Match Report

This match should have been a Boxing Day crowd-puller but the bad weather in December saw the game deferred till this March evening. Few would have predicted that Hyde would be in such trouble this season but it was Alty who went into the game with the worse recent record - no league win in their last six outings.

The injury-weakened Robins were also without Rod Thornley, who was on England duty and they had a further blow when Andy Tunnicliffe hobbled off with what looked a bad injury to his lower leg after less than 10 minutes. However, they took the lead with a Steve Hawes header following a sweeping pass from Shuttleworth to Poland had led to a fine cross from the right, which Hawes converted well (24 mins).

Although it arrived in contested circumstances, Hyde deserved their equaliser after 38 minutes which came when ex-Alty reserve Lee Evans found himself completely alone in front of Stuart Coburn and scored as Alty stopped in the expectation of an offside decision. Hyde won the match when Yeo's header found Foster inside the box and he shot home from six yards (77 mins).

As well as being without Rod Thornley, Vernum Rowland was out injured joining the list of wounded which includes Scott, Taylor, Gallagher, Murphy and Adams. Making his debut was 18 year-old Andy Tunnicliffe, on loan from Manchester City, who had made a good impression when coming on as a substitute at Hucknall last Saturday. He started on the left of midfield, with Craney on the right and Hawes and Swanick in the centre. Lee Poland got a rare start, with Kevin Hulme as his strike partner. The 4-2-4 line-up was completed by a back four of Ryan, Maddox, Sertori and Shuttleworth. Hyde included two ex-Alty reserve players in Lee Evans and Chris Young. Hyde Assistant Manager Martin Filson did not play but coached from the sidelines.

The game began at a lively pace with Altrincham winning the first corner of the game after three minutes. This came after the Hyde defence allowed the ball to reach Poland, who in turn fed Tunnicliffe before Shuttleworth won the flag kick on the Alty left, which he took himself. This came to nothing but in the Alty midfield Steve Hawes was showing a good appetite for the game. However, after a firm tackle by Tunnicliffe, the young loan player, making his first start for the Robins, went down injured. After treatment he hobbled on but was clearly incapable of continuing (8 mins). Indeed, after a moment or two, he came off the pitch, unable to put any weight on his left ankle, as play continued. Eventually Gareth Strange, another recent loan acquisition, took over from Tunnicliffe (10 mins).

Hyde now began to get into the game, though an eight-pass Altrincham move emanating from Coburn soon ended in a none too convincing claim for a penalty from Hulme, who went down in the box (12 mins). After Swanick had been dispossessed in midfield, Yeo broke through into the box but his shot was blocked and came out, right, to Evans, His shot hit Shuttleworth and went for a corner on the Hyde right (13 mins). The corner kick rebounded off Swanick to Evans and his shot brought a superb save from Coburn, diving low to his left to get the ball round the post for another corner to Hyde. This was not properly cleared and came to Foster who, completely unmarked, lashed the ball against the top of the cross bar from 12 yards, from where it rebounded back into play.

Graham Heathcote, the Alty coach, lashed his defence for "three pieces of sloppiness in sixty seconds" and no one could argue with his assessment. As an announcement was made for Andy Tunnicliffe's parents to go to the dressing room, it was feared that the youngster had suffered a serious injury and this has since been confirmed as a broken left leg.

A misplaced pass by Hawes then let in Evans for another crack at goal, but he shot wide (21 mins). Following treatment for an injury he picked up as he tried to head at goal, Lee Poland resumed after treatment and almost immediately laid on the opening goal. This came when a superb 60 yard diagonal ball from the left by Shuttleworth found Poland on the right, about 25 yards out from goal. Lee made some space well and got in a cross which found an unmarked Steve Hawes in the box and he made no mistake with a firm close-range header past Acton (24 mins).

After Strange had shown some nice touches, Hyde almost equalised. Having won a corner off Maddox, through the efforts of Yeo and Foster, the ball came in from Young's flag-kick to an unmarked Yeo. His firm close-range header was magnificently kept out by Coburn, going to his left to concede a corner (27 mins). From the corner, Hawes broke away from deep in his own half and fed Hulme. Hulme elected to stretch and shoot first time rather than control the ball and his effort went well wide (28 mins). There was soon a stoppage for treatment to Taylor in his own penalty area after which Hyde began to enjoy a better spell than Altrincham. Shuttleworth firstly stopped Yeo after he had round Maddox and then Swanick eased Yeo off the ball as he advanced again, conceding a free-kick to Hyde from 25 yards.

This freekick struck the wall and ended with a weak shot from Taylor. Hyde soon won another corner, on the right, which Coburn gathered (34 mins). The jitteriness in the Alty defence continued as Coburn slipped when receiving a Swanick back pass and he had to recover quickly to kick clear. However, Shuttleworth was instrumental in gaining a corner for Alty soon after this, on their left flank. This resulted in a Hyde goalkick after Hulme was unable to control the ball. Then, out of nothing, the ball came through from the inside left position to Evans, who seemed to be offside, well inside the box. Everyone stopped as Evans showed composure and drew Coburn, who slipped, allowing the Hyde man to tap the ball into an empty net for the equaliser (38 mins). Both Shuttleworth and Maddox were booked for their protestations. In the remaining minutes of the half, Altrincham came nearest when a Craney shot was blocked (44 mins).

Hyde started the second half the brighter and a shot from more than 20 yards by Crookes narrowly cleared the bar (48 mins). Sertori and Coburn then got in a mix up but managed to clear it as Foster tried to intercept. Alty then won a corner on the left but Hyde responded with Crookes getting the better of Sertori and Swanick having to make a timely tackle (52 mins).At the other end, Hawes picked up a loose ball and lashed in a shot from 25 yards which Acton did well to save, to his left, at the cost of a corner (53 mins). The next chance came when Craney danced past two tackles in the Hyde box but could only shoot into the side netting from a sharp angle to the right of goal (56 mins). There was little to choose between the sides as Hyde then appealed for a penalty when Foster went down. Mr Rawcliffe saw this as a dive and booked the Hyde man (58 mins).

Hyde now began to enjoy the better of things as Alty laboured to put together their passing movements. However, a moment of brilliance from Craney saw him take off on a 60-yard run at goal, past defenders, before finishing with a useful shot which Acton saved well to his right, pushing the ball away. The ball then came back across goal to Strange, in the right of the penalty area. He measured his shot but this gave Acton time to make another very good save, this time low down to his left (70 mins). Both keepers were having fine games.

Yeo won a free-kick when Craney was pulling his shirt in midfield and from this a corner resulted for Hyde. This was cleared before a Shuttleworth cross at the other end found Hulme but his header went to Acton (74 mins). A misplaced Shuttleworth back pass then forced Sertori to concede a corner on the Hyde left, taken by Young. This immediately led to another corner, on the right. Though this was cleared the ball came back and Yeo directed a cushioned header to the right to Foster, who was in space inside the box. He shot firmly past Coburn to give Hyde the lead (77 mins). Yeo soon departed, limping, to be replaced by Obong (79 mins). Altrincham pushed for an equaliser without ever seriously threatening to get one and Hyde ended the match in jubilation as they climbed out of the relegation places.

Altrincham's dismal run continues with no wins in their last seven league games after such a fine first half of the season. Clearly the long injury list has taken its toll but tiredness, after more than 50 games this season, must also be a factor for those who have remained fit to play. Stuart Coburn was the official Man of the Match for Altrincham and he deserved this for some magnificent saves. Of the outfield players, Steve Hawes was probably the pick, though Barry Shuttleworth also had some good moments especially in the first half and Craney came into things more in the second half.