Three Nationwide Conference South points made the short journey north up the M11 as City cruised to a fifth straight league win, at the same time bringing Stortford’s own ten game unbeaten run to a grinding halt at Woodside Park.

The prolific Paul Booth grabbed a characteristic goal poacher’s double either side of Steve Morison’s stunning leveller before Craig Dobson sealed the points on the stroke of half time with a visionary piece of finishing.

Whilst the Blues have been hard to beat over recent weeks a tendency to draw rather than win games has prevented them from climbing into the top half of the table. Leading scorer Andy Morrison netting twice at the weekend as the hosts shared four goals with visiting Thurrock.

The Essex side also provided City’s last opposition, the postponement of Saturday’s game against Havant giving the Lilywhites’ an eight day break since their 3-0 victory at Ship Lane courtesy of goals from Michael Gash, Paul Booth and Craig Dobson. Injuries sustained to Greg Lincoln and Gash kept them out of the reckoning however.

City started brightly and a quickly taken Craig Pope throw-in gave Dobson an early opportunity to warm James Hussey’s gloves.

More slick build up play saw Dobson combine with Booth to free Dale Binns on the left whose rising drive was tipped over the bar by the alert Hussey.

The Lilywhites continued to dictate the pace of the game without threatening further until some twenty minutes in when Paul Booth’s deft lay off sent Robbie Simpson racing clear down the left. Simpson cut the ball back from the bye line to Booth who was crowded out at the near post at the expense of a corner.

Daniel Blanchett, drafted into an emergency central midfield role, swung the ball in from the City right into an area which should have been Hussey’s domain. However, both ‘keeper and central defenders hesitated to allow the grateful Booth to steal in at the far post and poke the ball home.

Having offered nothing as an attacking force up to this point the hosts registered their first effort on goal soon afterwards when Jason Mason angled a good ball in from the right and Morison got across Matt Langston but slid his effort wide of the target.

City hit back in the shape of strike partners Simpson and Booth who worked an opening for Josh Simpson but Hussey was well positioned to gather a firmly struck low drive.

The warning signs were there for the Lilywhites when Duane Jackman profited from more good work down the right to flash a free header narrowly wide with twenty eight minutes on the clock.

In their next attack the Blues were level. Steve Morison dropped deep off City’s central defenders and collected Gareth Gwillim’s pass delivered from wide on the Stortford left. Given room to turn the former Northampton striker advanced on goal, looked up and thumped a right footed pile driver beyond the despairing dive of Danny Naisbitt and into the top left hand corner of the net.

As the half drew to a close Jackman, who had somehow avoided collecting a card for a high and late challenge on Craig Pope moments earlier, profited from a quick break, took the ball outside Matt Langston and fired across goal.

At this stage City’s sizeable travelling contingent would have happily settled for the half time whistle with the scores level, however within little more than a minute the visitors had as good as wrapped up the points with two rapier like thrusts to the heart of the Stortford defence.

With a minute of the regulation forty five remaining Blues’ boss Martin Hayes must have been in despair as his defenders went missing allowing Robbie Simpson and Dale Binns to execute a sublime one-two. Former Hendon wide man Binns scampered down the left and rolled the ball into the feet of Paul Booth who had timed his supporting run to perfection and, given the freedom of Hertfordshire, made no mistake in slotting past a helpless Hussey.

City then chose to live dangerously themselves. with his midfield colleagues bursting forward in support Dobson tried to thread an ambitious ground pass through to Dale Binns. Mason intercepted and with the majority of the Lilywhites moving in the wrong direction the Blues bore down on the City goal. Fortunately for Dobson his blushes were spared by the intervention of Matt Langston whose timely interception typified a faultless evening’s work in the centre of the defence.

As if to atone for this lapse Dobson then produced a moment of sheer brilliance to completely deflate the Blues in the dying seconds of the half. There seemed little danger as the former Lewes winger collected Josh Simpson’s driven pass wide on the right, but with Gareth Gwillim standing ten yards off to allow for the wide man’s pace and Hussey carelessly straying off his line Dobson saw his opportunity and whipped a viciously dipping effort up and over the hapless ‘keeper and into the top corner of the net.

Referee Yerby brought the half to a close moments later with the ground still buzzing with excitement.

Within a couple of minutes of the restart Paul Booth came close to grabbing his third of the evening. Blanchett, who looks like a real find by Gary Roberts as he produced an assured display, sprayed the ball wide to Binns whose first time cross arched across the face of goal to Booth whose far post header rippled the side netting.

As the half wore on City chose to sit deeper and invite Stortford onto them but for all their possession the hosts failed to breach the Lilywhites’ rearguard and aside from coming to make a couple of punches and fielding shots of back pass strength, Danny Naisbitt enjoyed a quiet evening.

Content to play on the break City still looked the most likely scorers. Showing good close control on the edge of the box Josh Simpson almost marked a return to his home town with a goal but Hussey clung onto his snap shot.

The introduction of former City striker Roy Essandoh did nothing to change the pattern of the game and the hosts’ frustration was summed up by Morrison whose late and dangerous tackle on Lee Chaffey was punished with the only yellow card of the evening.

Paul Booth had once last chance to increase his goal tally when he collected a reverse pass from Robbie Simpson and powered through the inside right channel, forcing Hussey to make a good save.

There was time for a brief cameo from Mark Molesley in the dying minutes as City successfully ran down the clock ahead of Saturday’s long trek to the south coast where they take on league leaders Weymouth.