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08.11.2008 at 15:00 Clarence Park Attendance : 443
St Albans City
4 - 1
Fisher Athletic
Referee : Chris Knowles (Kislingbury, Northants) Blue Square South match

Goalscorers
Michael Kamara (o.g.) (54)
Paul Hakim (57)
Paul Hakim (65)
James Quilter (90)
Sam Higgins (62)
Opening squads
Paul Bastock
Scott Cousins
Luke Thurlbourne
Ben Martin
Adam Everitt
Gary Cohen
James Quilter
Paul Hakim
Jonathan Hunt
Sam Hurrell
James Fisher
Ashlee Jones
Terry Bowes
Joe Howe
Michael Kamara
Paul Cunningham
Justin Bowen
Chris Saunders (49)
Gary Wharton (67)
Sam Higgins
Omari Coleman
Nick Greene (35)
Substitutes
Jake Palmer
Alex Bailey
Hector Mackie
Craig Mortimer
Ryan Baronet
Carl Gibbs
Ryan Palmer
Alex Bentley
Jordan Kiffin
John Raus
Substitutions
Alex Bailey -> Jonathan Hunt (35)
Hector Mackie -> Sam Hurrell (80)
Jordan Kiffin -> Nick Greene (35)
Ryan Palmer -> Chris Saunders (49)
Carl Gibbs -> Gary Wharton (67)
Yellow cards
Gary Cohen (60)
Paul Cunningham (15)
Ashlee Jones (66)
Red cards
None. None
Match report
By David Tavener

South London side Fisher Athletic may be in a dire straits financially but Dave Mehmet's boys gave St Albans City several anxious moments before Steve Castle’s Saints stormed to a 4-1 victory at Clarence Park on Saturday in a thoroughly entertaining Blue Square South encounter.

For the second week running Paul Hakim scored twice as City, with Adam Everitt making a highly impressive debut in the middle of the defence, clinched a remarkable seventh successive victory to move within one game of their best sequence of league wins for 24 years.

The form of the two sides going into Saturday's clash could hardly have been further apart. City had won their previous six league games whilst Fisher had lost five of their previous six games, scoring in just one of them.

And although the Saints are hampered by injuries at present it is still a favourable position to that facing Mehmet as he stands by unable to stop a player exodus after circumstances dictated that his squad would no longer be paid for their efforts.

Fisher, though, are not alone in experiencing a rapid turnover in players as of the 22 players in the two starting line ups on Saturday not one featured in the corresponding fixture last season.

Putting the off field problems to one side, this was probably the most open and entertaining game City have been involved in at the Park this season. Even so, the points should have been in the bag inside the opening 20 minutes as Fisher looked set to collapse under a wave of City attacks.

But as time moved on the Fish gave evidence that they were not to be on the receiving end of a large City haul, in fact, the stripes could well have been ahead at the interval had they accepted just one of two crystal clear openings that came their way just prior to the interval.

For the opening five minutes Fisher were reeling as City forced three quick corners. Hakim signalled the Saints intentions with a drive inside 25 seconds that flew just over Ashlee Jones goal. Sam Hurrell was having a field day down the City left and seeking an early breakthrough the former Chelsea youngster forced Jones into a low save, then shortly after had a firm effort blocked.

Fisher worked hard to deny City clear openings and that Jones' next save was to deal with a good shot from 25 yards by Jonathan Hunt underlined how determinedly the visitors were working to defend their penalty area while it also demonstrated a welcome willingness by City to shoot from distance.

But the suspicion that St Albans would not have things all their own way came to the fore on 15 minutes when Joe Howe’s clean strike from 25 yards forced Paul Bastock into action for the first time. City's response was swift as from Bastock’s long clearance Paul Cunningham as cautioned for grabbing Hakim as the Saints leading marksman threatened to break clear.

The ensuing free kick sparked another spell of sustained pressure on the visitors goal but it was Fisher who came closest to grabbing the lead as a 25-yard free kick from the quite excellent Chris Saunders was deflected narrowly wide of the Hatfield Road goal.

Mehmet’s inexperienced side pleaded, without success, to referee Chris Knowles for a penalty as Omari Coleman went to ground following a tackle by the once again impeccable Ben Martin. Moments later Jones moved quickly from his goal to thwart Hakim after Hunt and Cohen had combined to put him through.

Another chance went begging when James Quilter, following a cut back by Hakim, blazed well over. City suffered a blow when Hunt was substituted on 35 minutes due to a hamstring injury but Fisher too had problems as Nicky Greene had to be helped from the pitch at the same time with John Raus thrown into action.

For City though, the loss of Hunt was overcome by the return after a month out of Alex Bailey. Playing out of position on the right of the midfield Bailey slotted in perfectly playing a succession of pinpoint passes.

Seven minutes from the interval on loan Crystal Palace keeper Jones, brought in on Thursday after regular keeper Simon Overland walked out, pulled off a stunning full-stretch save to his left when Hakim looked certain to score with a blistering angled drive.

Having been on the back foot for most of the half Fisher actually squandered two good chances to pinch a lead, the clearest coming when Sam Higgins’ perfect low cross picked out the incoming Raus at the back post only for the youngster to waste his moment of glory with a miscue well wide of the target.

Central defender Michael Kamara was equally wasteful when heading wide from in front of goal following a Howe free kick from the Fisher left.

A sense of good fortune not going their way struck the visitors again less than two minutes after the restart when Saunders departed on a stretcher. Having given a great exhibition of how to use the ball creatively during the opening 45 minutes his exit was certain to damage Fisher’s cause.

With three goals in his two previous games Hakim was playing with a new lease of life and within seven minutes of the interval had twice threatened to open the scoring. When the first goal came though, on 54 minutes, it was courtesy of route one football.

Bastock launched a long kick down the ground that former Thurrock defender Terry Bowes inadvertently headed towards his own goal but not firmly enough for Jones to collect. Gary Cohen nipped in quickly and sought to claim credit for prodding the ball past the keeper, but it was a close call between him and defender Michael Kamara as to who nudged the ball over the line.

Fisher were then pinned down by two crosses from Cohen and one from Cousins while Jones needed two attempts to deal with a strike by Quilter as City sought to make the game safe. And on 57 minutes the tension within the stadium slipped away as Hakim struck for the third consecutive weekend.

Cohen did well to shrug off a defender as he cut into the Hatfield Road penalty area from the cricket pavilion side of the ground and slid the ball across to Hakim. Such is Hakim's confidence that he coolly let the ball pass him before twisting and delivering a powerful right-footed drive from eight yards across the keeper and into the roof of the net.

Fisher had failed to score in four of their previous five league matches but to the delight of their small band of followers caused unease in the home camp on 62 minutes when Coleman resisted two challenges and threaded the ball through to Higgins whose first time shot from 16 yards flew into the York Road net off the diving Bastock.

Unabashed, City reopened a two-goal advantage on 65 minutes with a fine piece quick thinking by Hakim. Cunningham fouled Cohen some 23 yards from goal and as Jones lined his wall up to the right of the goal – the side also covered by the young keeper – Hakim, once Cohen had peeled off the end of the wall, calmly clipped the ball into the completely vacant side of the target for his fifth goal in three league games.

With that goal it seemed that City had at last put a fair reflection on the balance of the play but Fisher’s ability to unsettle the third meanest defence in the Division should have resulted in another goal following Raus’s near post corner.

Cunningham was blocked by the near post but City were let off the hook when the ball flew across the goal to Carl Gibbs who wastefully hammered it over Bastock’s crossbar from six yards.

A minute from time Quilter almost got on the score sheet with a freak goal when he ran forward to block Jones attempted clearance with the rebound looping just wide of the upright. Quilter was not to be denied for long though and in added time notched his second goal of the season.

Justin Bowen sold Cunningham short with a poor pass that enabled Quilter to seize possession and burst through from the middle of the Fisher half. The opportunity to add a fourth goal looked to have been lost when Jones forced the City midfielder wide of the goal.

But after turning away and then back towards the goal Quilter cracked a thunderous drive high to Jones right and just inside the apex of crossbar and post to complete City’s biggest home win since March.