Sport

Sport: Altrincham manager slams players after 2-0 defeat

0 196

“No-one is safe,” Jim Harvey warns his players after a disappointing defeat against AFC Telford.

By Lauren Brassington


Having watched his players stumble to a 2-0 home defeat against AFC Telford on Saturday, Altrincham FC manager Jim Harvey warned: “No players are safe”.

Six weeks after taking over the Moss Lane hotseat, Harvey confessed he has ripped up his early plans to stabilise the squad. The defeat pushes Altrincham into the bottom three of the Vanarama North, with only one win in the last 14 games.

“It was very disappointing because I thought we were showing signs of improvements over the last three or four games. It was very poor,” he said.

“It’s not that Telford were particularly good, but we were really bad, and unfortunately after that performance we are right back to the drawing board”.

With a few early shots on target Altrincham started well but a disastrous 25th minute backpass by Robins’ captain Alan Goodall was snapped by Telford centre forward Connor McCarthy for the visitors’ first.

Things got worse after the break when Bradley Reid lobbed Robins’ ‘keeper Tim Deasy, leaving the home side with little hope of levelling.

“I don’t think anybody came out of that game with any credit,” said the manager afterwards.

“The first 5 minutes would sum the game up. We simply didn’t compete”.

Harvey has ordered his players to report for extra training on Monday ahead of the visit of bottom-placed Bradford Park Avenue the following night, now a must-win game.

“The boys need to prove themselves,” said Harvey, who admits he is still getting the measure of the squad he inherited from Neil Young.

Asked which areas of the squad need improvement, Harvey simply replied: “All areas”.

“We didn’t play as a team. There were eleven individuals out there today. I need to assess who is good enough and if I was a player, I’d be concerned”.


Lauren is a first year Multimedia Journalism student at MMU. She is also a huge sports enthusiast, particularly football. Check out her blog at http://laurenjournoreview.wordpress.com

About the author / 

Humanity Hallows

Leave a reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More News Stories:

  • Anne Marie @ AO Arena Manchester review – A perfect and unexpected theatrical experience

    Featured Image and gallery: Ben Redshaw From West End childhood star and karate world champion to BRIT Award-winning popstar, Anne-Marie arrives at the AO Arena on the back of her third studio album, Unhealthy.  Leah Kate, an American singer best known for her post-heartbreak songs, is the opener. Kate tells the story of sliding into…

  • 5 emotional Harry Styles songs to cry to

    Featured image: Amelia Lara Del Rey Harry Styles is a man that’s hard to miss. From initially winning over our hearts in his X-Factor and One Direction days, Styles’ success has continued to grow across the release of his three Billboard Number 1 albums. He’s also recently invested in Manchester’s upcoming Co-op Live arena, set…

  • Meet the Author: Manchester Poetry Library hosts annual series featuring best-selling YA author Danielle Jawando

    Featured image: Ross Westgate The Manchester Poetry library hosted its annual ‘Meet the Author’ event series this month, featuring award-winning author and screenwriter Danielle Jawando. Born in Manchester, Jawando is the recipient of multiple literary accolades including the 2023 YA Book Prize for her most recent novel, When Our Worlds Collided. This year’s event invited…