United make the trip to Altrincham on Saturday and will face an in-form side that have climbed to mid-table safety following four wins in six league games. However, Colin Heathcote's men go into the match off the back of Tuesday's energy-sapping FA Cup defeat at home to Luton. The tie was delayed by almost forty minutes thanks to floodlight failure, before the Hatters eventually triumphed after extra time and penalties.
Alty's story since Conference promotion in 2005 has been colourful to say the least. In each of the past three seasons the Cheshire club have been relegated but, amazingly, due to unforeseen issues at rival clubs, they were reinstated on every occasion.
Their first dose of luck unfolded towards the end of the 2005/06 campaign. Firstly, it was revealed that Alty had fielded ex-Accrington midfielder James Robinson, a supposedly ineligible player, the previous season. Despite vehemently denying any wrongdoing the club were severely punished by Conference officials who deducted a massive eighteen points from their League total, which consequently relegated the part-timers. However, it was revealed ten days later that Scarborough were being demoted following a breach of Conference rules, and Alty were duly reinstated for the following season.
Heathcote's men did not make the most of their reprieve and concluded 2006/07 in 21st place, meaning a return to the Conference North, but once again Lady Luck cast a smile. News broke that Boston were suffering severe financial difficulties and were to be demoted two divisions, which meant Alty could once more take their place in the Conference for the next campaign.
However, fans of this friendly club experienced déjà vu last season when, following another season of struggle, they again finished fourth-bottom. A poor tally of six wins and eleven defeats were recorded at Moss Lane, whilst on the road supporters had just three victories to celebrate. Furthermore, the goals against column did not make good reading, with an eye-watering eighty-two being the final count. With this in mind, Alty are certainly in debt to striker Colin Little. The 36-year old produced 21 league goals in just 34 Blue Square Premier starts throughout the season, a phenomenal feat in a relegated side, with eight of these coming in the last ten games.
In an amazing twist of fate, though, they were reprieved for a third successive year as a result of the sad demise of Halifax Town, whose financial woes saw them liquidated. Alty operate a policy of strict financial prudence whilst working within the constraints one of the lowest player budgets in the league. Chairman Geoff Goodwin has vowed never to overspend, a stance which has drawn some criticism from supporters, and he will hope that this ongoing financial stability is transferred on to the pitch as Heathcote's side aim to avoid another nerve-wracking end to their season.
The Squad
If ever there was a player destined to don the red and white of Altrincham it would be goalkeeper Richard Acton. The 29-year old is now in his fourth spell with the club but, currently acts as deputy to Stuart Coburn, who has also been at Moss Lane since 1997 apart from a brief spell at Leigh RMI. Nevertheless, with Coburn currently suffering a knock, Heathcote boldly handed third-choice keeper Andy Ralph his debut at Forest Green last Saturday, meaning any of the above could be between the sticks against United.
Heathcote seems to be switching between a 4-4-2 and 3-4-3 formation at present, but either way centre-half Mark McGregor will be marshalling the defence this weekend. The former Wrexham man, who has over 400 Football League appearances to his name, will be partnered by the towering Greg Young, an ex-Halifax employee who also fancies himself as a striker should Alty need late goals. If Heathcote opts for wing backs, Chris Lane is a possibility as the third out and out defender, as is Matt Doughty, who also fled Halifax following their collapse. The right wing-back/full back berth will probably be taken by Jamie Smith, who has recently joined from Vauxhall Motors, but the opposite flank appears to be a problem. With seemingly no natural left-footers to call upon and, loanee Luke Waterfall having returned to Tranmere, either Doughty or the more attack minded Warren Peyton may fill in.
In central midfield the ball-winning Anthony Danylyk has become a permanent fixture since his summer move from Leek Town, and he is generally joined in the engine room by the imposing Robbie Lawton. The latter, who is a PT and psychology teacher by trade, is club captain this season. The knee ligament injury recently suffered by Kevin Street may mean Val Owen will make an appearance following his own recovery from a knee operation. On the left of midfield will no doubt be player/coach Lee Elam, a diminutive winger who joined from Exeter in the close-season and was an unused sub in the Wembley play-off Final against United. The right-hand slot has recently been filled by one-time right-back Sean Densmore, following the glut of right-sided defenders at Heathcote's disposal, but he faces competition from ex-Forest Green man Alex Meechan who joined as a free agent in June.
As mentioned earlier, striker Colin Little will pose a threat to any opposition defence, as his nine goals this season will testify, but the battle to join him in the forward line continues to hot up. Chris Senior, another former Halifax player, got the nod last week at Forest Green and repaid the boss with two goals so may well retain his place, whilst the tall and rangy Dale Johnson will start alongside them if a front three is favoured by Heathcote. Other alternatives include Joe O'Neill, who is a former team mate of Mark Convery's from their York days and is currently on the comeback trail following a minor knee operation, but Chris Denham, a colleague of Dale Johnson's at Droylsden last season, will miss out through injury.
This Season
A 2-1 away win at Woking meant the season started brightly for Alty. Colin Little grabbed a 91st winner to compliment Alex Meechan's earlier strike, but a topsy-turvy home encounter three days later saw them lose by the odd-goal in seven to newly promoted Barrow, despite a Little double. The defeat kick-started a run of eight matches devoid of victory, which also encompassed a four-game spell without scoring. Heavy away losses came at Kidderminster (0-4) and Stevenage (0-3) whilst single goal reverses came at Histon and Eastbourne. Home form was slightly better, with Heathcote seeking solace in draws with Kettering, Wrexham and Salisbury, although by this time Alty were ensconced in the relegation zone.
The hoodoo was broken with a 1-0 home victory over struggling Lewes courtesy of Greg Young's 87th minute strike, and they have not looked back since. Chris Senior bagged the winner as another single goal home triumph followed over Mansfield, whilst a useful point was gleaned from their televised 1-1 draw at Rushden. Colin Little opened the scoring that evening, and the tricky ex-Crewe man went on to bag goals in the next three matches, which all resulted in victory. The big guns of Ebbsfleet and Oxford were mowed down in consecutive home games, with the filling in the sandwich being a fine 3-1 success at Salisbury. Progress was also made in the Setanta Shield thanks to a penalty shoot-out win over Farsley, but they exited at the next round to Wrexham.
Two straight league losses upset the applecart as their 2-0 reverse at Weymouth was accompanied by a 1-0 home defeat to in-form Histon, although the FA Cup kept confidence intact thanks to a 2-1 win over Newcastle Blue Star. That confidence was prevalent last Saturday as the aforementioned success away at Forest Green was headlined by a dominant first-half performance from Heathcote's side. Chris Senior grabbed a double, whilst Colin Little's fourth minute strike contributed to Alty holding a commanding 3-1 interval lead. The second half saw them solidify their lead with a disciplined display, and the three points were safely pocketed to ensure elevation to twelfth place.
Previous Meetings
Saturday will be our fourth visit to Moss Lane, with Gary Brabin's side looking to improve on an overall record in Cheshire of two losses and one victory. At home the U's have won twice, with the remaining game ending in a draw.
Our first encounter was on 24 September 2005 at the Abbey Stadium, and the faithful were treated to a convincing victory. Early goals from Fola Onibuje and Courtney Pitt set the tone for a dominant display, but the nerves were kept jangling until late second-half strikes from Onibuje and youngster Paul Atkins rubber-stamped the points [report].
Our first game at Moss Lane in February 2006 saw debut appearances from Rob Wolleaston along with loanees Stacy Coldicott and Jamie Guy, but their introduction could not prevent United from going down 2-1, meaning David Bridges' strike was mere consolation. The most dominant display from either side came in March 2007 when Alty hammered Jimmy Quinn's U's 5-0 in Cheshire, although it is best to gloss over that one and remember last season's 3-0 triumph at Moss lane. The September 2007 match came in the middle of a twelve-game unbeaten run, so it was no surprise that an enterprising U's performance resulted in a 3-0 victory via goals from Scott Rendell, Dan Gleeson and a sublime chip from Courtney Pitt.
At home, aside of the above 2005 win and an entertaining 2-2 draw, our paths last crossed in January this year. Lee McEvilly opened the scoring, only for Colin Little to equalise with seven minutes left, but the U's players and supporters departed on happy terms when Marc Convery's 85th deflected shot snatched the points [report].
Doug Shulman
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