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01/05/18
Barring a disaster Knutsford are pretty much now in an unassailable position and with 8 games to cover in only 24 days after a very much weather disrupted season Whaley’s management has decided now is the ideal opportunity to give their development squad youngsters some experience in senior football….. and where better than under floodlights at one of the region’s best known none league clubs.
The team in last quarter of the game, incidentally a quarter in which Whaley dominated, comprised no less than 7 players aged between 16 and 21; probably the youngest 1st team ever to wear the Whaley shirt. Without the physical presence of Captain Rob Newton, Adam Barlow, the Broome, George Burgess and Jack Gregory the visitors were never going to muscle their way through the game but nevertheless these youngsters along with some ‘not so old’ heads like Bill Sutton and Jamie Kay dominated much of the game with playing some good attractive controlled football.
However the experience at a renowned Club like Altrincham wasn’t exactly what these lads or the Club had hoped for. They say a team reflects its management and that was surely demonstrated to some affect when right from the start every tackle and decision, no matter how ridiculous, was vociferously and loudly contested from both on and off the pitch culminating in a string of yellow cards. At one point during the second half the home management decided to have a go at their opposite numbers who up until that point hadn’t uttered a single controversial word. All in all a bit disappointing. Whaley Chair Steve Rampley commented ‘Whaley teams and management always conduct themselves with dignity and respect and we don’t expect anything less form the opposition’
Anyway let’s not forget the football. Young Alfie Hodges started his first game at centre back alongside the classy Streets and 16 year old Jacob O’Donnel his second up-front; wide players J Burgess and Sam Leadbetter both created problems down the flanks with Dan Gilbride and Bill Sutton providing the ammunition from centre midfield. Whaley pretty much outplayed the opposition from back to front and dominated the first half but again inexplicably failed to capitalise on 3 or 4 good opportunities that this time fell to Morris, Leadbetter and Burgess.
The home side started more aggressively in the second half and from a set piece managed to scramble the ball over the line. Heads seem to drop for a while and the home side took the initiative in the third quarter in which Whaley’s Tattersall made 2 point blank saves to push the ball around the post. Youngsters Connel, Wigg and Gemmel came on to liven things up and slotted in smoothly keeping possession and helping the visitors regain the initiative; Connel almost immediately darting down the right flank to deliver a telling cross into the six yard box that almost resulted in the equiliser after a bit of a goal mouth scramble. What could have been the turning point never actually materialised when 2 sublime 25 yard defence splitting diagonal through balls from young Dan Gilbride first put O’Donnel and then Leadbetter clean through only for both to be pulled up absolutely incorrectly for offside on both occasions! It’s when the ball is kicked not when it’s received gov!
A disappointing result but looking at the bigger picture from a footballing perspective there was a lot to applaud; Hodges and O’Donnel never looked out of place amongst more established players and certainly Darryl and Jon look to be working well with Martin Longden and his development squad to keep things moving forward.
MOM Dan Gilbride
Tattersall; Bailey; Hodges; Streets; Kay; J Burgess; Sutton; Gilbride; Leadbetter; O’Donnel; Morris
D Connel; Broome; Wigg; Gemmell
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