Altrincham 0 AFC Fylde 6: Report and reaction

AFC Fylde hit newly-relegated Altrincham for six in a stunning display at the J. Davidson Stadium.
Bohan Dixon scores Fylde's fifth   Picture: STEVE MCLELLANBohan Dixon scores Fylde's fifth   Picture: STEVE MCLELLAN
Bohan Dixon scores Fylde's fifth Picture: STEVE MCLELLAN

AFC Fylde hit newly-relegated Altrincham for six in a stunning display at the J. Davidson Stadium.

Striker Danny Rowe opened the scoring early in the match and the Coasters added a further four goals without reply in an unbelievable first-half showing.

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Andy Bond added a sixth immediately after the break and the visitors held on for the result of the National League North season so far.

Dave Challinor made two changes to the side that dropped points against Brackley Town in Saturday’s first-ever game at Mill Farm, with Caspar Hughes and James Hardy replacing Richie Baker and Matty Hughes.

After a few minutes of early pressure from the hosts, Fylde took a seventh-minute lead with a fantastic goal.

Danny Holmes found Hardy in space down the right and the young midfielder’s cutback fell perfectly for Rowe, who neatly slotted the ball into the bottom corner from 10 yards.

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The lead was doubled almost instantly as the visitors continued their electric start to the match.

Bohan Dixon picked the ball up seemingly 30 yards out, and after advancing slightly the towering midfielder crashed home a fine strike into the bottom left corner.

Alty created their first opening of the game on 15 minutes, when Daniel Hattersley tried his luck from 20 yards but goalkeeper Rhys Taylor was equal to his vicious strike.

The Fylde whirlwind wasn’t over and a minute later it was three.

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Dixon was played clean through, and although a last- ditch tackle halted him in his tracks there was Daniels to fire home the loose ball with aplomb.

The visitors looked like piling the misery on the vanishing hosts when Hardy tricked his way into box before being scythed down, though the referee was unmoved.

The hosts raced straight down to the other end and it took another fine save from Taylor to prevent Altrincham from pulling one back.

Fylde added an incredible fourth goal on the half-hour mark.

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Winger Hardy once again made his way into the box and gave his marker the eyes at the bye-line before smashing the ball across goal into the far corner from an impossible angle.

Things went from extremely bad to even worse for Altrincham as Fylde grabbed a deserved fifth on 37 minutes.

Daniels delivered a delightful ball into the box from the left and Dixon couldn’t miss at the back post, converting his second of the evening.

The Coasters took just one second-half minute to add a sixth goal, Andy Bond curling a sublime strike into the top corner from 25 yards via the crossbar – his first goal in Fylde colours.

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Altrincham should have grabbed a consolation goal five minutes after the break, when Damian Reeves was played clean through on goal. However, his neat strike came back off the left post.

Dixon had visions of an unlikely hat-trick when he raced through and cut back on to his favoured right foot, but his low effort from the edge of the six-yard box was blocked.

The midfielder was on fire and was even closer to sealing his treble on the hour mark, when he saw his first-time shot from distance clip the outside of the post.

The match was understandably beginning to fizzle out as the clock reached the final 10 minutes, with the visitors happy to keep possession.

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After chasing the ball around for the majority of the match, Altrincham were put out of their misery without even a second of injury time.

Fylde stand third in the early table with seven points from three games, a point behind Harrogate and Halifax, who have both played a game more.

DANIEL AGNEW