Morecambe (Manchester ) 1 Altrincham 4

Match report by Alty player Tom Whyte

The early exchanges, in this National Youth League Under-19s game, were dominated by Altrincham, as they were able to control possession and bypass Morecambe’s intense press.

They were able to play the ball through midfield successfully, and they were rewarded for their strong start against the side from Morecambe's Manchester Development Centre.

After a well-worked move from Altrincham, Alfred Igbinake opened the scoring with a calm finish into the bottom corner.

Taking advantage of their early superiority, Alty continued to create chances after they had taken the lead. Initially, they were wasteful, but their second goal did finally come through a Charley Jarrald header.

Catching the opposition off guard, he was found at the back post, where he managed to double Altrincham’s lead.

Morecambe had a chance to halve the deficit just before half-time, but a wayward finish meant that the young Robins ended the first 45 minutes with a 2-0 lead.

Similar to the first half, Altrincham began the second period very well. They didn’t allow Morecambe to get back into the match, and while Alty missed several chances to kill the game, they offered no encouragement to a struggling Morecambe team.

The third goal finally came, as Ruarie Day (a second-half substitute) made an instant impact. Minutes after coming on the pitch, Day picked up the ball just outside the Morecambe penalty area and struck a vicious effort into the top right corner to make it 3-0.

Altrincham’s fourth and final goal came through Mo Suwareh with only a few minutes remaining.

A mistake even later in the game provided Morecambe with a consolation goal, but nothing should be taken away from Altrincham’s dominant performance. They controlled the game from minute one, taking home all three points.

Squad on the day:

Louie Fallon

Sammy Bonney Phillips

Nathan Wood

Mo Suwareh

Tom Whyte

Jacob Hill

Ben Taylor

Alfred Igbinake

Byron Haughton

Ruarie Day

Ryan Knowles

Charley Jarrald

Nathan Taylor

Ethan Cosgrove

Alfie Curwen

Kyran Webster