EMIRATES FA CUP 2nd QUALIFYING ROUND
ALTRINCHAM 5 WHITLEY BAY 0
Saturday 22nd September
Whitley’s FA Cup run came to an end with a heavy defeat at Altrincham but there was no disgrace in this outcome against a side from three divisions higher in the football pyramid. The final score might well have been much closer had Whitley not been without five of the side that overcame Whitby in the previous round, including top scorer Jack Foalle.
The opening stages were evenly contested and one of Whitley’s best chances of the game came as early as the third minute when Stephen Ramsey leapt above Tom Hannigan to meet Olly Martin’s looping header into the box but he could not get enough power on his header and the ball was easily collected by keeper Elliot Wynne. A foul on the Bay left some 25 yards from goal gave Peter Glen-Ravenhill an opportunity with a free kick but the ball failed to trouble the Altrincham defence. Almost immediately, Altrincham created an excellent chance when Jordan Hulme crossed from the right but Hancock failed to connect cleanly at the far post and Tom Flynn was grateful to gather the ball.
Whitley were holding their own and with no goals in the first quarter of the game there were signs of frustration among the home fans. However, that changed in the 28th minute when a well placed through ball from skipper Jake Moult set Hulme through on goal and he confidently beat Flynn from 12 yards to put the home side in front.
Hulme was looking increasingly threatening and ten minutes before half time Flynn did well to block the striker’s shot before the rebound was fired wide of the target. A careless back pass from James Jones almost let in Ryan Redford but Wynne was alert to the danger and just got to the ball in time. Moments later, back at the other end, Hulme’s shot across goal just cleared the bar as the National League North side began to gain the upper hand.
A crucial moment in the game came in the 41st minute when Karl Ross was beaten to the ball in his own half and when the hosts raced forward, Ibby Hassan brought down Max Harrop 25 yards from goal and was perhaps harshly shown a red card by referee Aaron Jackson, when a caution might have been an adequate punishment. Down to ten men, it got even worse for Whitley in the final minute of the half when Hulme went to ground in the six yard box as Flynn made a desperate effort to reach the ball and Mr Jackson pointed to the spot. As had happened in the previous round, Flynn faced a penalty at a crucial stage of the game and once again he kept Whitley’s hopes alive, getting fingertips to the ball and pushing it onto the post before grabbing the rebound.
Although just one goal adrift after a battling first half display, it was clearly going to be a difficult task to get back in the game with a one man disadvantage, and ten minutes after the resumption, Altrincham got their second goal, Moult linking up well with Hulme before lashing the ball high into the net from close range.
In a rare Whitley attack, Glen-Ravenhill almost seized on a defensive slip but Wynne raced out to clear the ball just ahead of the Bay captain. Flynn did well to push an effort from Johnston wide of the target before another Altrincham chance was wasted with a wayward finish. The home side got their third goal with 66 minutes played after Moult sent a header crashing off the bar from a left wing corner and the rebound was poked home by Hannigan. There was no way back for Whitley now and the side from Greater Manchester were in complete control. Substitute Tom Peers added the fourth after 74 minutes, tapping home a cross from the by-line by the impressive Hulme and it was the same player who rounded off the scoring six minutes from time when he latched onto a great ball out of defence by Harrop, raced away down the left and sent a perfectly executed chip shot over the advancing Flynn and into the far corner of the net.
Altrincham’s quality really shone through in the second half as they comfortably progressed to the next round but the battling efforts of the Whitley side were acknowledged as the players were warmly applauded by their travelling fans at the final whistle.
WHITLEY BAY: Flynn, A Redford, Walton( Brannen 72mins) Ross, Taylor, Hassan, Glen-Ravenhill, R Redford(L Anderson 74mins), Ramsey(Christensen 64mins) Martin, Salmon
Subs not used: Dinsley, Proctor, Powell
Sent off: Hassan. Cautions: None
Attendance; 680
Referee: Aaron Jackson
