City took revenge for their dismal New Year’s Day defeat at Clarence Park with an exciting 4-2 victory over the Saints which means Gary Roberts’ team have collected a maximum six points from their opening fixtures, scoring seven goals in the process.

St Albans got their season off to a disappointing start on Saturday when despite taking the lead through Lee Clarke they slumped to a 3-1 defeat against Welling at Park View Road. Manager Colin Lippiatt making two changes as a result with Ben Patten and Mark Graham making way for Carl Kavanagh and Simon Martin respectively.

For the Lilywhites who were looking to capitalise on Saturday’s 3-0 victory over Weston, Jamie Southon started at left back allowing Steve Parmenter to come into midfield, Damion Jarrett dropping to the bench as a result.

With the weather in pleasant contrast to the weekend playing conditions were ideal and it was the Saints who threatened first when Simon Martin played the ball into Paul Hakim through the inside left channel and the former Bishop’s Stortford striker sent in a first time cross which Jamie Southon cleared with Dean Cracknell inches away from connecting.

Lee Clarke then wrong-footed the City defence with a neat reverse pass which freed Martin but the former Milton Road loanee was foiled by Ricky Millard who stretched out his left leg to block.

The visitors showed for the first time some fifteen minutes in when Craig Dobson did well to force a right sided corner and Steve Parmenter’s pinpoint delivery was met by Southon’s powerful downward header but Paul Bastock was well positioned to gather.

With the hosts five man defence allowing the City midfield room to play in front of them the Lilywhites began to gain the ascendancy and grabbed a deserved lead on 29 minutes. Dale Binns received the ball with his back to goal wide on the left and turned inside Anthony Allman, as the former Hendon wide man accelerated into space he unleashed a dipping drive which took an awkward bounce right in front of Bastock. The ball bounced back off the ‘keeper into the feet of Paul Booth who squared for Craig Dobson to tap-in from close range.

After Millard was forced to go full length to cut out a fierce Hakim cross shot the hosts grabbed a leveller barely five minutes after going behind. Matt Langston was pulled up for a foul some thirty yards out. Tom Davis chipped the resultant free kick into the edge of the box where Chris Seeby angled an unchallenged header across the face of goal. Millard seemed favourite to get there first but Cracknell showed good awareness to dart across the ‘keeper and stab home from close range.

Having been stunned by this setback City almost fell behind when the impressive Clarke turned inside Craig Pope and drove low to Millard’s near post forcing the former Barnet stopper into a fine save low to his right. As the Lilywhites broke back immediately Paul Booth fashioned a shooting opportunity for himself from the edge of the box, Bastock was beaten but the ball scraped the outside of the post and rippled the side-netting.

This was only a foretaste of what was to come however as in their next attack City had regained the lead. Matt Langston’s free kick was guided into the path of Booth by Dave Sadler’s header and the former Welling marksman rifled a low shot to the right of Bastock, who despite getting a hand on the ball couldn’t stop it from finding the bottom corner of the net.
Straight from the restart Booth returned the compliment setting up Sadler with a perfectly weighted through ball but the former Hinckley hit-man was inches wide of the target.

At this stage of the game every attack looked like it could end in a goal. As the Saints strove to level the scores before the interval Martin crossed from the left and Clarke rose, beat Millard in the air but somehow directed his header off target with everyone expecting the net to ripple.

This proved to be a costly miss as City went straight down the other end of the pitch and scored a third goal with two minutes of the half remaining. Dobson’s persistence earned the Lilywhites a corner on the right. Molesley took a short flag kick to the former Lewes winger whose far post cross was met by Sadler’s powerful downward header. There were a few moments of uncertainty as the referee’s assistant flagged but the goal stood.

The visitors ended the half in total control, passing the ball superbly and retaining possession to excellent effect, so much so that they nearly added a fourth right on the whistle. Great work by Molesley set up play for Booth whose patience created the space for Dobson to race unmarked into the box from wide on the right before connecting with the striker’s cross and lashing a shot against the angle of post and crossbar.

Manager Colin Lippiat took drastic half-time action in an attempt to salvage the game, withdrawing Kavanagh and Hakim, introducing Nick Roddis and Mark Graham and reverting to a 4-4-2 formation.

Immediately from the restart St Albans looked like a much better side. Enjoying far greater possession and territorial superiority than they had in the first 45 minutes. Clarke’s probing sent Graham clear but Millard was out smartly to narrow the angle and smother on the edge of his area.

With City content to play on the break a slick passing move almost sealed the game on 55 minutes. Binns and Booth worked the ball forward to Dobson who squared to Sadler in front of goal but with last season’s leading scorer poised to double his tally for the evening a superb Patrick Ada tackle denied him.

St Albans came close to reducing the arrears when Martin soared to head a Tom Davis centre back across goal and beyond Millard but Glen Fuff, who was rock solid at the heart of the City defence headed powerfully off the line, simultaneously launching a counter attack. Dobson played in Parmenter through the inside right channel and he hit a rising drive which Bastock did well to cling to at full stretch. Scott Cousins then almost handed victory to City when he passed across the face of goal allowing Booth to intercept but Bastock saved his skipper’s blushes with a diving stop.

With the Saints making good progress down both flanks Tom Davis centred invitingly for Martin who had managed to lose his marker but with only Millard to beat from the edge of the six yard box he failed to connect with an attempted diving header. With twenty minutes remaining the hosts would have been right back in the game had he converted.

Gary Roberts responded with a double change of his own, Lee Chaffey and Robbie Simpson replacing Parmenter and Sadler respectively (Jamie Southon moving back into midfield as a result).

With Lee Clarke demonstrating why he was the league’s top scorer last season he made a chance out of nothing, shooting narrowly over from the edge of the box. More good build up play saw Clarke homing in on goal again, his progress was halted by a crucial Matt Langston challenge, Ricky Millard completing the job by palming the deflected effort over the bar.

With the City goal coming under increasing pressure the hosts rounded of a spell of good possession by creating space for Cracknell to shoot powerfully from the edge of the box, forcing Millard to parry, Langston was first to react to the loose ball and completed the clearance.

The visitors could have few complaints when St Albans finally did halve the arrears three minutes from the end of normal time. Graham who had proved a handful for Craig Pope since his introduction switched wings and whipped in a superb centre from the left which Clarke finished off with a towering header into the top corner. A goal the Northern Ireland Under-21 international fully deserved for his contribution to the cause.

However, straight from the kick-off City, in the shape of Mark Molesley, produced a moment of resolve and sheer quality that their second half performance had been crying out for. Holding off several challenges the former Hayes midfielder showed great strength to retain the ball on a mazy run which took him into the box where he retained his cool, drew Bastock, rounded him and drilled home to round off another top class individual performance.

To their credit St Albans kept going until the final whistle when a free kick from the left was floated into the box, Millard partially cleared under pressure before Dean Cracknell picked up the loose ball on the edge of the box and forced the ‘keeper to tip his goal bound effort over the bar.

The final whistle was met with much relief by the travelling faithful who will be hoping for a similar outcome at Maidenhead on Saturday.