Match Report

BACKGROUND AND TEAM NEWS

This Nationwide Conference league match kicked off at 7.45pm on a wet night, with rain which persisted throughout. First-choice right-back, Simeon Hodson remained sidelined by his injury but bizarrely, Altrincham opted to play three centre-backs, with Chris Timons used at right-back when both Hawes and Gallagher, who have deputised previously for Hodson, were in the team in midfield. Maddox started his first League game for two months following suspension and injury. Keith Russell moved up front, replacing Morrell who was reduced to substitute. Phil Power began his four-match suspension for his second bout of pugilism this season.

Considering the weather and the distance, Hayes were well supported, but the overall crowd was Altrincham's lowest of the season.

TEAMS

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white striped shirts, black shorts): 1. Lance Key; 2. Chris Timons (capt), 3. Danny Adams, 4. Mark Maddox, 5. Gary Talbot, 6. Steve Hawes, 7. Jason Gallagher, 8. Shaun Goodwin, 9. Leroy Chambers, 10. Keith Russell, 11. Kevin Ellison

Subs: 12. Richard Landon, 13. Ian Senior, 14. Andy Lovelock, 15. Mick Morrell, 16. Paul Hart.

HAYES (All blue): 1. Paul Gothard, 2. Mark Boyce, 3. Lee Flynn 4. Alvin Watts, 5. Nathan Bunce, 6, Jason Goodliffe, 7. Steve McKimm 8. Lee Charles, 9. David Stevens, 10. Barry Moore, 11. Nick Roddis.

Subs: 12. Ryan Spencer, 13. Dean Coppard, 14. Neil Trebble

SUMMARY

This was a disastrous result for Altrincham whose six remaining matches are all difficult, four being against top-eight sides.

THE MATCH

The match started sensationally with Timons totally missing the ball which eventually ran out for a Hayes corner, from which Lee Charles scored (1 min). Timons continued to play shakily in his unaccustomed role. Goodwin's crossfield ball to Ellison brought a good cross but neither Russell nor Chambers could get onto the end of it (4 mins). Two minutes later Russell was tripped after good build-up work and a penalty was rightly awarded. Russell shot the penalty kick firmly but wide of the post (7 mins). Charles then ran rings round Timons (8 mins) before shooting wide, but Gallagher responded with a looping header, narrowly over the top (9 mins). The same player perpetrated a far worse miss (11 mins) when he ballooned a volley out of the ground when aiming for goal. Russell, Ellison and Adams were working well on the left but Charles was a counter-threat as he attacked Timons (13 mins) only to be ruled offside. Both Goodwin and Maddox were booked for foot-up and a tackle respectively (18 mins).

Russell was playing well and a couple of corners were won (19 and 25 mins). A foul by Chambers went unpunished by a card (32 mins) as Altrincham had the better of the match. However, a Hayes break looked dangerous but offside was again the home side's salvation (35 mins). Timons continued to look uncertain. Whilst Altrincham threatened again (42 mins), they lacked the ability to get in shots on goal. Russell's theatrical collapses when under physical pressure went unpunished more than once as Altrincham pushed hard right up to the interval. Nevertheless Russell was playing well in his former role as a striker, despite his penalty lapse.

Disaster struck immediately after the interval. An initial Altrincham attack broke down on the edge of the Hayes box. A breakaway by three Hayes players down the right ended with Stevens one-on-one with Key. The pacy forward slotted the ball home with ease to cement Hayes's lead (46 mins).

Hayes continued to break powerfully, with Stevens particularly impressive. Altrincham's woes were compounded by their own errors; Chambers twice mis-controlled within a two-minute spell, whilst other players were little better. A rugby-tackle by Roddis on Goodwin brought a justified booking (55 mins), shortly before Chambers was substituted by Morrell (56 mins). The crowd had been calling for Chambers to be removed for some time and he left the field to silence from the home fans.

Whilst he was far from the only culprit in Altrincham's team during this match, his tendency in some earlier matches this season to give the impression that he was not trying 100 per cent came home to roost when the spectators were seeking a target for a poor team performance. The truth is that Leroy seems to be too light-weight for the organised defences of most Conference teams. Within minutes of the substitution a good cross from the left by Ellison almost found both Morrell and Russell but eluded them both. Morrell, whilst injecting some urgency into the play, needed too much time when presented with a chance (64 mins).

Hayes broke again (66 mins) through McKimm and won a corner which came to nothing before a Talbot error let Hayes in again for a shot over the bar. Whilst virtually every Hayes break was direct and produced a shot at goal, Altrincham's moves were more ponderous, often involving aimless balls lobbed into the air, and lacked any kind of threatening shot at the end of them.

It was then Timons's turn to give the ball away again before an Altrincham forray induced a punch clear from Gothard when a catch seemed quite possible (74 mins). Yet another speedy break down the right by Hayes led to a superb shot from Stevens which thudded back off Key's left-hand post at the Golf Road end (75 mins). Play then stopped as Russell lay prostrate on the ground but the referee apparently judged the Altrincham player to have been shamming and booked him (76 mins).

Richard Landon then came on for Timons (76 mins) and Gallagher moved to the back, which is where either he or, preferably, Hawes, should have started the night. The giant Trebble came on for Hayes, replacing Moore (77 mins). Although Ellison was flickering to life on the left, the errors continued. In one laughable episode, first Hawes miskicked, only for the ball to find apparent safety with Key but the goalkeeper, too, miskicked and Altrincham were lucky to escape. However, after this ridiculous moment came a sublime one as Shaun Goodwin put in a superb cross from the right touch-line, about thirty yards out, which found the head of Landon who headed firmly home (86 mins).

Coppard promptly replaced Stevens and the three-minutes-to-go board was held aloft soon afterwards. At this point the Altrincham Man of Match was announced as being Richard Landon- a telling commentary on the efforts of the other players. However, in the last minute Altrincham nearly got a point when a Hayes centreback headed firmly back from the edge of the Hayes penalty area, not realising that Gothard had come out of his goal. An instantaneous reaction save by Gothard, who held the ball brilliantly as it sped behind him, prevented a certain own goal as the ball had the power to have gone into the net unaided and, also, Morrell was lurking close-by to assist it on its way. Indeed, both Gothard and Morrell needed treatment as they collided.

This was a match Altrincham needed to win, given their tough run-in. It was lost for two main reasons. Firstly, a tactical error was committed in playing Timons at full-back and this led to the first goal. Secondly, lack of concentration and application produced error after error. Things will certainly have to improve at Scarborough on Saturday (22 April).

Altrincham dropped to fifteenth when a win would have taken them to eleventh. The results on 20 April meant that they dropped a further place and currently (21 April) lie 16th, only one point above 18th place.