Words Raffi Fereday

Picture Jonathan Moore

Altrincham 1 Solihull Moors 2

Altrincham's under-19s faced a tough start to their National League campaign against a Solihull Moors side who were brimming with confidence after winning 7-2 a week earlier.

Even so, the young Robins made a great start, keeping the ball well and attacking dangerously as each player worked tirelessly in the quest for an opening.

Midway through the half, after a series of dangerous attacks, Alty earned their reward with an opening goal through left-back Archie Rowlands (pictured on main page), who was calm and composed as he slotted the ball past the Solihull keeper.

There was no sitting back on their lead, as the young Robins continued to build and search for a way through.

Their efforts were thwarted, though, and, on the stroke of half-time, Solihull equalised from the penalty spot, despite Alty appeals for a foul on keeper Theo Bunting.

As he jumped to claim a ball played into the box, Bunting appeared to be elbowed out of the way, only for the referee to turn down Alty shouts for a free-kick and wave play on.

The ball bobbled in the six-yard box, where a Solihull player attempted to head it home just as an Alty defender swung a boot at it in an attempt to clear his lines.

Contact was made, and the referee awarded a penalty that was slotted into the bottom corner, narrowly escaping the hand of the diving Bunting.

As the second half got underway, young Robins found themselves on the back-foot after making a slow start.

The game was pretty even with both teams attacking well and creating chances, but with no-one able to break the deadlock, Academy coach Paul Fay made changes to introduce fresh legs.

A second goal proved elusive to both sides until the 85th minute, when a failed pass in the middle of the park was latched on to by a Solihull player, who drove forward and slid the ball into the danger area.

A great challenge from Rowlands almost saved the day, but Solihull managed to get the ball past Bunting and into the back of the net to take the points in a closely-fought encounter.

Squad on the day:
Theo Bunting
Charlie Barnes
Ben McNamara
Raffi Fereday
Sammy Neville
Archie Rowlands
Kian Mattison
Josh Herreaman
Josh Dempsey
Finlay Wilson
William Molloy
Lucas Bagley
Ben Mensah
Jesse Rowe
John Gblogun
Willam Sneyd