LINE-UP

ALTRINCHAM FC YOUTH (Red & white striped shirts, black shorts, red socks): 1. Adam REID, 2. Alan TANSINDA, 4. Joe COOMBS (capt), 5. Alex WEATHERBY, 3. Sam ROWLEY; 7. Jordan MAINOO-HAMES, 6. Jacob MALACHI-BROWN, 8. Oliver RILEY, 11. Josh PALMER; 9. Derryn OFORI, 10. Denico WALTERS. Subs: 12. Jonathan MAKELA, 14. Adam WHITTY, 15. Shakeel DEPEIAZA, GK. Ross BOOTH.

REPORT

Altrincham were without more than half a dozen of their regulars. Those unavailable included players who have graduated to the first team squad and have either been sent out to senior clubs for match experience (i.e. Matt Fearon, Sam Grimshaw) or had to be rested to ensure their continuing availability at BSBN level (Duncan Watmore). In addition, Alty had two injured centre backs (Ben Hamilton, Mark Napier-Hemy) and two players who were on holiday (Liam Rutledge and Josh Mason), all of whom were unavailable for this match.

The two teams and the spectators were all kept waiting for almost half an hour before the trio of match officials belatedly arrived, having taken themselves, inexplicably, to Moss Lane - where Altrincham FC Youth never play their league games - rather than to the correct venue at Clay Lane. The officials turned up on the pitch at Clay Lane at 2.55pm and the game kicked off three minutes later. The officials were then further embarrassed when one of the linesmen's flags broke, barely a minute into proceedings, causing a further brief halt to the match.

After a fairly uneventful opening, Altrincham fell behind in only the sixth minute. Following a Marine corner, a cross from the left came to the visitors' number six in the goalmouth. His diagonal shot-cum-pass fell to the number five who tapped the ball into the net, from a position which Altrincham clearly felt was offside. In the aftermath, Ollie Riley was booked for protesting.

Alty were further upset when Ofori was given offside when he clearly was not and when, moments later, a Marine player held Ofori in a bear hug, it was incredibly a Marine freekick which was awarded. The Alty manager made his feelings known to the assistant referee.

Altrincham did get a freekick when the visitors' number five fouled Walters but Riley put the freekick, from just outside the box, over the bar (17 mins). An Ofori pass then gave Riley a shot, which was saved, before a two-footed tackle on Riley gave the home side another freekick which Walters put over the bar (22 mins). It now took a fine block from Reid to stop the visitors' number ten before Joe Coombs got booked for a trip on an opponent (26 mins).

Altrincham went two down when Rowley tried to dribble out from the left-back position but was dispossessed by the Marine no.10 who drove his shot past Reid (28 mins). The score became 3-0 to Marine after 33 minutes when a clearance came to the Marine number 10, who found the bottom corner of Adam Reid's net.

Alty won two of the next three corners and from the second of these Altrincham corners, taken by Riley on the left, the ball was missed by the Alty strikers but, Malachi-Brown arriving at the back post, headed it into the net to make it 3-1 (40 mins).

As the game went into added time, Joe Coombs twisted his ankle in a challenge and his game was ended. Half time arrived moments later.

Alty were forced to make two changes as Coombs gave way to Whitty and Riley, who had suffered a deadleg when fouled in the first half, was replaced by Depeiaza. This meant a change of positions as Tansinda became captain and moved to midfield, whilst Malachi-Brown, who was having a good game, went to centre-back.

The second half started with a good Alty move which ended as Walters' rising shot cleared the bar and then Walters forced a corner, from a good save by the keeper (48 mins). For reasons best known to himself, the referee came across to the right corner to Josh Palmer as he went to place the ball for the corner, even though the linesman was on site in any case. With the referee's back turned to the goalmouth, where players had gathered for the corner, a fracas developed which became a mass jostling of players. It later emerged that one of the Marine players had racially abused an Altrincham player. In the aftermath the three officials conferred and the outcome was a booking for both Alty's Ofori and Marine's number eight (50 mins).

After this, Ofori got clear but put the ball wide before Marine lobbed an effort over the bar at the other end (52 mins). The visitors now made a change as no.14 came on. Marine went 4-1 up in the 65th minute when an Alty clearance rebounded to Marine's no.10, who fed a team-mate, who scored (66 mins).

A few minutes later, Makela replaced Mainoo-Hames for Altrincham. Soon after this, Marine won a corner, which Reid punched clear. But the ball fell to the no.15, who hit it back into the net to make it 1-5 (72 mins).

Marine made their final change soon after this. Altrincham got a second goal in the 84th minute when a prodigious long-throw, from the right, by Rowley was well nodded into the goalmouth by Makela, right of goal, to Palmer who headed it into the net to make it 2-5.

Altrincham then had an Ofori shot saved before Rowley was booked for reasons that were not very clear (88 mins). The game ended just after Marine's no.17 had been booked.

Whilst Marine deserved their win, it was not an afternoon to savour for either of the teams or the match officials.