Match Report

Bad defending cost Altrincham this match after fine goals from Gary Scott had twice (38 and 57 mins) given them the lead. However, the team's rhythm had been upset as early as the 12th minute when Glendenning was sent off for foul language and for over an hour, until Band met the same fate as Glendenning, the Robins played with a man fewer than Hyde. Referee Cooke could politely be described as poor, giving wrong decisions to both sides throughout the game, though Glendenning found a more pithy Anglo-Saxon epithet for one of his Assistants to earn his dismissal.

The ten men played superbly and even after Yeo had equalised (49 mins), they came back well to go ahead 2-1 (57 mins). However, errors gifted Hyde two goals, the first an own goal by Talbot after a slip by Scott, though the Hyde announcer credited Banim with the effort. The second lapse was by Talbot who missed a long ball in the air and let in Yeo for Hyde's third ten minutes from the end. Salmon scored a flattering fourth (88 mins), rounding Coburn, when he broke away after Altrincham had committed everything to attack.

Altrincham fielded the same team and subs named against Spennymoor on Saturday last. Hyde included two recent ex-Alty players, Martin McDonald and Paul Robertson in their line-up. Also spotted in the crowd were Stuart Walker (Hyde Utd), Ricky Harris (Leigh RMI) and more puzzlingly, Alty's AWOL midfielder, Stuart Quinn.

Hyde kicked off this match with a record of seven League matches without a win and reflecting this form, the much vaunted threat of Yeo initially amounted to no more than a 25-yard shot well wide of goal (2 mins). Altrincham fans were, however soon reminded of the skills of their former player, Paul Robertson, on the left side of the pitch.

But both sides were hampered by a slippery surface caused by heavy rain which lashed the pitch for much of the game. The referee soon gave the first of many puzzling decisions when he ruled against Hay (4 mins) although Hyde's Paul Taylor appeared to be the offender in a tussle for the ball. Following this, Taylor attempted to prompt a passing movement involving Robertson, McDonald and Band before Steve Hawes intercepted the ball for Altrincham. Coburn's first piece of significant action in the visitors' goal was to kick clear a Robertson ball from Banim, shortly before he took a routine catch from a cross, as the rain poured down. Hyde began to pass the ball about well but without making much headway and one such move ended in an offside decision (9 mins) as the game started without any undue excitement.

After McDonald had lost the ball to Hawes, the latter's cross was poor but then Steve Porter gave away possession near the half-way line and from the resulting break up the right by McDonald and Matty Taylor, Yeo found himself in a good position, some 18 yards out, but shot wildly over the top with his left foot (11 mins). Play immediately stopped as the referee, Mr Cooke, consulted his linesman. After some discussion and to the incredulity of the crowd, James Glendenning was called over and shown a red card (12 mins). At half-time it was confirmed that the offence was the use of foul language to the referee's assistant following Yeo's apparent breach of the off-side trap but the offence was hardly in the Roy Keane or Di Canio class of abusing officials.

When play resumed Altrincham soon won a free-kick, 22 yards out in a central position but Hawes put it way over the roof of the terracing behind the goal. Mark Ward then made a necessary switch of personnel, removing the unlucky Hay from the fray to be replaced by Farley as a replacement for Glendenning in central defence (14 mins). The rain became even heavier as McDonald's ball to Yeo found the Hyde striker off-side (17 mins).

After an Altrincham free-kick, Gary Scott received the ball out on the right but his attempt to set Furlong free also met with an off-side decision as the match struggled to develop any flow. Adam Farley's good header soon led to a ball forward from Talbot to Murphy, who was promptly flattened from behind. Whilst Mr Cooke had shown a red card for a swear word, he chose not even to speak to the Hyde offender (20 mins). This offence, some 25 yards from goal led to nothing from the free-kick but Altrincham were now showing signs of being fired up by the earlier sending-off decision. Next, Murphy went up the left and passed to Porter but the left-back's towering cross landed just behind the cross-bar.

For Hyde, Robertson prompted a good passing movement which culminated in a curling shot from the edge of the box by Banim which Coburn held, low to his right, though he slipped on the greasy surface as he moved to scoop up the ball (23 mins). For Altrincham, Murphy's forward run led to the ball coming to Furlong on the left but it ran out for a throw. As the rain stopped, Murphy, Scheuber and Furlong were beginning to combine well but Altrincham were nearly undone by a weak Scott back-pass to Coburn which the keeper had to kick clear from the advancing Yeo (25 mins).

After a Taylor, Robertson, Band movement ended in no more than a throw-in to Hyde, Altrincham's Scott made an abortive run with the ball up the right, followed by a move started and finished by Gary Talbot, with the outcome being an aimless ball forward from the centre-back (28 mins). Banim was next to try his luck with a poke, from distance, which went well over the bar, this opportunity again stemming from Robertson. For Altrincham, Carl Furlong was ploughing a loan furrow up front after Hay's withdrawal and his frustration bubbled over when the referee stopped play and booked him, presumably for a word out of turn (30 mins). Mr Cooke was certainly hot on verbal indiscretions.

A corner was won by Hyde on their right, after good work by Banim had set up Matty Taylor, whose cross was put out by a defender. Robertson's corner was cleared to Furlong who made a brilliant turn and played the ball out to Hawes. The Alty midfielder exchanged passes with Scott before delivering a sub-standard cross towards Scheuber which ran to the keeper. Altrincham then combined in a fine passing movement involving Scott, Porter, Talbot and Scheuber before Craney dribbled expertly past two men and shot firmly, but straight, at Edgington from 15 yards. Altrincham were more than holding their own despite being a man short but Talbot had to be alert to tackle Yeo on the break, and force him to the left wing as he raced forward. In the aftermath Banim won a corner off Farley (33 mins). Following the clearance of this danger, Furlong almost latched onto a back-pass but Edgington got to it first before Hyde won another corner through Matty Taylor.

Although Paul Taylor won the ball from the corner, his header went wide (36 mins). Hyde were now upping the pressure but Altrincham were quick to close down any danger. This was typified when Robertson's ball to Banim and on to McDonald resulted in the ex-Alty midfielder losing possession to a hard-working Carl Furlong. He relayed the ball to Hawes who knocked it on to Craney. Craney played a superb defence-splitting ball to Scott who was overlapping up the right of the pitch. Scott advanced and sent in a firm, diagonal shot from 20 yards out on the wing, which might have been a cross, but nevertheless flew into the far corner off the inside of the post as Edgington remained rooted to his line (38 mins). In scoring, Scott became the fourteenth Alty player to record a League goal this season.

Almost immediately Hyde nearly equalised when Coburn appeared to drop the ball which may then have struck his left-hand post before he got it away. McDonald then knocked over Furlong by the touchline in centre-field and Furlong kicked out at the Hyde man as the two landed in a heap. Referee Cooke lectured both players, but booked neither which was just as well for Furlong who had been cautioned earlier. The free-kick went to Altrincham and from Scott's kick Hawes headed on to Edgington (40 mins). Mr Cooke allowed play to continue when Scheuber skilfully rode two foul tackles in succession and got the ball out to Scott on the wing.

The full-back almost repeated his goal from a wide right position but this time a Hyde head diverted the ball narrowly over the home side's bar (43 mins). At this point all the lights in the stand and hospitality suites dramatically went out but the floodlights stayed on as Banim and McDonald combined to get the ball to Yeo, who once again shot poorly as he was tackled inside the penalty area (44 mins). There was just time for Banim to shoot wildly over the bar from 25 yards before half-time arrived to give the hard-working ten-men of Altrincham a much-deserved respite after an impressive first-half performance.

Lee Wilkinson replaced Martin McDonald at half-time. The first meaningful move of the half comprised a telling ball up the left wing from Porter to Murphy, who played it inside to Scheuber. His attempted backheel, after an initial mis-control, was cleared by Hyde. Immediately after this Scott continued his fine form of the first half with an excellent cross which just eluded Furlong. As the visitors continued to dominate the early minutes of the half, the referee failed to spot Hall's kick which caught Scheuber's head but Hyde's advantage was stopped by a foul on Banim by Craney (48 mins).

However, in their first real attack of the half, Hyde got down their left wing and the cross-ball found Yeo badly marked. He comfortably headed an equaliser from close range (49 mins). Altrincham almost responded in the perfect way when a telling ball from Porter freed Furlong who ran strongly at the defence as he cut in from the left. His fierce shot was inches wide of the goal (50 mins). Mr Cooke continued his pattern of eccentric decisions when Matty Taylor played the ball left to Robertson. The number three set off on a fine run forward which ended with a shot which was deflected off a defender; Mr Cooke gave a goal-kick. The official then failed to see Scheuber being tripped after Furlong had relayed on a Scott pass (52 mins). However, he did spot a foul on Furlong but this brought Altrincham no resulting benefit.

Three times in quick succession the bustling Carl Furlong launched himself at Hyde but each time he was repulsed before, at the other end, Yeo was caught offside again. Mark Ward then brought himself on, took off Ian Craney (56 mins) and within seconds Altrincham had taken the lead for the second time in the match. Once more it was full-back Gary Scott who scored with a cracking shot. Scott, outside the penalty area to the right, seized on a loose ball arising from a collision between two Hyde defenders and stepped forward to crash the ball into the back of the net from the edge of the box (57 mins). Encouraged by their goal Altrincham continued to bustle in midfield, with Scheuber making some sharp tackles and Hawes showing great endeavour.

However, Porter's attempt to increase the lead from a ball by Murphy went well wide off the outside of his left foot (61 mins). Altrincham enjoyed some good possession until Hawes lost it, after which Hyde began to come back into the game. A cross from Yeo was half-cleared by Talbot and the resulting move ended up with the ball being over hit to Edgington (64 mins).

After Farley had made a neat interception of a potentially dangerous ball on the edge of the box, Scott appeared to have done equally well in gaining position by the corner flag on the Altrincham right only for him to slip and be dispossessed. The resulting cross caused consternation in which Talbot appeared to hook the ball past Coburn from close range for an own goal (66 mins). Referee Cooke seemed to rule out the goal because his first reaction was to go over and talk at length to Farley but eventually he waved the bemused players back to the centre to restart the game, having awarded a goal. The Hyde tannoy gave the credit to Banim, who was in close attendance. Whatever happened, Stuart Coburn was far from happy and because the ball seemed to squirm under him, he was later to be subjected by the Hyde partisans to unjust shouts of "Dodgy Keeper" for probably the first time in his career. Altrincham had wiped out their own two fine goals with indifferent defending.

Hyde now had their tails up and after Murphy had been robbed on half-way, they won a corner which was headed out to Ward. His pass to Murphy was overhit before a Hyde cross from the left went out for a goal-kick for Coburn (69 mins). Paul Taylor then won a corner as the extra man began to tell in Hyde's advantage but Robertson shot well wide from the flag-kick from 25 yards (71 mins). Gus Wilson soon passed to Jody Banim who hit a great shot goalwards but Coburn dived magnificently to his left to save this twenty-yarder.

Altrincham replied with a move of a dozen-passes involving Murphy, Scheuber, Porter, Hawes, Furlong, Talbot, Scott and Ward, in some cases more than once. However, as this move broke down, Yeo raced into the box and fell under pressure. Mr Cooke immediately and correctly waved play on. However, he then stopped play and called over Peter Band. Both the player and the crowd sensed what was coming and it came. Presumably offended by a comment from the Hyde man, the affronted official, who must be endowed with particularly acute hearing, once more brandished his red card (74 mins).

Whilst the sending off restored parity of numbers, Altrincham had already laboured for over an hour on a muddy pitch with a man short. In the short term all appeared well for them as Mr Cooke for the second time gave Altrincham a goal-kick when Yeo had clearly won a corner. Mark Ward tried to prompt some forward movement but his second touch in a move involving Porter and Scheuber led him to overhit the ball to Edgington (76 mins).

Salmon came on as a replacement for Banim after 77 minutes before the sides traded a free-kick each for a foul. Farley played a ball forward to Murphy, who played it on to Scheuber. The youngster's attempted lay off was a good idea but poorly executed. Hyde then played a routine high ball down the centre which the back-tracking Talbot misjudged. The Altrincham captain missed his header and the ball fell behind him to the onrushing Yeo who finished smartly with a shot past Coburn from inside the box to complete Talbot's wretched second half (80 mins).

Altrincham almost responded immediately with a goal when Hawes's powerful shot was tipped over the bar by Edgington but it was not to be their night. As the home crowd in the main stand inexplicably drifted home (86 mins) and the rain came down heavily again, the Men of the Match were announced with Hawes lifting the prize awarded for Altrincham. The game was not yet over as Mr Cooke played a remarkably long period of added-on time. Two minutes from the end of this, Furlong went up the left wing with the ball. He was knocked down on the edge of the box and, controversial, to the end, Mr Cooke ignored this. As Altrincham pushed everyone forward, Talbot met a Ward cross but could only direct it at Edgington.

Play switched to the other end and Salmon found himself completely clear bearing down on Coburn. He skilfully rounded the keeper to the right before scoring into an empty net to give Hyde an extremely flattering margin of victory (88 mins). Mark Ward then lost his temper and had a go at Mr Cooke which earned him a booking. Before play resumed a Hyde player attempted to provoke Furlong as they stood nose to nose. Mr Cooke still had time to sow confusion as he showed a yellow card, which appeared to be aimed at Paul Taylor, but may have been intended for someone else. When play resumed Scheuber knocked the ball into the net from 20 yards but well after the whistle had gone for a foul. After almost five minutes of added time, Mr Cooke finally ended Altrincham's misery.

Glendenning's dismissal made this an uphill struggle for Altrincham for 78 minutes and though the red card was excessive, the rules are the rules. Having got ahead twice it was bitterly disappointing that the game was thrown away by a series of bad defensive lapses. Whether tiredness and the slippery pitch were factors is debatable but before Hyde got ahead, Altrincham had shown great spirit and determination. Furlong laboured hard on his own up front and the midfield were tenacious in closing down the opposition. Gary Scott showed a new side to his talent with two superb goals and whilst ground was lost on Emley, there is still plenty of time to recover it.