TEAMS

SUMMARY

Ashton then found their feet and after fluffing a couple of chances got a deserved equaliser when Illingworth was left too much space by Porter and finished well with a free header from 12 yards (21 mins). Ashton gave at least as good as they got for the remainder of the first period before Altrincham made two half-time substitutions and enjoyed the better of the second period without ever really looking like scoring. Unless Ossett can beat Hyde and Altrincham can win their last two games in the competition, the Robins will be consigned to the President's Cup; defeat in one Unibond cup competition almost inevitably consigns you to yet another Unibond cup competition. As a bonus, spectators tonight had a fine view of the lunar eclipse over the Hale End but the game remained very much down to earth.

TEAM NEWS

The Alty formation was also unexpected, with centre-back James Glendenning partnering Kevin Ellison at the sharp end of the side and full-back Steve Morgan in midfield. Curiously, unless he is injured, Barry Crowe was again omitted from the side but was a spectator, along with a number of first teamers, including Maddox and Murphy. Alty fans were able to welcome back former captain, Mick Carmody, Chris Adams and centre-back Paul France in the Ashton side. Mick looked a little slimmer than of late whilst Paul no longer appeared to be as blond as when comparisons were made between him and Jurgen Klinsmann!

MATCH REPORT

A weak shot from Calvert, from a pass by Jefferson, was Ashton's immediate response to going behind. Soon, however, Alty won a corner on the left, taken by Mairs, which was half-cleared before Lillis was pulled up for an offence in the box (5 mins). Lillis was then the victim of a foul, winning a free-kick 35 yards out, following a ball put in to him from Morgan (8 mins). Lillis then almost got onto an Ellison cross but it was to turn out to be one of those nights for the number nine.

Ashton's first threat of note came when Gomersall gained a corner off Gary Talbot but Coburn gathered Illingworth's kick (10 mins). Hamlet, fresh from a hat-trick in Ashton's 8-1 win at the weekend, was then given the benefit of the doubt and allowed to spring the offside trap but Coburn was alert and rushed out to smother the ball at the Ashton man's feet. Illingworth was soon caught offside and then Gomersall was dispossessed by Talbot as Ashton began to get into the game (13 mins).

Following a foul by Bowker, 22 yards out, Ashton gained a corner when Talbot headed out in a situation where he could probably have let an overhit cross go out of play. Chris Adams's cross caused unnecessary consternation when a defender missed the low ball and allowed Hamlet a shot from very close range. From only two yards, the Ashton striker could only direct the ball into the grateful arms of the already prone Coburn (15 mins). After this let-off, Stuart Scheuber who was industrious throughout, delivered firstly an excellent ball to Ellison before executing an awful pass which fortunately eventually found its way back to Coburn (16 mins). Gomersall needed treatment after being fouled.

Gomersall recovered and got on the end of Adams's free-kick to fire in a good shot which was beaten out to Illingworth, who could do no more than knock it weakly to Coburn (18 mins). At last, Altrincham threatened at the other end with Ellison being bundled off the ball by Jefferson as he neared the left side of the box. The free-kick was half cleared and the move ended with a ballooned cross-cum-shot from Gallagher from the right.

However, Ashton were soon probing along their left wing and after a ball was played back along the touchline, a cross came in from the left which found Illingworth in space and Porter too far away to challenge. The Ashton captain buried the free header effectively from 12 yards, the ball entering the net to Coburn's right for a deserved equaliser (21 mins).

Ellison soon fired narrowly wide from 12 yards on the left and the next move ended with Lillis again being penalised by referee Foulkes. Lillis did not commit a bad foul throughout the game but was consistently adjudged to be the guilty party in a number of fifty-fifty situations. Mick Carmody got in a snap shot from 20 yards which Coburn saved well. In the Alty defence, Bowker tidied up effectively at the back before Paul France went down injured, off the ball (27 mins). Lillis was again dubiously penalised, 30 yards from goal and from this, Ashton won a corner when Jefferson knocked the ball out off Talbot on their right.

Coburn collected an Ashton header from the corner. The sides exchanged moves which led to nothing before a foul by Mairs prompted a small-scale melee, as a result of which Bowker but apparently not Mairs, was booked (35 mins). The unfortunate Lillis was penalised yet again (39 mins) before the same player played a poor pass to Ellison following good work by the reliable Mairs and Scheuber.

After Bowker had broken up an Ashton move, Mr Foulkes's patience finally ran out and he booked Lillis for another minor misdemeanour (41 mins). Glendenning then handled the ball as Altrincham went through a period of uninspiring play during which they made little impression on a resolute Ashton defence. After Porter, Ellison and Morgan had worked the ball down the left, Morgan was fouled and a spat ensued between him and Carmody. Johnston punched out the ball from Porter's free-kick shortly before the half ended on level terms.

Peter Carty now replaced Mick Carmody for Ashton, who left the pitch to a shout from an Ashton fan that the bar was now open (48 mins). Coburn got down well to save a shot from Gomersall which was moderately rather than fully hit (50 mins). Adams and Carty combined on the left to win a corner off Mairs, which Coburn initially fumbled but eventually held (53 mins). Mairs was fouled soon after this as he continued to give a promising performance in midfield.

Ellison, Craney and Porter all then lost possession in the next three movements and a neat turn in the box by Lillis, who was immediately blocked by a defender, was the most that Altrincham could offer at this stage (57 mins). A little better was a snap cross-shot from Ellison after a good bit of work by Glendenning at the back but Kevin's low shot went well wide of the goal. Miller then replaced Riordan for Ashton (58 mins).

Glendenning again did well to prompt an attack by Daniel, whose shot was blocked (59 mins). Gallagher soon got the ball to Scheuber who turned well and shot but his left-footer was just over the angle of bar and post to Johnston's right. Lillis then gave the ball to Mairs who tried an ambitious looping 25-yarder which was too high to hit the target (60 mins). Paul Walsham now replaced Gallagher (61 mins) at right-back as Altrincham had Ashton on the back foot for the present.

But Ashton showed some life when Carty fired in a low cross which found Miller but was struck too hard for the sub to control properly. Play stopped in the 64th minute for treatment to MacDonald, who left the pitch but returned two minutes later.

Kevin Ellison produced a poor corner from the right before Glendenning got a looping header in on goal which Johnston fielded with ease (66 mins). Altrincham frustrated the crowd with some sustained sideways and backwards movement before Kevin Ellison showed a more direct approach with two fierce shots from the left of the edge of the penalty area, both of which were blocked in quick succession (71 mins).

Walsham in particular seemed reluctant to get forward from the back. An Adams ball into the Alty box caused some problems but was eventually cleared before Ashton got a free-kick 25 yards out, from which Scheuber won possession well (73 mins). Daniel was not getting much change out of the Ashton defence before Scheuber was hacked down by Calvert, who was justifiably booked (75 mins). Scheuber was again fouled shortly afterwards, by Carty after the Altrincham man had skilfully got past him (77 mins).

Glendenning's short free-kick to Porter, 40 yards out, led to a looping header from Lillis that went wide. Mairs, Scheuber and Porter next combined to put the ball forward for Daniel, but Johnston got to it first (79 mins). After Daniel had been pulled up for a foul, Toronczak replaced Hamlet for Ashton as the visitors enjoyed some possession in a game which was hardly setting the terraces alight with excitement.

A sequence of free-kicks underlined the scrappy nature of the proceedings as the game entered the final three minutes with Ashton unable to make any telling progress. However, right at the death, Altrincham produced one of the best moves of the game. Walsham played the ball to Scheuber before Ian Craney's forward movement was half-blocked, but Porter and Ellison then took up possession but Johnston dived at the advancing Porter's feet, near goal, to concede a corner. Ellison's corner was too high and the game petered out into a draw which did neither side much good in their pursuit of Hyde United.

On a cold, raw night, this game provided only moderate entertainment to a small crowd of die-hards. Apart from Ellison's superb goal, there was little to relish other than the opportunity to see four new faces in the home line-up and some old, familiar ones in the visitors' team. Of the new boys, Terry Bowker arguably acquitted himself the best, despite his booking.

Adam Lillis, released by Stockport in the close season, was on the wrong end of a number of questionable decisions by Mr Foulkes but he also rarely got a sniff of goal. Keith Mairs had a good game in his first start for the senior eleven and Paul Walsham only had a short spell on the pitch.

Altrincham had the better of the second half but the makeshift nature of the side and the use of players in unaccustomed positions did not lend itself to a fluid performance. Ashton, for their part, were generally solid but surprisingly lacking in punch for a side which scored eight last Saturday. All in all, this was not an evening that will live long in the memory bank.