Alty Files (original) (raw)

an unofficial Altrincham FC website

NEXT MATCH
Tuesday, 14 January, 2025
MAIDENHEAD UNITED (Home) 7.45pm
Vanarama National League match

ALTY HEADLINES

OTHER HEADLINES

13 January 2025

NEIL'S OBSERVATIONS

Following the postponement of last Saturday's game against Wealdstone, Altrincham FC has issued assistant manager Neil Sorvel's article written for that match's Robins Review programme.

He starts by referencing the earlier win over Barnet in the FA Trophy. "In the first 20 minutes or so... we didn't have enough control of the game and they probably edged it.

We didn't get the press quite right, but that started to change in the second half of the first 45 minutes, as we began to impose ourselves and generally do things a lot better.

With that control came the goals we needed, and there was plenty to admire about all three of them...

We are still probably toying with that advanced midfield role after trying a few different players there, but Tom [Crawford] showed what we knew he was capable of with two highly accomplished finishes...

Today, the focus switches back to... a very important game against Wealdstone, who have hit a decent patch of form after a bit of a shaky start to the campaign...

Finally, I'd like to welcome Kacper Pasiek (right) to the club after he joined us from Preston North End on a one-month loan and went straight into the squad last Saturday.

We first became aware of Kacper after playing a 'bounce game' at Preston a couple of months back and being impressed with him, and with Eddy Jones picking up an injury, it was a timely breakthrough to be able to bring him in to help us cope with what is a busy schedule of games".

ALTY OLD BOYS

On Sunday, in the FA Cup, writes Phil Jordan, "Three Alty Old Boys were on the bench for their current clubs.

KENNEDY DIGIE was left on the Tamworth bench, despite them going down 0-3 after extra time at home to Tottenham Hotspur, while Bristol Rovers only introduced JOEL SENIOR after 86 minutes at Ipswich Town - by which time the Tractor Boys had already wrapped up a 3-0 win.

Although Swansea City also went down 3-0, in their case at Southampton, they welcomed back JOSH GINNELLY. Josh had played for the U21 side in midweek, and returned to first team action after missing 16 months with a muscle injury, coming off the bench after 79 minutes".

NEXT: MAIDENHEAD UNITED

Tomorrow, weather permitting, Altrincham entertain Maidenhead United, who they beat 1-0 in the reverse fixture back in August.

But last season the visitors won the corresponding match at Altrincham, 3-1.

Right: In last season's game at the J. Davidson Stadium, despite a massed Alty defence, Maidenhead equalised after this effort from Mitchell-Lawson pinged around the Alty box.

That result marked this third defeat in eight days and came against a team which had lost its previous four league matches.

There were some unexpected omissions from the Alty starting eleven as Lewis Baines (who had been ill) was only named as a substitute, as was captain Isaac Marriott, whilst Justin Amaluzor was not in the squad at all.

Back into the starting side came Linney, Conn-Clarke and Newby replacing Angus, Marriott and Kosylo.

On a heavily sanded pitch, Altrincham started reasonably well when Banks netted from close range. But Alty failed to build on that goal before Maidenhead netted a deserved equaliser (30 mins).

Maidenhead went ahead just before the interval and little more than sixty seconds after the start of the second half, Maidenhead's veteran defender Remy Clerima headed home, unchallenged, from a right-wing corner.

THROUGH THE YEARS: 14 JANUARY

The Through the Years data of Howard Watts and Mike Garnett tells us that the last time Altrincham played on Tuesday's date, 14 January, was in 2017 when Altrincham lost 2-3 at home to Gainsborough Trinity.

A disastrous spell of defending at the start of the match saw Altrincham concede twice inside nine minutes after the kick off. Although Alty dominated the second half they failed to deal with a ball up the middle and Worsfold made it 3-0 just after the hour mark.

Altrincham produced a grandstand finish as they got the game back to 2-3. Eight minutes from time Owens netted after Reeves had twice hit the bar, firstly with a shot and then a header. And four minutes later a long ball from Heathcote glanced off Cyrus to make it 2-3.

Despite some hairy moments in the Trinity defence the visitors held on.

EMIRATES FA CUP

Matches involving non-League clubs:

Sunday 12 January 2025

Monday 12 January 2025

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NEWS

The BBC reports that "Tottenham turned beating National League Tamworth into a monumental task and came close to abject humiliation before reaching the FA Cup fourth round after extra time.

Ange Postecoglou's side were mind-numbingly poor in normal time at the Lamb Ground, then required a scrambled own goal from Tamworth's Nathan Tshikuna to break the deadlock after 101 minutes.

Substitute Dejan Kulusevski added a superb strike, and then Brennan Johnson curled in a third after Postecoglou was forced to introduce his biggest attacking weaponry to break down Tamworth.

The home side, 96 places below Spurs in the fifth tier of football's pyramid, performed magnificently and could not have been begrudged one of the FA Cup's biggest shocks had they clinched victory in normal time...

It took a huge slice of good fortune to break Tamworth's superb resistance and organisation... For 90 minutes Andy Peaks' part-timers were never second best at any point... There was no excuse for the laboured, lacklustre and dismal nature of Spurs' performance for the first 90 minutes."

12 January, 2025

ROCHDALE DATE AND PITCH PROBLEMS

Altrincham FC announces that its "rearranged Vanarama National League clash with Rochdale at the Crown Oil Arena will now take place on Tuesday, March 11th at 7:45pm.

The original fixture was postponed on New Year's Day due to a waterlogged pitch".

And Rochdale have issue a long explanation about thier pitch problems. It states, "We have had to postpone our last three home games as the playing surface has been unplayable...

The Club undertook a major reconstruction of the pitch in 2020. Notwithstanding that work, we have subsequently experienced issues with the drainage of the pitch... We are very limited in what we can say regarding that prior work and any potential redress as we do not wish to prejudice our position in any way...

In the summer we engaged an external consultant to conduct a full review of the pitch and advise on what was causing the drainage problems and what steps could be taken to ameliorate the position. The advice was that the drainage failure was occurring below the root zone and that, ultimately, only a full reconstruction would guarantee a permanent resolution... We carried out a full surface renovation in the summer of 2024.

Certain parts of the pitch have become waterlogged... and there is virtually no drainage occurring from those areas at all...

Dryjecting, which we have referred to in previous updates and which is our best current option, can only be done in dry, thawed conditions, which we have not had over the past few weeks...

Our immediate plan is as follows: As soon as conditions allow (which is likely to be Monday or Tuesday), external contractors will dig out a square covering the centre of the pitch to a depth of 200mm. They will replace this area with sand and new turf and then restitch this area. This is an extremely costly exercise, but – and we have consulted widely with experts in the field – this is the only way we think we can give this section of the pitch the stability it needs to be playable in any reasonable timeframe...

[We] made the decision to postpone the fixture [on Saturday v York City]... as a six-day clear window is required to complete the works...

A full reconstruction of the pitch will cost several hundreds of thousands of pounds. This is an enormous cost for a football club in the National League which has limited cash and is materially loss-making.

NEXT: MAIDENHEAD UNITED

Assuming that the effects of the recent icy weather relent in time for Tuesday's match to go ahead at the J. Davidson Stadium, Maidenhead United will face Altrincham in the Vanarama National League.

Maidenhead, like Altrincham, had their home fixture postponed on Saturday. They will arrive occupying 21st position, 12 points adrift of 11th-placed Altrincham despite having played one more game.

Unusually, Maidenhead have no fewer than three players who have started every league game this season. They are goalkeeper Craig Ross and midfielders Casey Pettit and Reece Smith.

Shawn McCoulsky, with seven goals, is their leading scorer in the league.

A familiar face in their ranks is former Alty defender Miles Welch-Hayes who has started 15 of the 16 games he has played in the league this campaign.

ALTY WOMEN'S GOOD SEASON

Alty TV has Brian Flynn's extended interview with Alex Hilton-Slee who is in charge of the Altrincham FC Women' team.

They have just four league games to play to complete their season. Playing on an artificial surface at Partington Sports Village has meant that they have not been adversely affected by the bad weather this winter.

ALTY OLD BOYS

Phil Jordan has reviewed, below, Saturday's fixtures, which were affected by many weather-induced postponements.

FA Cup: When he signed for Manchester United, SONNY ALJOFREE (right) probably dreamed of stepping out at Anfield with his team. Instead he was part of Accrington Stanley's squad, and was left on the bench as they were eliminated 4-1.

MARCUS DACKERS was withdrawn after 53 minutes with his Morecambe side already two goals down at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea went on to win 5-0.

Even with a below strength lineup, it was always likely that Manchester City would prove much too strong for visitors Salford City. KEVIN BERKOE played the full match as the Ammies were crushed 8-0.

League Two: CONNOR JENNINGS scored for Tranmere Rovers at Walsall but, by that time, they had already gone 2-0 down and had a player sent off. They eventually lost 5-1.

Northern Ireland Premiership: SAM ROSCOE was at the heart of the Linfield defence as they kept a fifth successive clean sheet in the league, winning 3-0 at home against Carrick Rangers. They are now 12 points clear at the top of the league.

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

Tuesday, 14 January 2025

Wednesday, 15th January 2025

Friday, 17th January 2025

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NEWS

AFC Fylde "announce the signing of defender Chris Stokes who joins the Coasters until the end of the season with an option.

The former Barrow and Forest Green Rovers defender... came through the academy at Bolton Wanderers before leaving... to join Forest Green Rovers... team before moving onto League One side Coventry City in 2015.

In his three-year spell with the Sky Blues, Stokes helped the club to promotion as well as winning the EFL Trophy in 2016/17 before joining Bury.

A return to Forest Green followed in 2020 before later spells back in the North West with Morecambe and Barrow in League Two...

Stokes said... 'I’ve played at this level before but I’ve not seen anything like this in terms of the stadium and facilities so it’s a great first impression.

'I’m a no-nonsense defender who enjoys defending which is what I’ve done all my life@".

Aldershot Town "confirm the signing of promising defender Will Armitage on loan from Southampton until the end of the season!

The 19-year-old... joined the Saints as a 16-year-old having already made his senior debut for Cheltenham Town and becoming their youngest-ever appearance maker at the time...

Tommy Widdrington said 'With Rollin Menayese departing after the conclusion of his contract, we felt the bolstering this area was important and it may not be the only one that we see in the next couple of weeks.

'Will is a strong, commanding centre-half but can also give us a little bit more on the ball than what we’ve had at late '".

Wealdstone "announce that midfielder Elliot Simmons has left Wealdstone after having his contract with the club terminated by mutual agreement.

The 26-year-old joined the Stones in June 2024, before swiftly making a loan move to Southern League side Bedford Town, in August.

Elliot has featured heavily since joining the Eagles and departs the Stones in a permanent move to the club".

From Gateshead comes news of the "signing of midfielder Max Sheaf following his departure [from]... Ross County...

The 23 year-old arrives on an 18-month deal after spending the past 18 months with The Staggies, making 19 appearances."

Previously he had enjoyed "a one-season spell with Gloucester City during the 2021/22 campaign... in National League North".

11 January, 2025

NEXT: MAIDENHEAD UNITED

With today's match postponed, the next projected visitors to Altrincham, this Tuesday night, are Maidenhead United who "confirm that four of our first team players have signed one-month loan agreements with Truro City and Thatcham Town.

Defender Zac Bell has signed a one-month agreement with the Cornish side, with his tenure set to last until Saturday, 8th February.

Likewise, Christian Johnson, Jamie Davies and Jadyn Dundas have signed one-month loan agreements with fellow Berkshire club Thatcham Town. The three young Magpies will be with the Kingfishers until Saturday, 8th February".

Maidenhead, like Alty have a blank Saturday today as their game against York City has been postponed.

UNITED RETURN TO ALTRINCHAM

Altrincham FC are "delighted to announce The J.Davidson Stadium will play host to Manchester United under-21s' Premier League International Cup game against FC Nordsjælland.

Above: The J. Davidson Stadium will host Manchester United's under-21s.

The match against the Danish youngsters takes place on Tuesday, January 21st with a 7pm kick-off.

Tickets will be available to purchase from our website here priced £3 [for] adults and £1 [for] over-65s/under-16s".

Altrincham supporters have already seen a United side play at Moss Lane this season as the Reds' PL2 side faced the Robins in the National League Cup in November, with Alty running out the winners, 4-0.

And in summer 2023, in a pre-season friendly match Altrincham defeated a Manchester United XI largely comprising the Reds' under-21 squad at the J. Davidson Stadium.

FOURTH POSTPONEMENT

Today's postponement means that, so far this season, four of Altrincham's National League fixtures will not take (or have taken) place on their original scheduled date. Three of the games in question are Saturday fixtures and three of them are away games.

  1. Sat.30.11.24 AWAY Wealdstone Postponed owing to Wealdstone having a game in the FA Cup
  2. Wed.1.1.25 AWAY Rochdale Waterlogged pitch
  3. Sat.11.1.25 HOME Wealdstone Snow and frozen pitch
  4. Sat.1.2.25 AWAY Oldham Athletic Postponed owing to Alty's progress in FA Trophy

ALTY OLD BOYS

Spennymoor Town report that "Graeme Lee has completed his first piece of New Year transfer business with the capture of experienced midfielder MITCH HANCOX (right) on a permanent deal.

The 31-year-old has penned a contract at The Brewery Field following his departure from fellow National League North outfit side Chester...

Lee made his move quickly to sign the north-east based schemer when he was released from The Deva Stadium this week".

The Derbyshire Times reports that "Chesterfield have rejected a bid from Blackpool for JAMES BERRY, we understand.

The Tangerines have been watching the 24-year-old winger and have lodged an offer with the Spireites but it has been turned down. However, our sources in the North West suggest the League One club are keen on him and are lining-up a second bid...

Berry helped Town win the National League title last season after signing from Macclesfield for a fee. He is the Blues’ joint top scorer with 10 goals in all competitions this campaign, including some spectacular strikes".

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

Just two matches survived the freezing weather and snow...

Saturday, 11 January 2025

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NEWS

Bromley "announce the signing of striker Nicke Kabamba from ... Barnet for an undisclosed fee.

The 31-year-old already has 10 league goals to his name in 18 appearances for the Bees so far this season, adding to his impressive goal tally already racked up at The Hive after joining in 2022 from Northampton Town.

Kabamba... first clinched a move to the EFL back in 2016 when he joined then-League Two side Portsmouth from Hampton & Richmond in National League South...

Kabamba would go on to join Hartlepool United, initially on loan, before making the switch to Scotland where he’d spend two seasons at Kilmarnock.... He signed for then-League Two side Northampton Town before joining Barnet".

There is bad news for Southend United who "confirm that Aribim Pepple has been recalled from his loan by Luton Town.

The 22-year-old forward scored 11 goals after joining the Shrimpers at the end of August, making 23 appearances in all competitions during his stay at Roots Hall.

Pepple had been due to spend the remainder of the season with Blues but his parent club have taken the decision to activate a mid-season recall clause, with a view to a move to a club at a higher level".

At Eastleigh "Following the first phase release of 2025/26 Season Tickets, Eastleigh FC Chairman Stewart Donald commented:

I fully appreciate how difficult it is to find the money for leisure activities in the current financial climate and how expensive it has become to watch football at all levels...

However, the finances of the football club have been hugely challenging since I returned to the club. The club had a huge trading deficit along with substantial essential works that required huge capital expenditure. These works have been concluded and I have reviewed every area of the club over the last 18 months and made many changes which have resulted in a much improved financial performance.

A direct result of this work means it is possible to offer our fans massively reduced season tickets prices in most areas...

Knowing it will cost less than £5 for an adult to watch a game and children either £1 or £2 a game, depending on their age, I am hopeful it will increase matchday attendances and everything that comes with that.

When I bought the club originally, I stated an ambition to increase attendances from 500 to over 2,000 which most people thought was not achievable. However, we had a fantastic response from the fanbase and the wider community who indeed have now ensured we are now averaging above 2,000 with a stadium that is vastly improved whilst also gaining promotion to the National League...

If we are to achieve our potential. We now need to start achieving crowds of 3,000+ at the Silverlake and improve the matchday atmosphere".

Footnote: The Early Bird offer includes Adult terraced and South Stand seating for just £99, rising to £295 for "West Stand padded seating".

Boston United "have clinched the loan signing of Lincoln City midfielder Oisin Gallagher until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old, who is also capable of playing at centre-half, has spent the first half of the season on loan in National League North with Peterborough Sports.

Gallagher has now linked up with the Pilgrims on a fresh loan deal...

The Irishman has been allocated squad number 15".

Solihull Moors "are delighted to confirm the loan signing of Fletcher Holman from Wolverhampton Wanderers...

The 20-year-old arrives at Damson Park on loan for the remainder of the 2024/25 National League campaign on loan...

The highly rated youngster started his career with Brighton & Hove Albion before signing for Eastbourne Borough. At 16-years-old, Holman signed on dual registration with Eastbourne Town where he flourished in front of goal.

Holman was picked up by Wolves in the January transfer window in 2024".

Also at Solihull Moors "Killian Barrett has extended his loan for a further month from Sheffield Wednesday.

The goalkeeper who signed on an initial One-Month loan from the Owls in December has settled into life well at Damson Park...

Barrett has played a part in our unbeaten league run over the course of the festive period as Andy Whing’s side won four and drew one, keeping two clean sheets in the process".

With a move to Fleetwood Town rumoured, X #WorClub reports that "Gateshead midfielder Regan Booty has handed in a transfer request".

At FC Halifax Town "A proposed multi-million-pound investment into Halifax could boost professional sports facilities in the town.

Calderdale Council understands the value of sport to local people, and has been discussing the future of the Shay Stadium in Halifax with FC Halifax Town, Halifax Panthers RLFC and other interested parties.

This comes after the Council agreed at Budget Council in February 2024 to stop running the stadium by 1 April 2025 to save £161,000 per year, and to remove the additional annual cost of up to £500,000 to meet the stadium’s health and safety needs.

The Council... is due to consider two proposals for its future at the Cabinet meeting in March 2025.

Ken Davy, owner of Huddersfield Giants rugby league club, has expressed interest in buying the Shay so that the Giants can play there temporarily from 2026, while a new stadium is built for them in Huddersfield. Also, a group of FC Halifax Town supporters has submitted an initial business proposal to run the stadium.

If approved, Mr Davy’s proposal would see major investment in upgrading the Shay to Super League standard, and would ensure it could continue to be used by FC Halifax Town and Halifax Panthers in the long-term.

Upgrades would include a new hybrid pitch with improved surface and drainage quality...

David Bosomworth, Chairman of FC Halifax Town, said 'News of potential significant investment in the Shay Stadium is very encouraging'".

10 January 2025

MATCH POSTPONED

As expected, tomorrow's National League fixture against Wealdstone at the J. Davidson Stadium has been postponed.

Snow has been on the pitch for several days and temperatures in the region of minus seven have been experienced for the last couple of nights with more sub-zero weather expected today and overnight.

Next Tuesday, Altrincham are scheduled to host Maidenhead United which will, again, be subject to weather conditions.

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE FIXTURES

A combination of snow and frozen pitches has accounted for virtually all of Saturday's fixtures being postponed on Friday.

One place providing an exception is Aldershot Town where "There is no planned pitch inspection ahead of tomorrow’s Vanarama National League game with Solihull Moors...

Frost Covers were put on on Wednesday and have remained in place since...

With temperatures not expected to drop any further than the previous 24 hours over the next 24 hours, all parties are optimistic that the current condition of the pitch – which is playable – will not deteriorate".

EMIRATES FA CUP THIRD ROUND

Saturday, 11 January 2025

SCHEDULED OPPONENTS: WEALDSTONE

Whilst everyone awaited weather developments, Wealdstone told us that "When Saturday’s game against Altrincham comes around, it will have been 17 days since the Stones last featured on the pitch.

Last time out was a 3-1 defeat on the road to Maidenhead United... with a game on New Year's Day against Boston United... postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.,,

'It’s been good to have some time in training with the boys, but it’s also been good for them to have some time off as well because the schedule has been relentless', said Matt Taylor...

'Altrincham are a dangerous team, they’ve got threats. A lot of goals go through Regan Linney but their front four are very dangerous, especially at home'.

It was a busy week of departures at the Stones, with four players departing Grosvenor Vale. Alex Reid, Jack Wells-Morrison, Henry Sandat and Elliot Thorpe all said their farewells...

'Obviously the one everyone will look at will be Alex but I think especially in the last 15/16 games, Jack has been outstanding and a mainstay in our team...

'If we want to reach our targets this season, we must add quality to the players that are already here, and as quickly as possible.'”

BRITISH EMPIRE MEDAL FOR RACHEL

Press and media officer Brian Flynn has interviewed Rachel Davies who was awarded the BEM in the New Year's Honours list. The video interview is on Alty TV.

The award was earned by Rachel for her "Services to Sport" through her work for the Altrincham FC girls' teams, who are part of the AFC Juniors section. Her work started 15 years ago and has grown to encompass coaching for some 600 girls, which is believed to be the largest such girls' section at any football club in the NW of England.

ALTY OLD BOYS

Phil Jordan tells us that on Thursday in the FA Cup, CHRIS CONN-CLARKE attracted some admiring comments from BBC analyst Martin Keown at Goodison Park, and showed some nice touches, but it was Everton who progressed to the 4th round with the game's only goal.

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NEWS

At York City "defender Darragh O’Connor will depart on loan to Falkirk for the remainder of the season.

The 25-year-old has made just four competitive appearances for the Minstermen since signing from Greenock Morton, with an injury limiting his playing time.

Having recently recovered from his setback, O’Connor will now head back across the border to Scottish Championship side Falkirk to regain fitness and get some more minutes in the tank.

Our trip to Gainsborough Trinity in the Isuzu FA Trophy last week saw the centre-back make his first City appearance off the bench since early September".

Barnet "announce the signing of striker Lee Ndlovu from Boreham Wood.

The forward joins us on a two-and-a-half-year contract from the National South side.

The 30-year-old began his career at Holbeach United before moving to Grantham and then Ilkeston Town. A successful spell at Ilkeston earned him a move to National North side Brackley Town...

In 2022 Lee signed for Boreham Wood where he has remained ever since...

Head Coach Dean Brennan said, 'Lee is a player that we’ve tracked for a long time...

'He will bring us power and pace in the top line, and I think in our team with the chances we create he will score lots of goals'".

8 January 2025

ALTY AND HALIFAX CHARGED BY FA

The Halifax Courier reports that "Altrincham, FC Halifax Town and Chris Millington have all been charged by the FA after the half-time melee during their Boxing Day game.

Right: The teams take to the pitch on Boxing Day.

Millington and Altrincham midfielder Matty Kosylo were both sent-off during half-time in the match.

Altrincham have admitted a charge that they failed to ensure their players did not behave in a way which is improper and/or provocative and/or violent.

FC Halifax Town have admitted a charge that they failed to ensure their players and or technical staff did not behave in a way which is improper and/or provocative and/or violent.

And Chris Millington has admitted a charge that he acted in an improper and/or violent manner, leading to his dismissal.

A result of the charges is yet to be published."

NEXT: WEALDSTONE

Altrincham's next opponents this coming Saturday, Wealdstone have issued a statement from the club's Board.

It addresses "a number of important matters across the club... Some of these matters are highly sensitive and covered by non-disclosure agreements (NDAs), which limits our ability to share specific details.

The Board is currently addressing several complex and interdependent issues that will have a fundamental impact on the future of Wealdstone FC. These matters require thorough analysis, extensive discussions and careful negotiation, which take time to resolve... We assure you that progress is being made behind the scenes.

In November 2023, we announced our ambition to build a new stadium in Hillingdon... Since then, significant work has been undertaken as a development of this scale requires substantial expertise and considerable funding and we hope to be in a position soon to share more detailed updates.

We continue to engage in constructive dialogue with our landlords, KSIMC, regarding the lease at Grosvenor Vale....

On the footballing front, we are navigating a challenging period of the season. The return of high-quality loan players to their parent clubs and ongoing long-term injuries have impacted the squad significantly, However, we are actively working incredibly hard to strengthen the squad...

The Board has also been in discussions with several potential investors over the past 12 months. While these conversations have not yet resulted in offers that align with the best interests of the club, we continue to explore viable opportunities".

RESERVES UPDATE

In the Cheshire Football League, Altrincham Reserves played their first game of 2025 on 4 January at Egerton Youth Club.

They lost 1-3 to St Michael's DH.

The Alty starters were Oscar Cooper (left), Rhys Cosquer, Lucas Edwards (right), Harrison Howells, Isaac Mannion, Charlie Noble, Remi Raymond, Vladislav Shtyhlian, Harry Watson, Kyran Webster and Thomas Whyte. The bench comprised Jacob Ireland, Jacob Martin and Muhammed Suwareh.

The Reserves remain bottom of the sixteen-strong Premier Division, six points from safety.

ACADEMY CATCH-UP

Since our last report, Altrincham FC's Academy team, which plays in the National League Football Alliance North Division, has played once in the league. That was on 18 December when they lost a home fixture against York City, 2-3.

They now lie sixth in the thirteen-club division.

The other Academy side which competes in the National Football Youth League, North West Championship 1 played on 18 December. They won 2-0 away to Bradford (Park Avenue) thanks to goals from McCormack and Webster.

They lie second in the league but are nine points adrift of the runaway unbeaten leaders Steven Gerrard Academy Kirkby.

For the game at Bradford, Alty lined up as follows : Christopher Antoniades, Charlie Hough, Ryan Knowles, Callum McCormack, Charlie Noble, Harry St Romaine, Nathan Taylor, Henry Watts, Kyran Webster, Noah Lavin, Charley Renshaw. Subs: Jack Alexander Chandler, Kian Gonzalez-Moghaddam, Jacob Hill, William Knowles and Jimmy Taafe.

ALTY OLD BOYS

Phil Jordan informs us that on Wednesday night in the FA Trophy, KYLE FERGUSON played the full game for Rochdale, who were held to a goalless draw by visitors Stockton Town of the NPL Premier Division.

Kyle wasn't called on in the resultant penalty shootout, in which Stockton led 3-1, before missing three kicks in succession to lose 4-3.

ALTY MONTHLY DRAW

The Altrincham FC monthly draw for December 2024 has been made with the outcome as follows:

Congratulations to all the winners!

WEDNESDAY GAMES

Wednesday, 8 January 2025

Vanarama National League

Isuzu FA Trophy Round Four

VANARAMA NATIONAL LEAGUE NEWS

Next Tuesday, Altrincham welcome Maidenhead United to the J. Davidson Stadium.

In the Maidenhead Advertiser "Alan Devonshire has called on Maidenhead United fans to be their 12th man in the coming weeks...

United got the better of Wealdstone 3-1 at York Road on Boxing Day and were the better side by some distance in their 3-1 defeat to Woking on New Year's Day....

Finding that edge in front of goal has been an issue for the team all season, and Devonshire has taken some steps to address that with the addition of winger Ricky Korboa from Livingstone and 20-year-old Northern Irish centre forward Noah Stewart from Ballymena United.

Said Devonshire 'We’ve brought in Ricky, who will hopefully play off the right. We’ve missed Jadyn [Mitchell-Lawson] since he’s been injured... Noah will come in and give us another option up top because we’ve only got the two boys now with Tobi [Sho-Silva] being out long-term with injury'...

Their 6-2 defeat at York City aside, the Magpies have looked a much-improved side in recent weeks...

Said Devonshire, 'We’ve had a lot of injuries this year, we haven’t been able to do anything now until January. So, bringing in an extra couple of players, I like to think will help'".

Barnet report that "Rohat Matyar has joined Sporting Bengal on a month’s long loan deal.

Matyar joined the Bees in August and he then spent the first part of this season with Biggleswade Town before joining Risborough Rangers FC on a short term loan deal."

Footnote: Matyar was an unused sub for the Bees when they faced Altrincham last weekend in the FA Trophy.

Boston United "have bolstered their goalkeeping ranks with the acquisition of Fleetwood Town stopper Tom Donaghy on a month's loan.

The 21-year-old has recently returned to Highbury Stadium following a successful loan spell in National League North with Hereford FC.

With Cameron Gregory working his way back to full fitness and Aidan Stone having returned to Notts County at the conclusion of his loan spell, Donaghy's arrival is a welcome one for manager Graham Coughlan."

From Ebbsfleet United we learn that "Midfielder Wes Fonguck will head out on loan for an 11-month period to take up a playing opportunity in the United States.

The 27-year-old arrived at the Kuflink Stadium in the summer from Southend United on a two-year contract and has featured 16 times for the Fleet with one goal".

Carl Magnay has spoken to the Gateshead website, admitting that taking up the managerial role "Has been a big risk for me...

"I'm giving my absolute all to be successful for the club... but I'm still learning a lot. I'm a young manager and I'm going to make mistakes.

"The first few games were great but, after that, a couple of players were perhaps out of position...

"Since then, it's been about... putting them in the right places...

"Enjoyment probably isn't the word but it's certainly a position that I'm privileged to be in", he concluded.

Alty Files Website Index

The following pages, which initially replicate those pages with the same web addresses which formed part of the official Club website, will be re-branded from 2018 as part of this new unofficial Alty Files site.

A/Z Site Index to The Alty Files at www.altrinchamfc.co.uk

About the website Archive, see also History Attendances Club Information Club officials Contact Page Fixtures (first-team league) Fixtures (first-team cups) Fixtures (first-team friendlies) Ground (Moss Lane) information Historical records, etc Home page Ladies' team League table (first-team) Legends index Line-ups & bookings (first-team) Links to related websites Location of the club Management team Maps of league opposition locations Match reports (first team) Motor Neurone Disease Association News Player profiles (first-team) Players (former) Players ("legends") Search the site Site index Statistics (first-team) Teams Through the Years, by Howard Watts & Mike Garnett Town Information Youth team