Match Report

Altrincham were unchanged from Saturday's game at Accrington, but the visitors brought in Paul Burns for Steve Flitcroft. Carl Furlong warmed up with the Alty team for the first time since his bad injury at Witton but was not named in the Altrincham squad. Again Alty took the risk of not including a goalkeeper in their five substitutes.

Before a disappointingly small crowd, Accrington were the first to show, as they attacked the newly christened 20/20 (Hale) End via the first of several surging runs by the impressive Russell Payne. On this occasion he went past Chris Adams to set up a shot for Carden which the Stanley man wasted with a poor effort. Stanley immediately settled into a neat passing game as Altrincham made a slow start (5 mins). However, the Robins did win the first corner of the contest, after 6 minutes, following a Craney cross. Hollis was then very lucky to escape a booking when he was penalised for deliberate hands in a situation where, had he not committed the misdemeanour, Rod Thornley would have been through on goal (8 mins). After a delay for treatment to Shirley, Poland put the resulting free-kick from the hand-ball incident, from the right of goal, well over the bar.

Poland did better shortly afterwards when his dipping shot from just outside the box won his side their second corner, on the right, when it took a deflection off a defender. Before this kick could be taken by Poland, the ailing Shirley was substituted and Brennan came on (10 mins). Stanley soon won a corner for themselves on the right, from which Mullin's header went wide of Coburn's right upright (14 mins). Accrington had the better of these early exchanges but when Cavanagh clearly pulled back Thornley, he became the first man to be booked by Mr Astley (19 mins) in what was to become a match the Accrington captain will wish to forget. A minute later Steve Hawes was booked for a foul and a minor flare-up (20 mins). This was the Alty skipper's fifth booking of the season so a suspension now awaits him.

Altrincham's few menacing moments in the early stages were coming from long clearances down the middle by Coburn and from one of these Hulme won a corner on the right. Hulme himself met Poland's deep in-swinging corner at the back post and put the ball in the net but there had been a clear push beforehand and the "goal" did not stand (22 mins). Then, poetic justice was done when a dreadful lunge by Hollis resulted in an injury for the offender as Murphy took swift evasive action. Mr Astley should have booked the injured Hollis after he had been treated, but did not. Altrincham were now improving and in their best move to date Poland fed Scott and his cross from the right was met near the penalty spot by a glancing, stooping header from Thornley which went narrowly over the crossbar (27 mins). Payne then made another impressive run at the other end but, once again, a colleague wasted his efforts, this time it being Lutel James who delivered a low, underhit shot (28 mins). Danny Murphy was now coming into the game but when Poland delivered a cross from the left, Danny misdirected his header wide (29 mins) and shortly afterwards he was stopped by an offside decision (31 mins).

Stanley made a dangerous break when Craney was dispossessed, James passing the ball wide to Carden but his cross from the right was inaccurate and evaded the incoming and unmarked Mullin in front of goal (33 mins). The uncompromising Hollis then bundled over Thornley, off the ball, after the whistle had gone for an earlier foul by Poland. After treatment for Thornley the original free-kick was taken and though Sertori looked to have been held as he tried to get on the end of Hawes's dead-ball kick, nothing was given. The stuttering nature of play continued when a stoppage was needed for treatment to Chris Adams (35 mins). After Hawes had lost the ball, the visitors won a corner on their right but this was cleared (38 mins) only for Stanley to reapply pressure. When Scott had been caught out by a ball forward over his head, Mark Sertori slipped on the greasy surface and James was left clear on goal inside the box. The striker hit a woeful shot high and wide to spare Alty's blushes. The crocked Adams could not continue and Dave Swannick replaced him at left back (39 mins). James again erred when Mullin played him in shortly afterwards; this time the striker lost control badly in a dangerous position for Altrincham (40 mins). A corner followed but a few petty fouls littered the closing minutes of the half, which ended goal-less.

At half-time Sky Sports cameras, which had recorded pre-match interviews with Stanley officials about their club's benefit from a sell-on clause for Brett Ormerod, now video-taped short interviews with some Alty fans about the impending FA Cup game with Darlington. As the second period got under way, midfielder Ian Craney showed some good touches for the home side. However, controversy arose after 50 minutes when Smith and Thornley tangled as they went for the ball near half-way. With both players grounded, Smith got up and clearly kicked Thornley's head. Although the Stanley man would, no doubt, argue this was accidental this was not how the spectators close to the incident saw it and these included the Alty management duo who made their views clearly felt to the referee.

Mr Astley had not seen this off the ball incident and went over to speak to his assistant but no action resulted. Thornley's head was treated before play resumed. The home crowd's mood was not improved when Hawes was almost immediately tripped by Brennan, who also escaped any sanctions. Accrington then threatened Coburn's goal when James fed Cavanagh, whose shot was deflected just wide for a corner. From this, the ball came out to Carden who shot narrowly wide from the edge of the box, as he was challenged (54 mins).

With the game in a fairly scrappy stage, Alty coach Graham Heathcote tried to fire up his team from the sidelines. As the players waited to take an Altrincham free-kick in the far right corner, Hulme was called off to be replaced by Hargreaves who joined Thornley up front, with Poland dropping to left midfield. Hulme clearly did not want to come off before the kick was taken, but eventually the change was made (57 mins). From the free-kick, Hawes sidefooted over the bar from outside the area. Gary Scott, who had a good game, prompted some movement up the Alty right as the hosts began to improve. Soon, Hargreaves won a corner on the right and the well struck inswinging corner by Poland was only cleared from under the bar by a defender. Hawes now needed treatment after being fouled as Graham Heathcote shouted for "sharper passing" from his side. Accrington then surged forward via Brennan and Payne but an Alty goalkick resulted (62 mins).

The injury stoppages continued with Smith the next one needing attention. Given his treatment of Thornley earlier, he did not gain too much sympathy for his plight from the Alty fans behind the Stanley goal. After this lengthy stoppage, Swannick took a free-kick from the deep right of the Accrington half and he found the head of Hargreaves perfectly, inside the centre of the box. The young substitute neatly headed the ball over Speare and it looped into the net for a well-worked goal (66 mins). On the resumption, Cavanagh pushed over Thornley, off the ball, as a niggling undercurrent continued to affect the game, as it had in the second half at Accrington. Soon after this Hawes played a ball to Thornley, whose pace took him past Carden, who cynically tripped him and got a deserved booking for it (67 mins). The Stanley manager's already steady flow of invective now became a wave of effing and blinding directed at the officials.

Alty were now well on top and Murphy should have scored when set into the box but he took a stride too many and was tackled, dispossessed and injured all at once. As well as the need for treatment to Murphy yet another treatment stoppage arose when Smith went down as Alty waited to take a corner. This time the big centre-back had to come off and was replaced by Jimmy Bell, the assistant manager (69 mins). As Smith hobbled off to a chorus of boos from the home fans, Accrington hit the top of the cross bar from Payne's shot from outside the box, following a half-cleared free-kick (70 mins). A Stanley corner soon followed and this was followed by some sustained pressure from the visitors. Their reward came when Payne cut in from the left and found James. Although James was driven left to right across the penalty area, he was not properly challenged and he was allowed to shoot home across Coburn from 12 yards or so for the equaliser (76 mins).

Just after this Speare and Hargreaves collided, with the keeper catching the ball but landing on top of the Alty player near the edge of the box. Hargreaves remained motionless and after lengthy attention from physio Gary Thompson, he was carried off on a stretcher with Gary holding the player's head still (78 mins). Leon Smith came on to replace Hargreaves as Poland was, once more, pushed forward to accommodate Smith in midfield. Cavanagh then won a corner on the right when Scott had to make a timely interception after the Stanley man had got past Poland. This and a follow-up corner were cleared. Then a Craney shot hit one of his own men before James's cross for Mullin was met by a downward header straight at Coburn. Next, Steve Hawes made a fine run through the centre, beating Brennan and Carden, before putting in a shot which rose over the bar (87 mins). However, immediately afterwards, James got free into the Alty box and Scott tripped him to concede a clear penalty. Scott escaped any further punishment. Cavanagh struck the spot kick well, to Coburn's right, but the keeper made a superb save from just inside the post to divert the ball away, where it was cleared by a defender near the by-line (88 mins). So, the ninety minutes ended all square and extra time was necessary.

The penalty shoot-out was staged at the Golf Road End, with Altrincham taking the first attempt. Rod Thornley has taken ten spot-kicks this season and scored from nine of the but his effort tonight was hit too centrally and Speare kept it out. Surprisingly, the Stanley keeper himself took his own side's first attempt and he showed Thornley how to do it by blasting the ball past Coburn (pictured left) to put Accrington ahead 1-0 in the shoot-out. Dave Swannick then took a well-struck penalty to restore parity before Cavanagh's wretched night continued as Coburn again produced a top-drawer save to keep out his spot-kick. This time Stuart dived to his left to keep out a well-struck effort from the Stanley captain; so it remained 1-1. Ian Craney stepped up to take his penalty from a worryingly short run-up. His effort was straight at Speare, who saved it. To the relief of the home fans, Mr Astley ordered the kick to be re-taken, presumably because Speare had come forward too soon. This time Craney succeeded in beating the goalkeeper to put Alty ahead 2-1.

Stanley's Bell then blasted his effort wide of Coburn's left post, before Mark Sertori stepped up and struck his shot, aiming it to the left of Speare. However, the keeper dived to his right and saved well, so it remained 2-1. Carden was next and Coburn made another magnificent save, with his feet, as he dived to his right and the ball was diverted over the bar. If Alty could score at their next (fifth) penalty attempt, the match would be over and it was the FA Cup hero of last week, Lee Poland, who stepped up to take it. He struck the ball sweetly with his left foot into the keeper's left-hand corner to secure victory, 3-1, on penalties. There followed a smaller scale version of the post-Lancaster FA Cup celebrations as Altrincham left the pitch to the announcement that the Man of the Match was goalkeeper Stuart Coburn. Stuart had saved a penalty in normal time and two in the shoot-out to merit his prize. Thankfully, Anthony Hargreaves's injury was not as bad as it had appeared and he was able to watch the shoot-out from the bench,

On a day when Accrington were anticipating the receipt of over £300,000 for the sell-on of their former striker Brett Ormerod by Blackpool to Southampton, Altrincham netted just £900 in prize money for winning this match, which was nonetheless very welcome. After their Trophy 1st Round trip to Spalding, Alty will head towards the east coast once more, in January, for a 3rd Round tie at UniBond First Division side North Ferriby United. With tonight's win under their belts, Altrincham can now prepare for Saturday's big FA Cup game with Darlington but it is to be hoped that the injuries picked up tonight do not affect their chances. Chris Adams, for one, was limping badly as he left the ground after the end of the match.