Altrincham U-19s 4 Solihull Moors U-19s 2

Match report by Alty player Sekouba Camara

In a highly-anticipated match at the Egerton Youth Club, Altrincham U-19s hosted Solihull Moors U-19s in the National League Alliance.

In a challenging first half, Altrincham struggled to find their rhythm, both out of possession and on the ball. Their slow start allowed Solihull to have most of the possession, and the away side began to create overloads in the middle of the park and create opportunities.

But all that changed 15 minutes into the game, after Dane Byron played a precise ball to Kaiden Powell.

Displaying great vision and technique, Powell delivered an exquisite long forward pass to Vlad Shtyhilan, who sprinted with great determination to get on the end of it and showcased his dribbling skills as he expertly manoeuvred past the keeper.

He then kept his composure as the hardest part was done, and he slotted the ball into an empty net to give Alty the lead.

Despite Altrincham’s early lead, the game was still tense and closely fought. Solihull capitalised on an Altrincham mistake shortly after conceding, and they exploited the space available to drive forward. They managed to find their number nine quickly, and the striker finished his one-on-one calmly to make it 1-1.

Following Solihull's goal, both teams opted for a more balanced approach for the rest of the half. With the momentum favouring the away side, Altrincham showed high levels of resilience to match Solihull's intensity and keep the scoreline level.

In the second half, Altrincham kicked off with a renewed sense of determination as they aimed to elevate their performance from the first half. However, within the first 10 minutes of the second period, they suffered a setback.

The Young Robins lost the ball on the left-hand side, allowing a swift Solihull counter-attack to form. The Solihull winger advanced before delivering a precise, low cross into the box towards the back post. Positioned perfectly, Solihull’s other winger tapped the ball into the bottom corner, giving his side the lead for the first time.

Although they had fallen behind, Alty refused to let the goal affect their confidence.

Joel Bailey, a substitute introduced in the second half, stepped forward with the ball, gliding past the Solihull players with ease and comfort. He spread the play to Afernee Denise, who beat his man and played the ball to Shtyhilan.

The forward put the ball past the opposition keeper for his second goal of the game, and Altrincham were level again.

Alty were being very proactive, and the subs had a positive effect on the game. The young Robins suffocated Solihull with constant pressure and were winning the ball back quickly.

This paid dividends for Altrincham, as after winning it back high up the pitch, the ball made its way to Sekouba Camara. He played the ball to Jack Chandler, who beat his man and crossed into the box.

There waiting was Remi Raymond, who slotted the ball into the back of the net, making it 3-2.

Desperate to find an equaliser, Solihull pushed forward immediately from kick-off.

However, they were met by a strong Altrincham defence, determined to make sure the visitors couldn’t forge any clear-cut chances. Eventually, a midfielder from Solihull made a mistake, and Howells drove the hosts forward.

He drove powerfully into the box before being dragged down and winning a penalty.

Howells stepped up himself to take the penalty, and with a calm strike, he made it 4-2. After a very competitive first half, Altrincham stepped up in the second 45 minutes to claim all three points.

Starting line up
Dane Byron
Kaiden Powell
Oscar Cooper
Ajani Oshodin
Lucas Edwards
Remi Raymond
Sekouba Camara
Max Whittle
Kian Gonzalez
Afernee Denise
Vlad Shtyhilan
Substitutes
William Knowles, Harry Douglas, Joel Bailey, Jack Chandler.