Match Report

This match had been postponed from 16 October 2001 and was Altrincham's first-ever league game at the Autoquest Stadium, Widnes, though they had won a league cup match there, 2-0, earlier this season. Just 301 spectators tried to give the cavernous stadium some atmosphere, with a large proportion of these being from Altrincham.

In a fairly entertaining first-half, Runcorn started well and it was against the early pressure that Altrincham took the lead. Hawes won the ball well with a neat header some 30 yards out. Steve then got the ball forward to Kevin Hulme, who slotted the ball home firmly from about 12 yards. Hulme had a second goal disallowed for offside on 30 minutes when he finished off a fine move by Craney and Thornley.

After a fairly entertaining first half, the second period was a disappointment. Runcorn had most of the possession for the first thirty minutes of the half but their pressure proved ineffectual against the Altrincham defence. Altrincham finally made some progress into Runcorn territory in the closing quarter of an hour but did not look like adding to their lead.

Danny Murphy was not in tonight's squad, though he was present at the match; Whether he was serving his one-match suspension for five bookings or not was unclear. So, Dave Swannick made his first Altrincham league start after ten UniBond Premier League substitute appearances, taking Murphy's place on the left of midfield. Neil Ryan reverted to right-back, with Gary Scott going to right-midfield. The surprise inclusion on the bench was Barry Guildford a right-sided defender/midfielder.

Twenty-five year-old Barry was recently at Marlow Town in the Ryman Second Division but also has a more exotic background. In October 2000, he joined Canberra Cosmos in Australia and also spent part of 2000-01 season in the Vietnamese League.

Runcorn included recent £5,000 signing Kevin Leadbetter in their line-up. He had been at Southport and more recently on loan at Hyde United following an early season loan spell with Runcorn themselves. Ex-Robin Dave Gamble was in the Runcorn line-up, too.

After an early Gary Scott cross from the right had been cleared Runcorn had the first opening when Gamble fed Lunt, who curiously opted to turn his back to goal and pass back to a colleague rather than shoot for himself (3 mins). Steve Hawes was prominent for Altrincham in the early exchanges as was Ian Craney, who got past two opponents before being blocked off (5 mins). The speedy Leadbetter soon picked the ball up from Maddox but he was driven left and the danger passed for Altrincham. Price then nearly got in at the back post but a cross from the left just evaded him.

Then, at the other end, a cross from Craney on the Alty right found Dave Swannick in a good position but his header went just wide as he was forced to stretch to meet the ball (8 mins). Runcorn now began to increase their pressure, with some neat passing movements on what appears to be a very wide pitch. The Altrincham defence stood firm and it was slightly against the run of play when Altrincham then took the lead. Steve Hawes jumped well to win a header in centre-field about 30 yards out and in winning the ball he also got past his marker. He relayed it forward where Kevin Hulme reacted quickly to drive the pass low into the Runcorn net, his diagonal shot beating McMillan to the keeper's right from about 12 yards (16 mins). This was Kevin's eighth league goal in Alty's last eleven league games- in one of which he did not play. Kevin is now well ahead as the team's leading scorer from outfield play in the league, with ten goals, as four of Rod Thornley's ten have been penalties.

The game continued in a similar pattern to the League Cup encounter earlier this season with Runcorn having more of the possession but being unable to make it tell. Alty were relying on Rod Thornley as a lone striker, albeit supported by Hulme and Craney in particular, and Rod was making a nuisance of himself with his good close control, his pace and his nimble turns. There was a plausible call for a penalty when he was upended in the Runcorn box but the referee cupped his hands in a ball-shape to indicate his view that the defender had got the ball not the man (23 mins). A shot by Gamble at the other end was then deflected for a corner which came out to Leadbetter but his attempt was well closed down by Hulme at the cost of another flag-kick.

Runcorn's Morley had a glorious chance to score when he found himself with ball, unmarked, in the Alty box after a build up from the keeper, via Tomlinson and Price amongst others. Morley got in a decent shot but Coburn saved it very well, beating the ball out (25 mins). After Hulme had been harshly penalised for foot-up, the referee lectured Leadbetter, presumably for a comment. Then, Altrincham put together the most impressive move of the game when Craney won the ball in centre-field, nodded the ball into space and then played it, left, to Thornley. Rod made progress up the left touchline and delivered a fine cross which Kevin Hulme converted superbly, volleying the ball in off the crossbar. Sadly, offside was given and the goal ruled out (30 mins).

Leadbetter was then booked for a foul on Craney (31 mins) and soon Hulme was bundled over by Morley for another free-kick. The game was now fairly even as Swannick headed clear a Runcorn free-kick. A long throw from Tomlinson was punched clear by Coburn before Maddox redeemed a potentially dangerous situation with a superb block tackle after a Taylor pass back towards his own goalmouth (37 mins).

A lengthy punt from Coburn set Thornley racing into the box where he was clearly held but the referee allowed play to continue and Thornley was then only able to poke the ball over the bar as he was jostled (40 mins). Runcorn also had their moments but a wayward shot from Morley was the nearest to a goal at this point. Thornley then raced to the edge of the box again only for a superb tackle by McNally to dispossess him (43 mins). From a Runcorn corner Morley had a free header which he directed weakly wide of the target (44 mins) to end an entertaining first half.

Altrincham made a very slow start to the second period and barely got out of their half till the hour mark had passed. Gamble's shot from 35 yards went wide (47 mins) before Leadbetter won a corner on the left, off Ryan, after the Runcorn man had mis-controlled the ball in a threatening position (48 mins). Then Coburn stopped a good shot from Leadbetter after Price had surged forward 20 yards (49 mins). Altrincham were also conceding a number of freekicks in midfield at this stage and Coburn and his back four were kept busy keeping Runcorn at bay. Next, Hawes was booked for a late tackle after the referee had allowed Runcorn an advantage which had come to nothing (58 mins).

Mr Sims made one or two puzzling decisions in this match, one of which was to penalise Hulme when he seemed to be the victim of an unfair tackle in midfield. From this, Price's well-struck direct free-kick was well tipped over the bar by Coburn, as his counterpart McMillan continued to have a virtually untroubled second half in the Runcorn net (59 mins). As Alty repelled the repeated pressing of Runcorn, they no longer seemed able to find Thornley as an outlet and possession was repeatedly lost in the middle of the field or by aimless clearances from the back. Indeed, Maddox had to make another fine blocking tackle, on Price, to stop a Runcorn attack after 64 minutes, after good work on the left by Leadbetter. Runcorn then replaced Gamble by player-manager Liam Watson and the former Alty man left the field to a number of adverse comments from a small faction of the home crowd (65 mins).

Two minutes later Alty made a change, too, with the limping Hulme replaced by Carl Furlong who came on to give Thornley some support up-front. Furlong made little direct impact on the game at first but his presence at least gave Altrincham another outlet and almost immediately the pattern of the game changed, as Altrincham belatedly got out of their own half for a significant period. Graham Heathcote on the Alty bench continued to berate his players for "whacking the ball forward" instead of keeping possession and finding their own men with more measured passing.

Another of the referee's odd decisions saw a shot by Hawes clearly deflected off target for a corner but a goal-kick was awarded to Runcorn instead (77 mins). Indeed, it was a minute later before a chip from Ian Craney, which went wide, became the first Altrincham shot of the second half to be even vaguely on target. However, Altrincham continued to improve slowly and Runcorn's threat correspondingly diminished as the game entered the last ten minutes. Furlong began to see quite a bit of the ball but little of menace came of this. However, a fine long header from Sertori found Furlong and as he cut into the box, Furlong went down under a challenge from the impressive Baines.

The referee, probably correctly, showed no interest in a penalty award (86 mins). Ryan was lucky not to be cautioned when he felled Watson on the left Runcorn touchline and Coburn caught the resulting free-kick well. A good block by Ryan conceded a late corner to Runcorn which was cleared before in the dying seconds Leadbetter won another corner which Coburn collected, despite also winning a free-kick for being fouled. The game ended with Altrincham fans more happy with the three points than with the level of entertainment, especially in the second half.