frreekick just outside the Curzon box in a fairly central position. Sam Grimshaw struck an excellent, curling freekick into the net to make it 2-0 (35 mins).
Grimshaw was soon performing important defensive duties as he cover a threat from the Curzon no.7. Following an Alty freekick from Riley play switched to the other end where Reid made a good block as the no.10 advanced on goal (42 mins). After a Riley shot had gone wide, Weatherby covered another Curzon threat and the half ended with a good save from Reid from Curzon's no.9 (45+2 mins).
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 2 CURZON ASHTON YOUTH 0 |
As pre-arranged, Duncan Watmore came on for the second half, having played half an hour for Alty's first team 24 hours earlier. He replaced Walters and, within a minute, he had broken free up the left. He outpaced a defender and rounded the keeper but, from a very acute angle, his shot hit the far upright and was cleared. But within seconds Watmore was on the score sheet after excellent work on the right by Ofori, who got to the by-line befofe giving his attacking partner a tap in near the back post (46 mins).
Curzon's heads did not drop and they soon gained a corner but then Ofori went close as his volley from a fine run and cross from the left by Watmore almost produced what would have been an excellent goal (50 mins). Ofori was then hurt and when coach Josh Collins was instructed to remove him from the pitch, the injured striker was rolled over twice to get over the touchline - on his painful shoulder! Though he returned briefly to the game, Ofori had to give way to his knock and he was replaced by former Chester FC midfielder, Sam Rowley, with Ollie Riley moving forward to a striking position (55 mins).
Curzon had now brought on their no.12, having already introduced their no.14 at the interval. After a good cross from Rutledge had been cleared, Curzon enjoyed some good possession as they tried to get back into the game. But the Alty defence held firm. It took a fine one-handed save from Adam Reid to divert a goalbound shot from the visitors' no.2 (70 mins). Then Weatherby had to clear an effort off the line from the Curzon no.8 (74 mins).
Alty now brought on Davidson up front in place of Riley (79 mins) as Curzon kept going forward despite trailing by three goals. But then Watmore broke up the centre and was tripped in the box by the no.5 for a clear penalty. Despite taking a knock as he went down, the spur of trying to score from the spot speeded the striker's recovery and he stepped up to take the kick. But the keeper made a good save, to his right to thwart the Alty substitute (84 mins).
Mason was then fouled as he got forward by the visitors no.8, who was booked. This time Grimshaw's freekick went wide before the visitors' no.8 received a lecture for a further foul after his booking. Curzon won two late corners as they showed good spirit to the end but Altrincham emerged with three points from a good performance.
| Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH 3 CURZON ASHTON YOUTH 0 |