Match Report

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TEAMS

ALTRINCHAM (Red and white stripes and 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. Andy Lovelock, 9. Richard Landon, 10. Phil Power, 11. Kevin Ellison.

SUBS: 12.Mick Carmody, 13.Ian Senior, 14. Mick Morrell, 15. Keith Russell, 16. Simeon Hodson.

KINGSTONIAN (Yellow shirts, blue shorts) 1. Steve Farrelly, 2. Michael Lester, 3. Colin Luckett, 4. Matt Crossley, 5. Simon Stewart, 6. Mark Harris, 7. Gary Patterson, 8. Geoff Pitcher, 9. Eddie Akuamoah, 10. Amara Simba, 11. Ronnie Green.

SUBS: 12. Joe O'Connor, 13. Richard Hurst, 14. David Leworthy, 15. Gary Drewett, 16. Eddie Saunders

SUMMARY

After a dream start with Altrincham taking the lead after three minutes, the game was turned on its head in sixty seconds with two Kingstonian goals in the 16th and 17th minutes. Though Altrincham dominated possession in the second half, they lacked the guile and fluidity of passing necessary to turn their possession into goals. Everything now depends on the match against Kidderminster on 6 May, when only a win will guarantee Conference survival. The team spirit could not be faulted but injuries and lack of a fit, potent strike force meant that Altrincham were always battling against the odds. Let us hope that Bernard Taylor can lift them for one last push on Saturday; to go down after being tenth in March would be too much to bear.

TEAM NEWS

With Hodson out injured, Timons was moved to right-back. Chambers was dropped and Power was restored to the side. The injured trio of Russell, Morrell and Hodson all were obliged by lack of fit alternatives to join Senior and Carmody on the bench. It has been a sad feature of this season that with the club strapped for cash, not a single youth or reserve team player has come through into the first team as this would be one way to overcome our financial disadvantage in relation to many other Conference clubs. Occasionally players such as Hart, Mairs, Goodier or Hulston have sat on the bench or, very occasionally, come on as substitute, but none was judged good (or fit) enough tonight to displace half-fit first-teamers or a veteran who had not figured in a Conference game all season.

MATCH REPORT

On a cool but dry evening, the match started with a bizarre collision between Patterson and Power in the centre circle in the first minute, after which Power needed treatment for a head injury. Then after Lovelock's good ball into the box had led to a corner, Talbot was pushed over as Hawes's corner came over. Before Altrincham could rue that decision for too long, Lovelock was felled in the box by Harris as he turned smartly to shoot and the clear penalty was awarded. The giant keeper, Farrelly, dived too early, to his right, allowing Landon to gently drive the ball into the opposite corner for a dream start for relegation-threatened Altrincham (3 mins). Altrincham continued to press and Maddox soon headed over from another Hawes corner (6 mins). A swift triple interchange of passes between Patterson and Pitcher

warned Altrincham of their opponents' capabilities. Ellison was twice felled by rugged challenges from Kingstonian which went unpunished whilst Maddox lunged equally crudely at Pitcher (10 mins) in the centre-circle.

A through ball from stand-in full back Timons put Landon through for a shot which was deflected (14 mins). Then out of the blue, Lester fed Pitcher, who gained some space some 20 yards from goal in the centre of the pitch, and beat Key with a fine shot which went in off the crossbar to the motionless keeper's right (16 mins). Worse was to follow as Green and Akuamoah broke away almost immediately, with the former passing to the latter, as he drew out Key. Akuamoah drove the ball into the open goal from close range to stun Altrincham (17 mins)

Lester felled Ellison yet again (18 mins) but no booking followed. After treatment to Ellison, Adams's free-kick was cleared. The visiting keeper, Farrelly, produced a series of prodigious kicks well into the Altrincham half, and the home side would have done well to close him down more often. Gallagher and Lovelock were using their pace to attack Kingstonian but the latter missed a good chance to shoot and ended up winning only a throw (23 mins) as he was driven across the pitch by the defence. Maddox and Talbot both gave the ball away in quick succession as Altrincham remained rattled by their sudden reverse. The home side's attacks continued to break down near the edge of the area whilst Kingstonian looked dangerous on the break, particularly the speedy and tricky Ronnie Green.

Altrincham then went through a very rocky patch with first Maddox and then Talbot losing the ball in rapid succession, before Maddox repeated the act with a misplaced header, causing Hawes and Timons to produce vital tackles to retrieve these situations. However, it was Hawes who was then adjudged to have fouled the skilful Green (29 mins) and from Pitcher's free-kick from the touchline Altrincham desperately cleared the ball after a goal-mouth melee. Next, it was Lovelock's turn to lose possession before Timons's back-pass to Key's 'wrong' foot, led to the keeper's miskick which thankfully produced no retribution (31 mins). Green then raced into the Altrincham box but his shot was just wide of Key's left post (32 mins). Relief came when Power was awarded a free-kick just outside the Kingstonian penalty area when he himself appeared to be the transgressor. Patterson thought so too and was spoken to for protesting. Before Hawes could take the free-kick, which went too high for his colleagues, play was held up for treatment to a visiting player. Hawes did better a moment later when he got to the goal-line after good work by Adams and Lovelock only for his lofted cross to be easily cut out by the tall keeper, Farrelly (35 mins). More good work by Adams set up a header for Gallagher, but he headed weakly at the keeper (36 mins). A rare flowing move from Altrincham, involving Lovelock, Hawes and Timons ended in an off-side decision (38 mins) as the home side finished the half strongly. Landon had a shot blocked and Power had one saved as Altrincham's most fluent period of the match ensued. Lovelock got in a good shot, which was blocked (39 mins) and a further run of his was blocked by a defender. Adams then beat two men on the left, about forty yards from goal, despite being fouled, but the referee hauled him back for a free-kick to be taken when advantage should have been played.

With the 'two-minute board' being displayed, Pitcher won Kingstonian's first corner of the match when the ball was deflected out of play. The short-corner was cleared easily and Altrincham reimposed pressure at the other end. Adams's sub- standard cross was held by Farrelly (44 mins) before Gallagher and Lovelock combined well but unproductively. Altrincham's last chance of the half was a shot by Hawes which had the sting taken out of it by a deflection and it rolled harmlessly to the keeper. Altrincham had enjoyed good spells in the first and last few minutes of the half but Kingstonian's greater sharpness up front was the cause of the home side's undoing.

Altrincham continued where they had left off and came out in determined mood for the second half. The first incident of note was Farrelly's making a hash of a high cross and being given the very dubious benefit of the doubt and a free-kick for a seemingly innocuous challenge by Ellison (49 mins). Luckett then blatantly pulled back Gallagher as he went past the defender on the right wing and he was rightly booked (50 mins). The free-kick led to a rushed shot by Talbot, well over the bar from outside the box. Altrincham were well on top now but when Lovelock and Gallagher broke dangerously, Lovelock opted not to pass to his colleague who was racing unmarked down the right wing. Instead, the move ended with just a corner from Lovelock's eventual shot (54 mins). Adams's corner came to nothing as did the same player's subsequent free-kick (56 mins). Danny Adams's free-kicks, corners and crosses were sadly not up to his usual high standard throughout this match, though otherwise he played well. Timons then set up Gallagher for a good run and cross from the right but the ball struck a defender close-in, in front of goal, and this saved the situation for the visitors (56 mins).

Power directed a glancing header over the goal, after a cross from the left (58 mins) before Kingstonian won a rare corner as Adams cleared from the threatening Simba. Patterson then inexplicably left the field and ran down the players' tunnel, returning a good two minutes later, tying up his shorts! More curious behaviour from the number seven was to ensue later in the game. Power's foul on Pitcher produced a threat in the air which Altrincham resolved at the cost of a corner which was totally wasted, with the ball being put straight behind Key's goal from the flag-kick.

Maddox was then rightly booked for taking Patterson's legs away in the centre-circle, shortly after his return to the pitch (62 mins). As the booking took place, Hawes received treatment on the edge of his own box but could only resume in a hobbling fashion, with what appeared to be an injury to his ankle. A great tackle by Power on Pitcher made up for his earlier foul on the same player (66 mins) before Lovelock and Gallagher again combined well to win a corner. Before it could be taken the unfit Morrell replaced Hawes. Unfortunately Adams's corner was over-hit. Ellison and Landon had been having a very quiet half with most of Altrincham's thrust coming from Lovelock, Gallagher and Power. But Luckett, Simba and Patterson combined skilfully to threaten Altrincham and Key was required to make a good save (67 mins). This led to some good play from the visitors, with some fluid moves involving six or more passes. Patterson then came to the touchline to receive either some oral medication or some food, a move he repeated later on in the match. Gallagher and Lovelock continued to run at the Kingstonian midfield and defence but too often the latter's first touch would let him down. Pitcher went unpunished after kicking the ball away when given off-side before Lovelock again produced good work on the edge of the visitors' penalty area, but shot over the bar (71 mins). Morrell was finding it difficult to get involved as another Lovelock shot was blocked. Timons then shot narrowly wide, although the keeper probably had the ball covered (75 mins).

A couple of yards inside the Altrincham half, on their right touchline, Lovelock, under pressure, played the ball to Timons's left foot. The makeshift full-back is very right-footed and he lost the ball. A Kingstonian player lobbed it into the centre where Simba skilfully knocked it, in turn, over the advancing Key from the edge of the box to make the score 1-3 (76 mins). Altrincham responded with a great shot by Landon just wide of the post, from 15 yards (78 mins) before Timons was again caught out near the half-way line. Simba responded with a shot which went wide as he fell (80 mins). The rare sight of Danny Adams losing possession indicated that this was not to be Altrincham's night (81 mins) as Kingstonian decided to rest three players (Akuamoah, Simba, Green) by bringing on O'Connor, Leworthy and Drewett. A subsequent corner by Lovelock was cleared before Landon put a header wide (86 mins). Jason Gallagher was named as Man of the Match for the home side before Landon shot well over. The board showing four minutes of play remaining was then held aloft, as it was announced that the Altrincham Player of the Year Awards, due to be presented after the game, would be deferred till the last match of the season. Clearly, no one was in the mood for celebration at this point. Before the finish both Drewett and then Leworthy were separately caught offside with the former escaping any punishment for kicking the ball away after the decision had been clearly given. The match ended on a low note as Landon missed a godlen chance to improve Altrincham's goal-difference by blasting high over the bar from only five yards, with the goal at his mercy (90 mins). With the small band of Kingstonian fans singing "Wembley, Wembley", the visitors left the pitch to prepare for their hectic end to the season, culminating in the Trophy Final on 13 May.

Altrincham now go into their last match at home to Kidderminster still needing a win to guarantee survival. With Hawes now added to the sick-list, Bernard Taylor will have a major job fielding a reasonable side to set about achieving this. Whilst there is life, there is still hope.