Pre-Match Thread Altrincham v Southend United, Saturday 27th November, 15:00ko, NL

[Chris Powell's mate]

Blimey their ground must be in a more run down state than Roots Hall to not be able to handle 300 away fans!

Went to Moss Lane 11 years ago, and it was pretty run-down then.
An Alty supporting friend reckons there has been minimum work done since.
Remember thinking the press area was shocking.
The glass in the box was so filthy had to watch the game sitting outside!

 

[DCC]

It only took one anonymous email to the council and whole stands were closed....Should be awake up call to NL cubs paying out £3,000+ per week on players, as to where the money should be spent......But sadly it wont

Does make you wonder whether the same could happen to us...

 

[mfurok]

Looks like Alti are having problems with their ground capacity from Trafford council.

Better hurry up to snap up tickets.

You heard it here first……

 

[crangoner]

Club update:

"Tickets for Southend United’s fixture against Altrincham at Moss Lane are currently off sale to both home and away fans.

Altrincham are in discussions with their local council at present regarding their stadium capacity and are hopeful to provide Southend United with an update on Thursday.

Currently, over 250 Blues fans have purchased tickets for the 450-mile round trip - those who have already bought are not affected and can be assured they will be able get in on Saturday.

Fans will be updated accordingly following discussions with Altrincham in relation to additional tickets which we hope will be available to purchase.

Southend United thank you for your patience on this matter and will provide an update when able to do so."

 

[Shrimpergonzo]

Tuesday night we were due to play a team in Maidenhead United that we'd never faced in a competitive fixture before, but obviously that match up will have to wait for another couple of weeks.

Never mind, we've got another such match up this weekend as we travel to Altrincham in the south-western suburbs of Greater Manchester. A team probably known to most blues fans for their previous giant killings in the FA Cup as they hold the record for knocking out football league teams for a team who have never been in the football league (17 at the last count). They actually reached the 4th round in 1985-86 after knocking out Birmingham City in the previous round.

This season Phil Parkinson's (no not that one!) side sit comfortably mid-table, and in their last fixture pulled off a remarkable late comeback against top of the table Chesterfield to draw 2-2, so they will be no pushovers. They have however only won one of their last 8 games and there'll be no FA Cup giant killing this year as they were dumped out at home in the first round by National League North Gateshead.

The side has a smattering of experienced pros with football league experience (A-Jay Leitch Smith, Ben Pringle, Dean Furman, Ritchie Sutton etc.) alongside young players working their way up through the non-league system, and a few loanees.

As for blues, we have a new Head of Football since we last played, but no new players at the time of writing this. The lack of a game on Tuesday has given more recovery time for the returning injured players like Clifford, Ralph and Ogogo and it remains to be seen what tinkering Maher will do to improve the side since the 1-0 defeat at Grimsby last Friday night.

Alty have been having some problems with their ground, so it may be that the away following will be slightly less than usual - however the club reports that over 250 are travelling so that's still pretty decent for a 450-mile round trip.

Your thoughts may be the same as they would have been on the pre-match thread for the postponed game on Tuesday, but why not have another vote now, eh?

 

[meerkat54]

Without fresh faces, it don’t matter how much we shuffle the pack. There is likely to only be one outcome, I’m sorry to say.

 

[Magnum PI]

I am heading up there more in hope than expectation but it's a two horse race and anything is possible...

 

[Rattus Norvegicus]

Do you have a ticket?

 

[ColinMorrisWalksOnWater]

If we can avoid and early disaster like the one at Grimsby and continue our improvement, I can certainly see a point is not beyond the realms of possibility.

 

[leeblue]

Southend nil

 

[EnglandShrimper]

Just called Altrincham and they are not expecting any issues with the game being called off.
They Spent a lot of money on the pitch in the summer and main issue will be high winds rather than rain and snow.

 

[Jai]

Just called Altrincham and they are not expecting any issues with the game being called off.
They Spent a lot of money on the pitch in the summer and main issue will be high winds rather than rain and snow.

High winds, a great leveller for us potentially. I fear for us though as they have a couple of very good wingers.

 

[EnglandShrimper]

Anyone from here making the trip up?

 

[Shrimpet steve]

Anyone from here making the trip up?

Don't be silly

 

[ace]

Anyone from here making the trip up?

Guilty

 

[hlane17]

To all you nutters actually making the trip up there, I salute you. Although unlikely, it would be nice if the team return the favour and make your trip worth it with 3 points.

 

[EnglandShrimper]

New ground and weekend away. What’s not to ?

 

[Jai]

I'm going, chance to meet up with a few of the northern branch. Early start, few hours in Manchester before the game and a latish train back out of Piccadilly. Trying to make it as little about the game as possible.

Sunday will be a write off though...

 

[Maroon Blue]

Anyone from here making the trip up?

Yep, not missed a league or fa cup game all season, not going to start now!

 

[Tangled up in Blue]

We'll lose and therefore stay in the bottom 3.