Match Report

SUMMARY

As this match was played in difficult conditions, on a pitch saturated by ten weeks of rain, it was not surprising that it never reached the heights of flowing football. That the game was played at all was a tribute, once more, to Peter Barry and his groundstaff. Nevertheless, Mark Ward will have been happy to get back to winning ways and Altrincham were good value for their victory although if Gerrard Courtney had converted his chances it could have been a different story.

The lacklustre performance at Bishop Auckland last Tuesday had prompted Mark Ward to bring in new faces and the new mixture produced the desired effect. Altrincham cruised to a 2-0 lead in sixteen minutes but in the first period of the second half they were on the back-foot as Marine pressed forward. However, against the run of play Alty got a third through Hawes before Marine pulled one back through the otherwise profligate Courtney. The Robins improved as the half wore on and ended comfortable winners. The win allowed them to gain ground on Emley, who drew, and Stalybridge who lost at Lancaster.

Two more new faces appeared for Altrincham, making it 31 players to have performed for the first team in the League this season. Steve Finney had been acquired on loan from Chester City and he started up front with Alex Hay, with Chambers apparently dropped and Landon, reportedly on his way to Droylsden, on the bench. The other new face was that of Reserve player, Eric Seekie who joined Otis Thomas, James Glendenning and Mario Daniel as one of the young players to have broken through from the Youth or Reserve ranks this season. Ian Craney and Gary Talbot had not recovered from their recent knocks and Jason Gallagher is also still sidelined by injury. In Talbot's absence Mark Maddox took over the captaincy whilst Stu Scheuber became the only remaining player to have figured in every match this season.

Attacking the Golf Road end, Altrincham kicked off but the game had a slow and somewhat scrappy start. However, Marine should have taken the lead in the third minute when Thompson's cross from the left found Courtney with an open goal from only three or four yards out. However, the Marine player managed to put the ball comfortably over the bar to spare Altrincham's blushes. Altrincham's first significant threat to the Marine goal came after Ward took a free-kick some 25 yards out from goal. The ball came to Hay whose header was hacked clear by a defender as it gently looped towards goal to the keeper's left (5 mins).

Hawes, Ward and Finney then combined on the right but Scott's cross led to no danger to Clarke's goal. Alty's new man, Finney, soon showed some more skill as he attempted to get Hawes in on goal but Clarke smothered the ball as the Alty midfielder broke into the goal area. However, moments later a ball from Finney, forward through central midfield reached Alex Hay who unleashed a firm, low shot from twenty yards which Clarke allowed to squirm through his grasp and into the net to open the scoring (8 mins). Marine then threatened the Altrincham goal but Adam Farley made a crisp tackle to end the danger (10 mins). Steve Hawes responded by moving smartly forward and playing the ball to Morgan on the left. He fed Finney, who won a corner, which Hawes took but which produced no end result.

Coburn was then called into action twice. Firstly, he collected a cross from ex-Alty man, Gamble, from the right before kicking clear as Courtney advanced on him (13 mins). At the Golf Road end, a foul on Scheuber led to a free-kick by Ward; Finney got on the end of it to get in a shot at Clarke (15 mins) but then Courtney and Gamble combined to get past Maddox on the right but Coburn eventually stopped the danger. The ball moved up to the other end where Hawes relayed it to Finney who unselfishly crossed from an inside-right position when he might have had a shot, and this pass set up Hay to sweep the ball home from close range (16 mins). Any thoughts that Altrincham would add an immediate third were dispelled when first Morgan and then Maddox lost possession but a long-shot from Courtney at Coburn was the nearest thing to a Marine goal. More threatening however was a Marine break up the left which followed a firm clearing header by Maddox. The ball came in to Courtney who, for the second time in the match, contrived to miss from six yards or less, this time as he slid in from a position in the right-centre of the goalmouth (18 mins). Both Murphy and Scheuber enjoyed some good moments in midfield though, as so often, Scheuber was brilliant one minute and indifferent in his distribution in the next.

Morgan too had his ups and downs with some good forward movement, including a shot at Clarke (26 mins) but also some lapses when on defensive duties. By now the gloom of the afternoon had been converted into rain and the floodlights came on. Scheuber lost possession, immediately re-won it well and set up Danny Murphy who played a fine ball for the incoming Hay but Clarke just beat the forward to it (29 mins). For Marine, Courtney partly redeemed himself by winning a corner well on his side's left wing and although an Altrincham head and then Stuart Coburn half cleared the ball, it fell for Gamble who unleashed a good shot from 30 yards but directed straight at the keeper. Bainbridge then did well to slip the ball forward for Courtney who could only slide the ball wide of the target, past Coburn's left post (31 mins).

It was now pouring with rain as Ward and Hawes relayed the ball to Scheuber who got past two challenges before passing to Scott but an offside decision was given. Altrincham gained a free-kick 22 yards out when Hay was pulled by his shirt but Ward took the kick too quickly and only succeeded in giving away a goal-kick as he overhit the ball towards Scheuber. There was soon a free-kick for Marine, albeit 35 yards out, when Maddox was penalised for an aerial challenge (36 mins).

Gamble's kick was cleared by Maddox himself and the ball came upfield to Hay whose shot was deflected off a defender and looped into the air where the backtracking Clarke just held it under the bar (37 mins). One of many neat flicks by Finney was heading towards Clarke when Murphy nipped in, near the edge of the box, but he was forced to knock the ball too wide to cause any danger but he won a corner kick on the left (39 mins).

From the corner, Finney got in a shot that was blocked before a long ball forward was cleared by Farley. Following a throw, Murphy got the ball back to Morgan who sent in a wild shot, wide of the target from 20 yards (41 mins). The referee was forced to have a stern word with Schofield after he had brought down Finney, who needed treatment, some 45 yards from goal. However, Mr Sutton was less lenient a minute later when Hay fouled Randles and was promptly booked (44 mins). The half then ended, just after an offside decision had been given against the Altrincham attack.

Altrincham went through a few minutes of carelessness at the back, failing to clear the ball effectively as Marine pressed. The unease spread to Coburn whose kicking in this match was below his usual standard, as he found touch with regularity. Marine's pressure was finally relieved when Hay got in a good cross but it was just too high for Murphy (65 mins).

Poor defending gave Marine a corner after 67 minutes when Courtney and Douglas combined. This was cleared but when Hawes prompted a move in which both Murphy and Hay ended up on the ground in the penalty area, the crowed bayed for a penalty for the latter offence. With Murphy still down injured, the referee allowed Marine to break dangerously to the other end. After a stoppage for treatment to Murphy play resumed with a Marine throw. The ball soon came off Maddox for a corner (71 mins). This was poorly taken and led to a goalkick and, from this, Hawes fed Finney whose shot was half saved by the keeper then scrambled clear.

Simon Wilson replaced Bainbridge (72 mins) but Altrincham were now giving as good as they got and Clarke had to be alert to rob Hay of a chance. Unsuccessful moves were traded by the sides before proceedings were halted by a bad foul on Murphy by the hapless Courtney, who was booked (77 mins). Murphy was immediately replaced by debutant, Eric Seekie whilst the ex-Mossley man left the field to a generous ovation after a fine game. The impressive Formby continued to prompt his side and he fed Crawley whose cross was good but evaded his colleagues (81 mins). Play was then stopped for Gamble to be booked, presumably for verbal dissent (83 mins), as Altrincham endured another lacklustre few minutes with Hay having to come to his own half to seek out the ball.

However, Finney soon produced another deft flick to Scheuber whose fine ball into the area was just cut out by a defender as Hay closed in. Maddox was then late for a challenge just outside his own box but Farley stupidly kicked the ball away and was booked (87 mins). Having appeared in 21 previous games this season without a booking, this was a silly way for Farley to lose his good record. Altrincham soon won a corner, through Hawes, and the same player took the kick. However, play switched to the other end where Thompson got the better of Farley, who had several uncomfortable defensive moments in this game and although the ball eventually broke for Formby, the resulting shot was well wide. There was still time for Courtney to miss another presentable opportunity when he put a free header over the bar after good work by Randles, Thompson and Gamble. The game ended on a low note when Scheuber was fouled on the half-way line. Ward and Gamble got involved in a silly slanging match and Maddox had to shepherd his manager away before he got into needless trouble, seconds from the end of a 3-1 victory.

This was Altrincham's first league win in four attempts since 24th October at Barrow. After a good first half performance, Altrincham allowed Marine back into the game after half-time, but eventually held on to their lead comfortably. Had Courtney taken the chances which came his way it could have been a different story but all was well in the end. Steve Finney showed a lot of promise in his first match, whilst Steve Hawes was again in good form. The defence had a few scary moments but Alex Hay is enjoying a rich vein of goalscoring up-front, with seven goals in the last eight League games.

If only he were on our books and not just on loan from Tranmere Rovers! It was also good to see another player coming through the Reserve/Youth system in the shape of Eric Seekie. Altrincham take on Leek Town next week and will again need to take maximum points from a side at the wrong end of the division if they are to stay in contention for the title.