Altrincham F.C. Youth Team: Match Report.

George Heslop and Neil Thomason fielded an unchanged team from that which won at South Sefton last week. This week's opposition were also newcomers to the NW Alliance League, so were something of an unknown quantity. Altrincham swarmed over the visitors from the kick-off and went ahead after only two minutes from a superbly struck 25 yard free-kick by Mark Drew, who had apparently scored from an equally good free-kick for the Cheshire FA last week. Then Mario Daniel and Lee Shillito combined well but the keeper saved from Mario, before a Shillito shot went narrowly wide across the face of goal (4 mins).

However, St Helens began to find their feet and their impressive number ten won a corner which was only cleared at the second attempt as the ball went too close to Broxson's net for comfort (10 mins). Heavy rain was now falling as a routine long ball through the centre landed just inside the box; the ball did not bounce fully on the sticky pitch and squirmed through keeper Jordan Broxson's grasp. This left the visitors' number ten with a tap-in to an open goal to level the scores, wholly against the early run of play (17 mins).

Alty should have restored their lead when Daniel advanced and beat the keeper, to the left of goal, but Mario could only shoot into the side netting with the goal vacant (19 mins). Mario had another shot moments later but again could not convert the chance. Yet another Daniel effort was then deflected out for an Altrincham corner on the left (22 mins).

A surging run by Drew ended with a low shot which the keeper saved as Alty looked likely to go ahead. But a defensive error allowed the visitors' number ten to get away and win a corner for his side (33 mins), then their number seven nearly got his head on a cross from the number eleven as the Alty defence looked uncertain again. Lee Thompson was seeing little of the ball on the Alty left but he cut past a defender to feed Shillito, whose shot was cleared off the line (36 mins). Daniel then won a corner off the keeper(38 mins).

Alty did get the ball in the net soon afterwards when the alert Shillito charged down an attempted clearance by the St Helens' keeper and the two players, with another defender, raced back 15 yards as the ball headed goalwards. Lee was penalised for leaning on the keeper as he poked the ball into the net (39 mins). Although Rowland was having a fine game at the back, the home defence was not looking altogether convincing and the visitors' number 11 nearly scored just before the break. Then, Paul Glynn had to be alert to divert the number ten from the ball at the cost of a corner, just before the half-time whistle.

St Helens replaced their no. 7 with a no.12 at the interval but Alty had the first shot, an effort from Tilley which the keeper saved comfortably (46 mins). Altrincham continued to apply pressure and it paid off after 51 minutes when, from a Robinson pass, Daniel got into the box and was brought down by the number five, to the left of goal.

Alty Youth had missed two recent penalties so, rather than Paul Robinson or Lee Shillito, it was Mark Drew who stepped up to take the spot-kick, after the offender had been booked. Mark's penalty kick nearly entered orbit as it cleared the cross bar and the club house by a considerable margin. The miss seemed to give St Helens heart and their no.10 belatedly got in a shot at Broxson (54 mins).

McGrath then got in a fine tackle to stifle another attack before Alty made a change with Mario Daniel giving way to Wes Wilkinson. Before he even got onto the pitch (61 mins) Wes had made quite an impression with a new hairstyle consisting of shaven concentric rings, a pair of gloves on his hands and his socks pulled above his knees! Immediately, Altrincham scored. Robinson passed to Tilley who fed Drew. Mark hit a low shot which evaded the keeper to put Alty deservedly back ahead (62 mins).

At the back, Vernum Rowland continued to impress as Alty kept the visitors at bay and Broxson a virtual spectator. The visitors keeper had to dash out to beat Tilley to a through ball and Wilkinson sent the rebound goal-ward only for a defender to clear before it reached the line (66 mins).

Shillito then got in a header at the keeper from a Drew cross (70 mins) and Lee Thompson began to make an impression on the left flank. However, Lee was soon withdrawn for Steve Lunt to take over alongside Wilkinson up front, with Shillito dropping into right-midfield (74 mins). The visitors replaced their no.11 with no.14 (76 mins) and they soon got in a header, just wide of goal. Lunt won a corner for Alty but on the break from this, the no.4 fed the no.10 through the centre of the Alty defence and he finished very well, giving Broxson no chance with virtually the only shot aimed at him in the second half to date (80 mins).

Things got worse when Wilkinson got himself needlessly booked for protesting a decision against him (82 mins). Altrincham nearly snatched a deserved win from a free-kick after a foul on Drew. From 25 yards, slightly left of goal, Drew struck a fine free-kick only for the keeper to get a touch on it to divert it onto the crossbar (87 mins). Drew had a further attempt, from all of 50 yards, two minutes later but the ball cleared the crossbar. This was a match which Altrincham should have sewn up well before the visitors scored the late equaliser which deprived them of two points but St Helens took their chances well.