Match Report

Altrincham had the better of this Trophy replay but allowed a sometimes rugged Spalding side to make the result closer than it should have been. Rod Thornley opened the scoring (10 mins) with a neat finish to a Murphy cross but Spalding equalised when Stevenson got the better of Maddox (38 mins). Alty regained the lead when Sertori headed home from a corner (43 mins). However, Williams equalised after 65 minutes before Rod Thornley got clear and his diagonal shot got past the keeper's hand into the far corner (76 mins).

Alty's patched-up squad tonight lacked Kevin Hulme and Jason Gallagher, who were injured in Saturday's game between these sides. Altrincham included Reserves Pat Claffey, Keith Mairs and Anthony Hargreaves on the bench, alongside new signing James Wilkinson, previously with Macclesfield Town. Indeed, none of the Alty bench had started a first-team game this season. Also missing were long-term injured players Carl Furlong and Paul Taylor, plus Stuart Locke, but Chris Adams had recovered from his ankle injury to start the game. Up front, Lee Poland came into the starting line-up. For Spalding, Damien Steer replaced Martin Bunce in goal.

There was more good play in the opening ten minutes of this game than in virtually all of the ninety minutes on Saturday at Spalding, with Altrincham setting the pace as they attacked the Hale End. Damien Steer was soon in action taking the ball off Murphy's head in the first minute from a Scott centre but then, on the break, Spalding were caught narrowly offside in a threatening position. After three minutes a ball into the box from Adams, on the left, was nodded on by Murphy to Thornley. Thornley's header across goal from the right of centre struck the keeper's right-hand post (3 mins). Soon, Murphy won a corner on the right as Altrincham started very brightly. A second corner followed on the left soon afterwards (5 mins).

Stevenson advanced at the other end but the danger was cleared before the visitors won a corner off Swannick's miscue; Williams headed over from the flag-kick (7 mins). Lewsham then had a shot from long range which went high into Golf Road behind the goal (9 mins). The action continued with Hawes feeding Craney, who beat a man, but screwed his shot well wide from 20 yards. Then Swannick's pass to Poland was well forwarded some 25 yards, diagonally to his right by Poland, for Murphy. Murphy approached the by-line before crossing low towards the back post where Thornley clipped it expertly into the net for the opening goal (10 mins).

Altrincham were now playing some fast and fluent football but, following a Hawes corner on the left, Thornley totally miscued his next effort, which went high and wide (13 mins). Soon, a Murphy header from an Adams' cross dropped handily for the keeper before Craney lost possession and Sowerby got in a skimming header at the other end which went wide of the goal (15 mins). A tempting ball forward from Hawes was just smothered by Steer as Thornley closed in on it but Spalding responded well to the home side's pressure. Stevenson picked up a loose ball on the Spalding right and fired in a good shot. Coburn beat it out for a corner on the Tulips' right-side (18 mins). From Lewsham's corner, Cundy's firm shot was blocked by a defender. Two more good Alty moves followed; the first ended when Poland slipped and the second when Hawes mis-kicked (20 mins) after the referee, not for the last time, played the advantage rule well having seen a foul on Murphy in the build-up. Murphy was then accidentally caught by Dennis's elbow and needed treatment (22 mins).

Next, Baker completely missed a long punt down the middle from Coburn but Thornley could only win a throw as a result (24 mins). It was now pouring with fine rain and Altrincham's initial pace had slightly slackened. However, they were well on top as a Craney ball for Adams led to a ball into the box which Steer held well under pressure from Murphy. Steer needed treatment before continuing (25 mins), whilst Adams also received attention for a knock to his head. More good work from Craney, followed by Murphy just keeping the ball in play as he crossed the ball, gave Thornley a difficult header which he directed narrowly over the bar (29 mins). Sowerby and Cundy showed some life at the other end but Coburn was alert to hack clear, but though another neat move from the visitors soon followed it ended in an Altrincham goal-kick.

Thornley's pace was causing problems, especially on the Spalding left and he was unlucky to be shepherded out for a goal kick (32 mins) after a surging run. The first really bad tackle of the game occurred when Sowerby was very late in challenging Gary Scott and should have been booked (34 mins). Dennis was the next offender holding off Murphy with his arm to concede another free-kick. With Altrincham looking quite comfortable, an equaliser from Spalding came as a surprise but it was well worked from the left after Thornley had lost possession near half-way. Cocksworth fed Stevenson who got the better of Maddox and shot across Coburn from the right of goal. The ball seemed to deviate as it rolled into the net, either from a touch by Coburn or from a divot (38 mins). However, Altrincham responded well.

A corner was won on the left following a multiple passing move and Hawes's corner ball found Mark Sertori who headed the ball powerfully home from close range, in a central position (43 mins). Sowerby then committed another poor challenge, Thornley being the victim and this time the referee booked the Spalding man, clearly pointing to the scene of his earlier crime against Scott to emphasise why he was doing so (44 mins). Sertori took the free-kick but unlike his expert attempt on Saturday which smacked against the bar, this one ended up two-thirds of the way up the Hale End terracing behind the goal. Just before the interval, Stevenson again did well on the right and his cross was well met by a a flying header from Sowerby, which went narrowly over the bar (45 mins).

After a brief lull during the interval, the heavy rain resumed as the second half started. Spalding's style became increasingly physical as the game progressed, with Poland the first victim of the second period, before Swannick was fouled after the ball had gone. The Tulips had not been a particularly aggressive side on Saturday so this aspect of their play tonight was surprising- but then they had not gone behind on Saturday either. Mr Stokes annoyed the home crowd with his leniency by booking nobody for these fouls (48 mins). Spalding were now also pressing to get an equaliser but were not creating any real openings for shots at Coburn. Altrincham eventually got in a fairly tame header from Murphy which Steer collected easily as they sought to rekindle their first-half rhythm (55 mins). The crowd grew even more irate when Murphy was flattened and no firm action was taken by the referee.

After the speedy Hargreaves had been given dubiously offside, Spalding won a rare corner off Sertori, who had done well after the ball had got past Maddox. The corner from the right was partly cleared but, from the left of goal, the ball was passed into the box where an unmarked Williams netted the equaliser (65 mins).

After Mark Sertori had surged forward with the ball, only for the movement to break down when a subsequent Adams cross was cleared, the big Alty centre-half was then penalised when he became entangled with Stevenson. For Alty, Anthony Hargreaves was the next to be chopped down by the forceful Spalding side, Cundy being booked as a consequence (72 mins). From the free-kick by Hawes, Sertori found Thornley whose snap shot was not far off beam (73 mins). Sertori was then involved again, breaking up an attack by Cundy and feeding Hargreaves. He set Thornley off against Cocksworth, who forced Rod left of goal. However, Thornley got enough space to fire in a shot which the keeper got a hand to as it went across him, but which he could not keep out. The ball entered the net near the foot of his left-hand post, to make it 3-2 (76 mins). A blatant dive by Williams in the Alty box was rightly ignored by the referee before Spalding replaced Lewsham by King (79 mins).

Soon, Spalding won a corner which Maddox cleared. However, the impressive Hargreaves then got to a through ball before the keeper but was forced wide, left, but his cross found Murphy. However, the ball got caught up in Danny's feet and he could not convert it (81 mins). As Altrincham prepared for a corner, James Wilkinson came on to make his debut at left-back instead of Adams (82 mins). From the corner by Hawes, a Murphy header was cleared off the line. Wilkinson immediately showed a nice touch to feed Hargreaves and, then, Thornley but the ball was half cleared and the attack ended with a Murphy drive over the bar from 25 yards. Bell now replaced the Spalding captain, Waiton (84 mins) as Altrincham coasted to the final whistle for a win that should have been more comfortable than by a one-goal margin .

Rod Thornley was named Man of the Match; he has now hit 19 goals in as many matches this season and 28 in 28 games during his Alty career. Mark Sertori must also have been a candidate for the award for his performance at the other end and his fine headed goal, his first for Altrincham. Out of the adversity of the long Altrincham injury list came the silver linings of good performances by the substitutes Hargreaves and Wilkinson. Altrincham earned £500 prize money for this win, which took 180 minutes of effort and some 300 miles of travelling, and they now face either Accrington or Radcliffe Borough away in the next round.