Michael Gash came off the bench to net a devastating double as the Lilywhites mounted a fantastic fight back, overturning a 3-1 deficit to run out 4-3 winners on a night of raw passion at Milton Road.

Those lucky enough to witness City’s 4-2 victory at Clarence Park in August could hardly have expected the return fixture to top that, but it did. City roared into an early lead only for the Saints to first level and then score again with only eight minutes played. A Paul Hakim goal on thirty seven minutes appeared to have settled the contest but Dale Binns had hauled the hosts back into the game before Gash’s dramatic intervention.

A hard fought goalless draw with Welling at the weekend threw up no new injury worries for Gary Roberts who welcomed Mark Molesley back from suspension, allowing Robbie Simpson to revert to his customary striker’s role. Alan Calton continuing to deputise for the injured Danny Naisbitt in an otherwise unchanged side.

The Saints cruised to a 3-1 home victory over Sutton on Saturday with Simon Martin, the prolific Lee Clarke and Ram Marwa all finding the target. That win, the Hertfordshire outfit’s eighth in their last ten league games, a run which included the 5-0 hammering of Histon at Bridge Road, cemented second place in the league for Colin Lippiatt’s high flyers. Former Milton Road loanee Martin was injured soon after scoring and his place in the starting line-up went to Paul Hakim.

The league’s two highest scoring teams didn’t take long to make their intentions clear, in the first meaningful action of the match City grabbed the lead. Robbie Simpson rose to cushion Glen Fuff’s clearance into the path of Paul Booth. Neat footwork by the Lilywhites’ leading scorer created a yard of space and his return pass allowed Simpson to spring a shaky offside trap, close in on goal a fire through the legs of the advancing Paul Bastock.

The City faithful had barely finished celebrating when the Saints netted a stunning leveller. Ram Marwa collected a quickly taken throw in from the visitors’ right and sent a spiralling shot high into the night sky. The ball dipped dramatically and with Alan Calton a yard off his line found the smallest of gaps between the City custodian and the underside of the crossbar, 1-1, game on.

Within a minute City came close to regaining the lead. Mark Molesley’s mazy run took him across the face of the St Albans box before laying the ball wide to Dale Binns who in turn delivered a low near post cross which Paul Booth diverted narrowly wide.

Instead of being 2-1 up however, with a mere eight minutes played City were 2-1 down. The hosts conceded a free kick wide on their left some thirty yards out. Former Milton Road crowd favourite Matt Hann struck the ball low through a sea of legs forcing Alan Calton to go full length to his right and parry clear, the loose ball fell invitingly to Marwa who found an alarming amount of space in the six yard box and gleefully slotted home into an unguarded net.

The Lilywhites were very much on the back foot at this stage. Hann and Hakim played a neat one-two which left the former Bishop’s Stortford striker in space on the edge of the box and he should have done better than fire across the face of goal with Calton unprotected.

Having weathered the storm City regrouped and dominated possession during the middle period of the half. A scintillating run from Dale Binns saw him collect a Molesley pass on the half way line before beating three defenders and sending a driven cross into the near post but as the ball squirmed free neither Booth nor Simpson could apply a finish.

St Albans broke back immediately through Ben Walshe. Slick inter passing enabled them to engineer a three on two situation but as spare man Hakim seem destined to add a third a superbly timed Glen Fuff challenge rescued the Lilywhites.

With both sides committed to attack chances continued to come thick and fast. Good work by Booth on the left enabled him to pick out Craig Dobson on the opposite wing with a looping cross. Dobson cut inside Lee Flynn but shooting with his weaker left foot failed to find the power to trouble Bastock.

City then conceded what appeared to be a killer third goal as half time approached. Disappointingly from a defensive point of view Hakim was allowed to collect Chris Seeby’s lofted clearance, find way too much space between the Lilywhites’ back four, turn and dispatch a clinical finish low beyond Calton from the edge of the box.

Again in the immediate aftermath of conceding a goal City nearly scored themselves. Matt Langston kept a Greg Lincoln corner alive allowing the formed Chelmsford midfielder to deliver a swinging cross from the right, Simpson rose highest and flashed a powerful header across the face of goal.

With the standard forty five minutes well and truly complete City grabbed the precious lifeline of a second goal. Lincoln laid the ball wide to Dobson whose whipped cross eluded both Lincoln and Patrick Ada finding its way to Dale Binns who was in space on the left hand edge of the St Albans box, his shot looked goalbound but Bastock was given no chance as Lincoln, from a prone position diverted the ball home to give the hosts the perfect pre-interval tonic.

It could have been even better when seconds later Booth created a chance for himself but having appeared to get the better of Ada once delayed his shot allowing the powerful defender to recover before eventually driving over the bar.

Mr Murphy finally blew to allow all inside the ground to take in forty five minutes of top class entertainment.

Robbie Simpson came off second best in a nasty looking clash of heads moments before the break and failed to reappear for the second half, Michael Gash coming off the bench to take his place.

Unbelievably the second half started where the first left off with City netting again. Craig Pope played a ball through the channel to Paul Booth who dragged his marker wide, turned superbly and played a neat ball into the feet of Gash who took a touch, held his nerve and used his strength to withstand Bastock’s challenge and force the ball across goal and into the net at the far post.

Having got back on level terms after looking dead and buried the Lilywhites would have been forgiven for looking to consolidate and take the sting out of the game………no chance.

Another visionary through ball from Pope picked out Gash in full flight running towards the centre of goal. Ada failed to deal adequately with the threat and the eighteen year old striker took an exceptional first touch which allowed the ball to sit up perfectly as he drilled past Bastock to net for the sixth time in nine appearances (including only two starts) since the turn of the year.

Inevitably City were forced onto the back foot for long periods from this point on and although much territory was conceded in midfield the back four again offered Alan Calton magnificent protection and he was not forced to make a further save all evening.

There were close calls, most notably when Lee Clarke rose to meet Walshe’s corner and was inches off target with a towering header and as the game entered the closing stages Dale Binns was robbed on the left and a swift counter allowed Matt Hann to play in Marwa but in a moment which typified City’s spirit Glen Fuff threw himself in front of the drive from the pacy striker and the Saints last chance was gone.

The final whistle was met with scenes of jubilation as players, the bench and supporters celebrated as one, in the knowledge that a hard fought, unlikely, heroic and inspirational victory had been secured against quality opposition.

A night that will be long remembered and one which says everything about what Cambridge City FC means to the people who care deeply about this club.

This is what we are fighting for.