New Alsager Town manager Will Ryder's first game ended with a promising performance but a narrow defeat at Maine Road on Saturday afternoon.
Making just one change to the side that had won at Congleton Town a week earlier, Tom Brown returned to the midfield following a one match ban replacing Nathan Eaves who was unavailable.
On a bright afternoon in South Manchester on a decent playing surface, it was clearly evident that Alsager were under instruction to play the ball out from the back and through the midfield and in the opening twenty minutes they did this with a degree of success although the ball was often lost in the final third as moves either broke down or possession was given away cheaply. Maine Road, who have over the years consistently played a neat passing game, gradually started to get into the ascendency and began to press Alsager down both flanks, although chances on goal were few and far between. As the game approached the half hour, Bullets leading scorer Michael Blundell hit the ball against onrushing home keeper Ryan Livesey from a half-chance on the right edge of the penalty area and moments later a Blundell free kick from the left broke to Shane Reaney who fired the ball over the bar from ten yards out. In the 31st minute Maine Road took the lead. Matthew Morgan got behind Alsager left back George Mannion and with time and space to spare, fired the ball past keeper Chris Fletcher. In truth, the home side had several attempts to extend their lead before the interval but some wasteful finishing saw the Bullets only trailing by the sole goal at the break.
The second half was a more even affair with chances for both teams at a premium. Again, Alsager struggled to create anything of note in the final third, although the introduction of Bullets' substitutes Adam Dawson, Jakob Higginbotham and Jonathan Jones did see the visitors start to move the ball around a little quicker as they searched in vain for an equaliser. Shane Reaney had two chances to level but fired the best opportunity wide of the target as Maine Road comfortably saw the game out to claim the three points.
Manager Will Ryder and coach Steve Harper will clearly see this game and the four remaining, as a chance to assess the playing squad and build for next season. The second half display was very encouraging and all of the players put in a shift, no doubt in an effort to impress the new manager.

Alsager Town team: Fletcher, Evans, Mannion, Hill, Lee, Houghton (sub Higginbotham), Blundell (sub Jones), Barlow (sub Dawson), Johnson, Brown, Reaney, Sub not used, Hood.

Ian Woodward