Central Visit Altrincham Hale in Division One Return

Division One football makes its return on Saturday following the Winter break, and it sees Manchester Central back in league action when they make the trip to face Altrincham Hale.

After a difficult first half of the campaign, a mid-season break was exactly what Central needed. With performances lacking and results not coming their way, Central now have the chance to reset and build some much-needed momentum.

Central last time out suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to fourth placed side Avenue, leaving them in eighth position in Division One. However, the restart may feel like a brand-new season for Central, and boss Chris Tomkinson will certainly see this as a huge opportunity for a fresh start for his side.

With just one point gained from their last five league games, a win against a tough Altrincham Hale side can help set the standard for how Central want the rest of their season to go and may spark warranted consistency ahead of the second half of the season.

This will mark Central’s first away league fixture since the beginning of October where they suffered a narrow 3-2 defeat to Bolton Borough. Away form will be an aspect Tomkinson will seek for his side to improve on ahead of three away fixtures in their next four.

The hosts head into this one off the back of two consecutive victories in Division One. A 4-2 away win at Bolton United and a 6-1 thrashing at home to Boothstown have kept them well within reach of the promotion places, with just three points separating them and third placed side Avro Reserves.

These two results also have meant Altrincham Hale are currently on a three-game unbeaten run, winning twice and picking up a draw against a good Bolton Lads & Girls Club side. They will certainly look to keep mounting the pressure on the four sides above them when they welcome Central this weekend.

In that stretch of games Altrincham Hale scored 12 times, highlighting their outstanding goalscoring record overall this campaign. Notching 41 goals in just 14 fixtures played, they will look to add to that record when they return to Division One action.

Talisman Jack Yates has had a huge say in their scoring feats this season, currently their top scorer, Yates has impressively bagged 12 times in 14 appearances, giving Central’s backline something to think about in the lead up to the game.

In turn, Central are no slouches when it comes to scoring goals, still boasting an impressive 30 goals scored this season despite their recent drop off. But goals recently have come from a player who you may not have expected.

Midfielder Kaine Martin is in a purple patch of scoring form currently, notching twice in his last two league appearances against Avenue and East Manchester. Martin also scored the opener in Central’s Manchester Challenge Trophy Semi-Final win in November, marking the start of his goalscoring patch of form.

Tomkinson will surely hope for more of the same from his midfielder, and it will come as encouragement that Martin is willing to get forward from central midfield and provide another option in the final third of the pitch.

This meeting between the two sides will be the first since last season’s cup tie, which saw Altrincham Hale run out 4-1 winners at Central. Much has happened since then however, and we can expect a different game on Saturday with much on the line for both sides.

A win for Altrincham Hale could see them climb as high as third depending on other results and notch a third home victory in their last four. It is a game where they cannot afford to drop points if they wish to continue pushing those above them in the promotion places.

Whereas three points for Central in some eyes would hold much more weight than just progression in the league table. It is a chance for them to get back to basics, find that spark that they possessed at the beginning of the season and go on a run that can put them in contention for promotion.

A victory not only will see them close the gap to Altrincham to five points and they could climb to seventh, a win can also help take the shackles off and put the rest of the league on notice that Manchester Central are back to their best.