MOONEY THE HERO WITH A CHEEKY LATE WINNER
IN-FORM Altrincham left it late to finally break the deadlock against a resolute display from struggling Aldershot Town.
Dan Mooney’s deflected effort three minutes from time was enough to take all three points for the Robins and record a fifth straight home league win.
“It’s been a fortress in the past here, but this is the first time at National League level,” said assistant boss Neil Sorvel. “It’s a good run we’re on, and another clean sheet, but I have to admit, today wasn’t a classic. There was only one team trying to win that game.
“They set up to slow things down and play deep with two lines of five and four. It’s their choice to do that, and we’ve had to learn a different way to win games.”
The hosts should’ve been in front inside two minutes when Mooney’s free-kick was allowed to bounce in Aldershot’s box and Harry Perritt somehow managed to scoop his effort over the bar from four yards.
That turned out to be the highlight of the half, as the visitors sat back and attempted to frustrate the Robins, who struggled to break them down.
Matty Kosylo and Ryan Colclough both tried efforts from distance, as the tidy defensive work of Giles Phillips and Kevin Lokko for the Shots kept Alty at bay. With Aldershot’s only attempt in the first half coming from a wild effort from Tommy Willard.
Moments after the restart, Mooney jinked in used: from the right but saw his powerful effort well parried by Ethan Ross in goal, as the winger began to open the visitors up.
Everything was coming through Mooney, who time and time again cut inside from the right to create openings for himself, but Ross was on hand to block a string of efforts. And Perritt headed just wide from Mooney’s corner mid-way through the half.
At the other end, Kodi Lyons-Foster’s neat turn and effort was just wide, and a Lewis Kinsella’s free-kick was caught by Tony Thompson, as the visitors pushed for a very unlikely late winner.
But Alty’s frustrations were finally ended in the 87th minute when Mooney again created his own opening down the right, and his strike took a wicked deflection off the unfortunate Lokko to beat Ross in goal.
Toby Mullarkey did clear Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain’s effort off the line in the fifth minute of stoppage time as the Robins held on for a fifth win in seven.
Conversely, it sealed a fifth straight league defeat for the Shots, leaving their manager Mark Molesley to say: “It’s really really tough to take, traumatic even.
“We’re having a tough time at the minute. The lads have given everything for the shirt. We came agonisingly close to a result.
“But if we keep playing with that endeavour, we’ll get results.”
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