Match Report

This was the first of this season's three annual England FA XI games against representative sides drawn respectively from the UniBond, Dr Martens and Ryman leagues. All three matches are on consecutive nights, with the FA side being drawn chiefly from Conference sides playing in the same region as the feeder leagues.

The UniBond League XI beat the FA XI in this entertaining "England National Game XI International Trials" match, played in front of 662 fans at Moss Lane, Altrincham. Captained by Mark Sertori and including three other Altrincham players (Steve Hawes, Rod Thornley and Stuart Coburn), the UniBond side won 4-3. The UniBond XI took a first-minute lead through Thornley (1 min) but a penalty by Peyton and a finely struck effort by Marples put the FA ahead before 20 minutes had passed. Hyde's Simon Yeo equalised for the UniBond after 58 minutes before Pickford's fine effort restored the FA's lead (63 mins), just after his side had been reduced to ten men by an injury to Elliott. Worksop's Gary Townsend made it 3-3 (82 mins) as the UniBond side finished strongly and Yeo's penalty clinched a win for the Northern Premier League representatives with just a minute left.

The England side also had Alty connections, its manager being former Moss Lane star John Owens. Missing from the FA's original squad were Steve Brodie (Scarborough) and the Doncaster duo of Tim Ryan, (formerly at Altrincham), and Justin Jackson.

Although even the FA's own matchday programme had this game down as a 7.45pm kick-off, it actually started at 7.29pm with the result that quite a few fans missed the first two goals. Those arriving for 7.30pm were just in time to see Clarke make a hash of an attempted back-header as a ball was played forward by the UniBond side. The ball skimmed off the top of his head, outside the box, into the path of Rod Thornley who wasted no time in slotting it past the advancing Andy Woods in the England goal, with exactly a minute on the clock. However, the lead lasted just four minutes before a pass from Peyton saw the impressive Talbot, now at Morecambe but formerly at Burscough, advance at Coburn. The Alty keeper dived at the striker's feet and was adjudged to have given away a penalty. Peyton put the spot-kick away well, sending the keeper to his left as the ball was hammered into the other side of the net.

Peyton was the player who should have taken Nuneaton's first-half penalty against Altrincham in the FA Cup 4th Round Qualifier but, thankfully for the Robins, it was Marc McGregor who chose to take the spot kick, which Coburn saved so well.

England now proceeded to dominate proceedings, creating fast, one-touch passing movements, at the end of which Talbot's pace was particularly impressive. It was no surprise when they took the lead, though the goal came after a move up the left by Andy Scott and Michael Twiss seemed to have been cleared by Sertori. However, the ball soon found its way to right-back Simon Marples, who hit an unstoppable shot from outside the box, across Coburn, and into the net (18 mins). Two minutes later Talbot was running at Coburn again and, once more, the keeper dived at his feet but this time Coburn emerged with the ball. With England on top, the UniBond's threat was limited to a free-kick by Hawes which found Sertori at the back post, but the big centre-back was penalised for a foul on a defender (32 mins). For the UniBond, things looked up when good play by Hawes fed Steve Housham and the Barrow man struck his volley well but Woods saved it, this being the England keeper's first bit of meaningful action for some considerable time (33 mins).

In fact the UniBond side was now beginning to settle but it was England who soon drew a magnificent save from Coburn, who had to dive to his left to tip a 35-yard thunderbolt from Stuart Elliott round his left post for a corner (41 mins). Elliott had another impressive long range strike following the corner, but this time his aim was just too high. Then, Michael Twiss of Leigh RMI, who had played for Altrincham in a pre-season friendly, made a neat turn and fired at Coburn, who again saved well (43 mins). Rod Thornley won a corner for his side by chasing a 50-50 ball at the other end but this was cleared. Just before the interval a mis-kick by Nicholson let in Talbot but Coburn rushed out alertly to clear (44 mins). An entertaining half ended with the England side deservedly ahead.

The expected wave of half-time substitutions occurred- five for England and three for the Northern Premier League (UniBond) side. For the FA XI. Dickinson replaced Woods in goal, whilst Pickford, Lane, Kilbane and Whittaker replaced Marples, Clarke, Peyton and Twiss. The UniBond side also switched goalkeepers, Coburn giving way to Burton's Matt Duke. The outfield changes for the UniBond saw Duke's team-mates Stride and Anderson give way to Barrow's Anthony and Worksop's Townsend. Townsend immediately impressed but Beesley did well to stop his early advance into the box. Thornley then won a corner as the UniBond side began to look brighter in this half (46 mins). Indeed, Hume's header from the corner was heading for goal till it struck a defender on the line. Townsend then, again, did well before a crude challenge by Elliott on the Worksop man gave the UniBond side a free-kick 30 yards out.

England responded to this with a sustained passing movement which ended when Pickford's shot was deflected for a corner (53 mins). The UniBond made a double substitution after 55 minutes, with a limping Steve Hawes and Barrow's Lee Warren being replaced by centre-back James Wall from Burton and striker Simon Yeo from Hyde. Immediately, Thornley surged into the FA's box but Dickinson saved comfortably. Townsend then expertly teed up a volley for himself which Dickinson also stopped (58 mins) but moments later Yeo sprang the offside trap and coolly converted a through ball down the centre, striking his shot from the outer fringes of the penalty area to level the scores. The excellent Townsend then played a fine ball over the FA defence to Thornley whose first-time shot ran to Dickinson (62 mins) as the contest now looked a much more even affair than in the first half.

Elliott then took a knock but was curiously fit enough to run off the pitch to end his participation in the game, leaving the England side with ten men for the remaining 27 minutes. Paradoxically, the immediate effect was that his side scored their third goal when Steve Pickford picked up a loose ball and hammered it past Duke from 20 yards (63 mins). An immediate UniBond move to the other end ended with a poor shot by Townsend but Yeo did better five minutes later with an attempt which Dickinson held from 22 yards. Thornley then surged forward and played a one-two with a colleague before seeing his snap-shot go narrowly wide (74 mins). With Wall looking good alongside Sertori in the UniBond defence, the revamped England FA attack were now looking less menacing. However, after Anthony had been dubiously knocked off the ball by an FA player, play continued and Whittaker got free but the Lancaster man shot badly well over the bar (78 mins). Anthony and Townsend then set Thornley at goal and though his shirt was clearly being pulled, no offence was spotted by the officials. The UniBond were now on top and got a deserved equaliser when Townsend ran down the centre, through several challenges, to score a fine goal from inside the box (82 mins).

A great shot from Warren from 30 yards tested Dickinson as the Northern side now pressed for a winner, with a penalty shoot-out otherwise looming. Warren unleashed another long shot, from 25 yards, which narrowly cleared the bar as the UniBond side looked the more likely to score (83 mins). Then, a good cross from the left by Maxfield found Yeo, who headed narrowly wide at the back post (86 mins). With penalties looking likely to decide the contest, Thornley and Warren advanced and when one of the UniBond players was bundled over, just inside the penalty area, Mr Kellett pointed to the spot. It was Yeo, rather than Alty's spot-kick expert Rod Thornley, who sent Dickinson the wrong way to give the UniBond a 4-3 win, with barely a minute left on the clock.

Whilst the loss of Elliott had reduced the FA to ten men for the final stages, this only had the effect of consolidating an already improving performance by the UniBond side during the second half. It was an entertaining game from beginning to end, played in a good spirit and well refereed.