Match Report

For Alty fans tonight there was a new ground to see and a new team name to remember as they took on the re-christened Runcorn F.C. Halton at the Autoquest rugby league stadium of Widnes Vikings, rather than Runcorn F.C. at the traditional, sloping Canal Street venue. The Autoquest Stadium is certainly the most impressive facility in the UniBond League but like the International Stadium at Gateshead, only one half of one of the four sides is open to football spectators. Three of the sides boast impressive all-seater stands, whilst there is a small terrace behind one of the goals on the fourth side. Unlike the Gateshead venue, there is no running track and long-jump pit to distance the spectators from the action but with only 232 customers in a venue which must hold over 10,000 it was difficult to generate the atmosphere that is found at many much smaller grounds.

The pitch itself seems very wide, but that might be due, partly at least, to the scale of the surroundings. An unusual feature of the ground is the absence of "dug-outs"; the substitutes and the coaching staff all have to sit in a compound at the front of the stand, which is actually labelled as accommodation for disabled spectators. Also unusual were the need to pay 30 pence a head to enter the social club and the £7 turnstile price for a UniBond Cup game. However, Runcorn have had problems selling Canal Street, their crowds have dropped markedly since moving to Widnes and they are reportedly paying £1,500 a game to hire the Autoquest Stadium, so having to charge a little extra is perhaps understandable.

Although this game was entertaining and largely end to end, it did not reach the level of a classic. Altrincham started the better of the sides but gradually Runcorn got the upper hand and but for some magnificent saves from Coburn in the second half, the hosts would have gone ahead. However, once Altrincham scored through Illingworth (64 minutes), the Robins could have won by a bigger margin than they did, had they taken some of the many chances which they created. Hesitation in front of goal is a clear problem at the moment.

Altrincham omitted regulars Sertori, Gallagher, Scott and Adams from their squad for various reasons and gave a full debut to Dave Swannick at right-back. Reserves' midfielder Anthony Hargreaves (pictured, right) got his first taste of first-team action as a substitute. The versatile Kevin Hulme played at centre-back, having played up-front and in midfield in recent games this season. Stuart Locke came in at left-back, in place of Adams, for his second game for Alty during his current non-contract spell. Runcorn's keeper Winstanley was injured last week and Tony McMillan kept goal for them in this match. Kevin Leadbetter, on loan from Southport, and former Droylsden man, Dominic Morley were also in the Linnets' starting line-up.

The game was played in swirling rain and Altrincham spent the first few minutes of it largely in the Runcorn half. The first chance came when the ever alert Rod Thornley charged down an attempted clearance by keeper McMillan on the edge of his penalty area. The ball rebounded behind McMillan who started to lope back to recover it until the pace of the chasing Thornley obliged the keeper to quicken his pace (3 mins). Runcorn's first threat came from the impressive right-back Carragher, whose feed to Leadbetter led to the first of several good shots from the on-loan player.

This strike was uncharacteristically fumbled, low down, by Coburn but was hacked clear by a colleague (7 mins). A promising through ball from Hawes then struck Thornley in the back as he attempted to let it run over his shoulder and advance on goal. The match was punctuated by short delays whenever the ball went into the empty stand on the far-side of the pitch as ball-boys had to hunt for it under the many rows of seats. A cross from the left found Lunt's head as Runcorn began to come into the game, but the header went straight at Coburn (8 mins).

For Altrincham, Stuart Locke was having a good game at left-back, both making timely tackles and distributing the ball well. A foul on Thornley yielded a free-kick 30 yards out and taken by Hawes, but this was cleared. However, Alty soon put together a good move involving Craney, Murphy, Hawes and Swannick which ended with McMillan doing well to smother a shot on the run from Thornley in the outer reaches of his penalty area (13 mins). A Runcorn free-kick, conceded by Furlong's "backing-in", came off Maddox but ended in Coburn's arms.

A good ball forward from Swannick was just too long for the chasing Furlong and gave Runcorn a goal-kick (15 mins). Both Furlong and Thornley continued to chase defenders and the keeper to keep them on their toes but at the other end Carragher, on the right, fed Lunt just outside the box, but in space, and Lunt's low shot was taken well, low down, by Coburn (18 mins). Coburn nearly undid his good work when he attempted to gain yards for his clearing kick by dribbling the ball outside his area. In doing so, he allowed McNally to dispossess him and race him into the left side of the area. Stuart did just enough in chasing back to force McNally into an underpowered shot from the left which the retreating Hulme did very well to keep out of the net with a goal-line clearance (18 mins). Both keepers had now been embarrassed by alert forwards as they had attempted routine clearances.

Runcorn were now gaining the upper hand as Latham got in a shot which went well over the bar. Carragher and Leadbetter were combining well on the right and then Hulme lost the ball to Lunt to increase the threat to Alty's goal. However, McNally was offside so the danger past. Next, Danny Murphy needed treatment to his left leg (24 mins) but after the resumption a fine through ball from Craney gave Furlong a chance which he could not keep down under the bar (26 mins). Craney, however, soon gave away a free-kick to Runcorn in a central position 25 yards out. Coburn flapped at the free-kick to underline his less than confident start to this game (27 mins). A Runcorn corner on the right, from Ness, was knocked on and ended with McNally's header at Coburn. Alty fans got a chance to admire Stuart Locke's prodigious long-throw capability shortly after this before a wild lunge by McNally on Hawes won Alty a free-kick on the half-way line. This was reciprocated by Hulme's foul on McNally, which produced a wasted free-kick from 30 yards. Although Runcorn were now in the ascendant, Altrincham put together a good move when Craney charged down a pass and exchanged passes with Carl Furlong. He got it to Thornley, who turned well and shot just over the bar from just inside the Runcorn box (32 mins). Altrincham further came to life when an Illingworth shot was blocked from a Murphy pass.

Play switched to the other end and Latham nodded on a ball from the back to Leadbetter whose curling shot was fairly easy for Coburn to hold (34 mins). An Altrincham corner, won by Thornley was cleared before Leadbetter got in another shot, just wide of Coburn's goal, at the other end. Furlong conceded a free-kick in midfield before Hulme was fouled to earn one for his side. A Furlong and Thornley interchange followed from this but Thornley's shot was across rather than at goal (39 mins). After Murphy had cleared up some potential danger from Carragher he then lost the ball to Leadbetter, who beat Maddox's tackle and set up Lunt for a low shot which went narrowly wide (42 mins). Maddox then made another error but Hulme retrieved the situation for him with a hoof into the crowd. Coburn's uncertain form continued when he came to punch and sent the ball upwards rather than outwards but the half headed towards the interval with Runcorn unable to convert some neat passing movements into goal chances. The half ended with a fine ball from Swannick to Illingworth who, from the by-line to the right of goal, set up a shot for Thornley, which McMillan blocked well (45 mins).

Altrincham brought on Anthony Hargreaves at half-time for the injured Murphy and he slotted in on the right side of midfield, with Illingworth moving to the left. Craney's good ball for Furlong started the second half but McMillan was alert to beat Carl to the ball (46 mins). A meandering Altrincham passing movement saw the ball move forward then back, through Coburn, before arriving at Furlong via a free-kick given for a foul on Hargreaves. Carl lost the ball and then, shortly after this, misdirected a pass to Runcorn's Ward in a couple of minutes that the Alty forward will wish to forget.

Swannick received a lecture from Mr Whitby for a foul on Leadbetter on the Runcorn left but the free-kick, from just outside the box was brilliantly saved by Coburn, who punched the ball over the bar as Price's dipping shot looked goal-bound (52 mins). After his uncertain first half, Stuart was to have a superb second period. Just after Illingworth's shot had gone over the bar at the other end, Coburn distinguished himself again, beating out a tremendous shot from the dangerous Leadbetter, for a corner on the left, which was soon followed by one on the right off Hulme. Coburn caught this corner-ball routinely.

Then, once again the ball skimmed off Maddox to a Runcorn player but Craney swept up. After two Alty moves had foundered , Hulme and McNally both needed the trainers for treatment following a midfield collision (57 mins). Craney was then hero and villain, starting a move which led to Furlong's nice lay off to Illingworth and a return pass to Craney. Ian delayed far too long and his shot was blocked (59 mins).

Three minutes later, an even better chance was wasted after Altrincham captain Hawes had played a good ball up to Furlong, who was in space, well inside the box. Rather than simply turning and blasting the ball into the net, Furlong inexplicably laid the ball off away from goal and although Illingworth did get a shot in, this only yielded a corner (62 mins). Altrincham, however, were now in the ascendant and Furlong now did well to win a Coburn clearance which via Hargreaves, Craney and Thornley gave Craney a shot- which hit Furlong inside the area! However, the danger was not cleared by Runcorn and from the edge of the box, Illingworth (pictured, left) coolly lobbed the ball into the keeper's left-hand corner to give Alty the lead (64 mins).

Next, Hargreaves did well on the right and sent Thornley away. He fed Furlong, who was offside but, nevertheless, kicked the ball well after the whistle. The referee was lenient and did not caution him. Mark Maddox may have been voted Man of the Match in our last home game but his unfortunate evening in Widnes continued when he lost the ball as he tried to dribble out of defence. Fortunately nothing came of this but soon Runcorn nearly took the lead. Price laid the ball off to Latham, whose tremendous shot felled the unfortunate Hulme, who had got in its way inside his own penalty area. Poleaxed, Hulme needed some treatment before he could continue (66 mins). Leadbetter then put a 25 yard free-kick into the wall after Craney had been penalised and, from the follow up, Coburn punched , not cleanly, but firmly enough to clear the danger. Hargreaves then recovered possession which had been lost by Hawes before Lee Poland came on for Illingworth, who rarely seems to be allowed to complete ninety minutes for Altrincham (71 mins). Lee joined Thornley and Furlong to make a 4-3-3 formation with coach Graham Heathcote's touchline advice being to "make the ball stick up there; it's coming back too easily" (71 mins).

Morris and Cowley came on for Runcorn, with their captain McNally being one of those replaced (73 mins). Hargreaves was immediately dispossessed but Maddox, who had regained posssesion then dwelt on the ball and lost it once more, allowing Leadbetter yet another good pot at goal, which Coburn beat out well (74 mins). Altrincham's worrying habit of wasting openings was seen again when an accurate ball into the box from Swannick found Furlong and Poland getting in each other's way; eventually, the former got in a shot which was deflected for a corner. Hawes's corner, from the right, was well met by Furlong's head but it was directed at the keeper, who saved cleanly (72 mins).

Once again the Robins' reluctance to shoot on sight was seen when Hargreaves found Furlong in the Runcorn box but he laid the ball off to Thornley rather than having a shot himself. Tony Ward limped off for Runcorn and Michael Short came off the bench to replace him (78 mins). Carragher and Morris threatened on the Alty left but Swannick won a free-kick against the latter near the corner flag on Alty's right. Swannick himself then conceded a foul against Cowley. A few minutes later Runcorn wasted a good chance when Carragher and Cowley combined only for Morley(?) to delay taking his shot for so long that the ball was cleared.

A relatively innocuous foul by Furlong earned him a booking (83 mins) but Carl had ridden his luck with one or two earlier infringements so cannot complain too much. Graham Heathcote, always ready with a perceptive comment, shouted to his team "Why is Lee Poland playing at left-back when he has been told to play up front?"; - Lee promptly moved upfield. Ness and a fellow Runcorn defender now got into a tangle from which Furlong emerged with the ball and passed to Thornley. Once again, an Alty player delayed his shot as Thornley saw the ball cleared from his feet. With Alty now well on top, a fine run from Furlong took him diagonally into the box but Carl then completely missed his shot (83 mins). Next it was Carney who wanted too much time in front of goal at the end of a slick move. Hargreaves had fed Thornley on the right wing and his low cross had found Poland near the by-line to the right of goal. Lee laid the ball back to Craney who hesitated and lost the opening.

The chances continued with Poland, on the left, feeding Craney whose cross found Furlong but Carl screwed the ball horribly wide (86 mins). But Carl had the last word. Ian Craney dispossessed Price as he attempted to dribble out of defence. Fed by Craney, Furlong rounded McMillan, to the keeper's right, to score (87 mins). In celebrating in front of the massed ranks of empty seats on the far side of the pitch he removed his shirt. Thankfully, Mr Whitby had the good sense to turn a blind eye, unlike the official who booked Northwich's Greg Blundell recently for the same offence in front of an empty terrace and got him suspended. After the restart, Rod Thornley took the ball into the right corner to spin out time, where Leadbetter appeared to tread on his foot. Rod went down and had to limp off the pitch, to be replaced by Gary Scott for the final few seconds.

This win took Altrincham to the top of the UniBond Cup Group and given the changed nature of their side, this was a very creditable outcome. Wasted chances meant that Altrincham could have won more comfortably but then Runcorn had Coburn to blame for some terrific saves that kept them from scoring, so 2-0 was probably a fair result. At times, both Coburn (in the first half) and Maddox looked under par but Kevin Hulme slotted in well in defence, whilst Dave Swannick also took his opportunity to play a full ninety minutes and produced some good pinpoint long-passes from the back. His full-back partner Stuart Locke also played well. It was also good to see one of the Reserves coming through and the ex-Maine Road FC man, Anthony Hargreaves, showed one or two nice touches. The side for the FA Cup match on Saturday will, no doubt, show several changes as rested players return but with a season's record of only two defeats in twelve competitive games to date, Altrincham should take on Frickley with a reasonable degree of confidence.