The Other Side - Altrincham

United play their final match of a transitional season tomorrow when they travel north to face a faltering Altrincham side. Colin Heathcote's men threatened to gatecrash the play-off spots earlier this year, but a poor run of just two wins in the past sixteen games has swiftly extinguished their dreams. The Robins currently lie in fourteenth place following a 4-1 thumping at Salisbury on Tuesday, which also proved their heaviest defeat of the season.

Nevertheless, the U's will be fully aware of the awkward threat our Cheshire based hosts pose. Heathcote's side stood between United and the Blue Square Premier title in the final game of last season and, thanks to an obdurate but effective defensive display, denied the U's a single goal, let along the four required to allow champagne corks to pop. That game ended 0-0 with the majority of the 7090 crowd, including 166 travelling fans, resigning themselves to another play-off tilt. The rest, shall we say, is history. Alty visited the Abbey again last September, and once more they proved a handful as another frustrating 0-0 draw will testify.

That point gained last April ensured the Moss Lane outfit finished in a respectable fifteenth place, which will have come as a relief following three consecutive seasons battling a return to the Conference North. In each of those three campaigns Heathcote's men were relegated but, remarkably, on each occasion they were reinstated due to the misfortune of rival clubs. Last summer saw three key players released to make way for new arrivals at Moss Lane, with Heathcote professing that not only did the reduced budget dictate his decision, but he also felt the squad needed freshening up. His stance has paid dividends and, although Heathcote initially experienced some misfortune with his new recruits, also allied to a series of unlucky injuries to key players, there is a new found and refreshing lack of relegation worries this season for the club still operating on a part-time basis.

Overall honours between United and our hosts are shared, with three wins, three losses and a trio of draws unfolding in nine games. Alty's three wins have all come at Moss Lane, including a 5-0 walloping of Jimmy Quinn's men in March 2007. United's 3-0 away victory in September 2007 remains the only travelling success for either side, whilst our last trip to Cheshire in November of this season ended with a 1-0 Alty triumph.

The Squad

Midfielder Michael Welch, who departed Northwich following a loan spell with Alty last season, was immediately sidelined with ankle ligament damage and has played very little football this season as a result. Meanwhile, his former Vics colleague Matty Crowell also made the switch to Moss Lane, but after just five matches and a solitary goal the midfielder decided to take up an offer from Australian side Central Coast Mariners. Nevertheless, of the partial success stories, left-winger Nicky Clee who signed from Hyde United has established himself in the starting line-up, as had former Bradford and Halifax midfielder Tom Kearney until a double fracture of the leg in early March ended his season.

Still menacing defences in the Blue Square Premier is legendary Alty striker Colin Little, who has bagged 114 goals in 244 matches whilst donning a red and white shirt. However, the 37-year old will make his last appearance for the club against United on Saturday, having accepted an offer to work within the youth set-up at Manchester United. Little has also suffered with a series of niggling injuries this season.

He explained with a heavy heart recently, "I have loved every minute at Alty and have friends for life in people like Graham Heathcote, the Rowley family and all our fantastic supporters. I have been coaching the under-15s at Crewe for the past three years, and Dario Gradi kept chipping away at me to devote more time to that. I always resisted, because I couldn't imagine not playing for Alty, but then this opportunity came along at United and, let's be fair, they don't come calling every day." Boss Heathcote also paid tribute to Little, "What Colin Little has done for this football club in the past six years is phenomenal and I am not sure where I can find a replacement for nothing....which is what we got Colin for!" also adding "Colin is the main reason we have survived in the Conference. He has been a fantastic servant to this club. His goals tally tells its own tale of the contribution he has made."

Little has bulged the onion bag just twice this season due to limited appearances, so the goal scoring burden has rested with Chris Senior and Chris Denham. The pair have twenty-five goals between them to date, with the former bagged fifteen of those, including Alty's consolation in the 4-1 defeat at Salisbury on Tuesday. Denham, who recently returned to action following a car accident, sits on ten. Adding his name the Robins' unfortunate injury list this season is fellow forward Dale Johnson, who ruptured knee ligaments in September. Former Wrexham, Mansfield and Chester man John McAliskey boosted the striking ranks when signing from Witton Albion as Johnson's replacement, but he has managed just two goals from nineteen games.

Making his 481st appearance for the Robins this Saturday will be goalkeeper Stuart Coburn, who first pulled on the no.1 shirt for Alty in 1997, has enjoyed three spells with the club, and is now re-established as first-choice stopper at Moss Lane. At the heart of Alty's back four against United will be ex-Halifax stalwart Greg Young, whose six goals this term proves he is also an offensive threat. He will be joined in defence by James Smith and Robbie Williams, (not the tiger-pant wearing song-smith) both of whom have been regular starters during the campaign, whilst former Northwich man Ryan Brown has made the left-back position his own since arriving in February as cover for the injured Matt Doughty.

The wide midfield spots will be taken by right winger Shaun Densmore, an England C International, and the aforementioned speedy left flanker Nicky Clee, who doubles as Alty's long throw expert. Central midfield could be a family affair this Saturday, with Adam Carden vying for a starting berth that would see pitched against brother Paul, the Mighty U's Captain, (see below). Also competing for places in the Robins' engine room are Robbie Lawton, just returning from a pelvic injury, and ex-Leek Town captain Anthony Danylak.

The Season so Far

Alty began the campaign with a respectable 1-1 home draw with Ebbsfleet, but got the engines going three days later thanks to a thumping 3-0 win at Barrow. Another away triumph, this time at Hayes & Yeading was swiftly followed by a marvellous replica victory over Histon, and Heathcote must have smiled broadly when he saw his side proudly sitting second in the table. Nevertheless, three defeats in four games meant a mini-tumble down the league, before a five match unbeaten run saw them clamber back to within a point of the play-offs. Unfortunately, just one victory in the lead up to Christmas dented confidence, as did a 3-0 FA Cup reverse at Mansfield, although, Wrexham were defeated in the FA Trophy to boost the financial coffers.

Remarkably, Alty went six weeks without a League game through December and January, but they returned with a 2-1 win at Ebbsfleet thanks to Greg Young's late winner. Wrexham gained revenge by leaving Moss Lane with a 3-1 victory whilst AFC Wimbledon ended the Trophy trail, but subsequent home wins over Hayes & Yeading (3-2) Eastbourne (3-0) as well as an eye-catching 5-0 triumph over Salisbury resulted in a climb up the table. Nevertheless, the aforementioned sixteen game run has kicked in, and Alty find themselves in their lowest league position of the campaign. Their two solitary wins during this period have both come at home; against Kidderminster and Kettering.

Form at Moss Lane is distinctly average, with seven wins, seven losses and a replica number of draws. They have lost their last two home matches, with Stevenage and Oxford both picking up 1-0 successes. Away from home Alty have pocketed six wins and eight draws. Furthermore, they have also conceded just 26 goals on the road; a record bettered by just three teams outside the top five.

Matchday Connection

Midfielder Adam Carden, brother of current U's legend Paul, started his career at Southport. Despite establishing himself in the Port squad and catching the eye of Manchester City, for whom he was invited to train, Adam was released in May 2003 and, after a trial at Wigan, moved to Runcorn. After just one season he was picked up by Accrington Stanley but, when suffering a torn cartilage and failing to make his way back into the starting eleven, opted to join Burscough. Adam enjoyed a fruitful season at Victoria Park, helping his side to win the Unibond League Premier Division, but was soon on his way again as FC United of Manchester swooped. The 25-year old became an integral part of the progression United have made in recent years, making 91 appearances and scoring four goals, but a series of niggling injuries saw him released last December. Alty picked him up shortly after, and Adam made his debut in January's 3-1 home loss to Wrexham.

Also capable of playing wide right, Adam names big Brother Paul as a career inspiration, although, there has obviously some jovial sibling rivalry along the way. "I used to come home from school when Paul had been at training all day as a full-time professional and I always wanted to be like that. He'd bring his friends back to the house and I must have driven them all mad because all I ever did was ask questions about football. I was so eager to learn. It's weird now because when I was as FC United I sometimes had banter with him after our games and say 'how many did you play in front of today?' and joke that FC drew a bigger crowd."

Doug Shulman

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