Match Report

This match had been postponed from the previous Saturday when the Rockingham Road pitch had been frozen. Tonight was the 17th anniversary of Alty's famous 2-1 win at St Andrew's in the FA Cup, when Birmingham City were a First (Premier) Division side.

TEAM NEWS

Right: Barry Shuttleworth, out injured tonight.

Altrincham were without the injured Barry Shuttleworth and Gary Talbot, but Rod Thornley was fit enough to start after his pre-Christmas operation.

TEAMS

ALTRINCHAM (Sky blue shirts, white shorts, black socks): 1. Richard ACTON, 2. Gary SCOTT, 3. Chris ADAMS, 4. Stephen ROSE, 5. Mark MADDOX, 6. Jordan BURKE, 7. Dave GARDNER , 8. Ian CRANEY, 9. Peter BAND, 10. Rod THORNLEY (capt.), 11. Sean SMITH. Subs: 12. Jason GALLAGHER, 13. Kurt EDGINTON, 14. Danny MURPHY, 15. Andy TUNNICLIFFE, 16. Andy McDONALD.

SUMMARY

As work commitments prevented my attendance, I am very grateful to my wife for providing the details to make the report below.

Altrincham gave a good team performance tonight but an 85th-minute header, from a corner, by player-manager-substitute Carl Shutt deprived them of a win. The goal cancelled out Chris Adams's 62nd minute flying header. Having not scored in 45 matches for Alty, left-back Chris has now struck in successive games! His goal came from a Gardner corner. First-half play had been end to end but Kettering probably had the better of it, with Acton making some good saves and Kettering missing chances. However, Alty were the better side in the second half and likewise spurned chances to score. Overall a draw was probably fair. The crowd of 1072 was Kettering's lowest this season. The winners will entertain Aylesbury in the next round; "The Ducks" beat Kingstonian 1-0 tonight.

MATCH REPORT

Altrincham started with a first-minute chance when Dave Gardner, on the right, found Rod Thornley who in turn found Peter Band, whose header prompted a good save from Ian Bowling in the Kettering goal. Then Bowling's opposite number, Richard Acton also had to make a fine stop, in his case from Victor Asombang, who was to be the home side's most menacing player. After an Adams interception had prompted another Alty attack, Kettering broke forward to win the game's first corner on their left (6 mins). This was headed over the bar by Maddox for a second flag-kick, which Acton held at the second attempt.

Kettering were showing some pace in their attacks but it was an Alty break by Burke, Gardner and Thornley which produced the next goalmouth action which ended with Bowling fielding the ball (15 mins). Then, after Asombang had got past Adams on the Alty left, Acton produced another good save at the other end. A promising interception by Burke almost set Thornley free and then a good run by Craney preceded Kettering's third corner of the game, on their right (21 mins). Although the ball then ended up in the Alty net, Acton had been fouled and the goal did not stand. The Alty keeper was soon involved again, catching an in-swinging free-kick after a foul conceded by Gardner. After a humorous double change of mind by a linesman about two throw-ins, Maddox got in a good tackle before a following breakaway by Kettering was broken up by Burke. Kettering were now pressing and Rose had to concede a corner (26 mins).

Craig Norman then wrestled Thornley to the ground and the Poppies' man was booked for his offence. Bowling made a meal of the Alty free-kick from outside the box and conceded a corner to the Robins on the left. From this, Thornley headed past the post (29 mins). A Kettering free-kick, for a foul by Gardner, then ran to Acton before a Burke and Scott combination found Thornley offside. Kettering won another corner after 36 minutes but this ended up over the crossbar, though some of the home crowd thought for a moment that it had gone into the net. An excellent tackle by Smith kept Kettering out again before Asombang launched another fine run at the Alty defence, which Adams halted. The half ended with Kettering on top but the Alty defence, marshalled by Maddox and Rose had stood firm.

Gardner, after a quiet first half, was now showing his paces on the right as Alty enjoyed a good spell. Thornley then handled the ball for the second time in the game but escaped with just a free-kick awarded against him. Craney prompted the next attack but did not pass to the nearby Thornley or Burke and he ended up losing possession (68 mins). Alty then won a corner on their left which Bowling cleared to Burke, who shot wide (71 mins). After Thornley had been caught offside, Asombang got in a shot wide of the upright which Acton, nevertheless, had covered (72 mins). The home fans were now growing frustrated as another shot of theirs went wide before a Craney run ended in a disappointing shot at goal. After a Thornley shot had been cleared, the Alty captain gave way to Danny Murphy (81 mins), whilst Kettering brought on their player-manager, Carl Shutt, for Asombang.

An Alty corner by Gardner ended up with Murphy putting the ball over the bar (82 mins) as play now became end to end and Rose did well to clear his lines for Alty. After another apparently wayward effort by Kettering, the referee gave a corner, judging Craney to have touched the ball. Though this corner was cleared by a defensive header, it produced a second corner, on the Kettering right. Shutt got on the end of this to head home a Kettering equaliser (85 mins). Two more Kettering corners followed in the closing stages before Murphy won one for his side (88 mins). A bad foul on Adams by Inman prompted a deserved booking and the Alty left-back needed treatment as a result. Kettering then brought on Haran for Howarth (89 mins) but the scores remained level.

Kettering had been the better side in the first half but, especially after their goal, Alty had enjoyed superiority for much of the second period. Overall, Altrincham gave a good team performance in which the centre-backs, Rose and Maddox, were especially notable. The sides now meet again next Wednesday at Moss Lane, with the prize being a home tie to Aylesbury United of the Ryman League on 1 February.