Words William Sneyd Picture Jonathan Moore

Burnley NWC 0 Altrincham 6

Altrincham's youngsters produced a ruthless performance full of clinical finishing to further improve their standing in the National League.

The young Robins started brightly, pressing Burnley high and pinching the ball in dangerous areas during the opening minutes.

The breakthrough came when keeper Noble played a dangerous ball over the top, enabling Denise to bring it down expertly and get across his man before sliding the ball past the keeper to give his side an early lead.

Alty quickly doubled their advantage when Mensah (pictured) used his pace to pressure the Burnley keeper and win the ball, calmly finishing to make it 2–0.

Showing no signs of easing up, Alty continued to dictate the game, building well from the back through midfield and creating further chances.

The third goal came after Mensah held the ball up well before releasing Sneyd, who broke away from his man and played a perfectly weighted through pass to McCormack. One-on-one with the keeper, McCormack showed great composure to smash the ball into the net.

Alty maintained control and added another when Mensah beat his man and pushed forward before finding Sneyd, who struck across goal from the left edge of the box to extend the lead.

With half-time approaching, the young Robins continued to push forward. Good build-up play led to a pass in to Denise, who cleverly set up Sneyd to fire another right-footed strike across goal for his second of the match.

After an almost perfect first half, Alty looked to maintain the pressure after the break. The second half began at a slower pace, but solid defending from McNamara, Fereday and Noble ensured the clean sheet remained intact.

Substitutions later in the game made a strong impact, with Gbolagun, Tattersall and Moses bringing fresh energy and Summerfield a calm presence at the back.

Moses showed great footwork and went close before eventually finding the net, smashing the ball into the roof of the goal after a great run from Tattersall to make it six for Alty.

Overall, it was an excellent performance as the young Robins continued their climb up the league table.

Squad on the day:

Christopher Antoniades
Afernee Denise
Raffi Fereday
John Gbolagun
Joshua Herreaman
Callum McCormack
Benjamin McNamara
Ben Mensah
William Molloy
Nathaniel Moses
Charlie Noble
William Sneyd
Connor Summerfield
Jimmy Taafe
Tom Tattersall