Words Sammy Neville 

Altrincham 4 Hartlepool United 2

Altrincham produced an impressive performance to secure a 4–2 National Youth League victory over Hartlepool United, dominating large parts of the game and showing great attacking quality, resilience and determination.

The Robins started the game brightly and took control early on, putting Hartlepool under pressure with their attacking play.

Their positive start was rewarded when Josh Obamwonyi opened the scoring, before Lucas Bagley added a second to give the young Robins a deserved 2–0 lead.

However, Hartlepool responded with a goal of their own to make it 2–1, putting the pressure back on Altrincham.

The hosts reacted well, and Archie Rowlands restored the two-goal advantage by scoring to make it 3–1. Despite this, a sloppy error allowed Hartlepool to reduce the deficit to 3–2 just before half-time.

The second half proved to be a much more even contest, with Hartlepool looking to get back into the game. Altrincham defended well, remained organised and worked hard to absorb the pressure while continuing to create chances on the counter-attack.

The young Robins showed good composure and determination, refusing to let Hartlepool’s attacking threat disrupt their performance.

Altrincham eventually found the decisive moment when Josh Herreaman delivered an excellent ball into the box, allowing Jesse Rowe to finish neatly and extend the lead to 4–2. The goal gave the Robins some breathing space and put them firmly in control of the closing stages.

Overall, it was a strong team performance from the young Robins, who showed their attacking quality in the first half and their defensive resilience in the second. Despite Hartlepool’s attempts to fight back, the Robins remained composed and took their chances when it mattered to secure a deserved 4–2 victory.

Squad on the day:
Theo Bunting
Sammy Neville
Kian Leckey
Benjamin McNamara
Archie Rowlands
Rafael Fereday
Josh Herreaman
Joshua Dempsey
Kian Mattison
William Sneyd
John Gblogun
Callum Meppem
Lucas Bagley
Joshua Obamwonyi
Jesse Rowe
Benjamin Mensah