Match Report

Altrincham had not won at home in their last seven attempts but had a good victory away at Gainsborough last Saturday. This game against Emley had been twice postponed in January at a time when Altrincham were enjoying a richer vein of form than currently. After a bad start to the season, Emley have been rising steadily but have been prone to slip ups, as at Colwyn Bay last week. Watching the game in the Directors' box were Chester City boss Mark Wright and Tranmere Rovers's Eric Nixon, both presumably on scouting missions. An even better known spectator was Manchester United's Gary Neville, a regular visitor to Moss Lane to watch his friend Rod Thornley.

The first half was a fairly lacklustre affair but Alty enjoyed the better of the second half though they took the lead in very fortunate circumstances when a bizarre back pass from Wood was helped into the net by Cuss as he tried to execute an aerial kick to clear (53 mins). Alty were on top till substitute Steve Smith smashed home a fine goal from 25 yards (68 mins). The Robins continued to look the more likely side to score till Bambrook lashed home a free-kick from 25 yards (86 mins).

Kevin Hulme returned, with his heavily bandaged knee, to replace the suspended Steve Hawes in the starting line-up. However, Kevin played in the back four, displacing Gary Scott into midfield. Mario Daniel got his second league start, alongside Rod Thornley, whilst his Youth team colleague Vernum Rowland again started at right-back. On the bench with Lee Thompson and Lee Poland was Mark Maddox, whose rib injury makes him unlikely to play again this season. Reserves' keeper Dale Newbrook had been called in as cover for the injured Coburn, but Dale was not named in the eventual squad. Long-term injured left-back Chris Adams also warmed up with the team tonight. Emley were without the suspended Mick Norbury.

The first minute saw mirror-image fouls as, after just eight seconds, Alty's Strange conceded a free-kick on the Alty right on the half-way line and then Emley's Ryan brought Murphy down to earth on the Emley right, also on the half-way line. Indeed, the opening stages remained scrappy with the highlight occurring off the pitch when Alty Director Mark Harris rose from his seat in the Directors' box to head a hoof into the stand cleanly back into play before turning to take a bow. The action on the pitch got a bit better when Strange went up the right but Thornley could not get his resulting effort on target as he shot under pressure (9 mins).

Bambrook then got in a well-struck shot from 30 yards which Coburn coolly chested down before catching (11 mins). Neil Ryan began to show some good form at left-back and from his ball forward Thornley headed on for Daniel, whose shot was blocked. Next, Rowland fed Daniel and the young striker swivelled well and shot, but Cuss saved (13 mins). Then, Daniel laid the ball off to Craney whose left-foot effort went wide as Altrincham began to settle (14 mins). Neil Ryan soon did well again, making an excellent tackle on Bambrook, on the Emley right, after he had been fed by Lee Ryan. The next move of note saw Neil Ryan feed Murphy, who surged forward to win a corner on the left (20 mins). Sertori got his head to the corner but Cuss held the ball at the back post (21 mins). FAter this, Daniel raced forward but the ball ran on to Cuss as Mario tried to find Rod Thornley.

Emley's Robinson soon won a corner off Scott on their right and from Hatto's flag-kick Day got in a good header which went too close for Altrincham's comfort (25 mins). The limping Robinson was then treated for what looked like a groin strain and after playing on for a few moments, he gave way to substitute Ryan Crossley (26 mins). Alty almost got in trouble when Coburn, once more unable to kick freely due to injury, played a short ball out to Hulme, who lost the ball. Fortunately Alty managed to clear their lines. After this Craney did well and set Thornley running to the by-line where he appeared to be nudged off the ball but nothing was given as was also the case moments later when Craney himself seemed to be fouled as he went forward.

The game badly needed a goal and though Murphy looked lively on the left, no openings arose until Thornley strode forward and found Daniel, on the right of goal. He found Murphy's head at the back post and it took a defender's header onto the top of his own cross bar to clear the danger (35 mins). Ryan and Rowland then combined to find Daniel, who appeared to have won a corner but Mr Evans thought otherwise and gave a goal-kick. The highlight of the half then came as Rowland, showing tremendous pace and control on the right, ran forward some forty yards through the challenges of the Emley midfield before his advance was stopped (38 mins). Then Rowland was in action in his defensive role as he came across to tidy up after Lee Ryan had played in Day behind Sertori. Rowland's purple patch continued as he went past David, played a one-two with Daniel, before swivelling neatly to get in a left-foot shot on the turn which went narrowly over the bar (42 mins). Emley's play-maker, Thorpe, then won a corner off Sertori which was half cleared before coming back for the impressive David to head wide (43 mins). The first half had been a fairly quiet affair for most of its duration, with both keepers relatively underemployed, but Altrincham had had slightly the better of it.

The second half also began quietly in front of a disappointingly small crowd at Moss Lane. However, Thornley won the first corner of the half after advancing well on the left (49 mins). Alty's first effort on the goal of the second half came when Strange's long throw came out to Rowland who volleyed well wide (52 mins). Then, out of nothing, Alty went ahead through a very unusual own goal. The burly Wood, on the Emley right, outside the box some 20 yards from goal, played a back pass which was more like a shot to his keeper Cuss. The startled goalkeeper, trying not to handle the ball, tried to deal with the firmly-hit waist-high ball by executing an aerial kick off his line but he only succeeded in helping the ball into the back of his own net (53 mins). From a Hatto free-kick soon after the re-start, Emley won a corner on their right, which Murphy headed clear.

After treatment to Jones, Murphy made a fine run into the box to win a corner on the left. Before this could be taken, the visitors replaced the ailing Jones by Steve Smith, who slotted in on the right side of midfield (63 mins). There was then another substantial stoppage for treatment, this time to the promising Lincoln Adams, before Hulme went forward on the Alty right but could not deliver an accurate ball (65 mins). Altrincham were looking fairly comfortable but after a throw by Smith on the right had been cleared the ball came back to the substitute and, unchallenged, some 25 yards out and slightly to the right of centre, he unleashed a magnificent shot which gave Coburn no chance.

Rocked by the equaliser, Altrincham tried to find a response but Craney's shot over the bar from outside the box was their best response in the next few minutes (72 mins). However, Gary Scott won a corner soon after this on the left but this was cleared. Alty then replaced Danny Murphy, who is still getting back to full fitness after his long lay off. The substitute was Lee Thompson, who slotted in on the left of midfield (74 mins). Alty soon won another corner but Cuss held Ryan's kick from the left. The game was now belatedly opening up and becoming end to end (78 mins). Alty advances by both Thompson and Rowland were successively frustrated by Emley's defence before Lee Poland came on to replace Mario Daniel in the Alty attack (80 mins). Craney then won the ball off Crossley and fed Thornley whose curling shot went just wide of the keeper's left post from 20 yards out (81 mins). After Coburn had nipped out to head clear, Poland got in a firm effort from 22 yards which Cuss held, low down, at the second attempt by his right post.

Smith then got in another well struck effort from 20 yards which Coburn held. As Emley pushed forward Ian Craney was penalised for handball in a central position, 20 yards or so from his own goal. Bambrook strode up and drove the ball into the bottom right corner, Coburn remaining motionless on his line and possibly unsighted (86 mins). Emley had scored from two of only a handful of shots in the second half but Altrincham had not been able to make clear openings for themselves at the other end. The only consolation for Alty in the closing stages was that Vernum Rowland nutmegged Lee Ryan twice inside a minute on the Alty right but the Emley man had the last laugh as his side left Moss Lane with all three points. Seventeen year-old Rowland was named as Alty Man of the Match for the third time this season in what was only the twelfth league game in which he has had any involvement. Altrincham's injury ravaged side had deserved to take something from the game but two fine strikes had decided the outcome.