Thanks again to Rory Sheehan who will be providing match reports and feature articles
Altrincham 1 Wrexham 1
Wrexham were held to a draw at Altrincham on Bank Holiday Monday with a well below-par performance from Brian Little’s side.
Having been pitted against clubs with Football League ambitions so far this season, our non-league status truly sank in at Moss Lane where the home fans were outnumbered by the large travelling Wrexham contingent. This was a proper non-league ground in character and size, home to proper part-time opposition.
With our better fitness levels, magnificent away support and a supposedly superior team we should have put together our first back-to-back victories since Brian Little took charge 9 months ago. We’re still waiting.
Altrincham took a shock early lead when Spender was guilty of failing to cut out a cross nodded past Gavin Ward by Chris Senior with just 4 minutes played.
Wrexham responded with plenty of pressure culminating in a speculative effort from Critchell 10 minutes later, and a Kempson header straight at the goalkeeper from a set-piece.
In truth, for all the play we had, we lacked anything remotely threatening in the final third. Creativity throughout the team was absent giving the travelling fans nothing to get excited about.
As half-time approached Jefferson Louis was able to goad former Dragon Mark McGregor into giving away a free-kick in a promising position. From that set-piece taken by Kearney, Louis was on hand to equalise with a header. Surely that would give us the impetus to improve in the second-half?
Simon Brown replaced Aiston at the break and almost immediately set up an opportunity squandered first by Louis, then by Whalley as ‘Alty’ struggled to clear.
When the home side did get forward, the veteran Colin Little went close before being substituted.
Still early in the second period it looked as if we should have had a penalty for an obvious foul on Whalley by Greg Young. None of the officials were interested however.
Soon Wes Baynes replaced Spender and made an impact in the sea of overall dross. From one of the many balls lumped up-field Louis won a header teeing up Whalley for an easy finish. Instead Whalley’s attempt was poor and off target.
Neil Taylor replaced Whalley with 10 minutes remaining. With minutes to go Wes Baynes crafted a beautifully inviting cross from the right but no Wrexham player was anywhere near it. It sums up our current lack of an out-and-out predator up front. Most other teams have forward players who would relish the opportunity to get on the end of such a cross by Baynes. It went to waste.
There were 5 minutes of stoppage time but Altrincham held on. Only surviving relegation from this division last time out on account of another club’s financial misfortune it wouldn’t be too unfair too consider them a Blue Square North side.
Just two days before they were battered at Kidderminster, and knowing we’d had an extra couple of days to prepare for this after the Oxford game, it puts the result gloomy perspective.
Altrincham raised their game and were a credit to their manager and fans in grafting for this unlikely point. The Wrexham performance was woeful and many a finger will be pointed in the direction of under-performing players who might like to consider that, for the Altrincham players, its back to work in the real world the morning after this game.
However, Brian Little has to take a large share of the criticism. We named an unchanged side from the team that conquered 10-man Oxford. However for another away game we should have been looking to win we reverted to basic one-dimensional long-ball football again.
It must be becoming clear to him now that this style isn’t working and that it will take more imagination and more firepower to keep us competing near the top of this division, even against the smaller clubs like Altrincham.
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