Match Report: Altrincham 0-1 Halifax Town
- Alty Manager piles on praise for side despite bitter defeat to Halifax
Altrincham manager Matt Doughty was full of praise for his players after their 1-0 defeat to 7th placed Halifax Town in the National League North on Saturday – despite the team missing a penalty early on.
In one of the best Altrincham displays in recent times, they were left kicked in the teeth after Liam King scored for visitors Halifax Town just ten minutes before the final whistle, leaving manager Doughty still without a win in the league this season.
Speaking after the game Doughty expressed his disdain but was happy with the overall battling display: “We were the better team. I’m very disappointed, but I couldn’t ask any more of the players. It’s a tough one to take, it really is. It’s a cruel game at times, we got in some good positions down our left side and put some good crosses in. If we play like that every game, we will win more than we lose.”
A usually animated Matt Doughty was surprisingly calm on the touchline during the game, looking impressed by his side’s fine display against promotion pushers Halifax, with clear signs shown during the game that the team are finally listening to the instructions of the 35-year-old ex-Altrincham player.
But when King’s well-taken half-volley went in on 81 minutes, the manager could not hide his disappointment as he remained motionless, staring in a shocked state towards the net where the ball was buried, whilst his assistant-manager, Robbie Lawton, pulled his coat over his head in disbelief.
It was a game where Altrincham finally showed some heart and vigour with stand-out performances from Nicky Clee, Elliot Newby, and the towering defender John Cyrus – the centre-back who had received some harsh taunts from his own fans in their draw against league-leaders AFC Fylde.
A bright start by Altrincham paid off when Andy Owens was brought down inside the box by Halifax’s Sam Johnson inside ten minutes. But Jake Moult’s penalty effort was tame, and he would be left to rue his missed as Halifax capitalised late on in the game to steal the win.
A foundation to build upon has emerged, but as Doughty only knows too well, football is a results game – and with Altrincham still yet to push their point tally into double-figures, there is still a ton of work to be done.