Match Report

Bradford had gone five games without a win whilst Alty had not won in nine matches before today. This was Alty's first visit to the Horsfall Stadium, a friendly ground where the pitch is encircled by a running track. Apart from the changing rooms and a small stand, there are few permanent structures but the bar is well laid out with some interesting historical exhibits around the walls, particularly relating to the legendary Len Shackleton a former BPA player. The day was blustery and as the game progressed rain started to fall. Kick off was delayed by a minute's silence to mark the Queen Mother's death.

After a bright start, Alty fell behind when a deflected cross from the impressive Dean Calcutt came to Dean Martin, the former Lancaster player, who smashed it home (15 mins). Hayward headed a second after 37 minutes before Alty's Dave Swanick was sent off (41 mins) for retaliating after being fouled by Dean Martin. Alty got a goal back after 56 minutes when Hulme netted from close range after a defensive mix-up but, just three minutes later, Maxwell headed home a Calcutt cross to make it 3-1. Hayward made it 4-1 after 71 minutes when he turned well and scored a fine goal.

Mark Sertori missed his first league game of the season having cried off just before kick-off with an injury. Also missing was the on-loan Macclesfield left back Barry Shuttleworth who had impressed in previous games. Into the squad came reserve team captain Keith Mairs and youth/reserve striker Mario Daniel. Keith got his first league start of the season, whilst Mario joined youth team colleague Vernum Rowland on the bench. Marc Whiteman, on loan from Bury, was promoted to the starting line-up, whilst another loan player, Gareth Strange, started in midfield. Kevin Hulme captained the side in place of the absent Sertori, with Steve Hawes having relinquished the job he had held for two seasons. Alty started with their usual 4-4-2, Swanick and Ryan being the full-backs, whilst Hulme moved back to partner Maddox at centre-back.

Mairs and Strange worked the right and left flanks respectively with Craney and Hawes in central midfield. Up front, Whiteman partnered Thornley. Yet again consigned to the bench was 15-goal striker Lee Poland. As the teams were announced a strong boo from the Altrincham fans was reserved for Bradford's Dean Martin, who was making his home debut after moving from Lancaster City.

The opening ten minutes provided a bright start. After Calcutt had served notice of later events with an early cross from the left, a neat move from Swanick's free-kick on the Alty left saw Thornley feed Craney for a well-struck shot from the edge of the box which home debutant Armstrong saved well, diving to his right to parry the ball (3 mins). Whiteman was only able to turn the loose ball into the side netting from an acute angle, to the left of goal. Calcutt was soon involved again but fired in a weak effort at Coburn following Benn's pass (4 mins). Following a throw-in Maxwell then hooked the ball left-footed over Coburn's goal (5 mins).

The end to end play continued with a Whiteman shot being blocked before a 30 yarder from Craney proved easy for Armstrong (7 mins). Thornley was then wrestled over by Thompson to win a free-kick before another Calcutt cross just evaded the head of Hayward, the former Frickley striker, at the other end. The Alty team were receiving vocal instructions from both the coach Graham Heathcote and the non-playing captain Mark Sertori, both standing by the touchline dugout.

Bradford took the lead, slightly fortunately, when Calcutt yet again was given plenty of space by Ryan and though his cross from the left hit Mairs, it deflected on to Maxwell, who relayed it further right to the incoming Martin. He lashed it cleanly on the volley past Coburn from the edge of the box (15 mins). Rod Thornley then got his first league booking of the season when he jumped in too enthusiastically for a tackle on the half-way line (17 mins). Bradford were now getting the upper hand, especially along the left flank through Calcutt. After Hulme had been beaten by a bounce, Maddox was drawn into a foul challenge. Though aided by a gusty wind, Bradford put the free-kick, from 25 yards, into the wall, to win a corner on the left. This only led to a goalkick. After their bright start, the goal had affected Alty's confidence and their passing was now less crisp as they struggled against the wind.

Soon, however, a Dave Swanick cross caused Armstrong to fumble the ball but the keeper recovered to take it off the approaching Hulme (30 mins). But Alty were now being forced back for the most part and when they did make clearances, these were not reaching the front men and the pressure on the defence soon resumed. Having said that, Bradford were not looking too threatening themselves. Alty finally won a corner after 34 minutes but this was cleared. Thornley nearly broke free soon afterwards but the ball got tangled in his legs near the centre circle (35 mins) before a cross by Bagshaw won Bradford a corner, conceded by Ryan on the Alty right. This led to another corner on the Bradford right off Hulme. From this corner-kick, James found Hancock unmarked on the outer part of the box and the Bradford captain's header flashed across the face of goal (36 mins). After Hayward had won an aerial duel with Maddox, the ball then went out to the Bradford right. From the cross Hayward found himself unmarked and headed firmly home from six yards, giving Coburn no chance (37 mins).

It almost became 3-0 when a very offside-looking Hayward was played in on Coburn by Hancock but, as the keeper advanced, Hayward's deliberate chip cleared the cross bar. It was a bad miss and, in the mind of Coburn and his defence, a bad piece of judgement by the linesman (39 mins). Altrincham then won a free-kick just inside their own half, near the left touchline after Dean Martin had fouled Dave Swanick. Dave retaliated and pushed Martin away vigorously, apparently catching the Bradford man in the face. Inevitably, Mr Naylor produced the sixth red card of Alty's league season which means that Swanick now faces both an impending ban for five bookings and a further ban for this dismissal (41 mins). Irrespective of his role in this incident, Martin, who was instrumental in the dismissal of Carl Furlong as well as prompting a half-time brawl when playing for Lancaster against Altrincham earlier this season, is not a popular figure with Altrincham supporters. Once play had resumed Craney fired woefully wide from 20 yards (42 mins) before the home side conceded a series of free-kicks before the interval arrived, leaving Alty with a two-goal and one-player deficit.

Alty now pressed Hulme forward and resorted of necessity to a 3-3-3 formation with Steve Hawes on the right of the back line, Neil Ryan switching to the left and Mark Maddox as the lone centre-back. Maxwell soon got the better of Ryan on the right but his cross was missed on the line by Hayward (49 mins). A Strange cross for Thornley won Altrincham a corner on the left which Thornley himself took, albeit to no avail. Altrincham belatedly introduced Poland instead of the ineffective Whiteman up front (55 mins). Within a minute Poland was harrying Stanfield into an error inside the Bradford box and Hulme swept the loose ball into the net from close range to give Alty some hope (56 mins). The hope lasted barely three minutes before Hawes stood off Calcutt as he advanced to the left by-line and crossed for Maxwell to convert an all too simple header from close range, directly in front of goal (59 mins). Though there were protests that the cross had been from outside the field of play, there was little real conviction in them (59 mins). Almost straightaway Vernum Rowland came on for Keith Mairs in midfield (60 mins).

Although the wind had now dropped, Altrincham were playing too many aimless punts up field and much of the Bradford play was only marginally more cultured. After Hayward had won a corner off Hawes which was cleared, Thornley launched an improvised scissor kick from 25 yards which was not too far from target (65 mins). Rain was now falling as Hulme shot wide from a Craney and Rowland feed (67 mins). Following a Strange misheader Bradford soon advanced along their right via Maxwell. He got in a cross, past Ryan, and though this was overhit, the ball came back from the left to Hayward who turned smartly and drove a fine shot past Coburn from 15 yards or so (71 mins). This was now Alty's heaviest league defeat since the 4-1 drubbing at Lancaster last season.

In response, Maddox's back-header from a throw-in allowed Thornley to win a corner (76 mins) but this produced no danger. Dean Martin then left the field to a chorus of booing from the travelling fans (80 mins). He was replaced by Quinn. Soon after this Coburn dropped an aerial ball to Hayward and this led to Maxwell shooting over the bar (81 mins). Following a lecture to Poland for complaining too vocally about a supposed foul, Maddox became the second Alty recipient of a yellow card (83 mins). This arose when he tripped Calcutt near half way as the Bradford man threatened to get away after dispossessing Rowland. A rare passing movement along the ground between Strange, Poland and Craney ended with Craney's left-foot shot over the bar. A less accurate effort from Craney soon followed (85 mins) before Lindley substituted for Benn for Bradford (86 mins). The final minutes saw Rod Thornley hit the bar following an instinctive lunge by him inside the Park Avenue box. Maxwell also shot wide for Bradford before Mr Naylor put Alty out of their misery with the final whistle.

Just three points have been won from the last 27 played for. Clearly, manager Bernard Taylor has a lot of work to do between now and the end of the season if he is to restore some pride to Altrincham. The side is badly depleted by injuries and the introduction of new loan players to the side has done little to stop the downward spiral. But the behind the scenes situation is now apparently having an influence on the field of play, as uncertainty hangs over both the players' and the management duo's contracts for next season. Big decisions will have to be taken in the close season with footballing aspirations having to be tempered by financial reality.