Match Report

Altrincham dominated the first half-hour with Jeremy Illingworth especially prominent. However, the Robins allowed Hucknall back into the game either side of half-time. The turning point came after 61 minutes when Rankin was sent off for a foul on Murphy, having been booked a few minutes earlier. A fine ball from Sertori was well converted by Furlong after 68 minutes as Altrincham once more controlled the game in the final stages. Man of the Match Ian Craney got the second goal two minutes from the end when his firm left-foot shot took a marked deflection to beat keeper McCarthy. After Saturday's match, it is a pleasure to report that the referee Mr Denniff had a good game. It was also an eye-opener to see Leroy Chambers chasing back and showing a degree of commitment not associated with him in his last two years in an Altrincham shirt at Moss Lane. Alty are now fifth in the table.

Alty started with the same line-up and subs as at Lancaster on Saturday. So, Rod Thornley was again absent with the England team, whilst Kevin Hulme's blisters once more prevented him from starting the game. Gallagher and Hawes played in midfield, having both started the season as full-backs and Alty again played in their away strip, as the new home kit is still undergoing modification at the manufacturers. Leroy Chambers returned to Moss Lane following his departure to Frickley last season and his subsequent move to Hucknall over the summer. Contrary to the team sheet, he played at number ten and Gary Ricketts wore number nine.

As early as the first minute Jermey Illingworth got in a header at the Hucknall keeper, following a cross from Adams, as Altrincham started brightly. For their part, Hucknall committed a foul a minute for the opening six minutes of the game, with Murphy a repeated target, as they attempted to stay in the game. However, the game did not develop into a dirty match. Ricketts and Chambers did combine for the latter to force a save from Coburn after three minutes but otherwise it was Altrincham who were doing the early attacking. Craney won a corner from an Adams and Sertori move but Furlong's resulting header was, like Illingworth's, at McCarthy (4 mins). Rankin committed a bad foul which only earned a lecture but it perhaps lodged in the ref's mind given subsequent events in the second half. Soon, Craney almost played in Illingworth but McCarthy was out smartly to kick clear. Gallagher was the next to try his luck as he surged up the right, playing a one-two with Craney. Illingworth was much in evidence in the early stages and his feed allowed Furlong an overhead kick at goal. Murphy, too, started well winning the ball consistently in the air. The best chance of the game so far came to Gallagher when he got on the end of an Adams and Craney move but he steered the ball wide of the target (12 mins).

The one-way traffic continued, but without a goal to show for it. Illingworth fed Craney, who found Murphy. Danny beat a defender and cut in towards goal but the keeper managed to smother the ball (15 mins).Illingworth then delivered a fine cross to Murphy's head but the ball went just wide. Two corners followed in quick succession for Altrincham, the second ending with a Furlong header at McCarthy. Craney, Scott, Gallagher and Hawes linked neatly for Craney to fire in a fine, low shot which hit the side netting (18 mins). With Altrincham rampant, Gallagher surged forward and shot just wide of goal. Then a Hawes free-kick saw McCarthy punch clear but only for Illingworth to get hold of the ball from 25 yards and fire narrowly wide (21 mins). Hucknall's Wright received a knock and he was replaced by Clarke (21 mins). The Hucknall fouls continued at slightly longer intervals but none of them were particularly serious; Mr Denniff however was having a good game and spotted them all. Next, Craney won a corner on the right, as Alty attacked the Golf Road end. Adams's corner came off Maddox's head wide of the target; at least the fourth Alty header at goal so far (24 mins). A minute later a goal-bound Craney shot hit Illingworth in the crowded box before another Craney effort was fielded by the busy keeper. Hucknall's first meaningful shot came after 27 minutes when Chambers showed some application to deprive Adams of possession but the move ended with Rankin volleying over the crossbar.

After Adams and Furlong had set Illingworth at goal, the Alty man had his shirt pulled but still set up Craney, who shot wide. Altrincham's lack of accurate shooting in the absence of Rod Thornley was only too clear. Another foul on Illingworth was soon given but Adams's free-kick was cleared. Roebuck then chopped down Illingworth once more for at least the tenth Hucknall foul of the opening half-hour. From Hawes's free-kick from the left Murphy converted neatly from close range but Mr Denniff ruled out the goal, presumably for off-side (30 mins). Almost immediately he ruled out a Hucknall effort at the other end. This came after Sertori clearly handled a through ball down the centre to concede a free-kick some 25 yards out from Coburn's goal. Although the free-kick was put over the bar, within seconds Chambers almost caught Sertori's head with his raised foot as the centre-back, moving back towards his own penalty area, went after another through ball. With a determination not seen from him at Moss Lane for two years, Chambers got on the end of it and steered it over Coburn but it was rightly ruled out for the striker's "foot-up" offence (32 mins).

However, the previous free-kick and the "goal" encouraged Hucknall to apply some belated pressure of their own. They won their first corner after 33 minutes and nearly scored from it. Hollingworth's corner was played short to Chambers and then into the box where a reaction save from Coburn from a point-blank effort was needed to keep the ball out of the net. Hawes prompted a response with a ball to Murphy on the left but Furlong's resulting back header did not find its target, Adams. A thirty yard run forward by Furlong came to nothing before Hucknall again threatened with another long ball down the middle. Coburn had to rush smartly out of his area to kick clear and though he and the on-rushing Clarke collided, just outside the box, it was the Hucknall man who needed the longer treatment (37 mins). As half-time approached a needless push by Craney on the burly Brown gave Hucknall a free-kick, 30 yards out, but this only led to a Coburn goal-kick. After dominating the opening half-hour, Altrincham had allowed Hucknall to get back into the match and could even have gone in undeservedly behind had Hucknall's "goal" not been ruled out and had Coburn not made a fine save in the latter stages of the half.

An early Altrincham corner from Adams, on the right, saw McCarthy drop the ball in the air but win a free-kick (47 mins), before Illingworth broke up an advance by Clarke. Craney and then Furlong gave away free-kicks for fouls before Hucknall won a corner off Murphy (52 mins). This corner, like Hucknall's first, caused panic in the Altrincham penalty area as the ball pinged around the box before being cleared. Furlong then lunged at Brown to concede another free-kick as the second half started in a contrary fashion to the start of the first period with Altrincham commiting a number of fouls and Hucknall looking the more menacing side. A move involving Hawes and Scott won the Robins a corner on their left but as Altrincham had moved the ball upfield, Murphy had gone down off the ball. Mr Denniff called over Rankin and booked him though whether this was for dissent about the corner or for some involvement in Murphy's fall was not clear (55 mins). Altrincham now made a surprising change, taking off Illingworth who had been playing very well, to replace him by striker Lee Poland (58 mins). After a Mayman corner for Hucknall, Chambers got in on Coburn but was off-side (58 mins). With Altrincham still off the boil after the interval, the turning point of the game arrived after 61 minutes when Rankin was sent off for a trip on Murphy. The Hucknall bench took the decision stoically even though it arose from a foul which was hardly the worst ever seen at Moss Lane. Within a minute, Murphy had won a header and crossed the ball, only to see it run up Maddox's chest and over the bar.However, the referee had blown for an offence in any case. Although Chambers then broke away, Gary Scott managed to chest the ball back for Coburn, and Altrincham then started to make the extra man tell.

Courtesy of Alan Johnson, his picture of Alty's first goal.

Mark Sertori came out of defence and played a well judged ball forward, angled slightly towards the right to Furlong. The young striker strode onto the pass and shot firmly and low past the left hand of the diving McCarthy to open the scoring (68 mins). But a minute later, Furlong's next shot bisected the considerable space the corner flag and the upright. Hucknall did not give up and Chambers's lay-off gave Roebuck a shot from 30 yards which went narrowly wide. Maddox then went forward and passed to Adams who, sensing glory, shot from 25 yards- very high over the crossbar. At this point, Graham Heathcote, who had had a quiet first half but a more vocal second period, shouted to his players to "slow it down" and to cut out "the 100mph stuff". Hucknall were now defending in depth and relying on the occasional break. After Poland had won a corner, taken by Hawes, a Hucknall defender sliced the ball out from in front of goal for another flag-kick (76 mins).

Bignall now replaced Ricketts as Chambers's strike partner (77 mins), just before McCarthy plucked a 25 yarder from Murphy out of the air. Altrincham continued to press forward on both flanks as Ian Craney was announced as Thresher's Man of the Match (80 mins). Despite their dominance, Altrincham could not get a second. As Poland drew back his foot to strike from 15 yards he was tackled and needed treatment. After Murphy had won a corner on the left, Hucknall's third sub, McLarnon came on, for Mayman (87 mins). A minute later, a firm shot by Craney, from a Furlong pass, looked to be on target but took a strong deflection in the box and ended up in the bottom of the net, to the keeper's left (88 mins). The game ended with two fouls inside a minute by Chambers who was showing sufficient aggression at this late, hopeless stage even to challenge Sertori; if he had shown such a spirit in his last two seasons at Moss Lane, he might still have been an Alty player.

Altrincham fully deserved their win and in the opening half hour were especially impressive. However, the lack of composure in front of goal nearly cost them points as Hucknall came into the match either side of the interval. There were good performances all around in defence and midfield, with Illingworth a leading contender for the Man of the Match before his substitution midway through the second period.