Match Report

SUMMARY

Altrincham looked set for an easy victory as they dominated the first 17 minutes of the game, playing some of their best football for weeks, with Mark Ward spraying the ball about to great effect. It all went wrong after 17 minutes when Scott lost the ball and the impressive Robbie Talbot got free up the right. As his Altrincham namesake stood off him, Talbot put in a cross which, inexplicably, Mark Ward chose to handle. Young John Lawless coolly beat Coburn from the spot to give Burscough an undeserved equaliser. However, the goal lifted the visitors and Altrincham's frustration led to the game's descent into petulance in the last 15 minutes of the first half.

Three Alty players were booked in as many minutes and before the interval Hawes and Ellison's names were also added to the ref's notebook, along with that of a Burscough defender. Things got worse for Alty before they got better, with Robbie Talbot putting Burscough ahead (70 mins). Eventually Altrincham's pressure told and Murphy nodded home a flick-on by Talbot from a Hawes free-kick with seven minutes to go. This was the sort of match which Altrincham needed to win if they were to mount a late challenge for the title. Nevertheless, they have now gone six league games without defeat. In all, ten players were booked, five from each side.

Despite the flu scare concerning Coburn, Gallagher and Ellison, all three played this match. Keith Mairs was given a first taste of first team atmosphere this season when he appeared on the bench, alongside Scheuber and Farley. Jason Gallagher's return to the starting line-up was at right-back, with Gary Scott moving to the left and Steve Morgan omitted.

After Burscough had kicked off towards the Hale End, Altrincham went on to play some impressive football in the opening stages of this match and an easy win soon looked on the cards after Finney had scored with only three minutes gone. The goal came after a superb long ball forward from Mark Ward to Danny Murphy led to a shot from Ian Craney which was beaten out, the ball falling for Finney to slot home from close range on the left side of goal (3 mins). However, Robbie Talbot responded for the visitors by getting past Scott but his cross ended up with a goal-kick to Altrincham. Ellison then beat Farrell on the left touchline but his cross was overhit before another fine ball from Ward to Murphy followed, but this time the ball ran to Taylor in the Burscough goal.

Following a throw on the right, Farrell fed Talbot who hustled Scott into conceding a corner to the visitors (7 mins). Coburn caught Lawless's corner cleanly. Altrincham's next threat came when Hawes got the ball to Murphy and his cross from the right supplied Ellison with a clear header in front of goal. Ellison headed the ball downwards and wide of the right post when he should have hit the target (8 mins). After Finney had won possession from Farrell, Ellison won a corner as he attempted a cross from the left by-line (11 mins). From Hawes's corner a clearance fell to Ward whose low shot from 25 yards was blocked as Altrincham continued to enjoy the better of the game. After Craney had been pulled up for handball in the centre circle, Farrell shot from almost 30 yards, but well over the bar (13 mins).

A punt from Coburn was won by Murphy, who fed Ellison. Ellison advanced on goal but was crudely bundled over as he neared the penalty box. The free-kick was from just outside the box, to the left. Ellison and Ward stood over the ball before the former drove a superb curling, left-foot shot round the wall, which Taylor saved well (15 mins) diving to his right. Much less accurate was Jason Gallagher's mis-hit hoof into Golf Road when he shot from 22 yards moments later (16 mins).

This followed a free-kick by Ward on the right after a free-kick had been given for a foul on Murphy. Coburn at this stage was a spectator as Altrincham lay siege to the Burscough goal. However, all that changed when Scott, receiving the ball from Ward, lost it and Robbie Talbot got behind him up the right wing. Gary Talbot closed off his direct advance on goal but the Burscough man got in a cross from the right. Inexplicably, the retreating Mark Ward put up his hands as the ball passed in front of him, as he faced goal, and the referee did not hesitate in awarding a spot-kick. Ward, however, was not booked.

Eighteen year-old John Lawless calmly beat Stuart Coburn from the spot with a firm shot to the keeper's left to give the visitors an undeserved equaliser (17 mins). The goal lifted the visitors and Leahy soon had a dig at goal which Coburn saved with ease (19 mins). However, Steve Hawes replied by doing well to get Ian Craney in for a shot. The young midfielder slid the ball wide of the left post when he should have troubled the keeper (20 mins). But soon afterwards Burscough's Talbot once more showed his skill, cutting in from the right and getting in a good shot which Coburn saved well. The keeper also cut out a cross from Stanton shortly afterwards before Gallagher's cross into the box won a corner for the Robins (22 mins).

The Altrincham corner by Hawes was headed clear and then Burscough themselves won a flag-kick through Robbie Talbot, the ball running off Scott (24 mins), as the game now became much more even than before the penalty. After a Burscough player was sandwiched by two Alty men, Leahy and Lawless conspired over the resulting free-kick which they nevertheless contrived to hit into the defensive wall. An in-swinging corner from Birch was miskicked by Gallagher but eventually cleared (30 mins). Gallagher soon won a corner at the other end, however, which was again taken by Hawes. The kick found Talbot and then struck a Burscough hand. As the referee shrugged off calls for a penalty, McEvilly broke forward and won a free-kick. Mark Ward was still incensed about the penalty appeal and was not surprisingly booked for dissent (33 mins). This led to some minutes of madness, firstly between Ellison and an opponent who shoved each other and then when Maddox dived in recklessly and was rightly booked (34 mins).

A third booking in as many minutes followed when, after making progress down the right, Gallagher jumped in at Hanson, as he lost possession. Whether or not contact was made, the referee took a dim view as the Burscough player went down and Gallagher's name joined those of Ward and Maddox in the book. Although sections of the crowd turned on the referee, indiscipline in the Altrincham ranks was at least as much to blame for the game's descent into petulance for the last period of the first half.

The atmosphere was not helped when Finney was upended but no foul given before Craney restored some sanity to the proceedings with a neat turn and shot, but the ball ran wide from the edge of the box (40 mins). It was then the turn of Hawes and Birch to engage in a shoving match and as Mark Ward waited to take the free-kick awarded to the home side for Birch's foul, the referee went over to consult his assistant. He then called over Hawes and although he lectured him, did not appear to show him a yellow card. Separately, he called Birch for an earwigging and did book the Burscough man (41 mins). The post-match consensus was that Hawes was also booked, the flourish of the card apparently encompassing both players. Ward's free-kick came off Murphy's head and went over the bar.

The dangerous Robbie Talbot again took on Scott on the Burscough right-wing but the defender got the ball away at the cost of a throw (44 mins). The players' indiscipline continued as now Murphy and Lawless pushed and shoved each other as the game threatened to get out of control. Lawless got a talking-to from the referee but this was not yet the end of the silliness as the half-time whistle went with Ellison and Farrell locking horns. As the teams left the field, Mr Ireland booked both players (45 mins) and departed to a chorus of booing. What had started as Altrincham's best performance for weeks, had degenerated into a thoroughly unsatisfactory spectacle and the half-time break brought a welcome respite.

However, Altrincham now began to enjoy more of the possession than Burscough without getting into any dangerous positions, despite probing by Craney and Gallagher in particular. However, Farley had to be alert to dispossess Lawless inside the home box. A foul by Stanton on Gallagher gave Altrincham a free-kick on the right touchline, 25 yards out (58 mins). Ward's free-kick, however, only led to a Burscough free-kick. Alty's next chance was a 25 yard volley by Hawes which was just wide of Taylor's right upright (60 mins). The next passing movement ended when Murphy was tripped by Hanson but the free-kick came to nothing. Altrincham's next "shot" was a virtually sideways mis-kick from Ward which went out for a Burscough throw some twenty yards from goal (62 mins). After a trip on Murphy had been missed by Mr Ireland, he gave a free-kick for another foul on the same player by McEvilly (63 mins) as Altrincham dominated possession. However, Burscough then broke away but Robbie Talbot opted for a long shot rather than an interchange of passes with his advancing colleague, Wilde. Wilde was soon in the spotlight, however, fouling Gallagher after the Altrincham man had released the ball and earning himself a booking (64 mins).

After treatment to Gallagher, play resumed and soon McMullen was hoofing the ball into the nearby allotments to give his colleagues a breather (65 mins). Craney posed McMullen the next threat, slotting the ball forward to Ellison. Though Ellison hesitated, he did enough to win a corner on the left, which was taken by Ward but headed clear. The next two moves ended with Finney and Ellison, respectively, being off-side (68 mins). Just as it looked as if Altrincham's dominance would eventually pay off, Farley made a bit of meal of a clearance.

Though Ellison seemed to have cleared up the danger, some 25 yards from his own goal, possession was lost. A diagonal ball forward set Burscough free on the right of the box where Robbie Talbot advanced on Coburn and shot firmly past him to give Burscough the lead (70 mins). As with their first-half goal, this one also gave the visitors a fillip. Following a Burscough free-kick on the touchline, Coburn missed his punch but was adjudged to have been fouled (73 mins). Hawes, Scott and Ward got Finney free up the right but his cross was too deep and was caught by the keeper. With both Murphy and Ellison going through quiet spells, Altrincham changed their line-up, the player-manager, Mark Ward, being replaced by Stuart Scheuber in midfield (75 mins).

Immediately, Scheuber played a good ball forward to Ellison who seemed to be fouled in the box but no offence was spotted by the referee (75 mins). Altrincham continued to give away possession before getting into threatening positions, whilst for Burscough Talbot and Wilde were unable to capitalise on a rare foray (78 mins). Hawes and Stanton then traded silly pushes reminiscent of the first-half nonsense, before Finney was caught offside (80 mins). Rudd replaced Wilde for Burscough (81 mins) and following a half-clearance by Altrincham, the sub got his head to a rasping cross and the ball came back off Coburn's cross-bar (82 mins). Murphy was then the victim of a foul by Lawless, which earned the Burscough man a booking 25 yards from the visitors' goal, near the right touchline.

Hawes's free-kick skimmed off Talbot's head and continued its trajectory towards the far post. Murphy got on the end of it and nodded the equaliser past Taylor from close range (83 mins). After the restart, Burscough's McEvilly seized on a half-clearance at the other end but his shot from 20 yards was well wide (84 mins). Farley then fouled Rudd from behind in centre-field but Stanton's free-kick came harmlessly to Coburn (87 mins). Burscough's McMullen became the tenth and last player to be booked when he fouled Hawes, who needed treatment, some 35 yards from the visitors' goal (88 mins). Hawes was announced as Man of the Match before he recovered to take the free-kick himself. After Hatton and Rudd had failed to capitalise on a break, Hatton and Talbot combined for the latter to win a corner on the Burscough right, with a minute remaining. Although a second corner immediately followed, this was so awfully taken that it ran out for a goal-kick well before reaching the near post.

Although this draw extended Altrincham's unbeaten league run to six matches, it was two points dropped rather than one gained. Although Altrincham enjoyed the majority of the possession, they lost their way after Burscough's equaliser and allowed indiscipline to take over as the first half descended into a sorry spectacle. Mark Ward played superbly in the opening quarter of an hour and Steve Hawes tried to prompt his side for the full ninety minutes. Ellison and Murphy had their moments but Kevin, in particular, must still be short of match fitness after his long lay-off.

Once again the defence was changed from the previous game, with Gallagher coming in for Morgan and Scott having to switch to the left; Altrincham have now conceded 17 goals in the last 11 games in the league and stability at the back still remains elusive. The return to fitness of Steve Porter may give Mark Ward more options to resolve this problem and allow Jason Gallagher to be freed to play in his best position, in midfield. With Emley only drawing today, a chance was lost for Altrincham to gain some ground in the championship race.