Stoke City 1-4 Altrincham 1
Even though not all Altrincham supporters were happy with the National League Cup, there’s nothing wrong with watching your team dominate the opposition with a spectacular display of attacking football that included four goals—one of which was an absolute cracker—all for free thanks to match sponsors OBI Property.
After taking the lead early in this group match at The J.Davidson Stadium, Stoke’s under-21 team may have boosted their chances because they possessed a lot of speed, power, and skill with the ball.
They couldn’t compete with Alty, though, as the unbeaten Robins maintained their chances of making it to the knockout rounds with goals from Jake Bickerstaff, Tylor Golden, and man-of-the-match Tom Crawford, as well as an equalizer from James Jones prior to halftime.
There was something admirable about each of the four Alty goals, but Golden’s was the most impressive; it was a fantastic first-time effort that was hit so firmly and completely that keeper Alfie Brooks could not be held accountable for being beaten at his near post.
Louie Fallon was given a chance in goal behind a formidable, seasoned group of outfield players, and the welcome addition of two Academy standouts, Harrison Howells and Afernee Denise, to the bench provided more proof of young talent rising through the ranks.
Matty Kosylo was prominently involved early on, sprinting at defenders and attempting to breach Stoke’s defense. He was nearly on the scoresheet in just the third minute and was as energetic as ever.
His perseverance on the left side of the field allowed Kahrel Reddin to attempt a shot that was stopped, and when Kossy grabbed the rebound, his attempt appeared goalbound before crashing into a defender.
Crawford tried his luck from a distance with a shot that went a few yards wide as Alty launched another attack in the tenth minute as they were getting into their rhythm.
In the eleventh minute, Bickerstaff’s pressure led Jake Griffin to make a misplaced back ball that went out for a corner, putting Kosylo right back in the heart of things.
After playing it short to Reddin, Kosylo was in position to receive a deft back-heeled return pass, which allowed him to cut in and miss the far post with a left-footed effort.
Prior to Chinonso Chibueze finding space on the left side of the box for a shot that was stopped and cleared in the 17th minute, Stoke’s youth team appeared to be well-prepared offensively.
Nevertheless, the visitors took the lead in the twenty-third minute when Jack Griffiths pounced on a misdirected ball from Fallon and finished with a perfect finish into the bottom right corner of the net.
In the 27th minute, Fallon made amends by flying to his left to hang onto a rising drive from the area’s boundary.
Kossy was pushed out at the last second as he attempted to create space for a shot, but a thrilling exchange of passes between Kosylo, Crawford, and Bickerstaff nearly opened up Stoke on the half-hour.
In the 33rd minute, Alty created another promising play on the right, but George Wilson failed to provide the finishing touch, steering his finish off-target following Bickerstaff’s cut-back.
When the ball broke for Bickerstaff just yards from goal in the 34th minute, the Robins should have tied the score, but Brooks, who had a great read on the danger, blocked his first-time attempt.
When Jake Cooper headed Eddy Jones’ deep corner from the right back across goal and then flicked it on for James Jones to nod over the line from a yard out in the 43rd minute, Alty did manage to pull even.
When a clear run on goal beckoned, Liam Humbles, one of three Alty replacements to start the second half, almost had an immediate impact with a precise through ball that Reddin barely missed.
Golden’s peach of a goal in the 50th minute gave Alty the lead, further demonstrating their desire to leave their mark on the competition.
The winger motored towards the bye-line after Reddin was released into space on the right side. He then checked back and rolled the ball into Golden’s path, where he scored an incredible first-time effort that fairly flew past a shocked Brooks into the near post’s roof.
After Crawford put the Robins ahead in the 58th minute, they enjoyed the security of a two-goal lead.
Although the versatile midfielder is more well-known for his deft touch with the ball, the way he rose to meet a free-kick from Eddy Jones reminded me of a large target man who liked headed goals.
Bickerstaff nearly created a wonderful moment for youthful substitute Howells as he handled a sweeping crossfield ball from Elliot Osborne with his left foot before volleying a shot beyond of the far post.
A minute later, Fallon was called into action, and he proved himself by making a brilliant low-down stop to deny Stoke captain Sol Sidibe.
Since coming on as a replacement, Humbles had appeared vivacious and productive, and when he put a fantastic ball through to Reddin, the winger was unsuccessful as his shot went into the side netting.
Crawford was only kept from scoring a second goal of the evening by a diving save by Brooks in the 88th minute, as Alty was ending strongly.
In the first of four extra minutes, Humbles’ distribution caught the attention once more with a pass that was perfectly positioned and timed for Pickerstaff to grab onto and calmly slide beyond the charging Brooks to complete a very satisfying evening for the Robins.
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