Match Report

Recent form contradicted the relative league positions of the two teams with Hucknall having taken 25 points from their last 12 games and Alty being without a win in their last six league and cup matches. Former Nottingham Forest and Huddersfield Town star Phil Starbuck has transformed the team's performance since he arrived as player-manager. A number of improvements to the Watnall Round ground were noted and the Altrincham fans received a friendly welcome from their hosts. The attendance was the largest for a league game this season at Watnall Road apart from the huge gate brought by neighbours Burton Albion.

An unfamiliar Altrincham line-up enjoyed little success against a resolute Hucknall defence in the first half, especially in the air where they got little change, but their own defence also performed well to keep out Ricketts and Burke. However, it was Altrincham who enjoyed much the better of the second half, forcing Hucknall onto the defensive but the Robins were unable to make the breakthrough that would have given them a welcome three points. This was only the second goalless draw for Alty this season.

Altrincham's line-up was an unfamiliar one with a league debutant (Vernum Rowland) and four recently loaned players in the squad, with a total of just three league starts amongst them. Of the loan players, both Barry Shuttleworth (from Macclesfield) and Marc Whiteman (from Bury) started the game whilst Gareth Strange (from Accrington) and newcomer Andy Tunnicliffe (from Manchester City) were on the bench. Gary Scott had limped off on Tuesday night and his hernia problem prevented him for starting today. However, Mark Maddox was back from injury and Steve Hawes returned after suspension, though his captain's armband was retained by Mark Sertori.

The main news, however, was that striker Carl Furlong had been sacked by the club after his sending off last Tuesday in the Cheshire Senior Cup Final. This had been his third red card this season. Murphy, Gallagher, Adams and Taylor all remained sidelined by injury and Neil Ryan was serving a one-match suspension for five bookings. The unlucky Lee Poland, with 15 goals to his name this season, was on the bench. Hucknall have seen many personnel changes since we met them earlier this season and the ins and outs were epitomised by the picture on the front of the matchday programme which depicted our old friend Leroy Chambers, who has moved on to Frickley via Bradford since appearing for Hucknall this season. The Hucknall player manager Phil Starbuck was in midfield whilst Gary Ricketts, a relative of Bolton's Michael, was also in the starting line-up.

All the Alty team were on the pitch as 3pm arrived but none of the opposition or the officials were to be seen and, so, the game kicked off more than two minutes late. The versatile Kevin Hulme started in midfield, whilst Rod Thornley's strike partner was Marc Whiteman. At the back, Dave Swanick played at right back with Barry Shuttleworth on the left of the back four. Sixteen year-old Vernum Rowland got his first league start on the right of midfield. Hucknall were the first to threaten their opponent's goal when Coburn had to come out smartly to punch clear and in the process he caught Duerden, the former Barrow striker, who needed treatment where he had gone down, on the outer fringes of the penalty area (6 mins).

It soon became clear that Altrincham would get little change out of the Hucknall defence, especially in the air, where every heading duel went the home side's way. Altrincham finally caused some consternation in the Hucknall box when Hulme won the ball and got it to Craney whose cross, under pressure, yielded a Hucknall goal-kick (12 mins). After a foul on Rowland near half-way the young Alty midfielder then tripped an opponent, some 35 yards from goal (14 mins). Alty won their first corner after 18 minutes but this was cleared as Rowland's enthusiastic play was accompanied by jeering from the home crowd in the stand. Duerden then left the fray to be replaced by Paul Burke, who had scored a number of goals recently but was returning to the first team from injury (21 mins).

Hucknall got a lucky break when a pass by the lively Hawes struck the referee and rebounded to a Hucknall player. The Hucknall man got the ball to Ricketts, who turned well and shot at goal prompting a fine save, low to his right, by Coburn (24 mins). This was the first clear shot on target of the game so far. Then Starbuck got hold of a long range shot but this went over the bar (26 mins) as Hucknall began to assert themselves. Alty's attempts to go forward continued to founder on the Hucknall impregnability in the air against the Alty forwards. Only Kevin Hulme on the Robins' side seemed able to compete in the aerial duels. Altrincham did threaten soon afterwards when Craney got to the by-line from a Hulme feed, but the ball ran out for a goal-kick (28 mins). Another long range shot from Starbuck then went well wide (29 mins).

At the other end, Rowland and Hulme got the ball to Whiteman and though he turned well he allowed the ball to run freely to Young in the Hucknall goal (31 mins). Maddox now set Hulme at goal but his shot from the right of goal was high and wide (32 mins). Burke was looking a handful for the Alty defence but the back four stood firm. Shuttleworth made some useful forward forays on the left whilst Maddox, Sertori and Swanick were also defending their lines well. Rowland then lost possession near half-way and in attempting to retrieve possession fouled his opponent to earn a booking (38 mins). As half time approached Whiteman laid off a ball for Craney whose shot was narrowly wide but was well watched by Young (41 mins). After Ricketts had fed Burke, he got round Sertori, drawing Shuttleworth into a foul tackle to stop him just outside the box. Starbuck rushed the free-kick and hit it into straight at the wall (42 mins). Steve Hawes was showing good application in midfield as half-time arrived with the score still goalless.

Altrincham started the second half strongly but they soon changed their line up with Rowland giving way to Strange, who was making his Alty debut after a run out for the Reserves in their 9-0 win last Wednesday (48 mins). The shaven-headed former Manchester United youngster took over Rowland's position on the right of midfield. An early corner from Shuttleworth came off Hulme's head to Sertori who set up Craney for a shot which went too high (48 mins). Hucknall then won a corner after Swanick had seen off an attack on the Hucknall left. Maddox headed this clear as he continued the fine form he has shown in recent games. Then Steve Hawes found himself on the end of a through ball, running at goal, only for a fine tackle by the impressive Prindiville to stop him on the edge of the box (51 mins).

Play now became end to end as the second half assumed a higher level of entertainment than the first. Soon, Swanick made a fine interception to stop a threat from Ricketts (55 mins) before Thornley won a corner from a punt by Coburn (56 mins). Thornley himself took the flag kick and though this came to nothing, he soon won a free-kick on the edge of the Hucknall box (57 mins). The Hucknall keeper missed his punch from Shuttleworth's kick and a second corner resulted on the left. Thornley was causing problems to the home defence now as Alty kept the ball more on the deck than they had in the first half. Hawes's free-kick came via Craney to Shuttleworth who badly sliced his shot wide of goal (61 mins). Altrincham were now decidedly on top.

However, after Shuttleworth had fed Craney, the Alty midfielder lost the ball just inside the Hucknall half. This led to a breakaway by Ricketts and Burke with the latter reproducing a good shot which Coburn saved well, low to his left (66 mins). Then Craney made amends for his lapse as he surged forward and fed Thornley whose low cross was just intercepted by the excellent Prindiville. Play continued from end to end with Whiteman turning superbly on the Alty left past Cooke, only to deliver a mis-directed pass inside. Altrincham then replaced Whiteman by 18 year-old Tunnicliffe, who was making his debut after arriving this week on loan from Manchester City (71 mins). Instantly Tunnicliffe won a corner from a pass by Hulme. This led to another corner, on the other side, the right, which was an in-swinger by Shuttleworth that was too long to find a team-mate. Hulme was now up front with Thornley as Altrincham applied some sustained pressure. Thornley nearly got in on goal from a fine pass by Swanick but Prindiville got a header back to Young to clear the danger. The speedy Tunnicliffe was operating in left midfield and from a Craney and Thornley movement the young substitute shot just wide of Hucknall's goal (76 mins).

Strange too began to show some promise on the right flank as Altrincham looked the more likely winners at this stage. After a fine cross from Shuttleworth, Tunnicliffe directed a free header just wide of goal (79 mins). Then a free-kick from the back by Swanick found Tunnicliffe again and his diving header from six yards, as the defence hesitated, was on target but did not beat keeper Young (82 mins). At the Alty end, Stuart Coburn got caught in no man's land as Burke beat him to a through ball but fortunately the Hucknall sub failed to control the ball and a goal kick resulted (84 mins). Hucknall won a late corner off Craney, on their right flank but Coburn caught this well. Alty's last chance was wasted when Strange sliced his cross from the right to give Hucknall a goal-kick (89 mins).

This was the first point that Altrincham have conceded to Hucknall in four league encounters. The result also meant that Altrincham had gone six league games without a win, by far their worst run of the season. Nevertheless, there were a lot of positives to take out of the match. The Robins had performed very well, especially in the second half, with a team of players unused to each other's style of play and the loan players had all shown application, with Shuttleworth the pick of the bunch and the lively Tunnicliffe also making a late impact. Steve Hawes also made a welcome return in midfield and Rod Thornley kept his opponents busy, whilst the Alty back four kept a welcome clean sheet.