Match Report

Altrincham achieved their first ever FA Cup win over Witton today and netted £10,000 in prize money in the process. They ultimately ran out comfortable winners after Witton had started promisingly. A superbly executed free-kick routine saw Murphy head Alty ahead (19 mins) before a controversial penalty awarded against Hawes allowed Rendell to score from the spot (32 mins). Almost immediately Furlong was scythed down for Thornley to put Alty ahead again from the spot (34 mins). After 64 minutes a fine move ended with Hawes scoring and Poland made it 4-1 when he turned superbly and shot past Price, who got a hand to the ball (84 mins). Kevin Hulme was Man of the Match in a game watched by a respectable attendance of 841, compared with a Conference crowd today at Northwich of under 700.

Danny Murphy started the game at the expense of Stuart Locke, who was on the bench alongside Gallagher, Illingworth, Poland and the ex-Hyde keeper, Kurt Edginton, who took over from Dale Newbrook, the Reserves' keeper, who kept goal on Tuesday night in the UniBond Cup and was presumably instead in action for the Reserves at Ossett Town today. Despite last Wednesday's resignation of Witton manager Eddie Bishop, influential midfielder Charlie Boyd, who had previously refused to play in Bishop's absence, was in the Albion team. Ex-Alty men David Anane and Michael Garrity also started but another ex-Robin, Lee Cox, was not in evidence. The referee was Stephen Brand, who also officiated in our match against Northwich in the Cheshire Senior Cup. The assistant referees were both, curiously, called Mr D. Richardson!

Saturday matches at Moss Lane now seem to start consistently a minute or two before 3pm and this was no exception as Witton kicked off and attacked the Golf Road end. Garrity had the first shot of the game after getting the better of Maddox but Coburn watched the ex-Alty man's shot go just wide of his goal, after 90 seconds had elapsed. Hulme was then fouled, before Maddox offended against Pritchard, as a pattern of early free-kicks began to be established. A terrible late foul on Stuart Coburn followed when Garrity caught the keeper well after he had cleared the ball (4 mins). The Witton man was rightly booked for this offence. Maddox took the next goal-kick for his goalkeeper, who is suffering a longstanding ankle injury which was not helped by this reckless challenge. Witton were putting together some neat passing movements as the game stuttered on with regular interruptions for free-kicks. Indeed, Altrincham conceded three free-kicks in as many minutes as the game reached the ten minute mark. However, the last of these came when Hawes was unlucky to be penalised for an offence on Boyd when Styles had clearly climbed on an Alty back to win a header immediately beforehand. Garrity then won a corner on the left, which he took himself, and from which he won another flag-kick off Hulme's head.

A blocked shot after the corner led to a goal-kick to Altrincham (12 mins). The home side were on the back foot at this stage but they soon began to get the upper hand. An early sign of life came after a foul on Murphy 22 yards out. This gave Adams the chance to shoot well over the bar from the free-kick, but at least this was his side's best crack at the target so far (14 mins). Thornley soon nearly pounced on the ball as it ran to Price before the same Alty player won his side's first corner, on the left, from a cross after he had interlinked with Adams and Furlong (16 mins). When Kevin Hulme was fouled some 35 yards out, on receiving a pass from Scott, Alty put into effect a clearly rehearsed move. Instead of pumping the free-kick from the right-centre of the pitch into the penalty area, Adams played it fairly short to Thornley who, from the right, delivered a well-aimed ball which Murphy met at the back post with a downward header into the net (19 mins).

Having fallen behind, Witton won an immediate corner when Coburn turned a cross from Anane, from the left, over his crossbar. Before this could be taken Jones was booked, presumably for a verbal offence. Witton took a short corner and Boyd's cross, from a return pass by Anane, found Rendell's head after a knock-on and Coburn, diving to his right, made a magnificent save to get the ball past his right post (22 mins). Steve Hawes, with Kevin Hulme, was playing well in the centre of midfield as his side now came to life but it was the Alty captain who was harshly adjudged to have fouled Rendell just inside the left corner of the Altrincham box, a decision which led to the equaliser. Mr Brand awarded a penalty-kick as Rendell went down. The striker got up and sent Coburn the wrong way from the spot, to bring his side level (32 mins).

Graham Heathcote was so unimpressed by the award of this penalty that he shouted to Rod Thornley that he should "fall over in the box, the first chance you get". Carl Furlong must have been listening for it was he who went down in the Witton box just two minutes later but there was no doubt whatsoever that the penalty was justified. It came after Maddox had broken up a Witton move with a fine tackle. Thornley then controlled the ball well, just inside his own half in the centre of the pitch, advanced over the half-way line and played a fine diagonal ball forward to his right, to Furlong. As Carl advanced into the box, he was scythed down by Styles. Thornley, having missed a penalty in the last FA Cup match, made no mistake this time, smashing the ball fairly centrally into the net after Price had dived to his right (34 mins). Another piece of good work by Thornley, led to Hulme feeding Furlong, who got round the keeper but was given marginally offside (38 mins). Then, after Boyd had made good progress up the centre but undone his good work with a poor ball which ran to Coburn, Alty nearly scored again.

Murphy, Hulme and Craney combined to set up Furlong, who had got past Price, about ten yards out to the left of goal, when he seemed to be knocked over by Morley. To the amazement of the crowd, Mr Brand did not point to the spot but waved play on (41 mins), a judgement vindicated by spectators close to the incident. Following the breakdown of an Alty move, Witton interchanged half a dozen passes up the right which culminated in Moseley finding himself unmarked about 15 yards out, inside the box, but the Witton man did not hit his shot cleanly and allowed Coburn to make his second excellent save of the half (43 mins). Witton continued to press as half-time approached with a Garrity shot being blocked by the impressive Sertori and a Rendell turn on the edge of the box allowing the striker a shot which Coburn saved, low down. Altrincham had gradually asserted themselves after a slow start and deserved their narrow half-time lead but the second half promised to be a tense affair.

In the first minute of the second period, Furlong was caught offside and then won a free-kick before Maddox was called into action to clear the Alty lines at the other end of the pitch (48 mins). From an Adams free-kick, after a foul on Craney, Murphy had a shot blocked (50 mins). Another foul on Furlong, by Pritchard, gave Alty another free-kick, which came to nothing, before a bizarre incident occurred. Adams shaped to take a corner on the Alty right, was caught by indecision as to whether to play the ball short or long and seemed to end up stubbing his foot against the ball and the corner flag before touching the ball for a second time to concede a free-kick to Witton by their own corner flag (52 mins).

Memories of Kevin Ellison's demolition of a corner flag last season came to mind. Kevin Hulme was impressing alongside Hawes in midfield, and it was he who set up a shot for Furlong, a left-footer, which Price saved well (54 mins). An awful foul by Heywood brought Hulme to the ground but the Alty man leapt up and grabbed the Witton man round the throat before he collapsed injured once more. As Hulme received treatment near the half-way line, Heywood was cautioned but Hulme too received a yellow card for his reaction (55 mins). Boyd was also addressed by the referee before play restarted. Although Garrity got in a 30 yard shot at Coburn, which was much to Graham Heathcote's annoyance, Altrincham were looking fairly comfortable at this stage (58 mins). Thornley was then given off-side before a shot from Kevin Hulme from 30 yards looped so high and wide that it threatened photographer Alan Johnson's safety much more than Greg Price's net (60 mins).

A promising interchange between Furlong and Hawes ended when the striker was flagged off-side (62 mins) and then Price had to be very alert to beat Thornley to a through ball in a one against one situation (63 mins). Hulme, seemingly fired up by the bad tackle he had suffered earlier, won the ball well off Boyd. Following this the ball came to Adams, whose pass forward to Thornley was expertly propelled forward to Murphy, who was moving towards the left corner. Furlong cleverly jumped over Murphy's low cross allowing the ball to run to Hawes, who drove it firmly into the net from 15 yards (64 mins). This was an excellent finish to an impressive and incisive forward movement. Hulme was again involved when a neat chip to Craney saw the midfielder clip the top of the crossbar from a very acute angle, to the left of goal. Witton now brought on Birdsey for Boyd, whilst Gallagher replaced Furlong (67 mins).

Hulme therefore moved up front alongside Thornley as Gallagher went into the midfield on the right side. Sertori continued to gobble up every attempt at a ball into his penalty area but Witton's threats were relatively muted and Stuart Coburn had a very quiet second half in the Altrincham goal. The visitors' best effort came when Moseley and Birdsey set up a shot from Rendell, which Coburn turned round his right post, low down, for Witton's first corner of the half (73 mins). A goal-kick soon followed for Alty as Locke replaced Murphy who had received treatment a few minutes earlier (74 mins). Locke slotted in at left back, with Adams moving into Murphy's vacated midfield slot. A foul on Gallagher just outside the Witton box led to Hulme setting up Adams with a clear shot at goal from the edge of the box. However, the left-back produced a defender's shot, which went well over the bar (76 mins). Anane, Garrity and Birdsey then won another corner, off Locke, on the Witton left. This was cleared before Poland came on in place of Hulme (80 mins). Though Witton were still trying to go forward, they were not making any clear openings and their fate was soon to be sealed. A ball forward, through the centre, was knocked on by Thornley to Poland. The substitute turned very well past his defensive marker and hammered a low left-foot shot which went through the keeper's touch into the net (84 mins) to make it 4-1. Altrincham continued to control the game as it drew to its conclusion, with Kevin Hulme being announced as the Thresher Man of the Match. Amongst his rivals for the award must have been his former York City team-mate Mark Sertori and captain, Steve Hawes.

Altrincham's performance had got better as the match progressed and all of their goals came from impressive movements. It was good to see Poland getting on the score sheet, whilst Thornley maintained his impressive strike rate. The wisdom of acquiring two "veterans" in the shape of Hulme and Sertori had been questioned by some but both these players were outstanding today. Sertori adds an authority to the defence that was lacking last season whilst Hulme's versatility (he has played in central defence, midfield and as a striker) and his determination were impressive today. Danny Murphy was also more involved than he had been in midweek and Rod Thornley, Steve Hawes and Chris Adams all put in good performances, too. This second consecutive 4-1 win in the FA Cup netted the Club a prize of £10,000 as winners of a 3rd qualifying Round tie; the same sum that they would receive for winning the FA Trophy Final this year. £20,000 is on offer from the FA for 4th Qualifying Round winners but the bigger prize could be a choice First Round tie against League opposition.