Altrincham v Wealdstone
Vanarama National League
Tuesday 26th January 2021, 19:45 KO
Match Preview - By Ed Painter
Phil Parkinson’s Altrincham side welcome Wealdstone to the J. Davidson Stadium Tuesday evening, with a place in the top four potentially up for grabs.
The Robins will be heading into this game off the back of Saturday afternoon’s impressive comeback victory against National League strugglers Barnet at the Hive.
Despite dominating possession early on, JJ Hooper’s breakaway goal handed the Bees the lead against the run of play. However, Marty Kosylo’s first goal for the Robins saw both sides enter the half time break level.
As the final whistle approached, it seemed Alty might be forced to settle for a point. Josh Hancock had different ideas though, with the midfielder popping up to score a very late, but well-deserved winning goal.
Matty Kosylo spoke to Brian Flynn after the Robins had deservedly taken all 3 points from Saturday's trip to North London.
That result means that the Robins still sit fifth in the Vanarama National League table, with Stockport in fourth winning as well. But a positive result Tuesday evening could see Alty leapfrog the Hatters.
Our opponents on Tuesday evening, who were promoted as champions of a 2019/20 National League South campaign which was decided on PPG, have proven themselves to be a tough team to play against this season. Of the 17 games they have played so far this season, the Stones have won six, drawn three and lost eight. Currently, they sit in 17th with 21 points to their name, leaving them nine points clear of the relegation zone.
In their last outing, Wealdstone were on the wrong end of a goal fest against Aldershot Town, losing at home 4-3. Having fallen behind to a Jon Nouble strike, Dennon Lewis and Alex Dyer handed the hosts a 2-1 lead. Three Aldershot goals from Jermaine Anderson, Chike Kandi and Josh Rees looked to have put the game beyond the Stones but despite a late penalty from Moses Emmanuel making it 4-3, they were unable to complete what would have been an impressive comeback.
That narrow loss was Wealdstone’s third league loss in a row, losing the other two to Hartlepool United and Maidenhead United. What has not helped the newly promoted club is that alongside Barnet, they have the worst defensive record in the league, conceding 37 goals. Having said that, the Stones do carry a threat in front of goal, scoring 26.
Managed by Dean Brennan, who formerly coached Hemel Hempstead Town and Billericay Town, the Stones are spearheaded by the duo of Danny Parish and Moses Emmanuel. Parish, who joined the club from Maldon & Tiptree in the summer, has scored five goals from nine games. Like Parish, Emmanuel, who has featured for Woking, Bromley, and Billericay Town, also has five goals, but he has played three more games than his attacking partner.
The Stones have also been boosted by a wave of impressive signings, such as the likes of Kundai Benyu (formerly of Celtic), Jake Askew (Formerly of Chelsea), and Dan Wishart (formerly of Sutton United and Maidstone United).
With their poor recent run of form inching them closer to the danger zone, Tuesday evening’s game will hold just as much importance for Wealdstone as it does for us.
Last five games
Altrincham: DLDDW (F9 A9)
Wealdstone: WLLWL (F11 A15)
Watch the game live
Click here to order our live stream. Tickets cost £9.99, and tonight's commentary team is Brian Flynn & John Edwards.
Listen to the game live on Radio Robins
You can listen to live commentary on Radio Robins, sponsored by Ashley Mowers Garden Machinery, and the broadcast starts at 19:30.
The match commentary sponsor is 'The Non-League Lounge'. The commentary team is Niall Finnegan & Tim Ainsworth.
You can listen to Radio Robins in any of the following ways:
1) By visiting our Match Centre on the club website
2) Download and install the Mixlr app on Android devices from the Google Play Store - start the app and search for 'Radio Robins'.
3) Download and install the Mixlr app on Apple devices from the Apple Store - start the app and search for 'Radio Robins'.
Photo by Michael Ripley.
Altrincham welcomed Wealdstone to the J Davidson stadium this evening for the first time since 1987 for what proved to be an impressive performance by the reds. Alty came into the game in 5th position, with Wealdstone only 6 points behind despite being in 17th. Yusifu Ceesay was absent tonight due to a case of tonsillitis and Jake Moult returned to the starting lineup.
The game got off to a bright start and the entertainment continued throughout the 90 minutes, with both teams battling it out on a difficult playing surface. Dan Mooney was lively from the offset, creating attacks down the right, firstly for Hampson who had a long shot saved by the keeper. Wealdstone hit back but their efforts were thwarted by Altrincham’s solid defense. Hancock had the first proper chance, guiding the ball just inches wide of Stuart Moore’s net after an excellent turn and pass from Kosylo. Soon after, Jake Moult nearly found the net in tremendous fashion, chesting and volleying the ball in from Hampson first time. Despite the dramatic potential, it sailed over the bar.
After 39 minutes Altrincham found the net thanks to Josh Hancock. Kosylo burst forward with a fiery run, weaving his way through several players but was stopped in the opposition’s box which resulted in a corner. The corner was swung in and headed expertly by Hancock who managed to rise above his marker and get his head to the ball before the keeper could punch it away.
Wealdstone’s enthusiasm was not halted however, and they pushed forward, putting the ball into the danger area but causing nothing that really troubled Tony Thompson. Besides the goal, Wealdstone defended firmly in the first half. Their right-back Efete absorbed the pressure a number of times, using his strength to muscle the ball off Altrincham players. The first half finished rather even despite the scoreline favouring one side.
HT Altrincham 1 - 0 Wealdstone
The start of the second half saw the Stones continue to apply pressure on their opponents in the search for an equaliser, gaining a series of corners for their effort. Altrincham remained composed at the back and dealt with the threats well.
Kosylo worked hard as usual and provided great creativity going forward. Having received a yellow card, he was replaced by Ryan Colclough in the 64th minute in what seemed to be a precautionary move by Parkinson. Colclough made an immediate impact, striking the post with a powerful low shot after a couple of minutes of game time. Another substitution for the Robins happened soon after when Peers replaced Byron Harrison who held up the ball well in his time on the pitch.
Hancock looked for more goals in the second half and had a couple of quality chances. The first was denied by an outstanding save by the keeper and the second was struck off the bar. Colclough showed the initiative with creating the second chance when he collected a ball which was left to go out of play by the opposition defence.
The Robins kept pushing and in the 80th minute Tom Peers missed a chance a yard in front of the Stones’ net. His blushes were saved by a combination of Senior and Smith, the latter slotting the ball underneath the keeper’s legs for his first goal for Altrincham. 2 minutes later and Smith was in the limelight again, his shot sailing agonisingly over the bar by a fine margin.
The final stages of the game remained physical from both sides, but Altrincham prevailed and were deserved victors. It was a very action-packed evening of football at the J Davidson Stadium and under Phil Parkinson, Altrincham continue to play attractive and effective football. Wealdstone were not without their merits though and look a stronger team than their league position would suggest. Alty now enjoy a well-earned rest.
FT Altrincham 2 - 0 Wealdstone
