Altirncham 4 Witton Albion 1

ALTRINCHAM moved to within 90 minutes of a place in the first round of the FA Cup with a comprehensive victory over Cheshire neighbours Witton Albion at the weekend.

Saturday matches at Moss Lane now seem to start consistently a minute or two before 3pm and this was no exception as Witton kicked off and attacked the Golf Road end.

Garrity had the first shot of the game after getting the better of Maddox but Coburn watched the ex-Alty man' shot go just wide of his goal, after 90 seconds had elapsed.

Witton were putting together some neat passing movements as the game stuttered on with regular interruptions for free kicks.

When Kevin Hulme was fouled some 35 yards out, on receiving a pass from Scott, Alty put into effect a clearly rehearsed move.

Instead of pumping the free-kick from the right-centre of the pitch into the penalty area, Adams played it fairly short to Thorley who, from the right, delivered a well-aimed ball which Murphy met at the back post with a downward header into the net on 19 mins.

Steve Hawes, along with Kevin Hulme, was playing well in the centre of midfield as his side now came to life but it was the Alty captain who was harshly adjudged to have fouled Rendell just inside the left corner of the Altrincham box, a decision that led to the equaliser.

Mr Brand awarded a penalty-kick as Rendell went down.

The striker got up and sent Coburn the wrong way from the spot, to bring his side level on the half hour.

Graham Heathcote was so unimpressed by the award of this penalty that he shouted to Rod Thornley that he should "fall over in the box, the first chance you get".

Carl Furlong must have been listening for it was he who went down in the Witton box just two minutes later but there was no doubt whatsoever that the penalty was justified.

It came after Maddox had broken up a Witton move with a fine tackle.

Thornley advanced over the halfway line and played a fine diagonal ball forward to his right, to Furlong.

As Carl advanced into the box, he was scythed down by Styles.

Thornley, having missed a penalty in the last FA Cup match, made no mistake this time, smashing the ball fairly centrally into the net after Price had dived to his right on 34 minutes.

Another piece of good work by Thornley, led to Hulme feeding Furlong, who got round the keeper but was given marginally offside (38 mins).

Witton continued to press as half-time approached with a Garrity shot being blocked by the impressive Sertori and a Rendell turn on the edge of the box allowing the striker a shot which Coburn saved, low down.

An awful foul by Heywood brought Hulme to the ground but the Alty man leapt up and grabbed the Witton man round the throat before he collapsed injured once more.

Hulme, seemingly fired up by a bad tackle he had suffered earlier, won the ball well off Boyd.

Following this the ball came to Adams, whose pass to Thornley was expertly propelled forward to Murphy, who was moving towards the left corner.

Furlong cleverly jumped over Murphy's low cross allowing the ball to run to Hawkes, who drove it firmly into the net from 15 yards, (64 mins).

The visitors' best effort came when Moseley and Birdsey set up a shot from Rendell, which Coburn turned round his right post, low down, for Witton's first corner of the half (73 mins).

A ball forward, through the centre, was knocked on by Thornley to Poland.

The substitute turned very well past his defensive marker and hammered a low left-foot shot into the net on 84 mins to make it 4-1.

Altrincham continued to control the game to the end, with Kevin Hulme being announced as the Thresher Man of the Match.

Altrincham: Coburn, Scott, adams, Maddox, Sertori, Hawes (capt), Hulme, Craney, Furlong, Thornley, Murphy. Subs: Gallagher, edginton, Locke, Poland, Illingworth.