MATCH PREVIEW – ALTRINCHAM

The Bees prepare for another trip away from home this Saturday (5:30pm), as they take on Altrincham at the J Davidson Stadium for a late afternoon kick-off in the Vanarama National League.

Barnet FC:

Barnet emerged victorious in a hard-fought match against Woking last Saturday in the Vanarama National League, winning 1-0 and securing the three points.

The game started with Woking having an early chance, as Dennon Lewis took a volley that was easily saved by Barnet’s goalkeeper Owen Evans.

Woking continued the pressure but struggled to find the breakthrough.

Barnet responded in the 6th minute, with Lee Ndlovu’s quick shot in the box being blocked, resulting in a corner.

As the match progressed, Barnet gained more control, with Ryan Glover producing a strong header towards goal that was saved by Woking goalkeeper Will Jaaskelainen, while Barnet’s continued pressure led to a series of chances.

The breakthrough came in the 25th minute when Rhys Browne capitalized on a scramble in the box, scoring a low-driven shot into the bottom right corner to give Barnet the lead.

Woking had a few moments of their own, with Lewis sending in a couple of crosses that were either blocked or off target.

As the second half began, Barnet continued to press, with Idris Kanu’s shot going wide and Callum Stead having a good run that was cut short by Woking’s defence.

Woking had some opportunities, with Lee Ndlovu almost scoring after intercepting a pass, but his shot went just wide.

Barnet continued to press, with Ndlovu forcing Jaaskelainen into another great save, but the score remained unchanged, as Barnet claimed the victory in the game.

Barnet’s last five results:

Woking 0-1 Barnet FC

Barnet FC 1-0 Dagenham & Redbridge

Barnet FC 5-0 Yeovil Town

Oldham Athletic 0-3 Barnet FC

Rochdale 0-4 Barnet FC

From the dugout:

Connor Smith’s pre-match interview can be viewed HERE!

Altrincham:

Altrincham suffered a midweek defeat on Tuesday night, as Wealdstone took the three points with a 1-0 victory at the J Davidson Stadium.

The first real chance for the hosts came in the 22nd minute when Justin Amaluzor’s took a shot towards goal, but it was blazed over the bar.

In the second half, Wealdstone took the lead in the 47th minute, as a cross from Dom Hutchinson found Alex Reid, whose stooping header squeezed past Rob Lainton into the net.

Altrincham responded quickly, with Amaluzor missing a golden chance in the 51st minute after being set up by Lewis Banks, and a Matty Kosylo shot narrowly missing shortly after.

Wealdstone almost doubled their lead in the 66th minute when Enzio Boldewijn’s shot was tipped over by Lainton.

Boldewijn had another chance in the 77th minute, but Lainton made another good save.

Despite continued pressure from Altrincham, they couldn’t break through Wealdstone’s defence, but in the final moments a powerful shot from Kosylo looked set to equalize the game for the hosts, but it hit the crossbar and bounced away, sealing the final score at 1-0 to the visitors.

Altrincham’s last five results:

Altrincham 0-1 Wealdstone

Altrincham 1-2 Aldershot Town

Rochdale 3-0 Altrincham

Southend United 2-1 Altrincham

York City 1-2 Altrincham

In the opposition dugout:

Alty manager Phil Parkinson will be in the dugout for the hosts this Saturday with his assistant Neil Sorvel alongside him.

Parkinson has been the manager of Altrincham FC since April 2017.

He joined the club from Nantwich Town, where he had a successful tenure, transforming them from relegation candidates to promotion contenders.

At Altrincham, Parkinson achieved two promotions, elevating the team from the Northern Premier League to the National League.

In April 2021, he and assistant Neil Sorvel signed three-year contracts, becoming the club’s first full-time management team.

Their leadership has been instrumental in maintaining Altrincham’s position in the National League for multiple seasons.

Ones to watch:

Altrincham centre-forward Regan Linney is the clubs current top goal score so far this season, scoring 19 goals and assisting 6 in the league.

He is currently averaging a goal every 125 minutes this season, he is also currently second in the league for the most goals scored this season, with only four goals behind first place.

Last time these two sides met:

Barnet secured a dramatic 2-1 win over Altrincham last time the two sides faced in the league, with a last-minute header from Rhys Browne.

The game started slowly with limited chances, the best coming from Callum Stead, whose shot was easily saved.

However, Altrincham took control in the 14th minute when Justin Amaluzor, after winning the ball in midfield, set up Regan Linney for a low cross that Amaluzor finished for a 1-0 lead to the visitors.

Barnet quickly responded, equalizing in the 27th minute, as Zac Brunt played a ball to Harry Chapman, who slotted it past the keeper to make it 1-1.

Barnet continued to push forward, with Harry Chapman missing a close-range header just before halftime.

The second half was tightly contested, as both teams were having chances, with Altrincham’s Alex Newby forcing a save from Barnet keeper Nick Hayes and Chapman just missing the target.

Barnet’s Mark Shelton had a great opportunity in the 71st minute, but his shot was saved.

In the dying moments, Altrincham’s James Jones missed a header from a corner, but in the 92nd minute, Barnet’s Jordan Cropper delivered a long throw to Browne, whose powerful header found the back of the net, securing a last-minute win and all three points for the Bees.

The Bees will be wanting to continue performing at their highest level this Saturday as well as looking to widen the gap at the top of the Vanarama National League table.