Central search for consecutive wins in trip to Altrincham Hale

Altrincham Hale host Manchester Central in Division One action as we enter the final run in of the league season.

Central enjoyed a successful afternoon in the previous game week in Division One, after securing a 2-0 win at Seashell Trust over Boothstown that saw them end their rut in form in which they went winless for four consecutive games.

A neat finish by Claudio Costa opened the scoring for Central whilst a long-range effort from Elvis Amoakwa saw the midfielder net his first goal since his return to the club.

Their opponents this upcoming Saturday have endured an inconsistent 2023 so far, but most recently re-joined the winning column in Division One, managing to score a tight 2-1 win at East Manchester that saw them retain a seven-point lead over Central in the standings.

Central will look to close that gap on Saturday but have had major struggles away from home this season. Those in the black and white strip have only managed to pick up two wins from eight trips this campaign which came against Wilmslow Albion and East Manchester, two sides who sit below them in Division One.

A Junior Silva brace was enough to see Central past Altrincham in their previous meeting in the first game of the restart. The win saw Central go on to win three consecutive Division One fixtures that kept them with a slim chance of promotion talk, but Chris Tomkinson’s side were unable to build on their momentum.

Tomkinson would have been pleased to see some new names step up and score goals on Saturday, particularly with potent duo Fuad Kasali and Silva both absent.

Central have hugely struggled to score goals in 2023 and were without a league goal in their previous four league fixtures before the win over Boothstown. Scoring goals has typically been a strength for Tomkinson’s side, but whether their most recent result wil mean the goals will start flowing again, remains to be seen.

The hosts on Saturday are no slouches however when it comes to putting the ball in the net, scoring an impressive 31 times at home this campaign, whilst sitting in the top five for most goals scored in Division One.

Altrincham have held down the fort well at home this season but have conceded 21 times in just 11 home fixtures. The side sitting in seventh place have struggled to keep the ball out of their net when hosting, particularly in recent weeks. In their last three at home, Altrincham have conceded six which may give Central confidence after recently breaking their goal drought.

Central meanwhile have been leaky away from home defensively despite holding an impressive defensive record at home. Central have suffered particularly heavy defeats in their last two Division One games as visitors which came against Avenue and table toppers Govan and Uni of Manchester.

However, Tomkinson will have been encouraged by his side’s resilience and focus defensively against Boothstown, which saw them claim their first clean sheet since the win at East Manchester in late January.

New addition in central defence Adam Gunel certainly provided some composure both in and out of possession as he partnered alongside Emmanuel Sholabi, whilst other additions Josh Grant and Amoakwa gave Central that bit of toughness and fight that they had been lacking.

In what will certainly be an intriguing contest, both sides are in search of consecutive wins in Division One. A win for the home side could see them climb as high as sixth whilst triumph for Central would see them close the gap to Altrincham to just four points, with four league games remaining.