Match preview by Joe Brayne

Eager to claim their eighth Cheshire Senior Cup, Altrincham welcome Congleton Town to The J.Davidson Stadium this evening.

The Robins will be motivated by their recent FA Trophy semi-final heartbreak as they look to add the Cheshire Senior Cup to the trophy cabinet – a competition steeped in 143 years of history.

Thursday’s match marks Alty’s first appearance in the final for over a decade, having last won the cup in 2009 following a 3-0 victory over Nantwich Town.

Manager, Phil Parkinson, stressed the importance of the competition during the media build-up ahead of the game.

Parkinson said: “When we have our pre-season photo taken, I want to see a trophy standing in front of the team.”

He also warned against the threat of complacency ahead of Congleton’s visit. Operating in the ninth tier of the Football League, the Bears will be targeting Alty’s crown as ‘Giant-Killers’.

Star forward, Regan Linney, spoke with Brian Flynn about the squad’s mindset ahead of the final.

“It is a massive game and it is a chance to win a bit of silverware,” Linney said, “A season is always better when you have got silverware behind you.

"Just because they are a couple of leagues below it doesn’t mean anything, we will go in 100% focused and ready to go.

“They will try to be physical and put us off our game, try to stop us from playing, but we just have to work hard and hopefully our quality shines through.”

Since joining Alty from FC United of Manchester in February, Linney has bagged eight goals in 13 starts.

Manager’s Views

Phil Parkinson spoke with AltyTV following his side's 2-2 draw at home against Torquay United.

About the Opposition

Congleton Town FC arrive on Thursday with every belief that they can end their 85-year drought in the Cheshire Senior Cup.

The Bears may operate in the ninth tier (North West Counties League Premier Division), but a 2-0 semi-final victory over League Two outfit Crewe Alexandra evidenced their ability to contend with the best sides in the competition.

Our visitors ended their league campaign on Saturday following a 4-4 thriller with Longridge Town, finishing comfortably in eighth place.

Full attention can therefore be placed on their two remaining cup fixtures – tomorrow’s final against Alty and a Macron Cup final versus Bacup Borough on May 8.

Former Wales International, Richard Duffy, will lead the Bears on and off the pitch as the side’s player-manager.

Congleton’s lead scorer, Tom Pope, represents the side’s danger man as he looks to add to his season goal tally of seventeen - an impressive achievement at 37 years old.

There will be no home comforts for the Bears on Thursday, however, having won all four previous knockout matches at The Cleric Stadium.

ALTRINCHAM CUP RUN

Semi-Final:
Runcorn Linnets 0-4 Altrincham
(James Jones 15’, Regan Linney 34’, 83’, Aaron Bennett 89’)

Quarter-Final:
Altrincham (p) 1-1 Vauxhall Motors
(Conor Harwood (OG) 24’ / Altrincham won penalty shoot-out 2-0: Eddy Jones, Ben Pringle)

Second Round:
BYE after Stockport County withdrew from the competition.

First Round:
Sandbach United 0-4 Altrincham
(Zak Goodson 16’, Aaron Bennett 46’, 63’, Jordan Hulme 78’)

CONGLETON CUP RUN

Semi-Final:
Congleton 2-0 Crewe Alexandra

Quarter-Final:
Congleton 1-0 Stalybridge Celtic

Second Round:
Congleton 3-0 Stockport Town

First Round:
Congleton 3-1 Barnton

TICKET INFORMATION

£12 – Adults, Concession (Over 65s / Student / NHS)
£6 – Under 18

Buy your tickets online to reduce queuing times!

This game will be segregated, and we would remind visitors from Congleton Town to purchase an away ticket.

Season tickets are not valid for this fixture.

MATCHDAY INFORMATION

Turnstiles will open at 5:45pm.

Please note there will be the option to pay by cash at the turnstiles on the day.

There is an ATM opposite the ground at the convenience store. Alternatively, you can buy in advance online.

We kindly ask all supporters – home and away – to arrive early to ensure you are in the ground in plenty of time for kick-off and avoid late queues.

For wheelchair or pushchair access, please enter gate 5 and you will be looked after.

All supporters will be searched with a metal detector on entry to the stadium for your safety.

A food menu is available in all three food outlets, offering a wide range of options to home and away fans.

The matchday programme will be available to purchase around the stadium.

Parking is street only.

MATCH COVERAGE 

Radio Robins is broadcasting full live commentary on RadioAlty. You can listen to Radio Robins in any of the following ways:

Listen live on RadioAlty: https://streams.radio.co/s4d51ef3bf/listen
Listen live on RadioAlty: https://www.radioalty.co.uk/listen.html

The match will be also covered on our Twitter page @altrinchamfc.

And last but not least…

We sincerely hope that both sets of fans enjoy the game.