Altrincham Reserves 3 (Islam, Billingsley, Hussain)

Moore United 0

An improved second-half performance enabled Altrincham Reserves to overcome a stubborn Moore United side in the first round of the Cheshire Amateur Cup.

The first half was very scrappy, with both sides struggling to maintain possession of the ball. Despite the lack of fluidity, Altrincham still managed to create several chances and were unlucky not to go in ahead at the break.

In the second half, the young Robins came alive and scored three times without reply, starting with Sharif Islam's 10th goal in as many games after Amaar Hussain's effort crashed off the crossbar.

Lewis Billingsley pounced on a defensive mistake to double the lead with a neat finish past the goalkeeper. Hussain (pictured) then put the game out of reach for our visitors when he was played in by Harlan Rodgers-Morris on the halfway line. 

The Reserves travel to Poulton Victoria on the Wirral in the second round 

“Overall a below-par performance from our usual high standards," reflected Reserves boss Ross Speight. "Defensively, we looked solid, and it’s always good to mark that with a clean sheet.

"For me, we had enough possession and territory to dominate, but we couldn’t quite find the quality in the final third. Credit to Moore United, though - they defended well and looked threatening on the break.

"We had to dig deep to find the win late on. The result is always more important than the performance in a cup competition, so we will take the positives.”