Savages’ men battle back from conceding an early goal to get a 1-1 draw but will feel like they should have won.
A frustrating first half but a great performance in the second after four subs and a change in formation.
Despite a lot of possession, finding a way through a resolute Altrincham defence was a real challenge.
There were some outstanding performances from Jili, Chibby and Jayden Clarke.
First Half:
The weather was very wet in GL6 as the game kicked off, but the conditions were brilliant for a game of football, and the pitch looked superb.
Early on, it was an open game at The New Lawn, both teams feeling each other out with FGR having the majority of possession.
Despite having a lot of the ball, it was a tentative first 10 mins. There were no clear cut chances seen by either team.
However, that all changed on 11 minutes with Altrincham's first meaningful foray forward.
Some great work down the wing ended with a cutback into the area that was tucked away neatly by an unmarked Oliver Crankshaw.
Despite this early setback, Rovers were building in both confidence and possession as the first half went on.
Following the goal, Altrincham were pretty much camped in their own half, rarely venturing forward.
This stoic defensive play meant that a breakthrough just couldn’t be found and frustrations grew until the ref blew up for half-time.
Half-Time: Forest Green 0-1 Altrincham
Second Half:
The gaffer made three subs at half-time to change the formation a bit in an attempt to mix things up.
After a strong first half on the right, Jili moved over to the left and continued to be a threat to the Altrincham full-backs.
Jayden Clarke came in as a left wing back, Kairo went up top with Temi and Harvey Bunker came on as a six to complement Chibby.
Shortly after the break, Tom Knowles looked to get a knock and Tre Pemberton also came on after 53mins.
We came out strong in the second half and saw two early corners (the first of many in the second half) cause some issues for the Altrincham defence.
The lads were pushing hard and you knew a goal was coming but Altrincham were defending well, adding to the levels of frustration until Jayden Clarke stepped up with a little bit of magic.
After a couple of previous sighters, you knew Clarke fancied something last night.
Jili passed the ball inside and Jayden showed some nifty footwork to send two defenders the wrong way before thumping the ball into the bottom corner with his left foot.
It was a cracking finish and thoroughly deserved for an assertive second half performance.
The equaliser was scored in the 58th min and you couldn’t help but feel it was the turning point and a second would follow.
Despite some stoppages, FGR were building up a head of steam, Jili was causing havoc down the left and it was one-way traffic, this only compounded the thought that we’d score again.
The corners and attacks continued to mount but the whole time, Altrincham defended resolutely and the lads just couldn’t find a way through a very congested backline.
The 4th official showed 6mins of injury time and we were all hoping for a late winner, a couple more corners in additional time and some pinball in the Altrincham box just added to the disappointment.
Ultimately, a winner couldn ’t be found and it will feel like a couple of points dropped.
Full-Time: Forest Green 0-0 Altrincham
Forest Green: Isted, Knowles (53' Pemberton), Mendy (c), Kanu, Kengni (46' Clarke), Buyabu, Nwoko, McAllister, Haughton (46' Bunker), Morrison (46' Mitchell), Babalola
Subs (not used): Pagel, Moore-Taylor, Kircough
Altrincham: Hutchinson, Jones (77' Golden), Cooper, Sassi, Humbles (77' Grant), Marriott, Crawford, Khan, Crankshaw (90+4' Forde), Kosylo, Knowles (77' Reddin)
Subs (not used): Fallon, Kirk, Weaver
Attendance: 1,251 (Away – 15)
