Match Reports, 2002-03
ALTRINCHAM & DISTRICT F.A. (2) 5
STOCKPORT & DISTRICT F.A. (1) 1
Representative Cup match,
played on Sunday, 23 February 2003
at Shawe View, Trafford F.C., 2p.m.
ALTRINCHAM TEAM
ALTRINCHAM (White shirts, black shorts & socks): 1. Richard HARRISON, 2. Paul GLYNN (capt.), 3. Marc GRIFFITHS, 4. Alex FROST, 5. Greg BYRNE, 6. Jon McEVOY, 7. Michael BAILEY, 8. Todd HAYES, 9. Steve LUNT, 10. Francis EVANS, 11. Josh COLLINS. Subs: 12. Andy THORPE, 14. Adam DOUTHWAITE, 15. Steve TAYLOR, 18. Barry GEORGE (gk).
MATCH REPORT
Jon McEvoy scores goal number two. More pictures here
Altrincham fielded a side entirely made up of Altrincham FC players. However, one or two were playing in unaccustomed positions. Luke Killeen had had to drop out after feeling a twinge in the warm-up so Francis Evans was pushed forward from midfield to partner Steve Lunt. Centre-back Michael Bailey played in central midfield and Alex Frost continued at centre-back having played much of the season at full-back so far.
Altrincham needed to win this game to qualify for the final of the regional inter-F.A. tournament and as in their last fixture, against Mid-Cheshire got off to a flying start. After just two minutes, Todd Hayes took a free-kick from about 40 yards out, which he drove low to Steve Lunt, who made good ground coming in from the right.
Steve controlled the ball well before beating the Stockport keeper (2 mins). Stockport almost made the perfect response when Marc Griffiths had to clear off the line (4 mins). The end to end play continued, with a superb cross from the left by Steve Lunt which found Hayes, but the midfielder unfortunately lost his footing as he gathered the ball in the box (5 mins). There was then a strong appeal for handball against Alex Frost in the Alty box as Stockport again responded with an attack of their own.
Frost then got in a fine tackle to see off another Stockport attack before a good cross from the right from Paul Glynn was hooked towards goal by Francis Evans, only for a defender to head it off the line by the far post (17 mins). The next goal chance came when Collins volleyed wide from a difficult opening. Altrincham continued on top with Lunt shooting wide on the half hour. However, the Stockport no.9 was proving their major threat up front and after he had rolled a shot wide, he got past the Alty defence to win a corner. However, any hopes of an equaliser were stifled when Lunt played a fine ball inside on the break to McEvoy who advanced on the keeper before driving the ball firmly home from 10 yards or so (31 mins).
Then, Greg Byrne, who had been playing well, lost possession and the Stockport no.8 drove a superb shot from the edge of the box into the top corner of the net, off the right hand post to make the score 2-1 (33 mins). Alty now went through an uncomfortable phase of losing possession with hasty passes. Although Stockport won another corner before the break, Altrincham held on to their lead to the interval.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM & DISTRICT F.A. 2 STOCKPORT & DISTRICT F.A. 1 |
Stockport brought on their no.14 at the interval. An early Altrincham freekick, 30 yards out, was driven firmly by Marc Griffiths towards the visiting keeper's top right hand corner but he made a good save (50 mins). Richard Harrison was then called into action at the other end before a good passing move by Alty won a corner up the right, through Paul Glynn.
This came to nothing and Stockport continued to threaten more than they had in the first half. A Stockport freekick went over the Alty back four but the advancing no.8 shot wide of goal (58 mins). Francis Evans was the next to threaten when a feed from Steve Lunt led him to unleash a drive from 22 yards which narrowly cleared the bar. Altrincham then made a change with Steve Taylor replacing Josh Collins on the left (61 mins). McEvoy and Evans soon combined for Glynn to fire in a volley which was well saved as Alty stepped up a gear (62 mins).
Stockport made another change (63 mins) but they were now conceding a succession of free-kicks and from one of these, by Griffiths, Evans flicked the ball on to Lunt who fed Hayes and he finished the move with a low shot into the net, to make it 3-1 (69 mins). Soon, Griffiths fired just wide from a 30 yard free-kick but Alty wrapped the game up with a fourth goal moments later. Glynn picked up the ball in midfield before exchanging passes with Lunt as the Alty captain overlapped up the right. Glynn's cross was met with an excellent diving header by Francis Evans, to make it 4-1 (72 mins).
The two goals in three minutes had killed off Stockport but Alty nevertheless brought on fresh legs with Evans being replaced by Thorpe, just after an Evans drive had narrowly cleared the bar (79 mins). Soon after his arrival Thorpe was clearly held in the box but no penalty was awarded. Paul Glynn now moved into midfield as Adam Douthwaite took over at right-back, with Jon McEvoy the player to leave the fray (84 mins). Altrincham soon won a corner which was cleared but following a throw-in on their left, they scored a fifth goal. The ball came to Hayes who fed Thorpe, to the left of goal. He drove the ball at goal and though the keeper got a touch he could not keep it out (88 mins).
What had threatened for half an hour to become a close game, had ended up in a comfortable victory after Altrincham improved their performance in the second half. They now meet Macclesfield F.A. in the final at a venue to be decided. The relative newcomers to the side, Todd Hayes, Andy Thorpe and Steve Taylor all did well and will have added further to manager George Heslop and his coaches Neil Thomason and Mal Bailey's pool of talent available for next Sunday's game away at Ashton Athletic. The regulars, too, performed well, with the defence looking solid in front of the clean handling of keeper Harrison.
| Full-Time: ALTRINCHAM & DISTRICT F.A. 5 STOCPORT & DISTRICT F.A. 1 |