Match Report

Rod Thornley nets the first goal against Nuneaton.

The first half of this game had everything; two penalties, a sending-off controversy and plenty of goalmouth action. Stuart Coburn produced some magnificent saves, even keeping out a penalty, to keep Alty in the game. Although Nuneaton had numerous corners and attacks, Alty had their moments and took the lead on the stroke of half-time when Hulme was fouled in the box and Nuneaton defender Michael Love was sent off. Thornley scored well from the spot. Two goals in as many minutes killed off Nuneaton. First Hulme finished superbly after 61 minutes before Thornley went round keeper MacKenzie for the third. Altrincham rode out the remainder of the game without too many alarms as Nuneaton rued their scorned first-half chances.

The serious knee injury sustained by Carl Furlong on Tuesday night robbed Alty of one of their main strikers but his partner, Rod Thornley, was fit to play after missing the midweek game. Kevin Hulme played despite flu and a minor strain and Jason Gallagher was also a starter despite injury doubts. Apart from the absent Furlong, to accommodate Rod, Jason and Kevin, both Lee Poland and Stuart Locke were missing from today's line up. Thornley was partnered up front by Murphy, with Hulme playing in midfield. Nuneaton were without suspended midfielder Dave Crowley and injured Jason Peake, whilst Barry Williams overcame an injury scare to play. Transfer-listed top-scorer Steve Whitehall was on the bench.

The game kicked off two minutes early with fans still coming into the ground to swell the attendance to 1,306 - Altrincham's best of the season to date. Nuneaton had brought a large contingent to a game which was segregated. Alty took to the field with their young mascot Andrew Gill but it was the visitors who kicked off in bright sunshine, towards the Golf Road End. Within 20 seconds they had a corner on their right, won by Charles. From the resulting deflected shot a second corner immediately followed, which Coburn punched out, only for Cooper to shoot and an Alty defender to clear for the third Nuneaton corner inside 90 seconds of the game. From this one Craney did well to stop an opponent but only at the cost of corner number four. At last, Alty got out of their own box when Craney got Sykes's corner clear.

The ball came to Thornley, who fed Scott on the overlap up the right wing. Scott's excellent cross was well saved by MacKenzie at the second attempt as he bravely came out into the path of the challenging Murphy, who needed treatment afterwards (3 mins). Altrincham then won their first corner on the left, thanks to Hawes. Although this was cleared, Thornley soon rounded Angus and got to the by-line, where he was fouled by the defender. Hawes's resulting free-kick was overhit but Altrincham were now finding their feet and getting into the game after Nuneaton's attacking start. However, disaster struck after 15 minutes when, following a free-kick for a foul on Peyton by Hawes, the ball was played into the Alty box. As McGregor threatened to get round Sertori, the Alty defender made an ungainly challenge which led Mr Bratt to point straight to the spot (15 mins). Stuart Coburn dived to his left to make a magnificent save from McGregor's spot-kick which was struck low, but not firmly enough.

Pictured right is Stuart Coburn, with Mark Maddox.

After 20 minutes Mr Bratt won an ironic cheer when he gave a free-kick for a foul on Sertori, having angered the home fans both with the penalty decision, which was less than a clear-cut incident, and with his failure to penalise a number of infringements by Nuneaton. After their penalty reprieve, Alty's next opening came when a Coburn clearance was relayed by Hulme to Thornley, who cut into the box but could only produce a weak shot at MacKenzie. He did better moments later when he beat Angus and ran on past another defender, obliging keeper MacKenzie to do well to beat out the striker's shot (21 mins). The game was providing great entertainment as the home side now sought to gain the upper hand. Nuneaton then went to the other end and won a corner. From Sykes's kick, Williams relayed it, left, to McGregor who hit it cleanly but just over the bar, though Coburn may have got a touch- but a goal-kick was awarded (23 mins). After Murphy had won a corner off Love, Charles was allowed to run on from an apparently offside position but the former Hayes man shot lamely wide of the goal with only Coburn to beat (27 mins).

In one of many strange decisions, the referee gave a corner. A bad tackle by Williams on Gallagher was only punished by a free-kick but Hawes's free-kick came to nothing. Soon afterwards, Thornley cut in from the left and delivered a firm shot at MacKenzie. Gallagher was soon in the wars again, landing in touch after a firm challenge and needing treatment. Coburn then kept his side on level terms once more with a superb point-blank save from Charles, after a fine cross from Sykes on the left. Sertori then got the loose ball away to clear the danger (31 mins). After a Hulme, Adams and Thornley move had been ended, Coburn rushed out of his box to kick clear and shortly afterwards the Alty keeper produced another top-drawer save when a ball over the top of the defence found Sykes, who was half-stopped by Maddox before getting in a shot which the keeper tipped over the bar (36 mins). The ref again failed to give a free-kick when Murphy was bundled into touch; Mr Bratt seemed far from being a "homer". However, he had to give a free-kick when Hulme was felled by Lavery following a good cross by Murphy.

Hawes's free-kick came off Murphy to Thornley but he could not keep down a difficult ball and it passed over the target. As half-time approached, Charles again got the benefit of some considerable doubt to spring the offside trap but, once more, the Borough man made a hash of a clear chance, the ball running to Coburn. The visitors had now missed a penalty and a couple of clear scoring chances. Nuneaton then threatened again from a corner but Coburn punched clear well. However, Thackeray found himself in the book after McGregor had been penalised, presumably for dissent (44 mins). From the free-kick by Maddox, Hulme, advancing into the left of the box, was fouled as he looked to have a clear shot at goal. Mr Bratt awarded a penalty and although Thackeray was apparently the offender, it was the Nuneaton captain, Love, whom the referee dismissed, presumably for an over zealous protest at the decision. Thornley stepped up and, as he so often does, sent the keeper the wrong way, to put Altrincham ahead (45 mins).

For some reason McGregor took violent exception to Thornley and had to be held back from going for the Alty man. This was Thornley's seventh successful penalty conversion this season and his fourteenth goal in fifteen starts and one substitute appearance. Mr Bratt left the field to a chorus of criticism from both the visiting fans, because of the penalty award, and from the home fans who felt that he had missed a lot of offences against their team. In truth, Nuneaton had only themselves to blame for not taking any of their first half chances. It had been a hugely entertaining first half, peppered with goalmouth chances, penalties and a sending-off.

Nuneaton brought on Weaver for Williams at half-time and the visitors started the second half strongly. The robust Angus was soon fouling Gallagher and this time even Mr Bratt spotted the offence. However, it was Alty's Craney who soon, for some unclear reason, found himself booked by the referee (49 mins). Nuneaton kept pressing and won a corner off Gallagher (50 mins). This led to a long shot by Thackeray which hit a defender and forced Coburn to make a magnificent save, as he adjusted to the diversion of the ball, and dived full-length to his left. Next Sertori headed over his own bar to concede another corner (52 mins) as Alty remained penned in their own box. A free-kick awarded against Adams then led to a free-kick from which Cooper headed over the bar (52 mins). A stoppage was needed for treatment to Murphy after an aerial clash with Weaver.

Hulme won the bounce-up which restarted play and interchanged passes with Thornley, then Murphy, before Thornley was well tackled in a dangerous position in the Nuneaton area; but he had at least won a corner. Alty now began to get forward until a stoppage was needed for a minor facial injury to McGregor (56 mins). After this, Craney won the ball in midfield and fed Thornley, who turned past Cooper, who fouled him and became the third Nuneaton player to be cautioned (57 mins). It was Craney again who was involved when the ball came through to Hulme, who beat Angus, and scored with a beautifully placed low shot past MacKenzie's left hand to make the score 2-0 (61 mins). Nuneaton immediately replaced Cooper by Williams who came on as his side went through a torrid spell as Altrincham ran them ragged.

MacKenzie had to rush out to beat Murphy to a clearance from Coburn (62 mins) and then had to catch an Adams cross as Murphy, once more, closed in to head the ball. But the Nuneaton keeper could do nothing when another Coburn clearance was expertly trapped by Thornley, who promptly got past Weaver and advanced on goal. Driven to the left by the advancing MacKenzie, Thornley took the ball round the keeper and netted to give Altrincham an unassailable lead (63 mins).

Nuneaton's McGregor immediately responded with a good 25 yard shot but it went narrowly wide as Coburn let it go. Then Hawes's pass set Gallagher past Peyton on the right and his shot went narrowly wide across the face of goal (64 mins). Soon, however, Gallagher gave way to Locke (68 mins) before Nuneaton almost got a goal back, when a Maddox mis-header allowed Charles into the box but he was blocked off to gain only a corner, on the right. Then, Williams's excellent shot from 25 yards hit Coburn's left post and rebounded into play but led to another corner for Nuneaton. After a stoppage which led to Thornley briefly going off, injured, MacKenzie had to dash out to head clear from Murphy, who shortly afterwards headed over the bar at the back post from a Hawes cross.

However, Murphy now gave way to Lee Poland (76 mins). Lavery joined his colleagues in Mr Bratt's book for a foul on Locke (77 mins) before a 30-yarder from Peyton was well held by Coburn. Nuneaton then won two corners, which were cleared, before a male and female police officer arrived on the scene with Security Officer, Phil Taylor, presumably in case of any trouble aimed at the referee at the end of the match. Although Nuneaton were now enjoying possession and moving forward, Altrincham were content to soak it up and the visitors created no real openings as the game drew to a conclusion and the sizeable contingent of visiting fans started to drift away. Just before the final whistle, McGregor became the fifth Nuneaton man to be booked in a game which was never over physical.

Stuart Coburn deservedly won the Man of the Match award, chiefly for his magnificent first-half saves, including the penalty stop. However, Rod Thornley was also a major element in this victory which saw Altrincham transformed from the largely identical side which had collapsed to a 3-0 defeat at Witton in midweek. As well as a place in the First Round of the FA Cup, for the first time since 1996, Alty netted £20,000 for this victory. The draw for the First Round, conducted by Mark Lawrenson and Alan Hansen, gave the Robins their fourth consecutive home draw in this season's competition and whilst a home tie against UniBond opposition (Lancaster or Vauxhall) may not be the most glamorous of ties, it does give Altrincham a chance of further progress on the road to Cardiff. At the end of the match today the players showed how much the win meant to them with celebrations on the pitch, which included the chairing of manager Bernard Taylor.