Match Reports, 2002-03
ALTRINCHAM & DISTRICT FA YOUTH (0) 1
MACCLESFIELD & DISTRICT FA YOUTH 0
Cheshire County FA
District Youth Cup Final,
played on Friday, 28 March 2003
at Moss Lane, 7.30p.m.
LINE-UP
ALTRINCHAM (All red): 1. Richard HARRISON, 2. Paul GLYNN (capt.), 3. Mark 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. Luke KILLEEN, 14. Adam DOUTHWAITE, 15. Joel EKOLONGENI, 16. Andy THORPE, 18. Tom READ (gk).
MACCLESFIELD (All blue): 1. Jordan HITCHEN, 2. Anthony CLOWES (capt.), 3. Simon WEST, 4. Jon HOPE, 5. James BAILEY, 6. Matt MURRAY, 7. Rick BAILEY, 8. Chris KELLY, 9. John CRITCHLOW, 10. Matt McBRIDE, 11. Ben BUCKLEY. Subs: 12. Lee MALKIN, 13. Tom BAILEY, 14. Mike MESZAROS, 15. WOODS, 16, Matt MONTGOMERY.
MATCH REPORT
Moss Lane was the offically neutral venue for this cup final involving an Altrincham FA side made up entirely of players from Altrincham FC Youth team, who normally play at Wythenshawe Town FC's ground. There was a good crowd of some 200 people to watch a match played on an excellent surface. Tonight's Alty FA side included several changes from the team which played last Sunday's Altrincham FC youth-team league game. Alex Frost returned from injury, Steve Lunt came into the side as he had been exempted from first-team duty this weekend, and Todd Hayes also returned to the line-up.
Stevie Taylor's blistered feet ruled him out of the selection, whilst Joel Ekolongeni, Adam Douthwaite and Luke Killeen all moved to the bench. Paul Glynn reverted to right-back, with Michael Bailey moving forward to midfield from centre-back, where Frost started alongside Greg Byrne. Francis Evans accompanied Steve Lunt up front. There was also a change on the bench where first-team physio Gary Thompson took over for tonight from coach Neil Thomason, who was unable to attend. Macclesfield's team include a few ex-Macclesfield Town youth players and, in substitute Mike Meszaros, a player who has played against the Altrincham FC's first team for Hyde United on a couple of occasions.
Above, manager George Heslop faces the lads as they wait applaud the losers and wait to receive the trophy. Far left is Mal Bailey, who along with Neil Thomason, assists in coaching the team. In the foreground, left-back Mark Griffths's father captures the events on video, whilst to the right Phil Taylor leads the stewards in their applause.
Within thirty seconds of the kick-off Paul Glynn had been crudely pushed over by Critchlow and the Macclesfield striker received a withering look from the Altrincham captain as the free-kick was awarded. Jon McEvoy was in early evidence, on the right, getting in a shot from the edge of the box which the keeper fielded (6 mins). He was also in demand for a number of useful throw ins on the right. Michael Bailey was relishing his midfield role and putting in some good tackles in centre-field. An early move started by Mark Griffiths saw Todd Hayes get in a shot which was blocked but it was Macclesfield who won the first corner, from a clearing header by Byrne on the Macclesfield left.
The visitors now started to press forward but it was some skill by Evans which set up the next Alty attack which ended in McEvoy's cross from the right. However, the keeper caught the ball (15 mins). A 35-yard thunderbolt from McBride was then watched carefully by Harrison as it just cleared his crossbar before an impressive feint by Paul Glynn led to a cross which was cleared as the game settled into a tightly-fought contest. Next, Alty won a corner shortly before Buckley shot just over the bar for Macclesfield (22 mins)
After Griffiths had moved forward up the left, a resulting throw-in by Collins led to Evans's shot which produced another Alty corner. Although this came out to Byrne, he was unable to get a shot in on target. Macclesfield then got in a wide shot from Buckley (28 mins) before Critchlow did well to get past two defenders before he was blocked off.
However, Rick Bailey then did well and put in a fast low cross which McBride met well on the volley, forcing Harrison to make a magnificent diving save (33 mins). Both Critchlow and Bailey were soon lectured for some off the ball niggling before Lunt's feed to Evans produced a corner for the Altrincham side (36 mins). From the left, the corner was met by Lunt's header which ran comfortably to the keeper. Critchlow then got round McEvoy but put in a poor shot, wide of goal. Afterwards a fine ball from Kelly set Critchlow in behind Frost but he shot into the side netting to the left of goal. At the other end, Evans found McEvoy, whose shot went narrowly wide. Before the interval, Macclesfield won two corners, the second being a testing in-swinger from West, as Altrincham ended the half on the back foot.
| Half-Time: ALTRINCHAM & DISTRICT FA YOUTH 0 MACCLESFIELD & DISTRICT FA YOUTH 0 |
Five minutes into the second half Alty won a free-kick on their left some 35 yards out. Regular watchers of the Altrincham FC Youth team will know that Mark Griffiths is always a danger from such range and his effort this time was only narrowly off his target of the top corner of the net. Altrincham were now playing better than in the latter stages of the first half and an Altrincham corner was cleared before another scramble ensued after Hitchen had dropped the ball. Hayes was now more in evidence in midfield and Griffiths was getting forward on the left.
An exchange between Evans and McEvoy ended with the latter hitting the post but the offside whistle had gone in any case (65 mins). Alty now made a change with Collins giving way to Ekolongeni, who went up front, and Evans moved into midfield in place of Collins. Altrincham were enjoying much more of the attacking pressure than Macclesfield in this half but the openings were few and far between. However, a cross from Glynn seemed to have done the trick when it found Evans who, from the left, shot past the keeper only for a defender to clear the ball (73 mins). At the other end Buckley and Critchlow combined well but were just offside before Buckley went off to be replaced by Malkin (76 mins)
Since his arrival on the pitch, Ekolongeni's pace had threatened the visitors' defence but he was never allowed to get clear. Indeed, as the game entered the last ten minutes, Macclesfield came back into it but after some more jostling involving Critchlow, this time with Griffiths, the referee's patience ran out and he booked the Macclesfield striker (85 mins). However, the Alty defence held firm with Byrne and Frost at its heart. With three minutes left Lunt found Glynn whose shot was deflected out for a corner but this was wasted. A foul on Evans gave Griffiths another long range pot at goal from a free-kick but this time the ball curled wide of the far post (88 mins). Macclesfield soon had the last corner of normal time but the ninety minutes came to an end with the score still goalless.
An early up and under from Griffiths saw the Macc keeper miss the ball but Lunt was crowded out before he could take advantage (93 mins). Then a McEvoy shot was beaten out before an Evans run underlined Altrincham's determination at this stage. For Macc, Malkin shot well wide from 20 yards before one of many stoppages for cramp, this time for Clowes. After this, Critchlow gave way to Meszaros for Macclesfield (98 mins), before his side won a corner which was scrambled clear.
A late tackle on Michael Bailey by Rick Bailey earned him the game's second booking (100 mins), Although Alty won a corner from which Bailey headed wide, the first half of extra time ended with the sides locked at 0-0. A further fifteen minutes followed with, at one stage, three Macclesfield players down simultaneously with cramp. Each side won a corner midway through this final period but the game remained goal-less. From Macclesfield's corner, taken well by West, Meszaros's firm header seemed goalbound till Harrison (pictured left) made a fine stop and Ekolongeni completed the goal line clearance (117 mins).
With Glynn now switched with McEvoy on the right Alty continued to press as the "2 minutes" added-time board was shown. A foul on Glynn by Malkin, near the right touchline some 35 yards out was to be the event which broke the stalemate. Before the kick was taken, Luke Killeen replaced Ekolongeni, presumably with an eye to an impending penalty shoot-out. However, such a conclusion ws unncessary after Glynn's free-kick reached Lunt in the left-centre of the box. Lunt controlled the ball well before lashing a shot across the keeper to settle the game (119 mins).
Though Altrincham's performance from the second half onwards had seen them enjoy the majority of the attacking play, it had needed a couple of excellent stops from keeper Richard Harrison to build the foundations for Lunt's last-gasp winner. This was the Altrincham FA's sixth success in the District Cup but captain Paul Glynn and his side applauded the Macclesfield side as they went up first to receive their medals. Paul then led his side forward to receive the trophy and it was good to see the rest of the Altrincham squad, who had helped the side reach the final, in attendance on the pitch.
| After Extra-Time: ALTRINCHAM & DISTRICT FA YOUTH 1 MACCLESFIELD & DISTRICT FA YOUTH 0 |