Altrincham F.C. Reserves: Match Report.

Into the squad which won against Burscough last Wednesday came regular Reserves' goalkeeper Dale Newbrook, cover-goalkeeper Tom Packett, and Youth team players Vernum Rowland, Paul Tilley and Steve McGrath. The strong Morecambe side included England Semi-Professional international, Robbie Talbot.

As Morecambe had no first team game this weekend they fielded a virtual first team squad against Alty's Reserves, who included five youth team players in their squad. Morecambe took the lead after 90 seconds when Wayne Curtis ran onto a through ball which had more than a hint of offside about it and shot past the helpless Newbrook in goal to make it 1-0. In the fifteenth minute another through ball saw the Morecambe number nine Talbot round Newbrook and shoot for goal, Claffey just couldn't reach the ball before it crossed the line to make it 2-0 to the home team.

Morecambe with their far more experienced players kept up the assault on the Alty goal for most of the first half. In the fortieth minute Altrincham should have pulled one back when the Morecambe keeper dropped the ball under pressure but Alty's number nine Jason Anthony shot the ball wide of an open net.

The second half started much the same as the first with the Altrincham defence under constant pressure and Morecambe went 3-0 up after 57 minutes when a high lob into the Alty area and its resulting bounce eluded Claffey and was pounced on by Morecambe's number 11, Curtis, to slide the ball into the Alty net. Two minutes later Altrincham pulled one back. After some superb play by Paul Tilley in midfield the ball fell to number 11, Sam Baker, who made no mistake with his fierce shot into the Morecambe net making the score a little more respectable at 3-1. It was not all one-way traffic anymore; the goal seemed to breath a bit of new life into the young Alty team and they held Morecambe for the rest of the match. It was no disgrace to lose 3-1 to this vastly more experienced team.

1. Dale Newbrook 2. Paul Rudd 3. Paul Robinson 4. Vernum Rowland 5. Patrick Claffey 6. Choku Otutu 7. Keith Mairs 8. Paul Tilley 9. Jason Anthony 10. Lee Thompson 11. Sam Baker. SUBS: 12. Stuart Madew (for Thompson 75 minutes) 14. Gavin Samuel (for Otutu 67 minutes) 15. Steve McGrath (for Rudd 82 minutes) and GK Tom Packett.