LINE-UP

ALTRINCHAM FC LADIES: Lucy O’Dwyer, Heather Scott, Louise Edleston, Bex McConnell, Jess Hartopp, Liss Taylor, Kate Bryan, Bliss Molyneux, Brogan Walsh, Gail Simpson, Kye Brown. Substitutes: Becky McWalter, Alisha Palmer & Cloe Allsop

REPORT

Report courtesy of Phil Taylor.

The Ladies made the trip to Bootle to take on a Merseyrail team who are still pursuing promotion to the Premier Division. Bootle are a competitive side who are capable of mixing silk with steel to achieve their targets.

Altrincham lined up in a 4-1-3-2 formation. The back four in front of Lucy O being Heather, Louise, Bliss and Kye. Just in front of them Bex was deployed as a screening player. This would potentially allow the midfield triumvirate of Jess, Gail and Brogan to push a little further forward at times to offer support to strikers Liss and Kate.

Altrincham kicked off but it was Bootle who applied early pressure, Louise being forced into a fine block early in proceedings. Alty tried to play their preferred brand of football but were immediately pressed by Bootle who had started at a swift pace. Louise was again called into action on five minutes, excellently heading a dangerous cross behind for the first of a number of Bootle corners.

Two minutes later an accurate ball bisected Kye and Bliss but the Bootle forward running on to it could only shoot tamely wide. On eleven minutes Kye put in an extremely impressive, firm but fair tackle on an opponent which eventually required treatment for both players.

As a result of the play which developed from this challenge Alty secured their first corner which unfortunately came to naught. Altrincham were beginning to get a foothold and on thirteen minutes came close to breaking the deadlock when, following good closing down an ball into the area was met by Liss’s head, forcing a save from the home keeper. Motivated by this Alty continued to press, Kye shooting narrowly wide soon after.

Just before the twenty-minute mark Heather defended well to concede a corner and, from that corner, Lucy did well to get a hand to the ball and slow its progress sufficiently for Heather to clear it off the line. Kye again defended admirably on twenty-seven minutes as Bootle once again stepped up the pressure.

On thirty-eight minutes Heather, in shepherding a ball behind sustained an injury to her ankle which required her to withdraw, Becky replacing her on her debut for the team. This change clearly had an effect on Altrincham who, before thay had chance to properly reorganise had conceded the first goal.

A corner was played in and not entirely cleared. Bootle did well to retain and recycle possession before the ball was clinically despatched beyond Lucy’s despairing dive. Half-time came almost immediately after Altrincham had restarted play with Bootle holding a barely warranted 1-0 lead

Keith and his management team. Whilst disappointed by the score line, were fairly pleased with the team’s first half performance. It had been a hard-working and intelligent performance by every player, sometimes in the face of questionable challenges. Some areas were identified as requiring a little bit of adjustment but, with the same degree of application, a positive outcome was not considered beyond the Altrincham players.

Bootle started the second half and, once again were immediately on the offensive. Lucy did well twice in a very short period of time as Altrincham started a little slowly. Initially she claimed a cross cleanly and commandingly before quickly coming out to take the ball off the feet of a Bootle attacker.

Barely a minute later Bootle extended their lead in somewhat fortuitous circumstances. A corner was played short and well worked to the edge of the area from where a shot was loosed. Lucy seemed to have it well covered before it took a vicious deflection and settled in the corner of the net.

Alty were straight on the offensive from the restart though and, within a minute, following a strong challenge by Liss, Kate executed a sublime chip which left the Bootle keeper grasping thin air before entering the net. The pendulum may well have swung the way of Altrincham from this point onward had it not been for another slightly debatable goal.

A long ball was played over the Altrincham defence to a striker who, it appeared, was clearly offside. Play was allowed to continue and the chance was clinically finished to restore Bootle’s two goal advantage.

Having registered once, Alty again set off in pursuit of parity. A great run and shot by Liss being well saved before Brogan, from Kate’s subsequent corner volleyed just wide. Bootle scored a fourth on the hour mark, somewhat against the run of play. Good play down their left flank exposed Becky, the stand in right back and a cross was fired into the front post. Lucy got a hand to the flick on but sadly the Bootle attacker reacted more quickly than the Alty defenders to tuck away the rebound.

Lucy made another good save immediately afterwards, turning a strong shot around the post. On sixty-five minutes Alty pressed again. Liss flicked on for Kate to pursue but good defending ran her out of it. Lucy again proved her worth with twenty minutes to go. A long ball over Kye freed a Bootle attacker who ran toward goal. Lucy galloped out to the edge of her area and, as the attempt was made to lob her, reached up to paw it away before diving on the rebound. At this point Alisha was introduced, replacing the hard working Kate up front.

A further five minutes elapsed and Lucy again came to the Alty rescue. A ball reached the far post and was smashed toward goal. Lucy came shooting across goal and blocked the shot. Unfortunately she did so with her face and needed treatment before resuming.

On eighty two minutes Cloe entered the fray, replacing Brogan who had been on the receiving end of a number of questionable challenges.

Bootle added a fifth goal, giving the game a score line which was not representative of the action when a cross shot from the left side of goal looped over Lucy into the far corner of the net. This was the final action of the game.

So Altrincham came away from Bootle seeming to have been well beaten but although the second half performance was less satisfying than the first, the final score was arguably a bit flattering to Bootle. Credit is due to the Altrincham players who kept playing right to the end and in a fair and sporting manner, occasionally under some physical pressure.