The latest column for Altrincham Today from interim manager Matt Doughty…
We were dreadful at Stockport last Saturday and deservedly beaten by three goals to nil, but I was pleased with the performance against a very good Macclesfield side in the Buildbase FA Trophy on Tuesday night.
We defended well and took the lead with an excellent Sean Miller strike just before half time. When Macc equalised after an hour, I smiled wryly at Robbie Lawton (assistant manager) because we were looking so comfortable and Tim Deasy hadn’t really had a shot to save up until that point.
Highlights of the defeat at Stockport:
To give the opposition credit, it was a very well worked and executed goal, created by David Fitzpatrick and Danny Whittaker and finished expertly and very accurately by Kingsley James.
John Askey’s team pressed hard to get a winner but we really battled, defended well and did the right things, which seemed to be appreciated by the fans when the final whistle blew… that pleased me.
We trained on Thursday, but were very thin on the ground with nine players missing, which is not the ideal preparation for such a big game as we have on Boxing Day when FC United of Manchester make their first ever visit to the J Davidson Stadium for a competitive game. Kick-off is at three o’clock.
Highlights of the draw against Macclesfield:
We have just found out that Craig Hobson has a double fracture of his foot, which says a huge amount about the lad, as it seems that he may have been playing with this for two to three months. Sadly, we will now be without Hobby for six to seven weeks.
Sean Miller will also be missing for two to three weeks with damaged toe tendons and Damian Reeves is struggling with a hamstring injury and can only be rated as having a 50% chance of making it for Boxing Day.
This means that we may not have a recognised striker available for Monday. I did try to bring a striker in yesterday who has recently left a club but was told by his agent that he had gone away for Christmas and New Year and wouldn’t be available until early January… so he’s not for us and I will not be following that one up in 2017!
One piece of good news is that Tom Hannigan has recovered from the hip problem that forced him off in the second half of Tuesday’s game, but Simon Richman is very much touch and go with his thigh injury.
Nothing came of the two players that I was interested in bringing to the club this week, but my priority now is to bring a quick striker to the club as soon as possible.
I hope that all Alty fans have a great Christmas and that we can bring you a massive post-Christmas present by beating FC United on Boxing Day, when I am sure that there will be a massive crowd at the J Davidson Stadium.
Photos: Michael Ripley
