St Albans City F.C. Statistics Saintsnet - The Official website of St Albans City Football Club

css drop down menu by Css3Menu.com

Change:  Move to:
17.01.2009 at 15:00 Clarence Park Attendance : 514
St Albans City
4 - 5
Bromley
Referee : Mike George (North Walsham) Blue Square South match

Goalscorers
Ben Martin (43)
Ben Martin (53)
Ben Martin (72)
Daniel Charge (90)
Ryan Hall (22)
Warren McBean (29)
Adrian Stone (31)
Warren McBean (74)
Luke I'Anson (85)
Opening squads
Paul Bastock
Hassan Sulaiman
Scott Cousins
Ben Martin
Ryan Frater
Paul Hakim
Simon Martin
Lee Clarke
Jonathan Hunt
Chris Seeby
James Fisher
Gareth Willams
Mark Corneille
Ryan Dolby
Liam Norval
Jerrome Sobers
Rob Gillman
Ryan Hall
Luke I'Anson
Warren McBean
Ashley-Paul Robinson
Adrian Stone
Substitutes
Adam Everitt
James Quilter
Hector Mackie
Sam Hurrell
Daniel Charge
Marvin Ledgister
Harry Harding (90)
Theo Davis (74)
Patric Layiwola (83)
Neale Manning
Substitutions
James Quilter -> Lee Clarke (34)
Sam Hurrell -> Chris Seeby (63)
Daniel Charge -> Simon Martin (78)
Theo Davis -> Adrian Stone (74)
Patric Layiwola -> Ryan Hall (83)
Harry Harding -> Ashley-Paul Robinson (90)
Yellow cards
James Fisher (87)
Ashley-Paul Robinson (63)
Liam Norval (64)
Red cards
None. None
Match report
A hat-trick for skipper Ben Martin and a goal on debut for on-loan striker Danny Charge yet still St Albans City contrived to fall to an astonishing 5-4 Blue Square South defeat to fellow midtable side Bromley at Clarence Park on Saturday.

Recent form of six league games without a win for the Saints and none in four for Mark Goldberg’s Bromley suggested a close encounter was on the cards. Well, it most certainly was close but the visitors edging victory from a nine-goal feast by a slender single-goal margin was not in the original script.

The opening few minutes set the tone for the rest of the afternoon with attack the name of the game as from early on both defences looked disjointed following the recent enforced lay off due to the inclement weather.

But where as Bromley’s forward line possessed menace and threat, City’s was better contained with the Saints main threat coming from set pieces as Bromley sought to protect keeper Gareth Williams whose vulnerability in the air so nearly proved costly for the Kent club.

Ben Martin plundered all of his remarkable treble from set-pieces and only a flying save by Williams denied the City captain a fourth goal. Just as amazing was that Martin’s three-goal blast put City back on level terms after trailing 3-0.

On two other occasions Bromley survived frantic goalline scrambles following headers from corners and with such difficulties at the back it was hardly surprisingly that the Lilywhites, playing in a dazzling all red kit, felt the need to keep unpicking the City defence if they were to return home with all three points.

Bromley made four changes from their last run out on January 3rd with Luke I’Anson enjoying a particularly good return to the side although his fellow midfielder, Ryan Hall, was the outstanding player on the park.

Saints boss Steve Castle was forced into just one alteration in City’s first game since New Years Day with Simon Martin rejoining Paul Hakim in attack in place of the suspended Gary Cohen.

Playing down the slope towards the Hatfield Road goal City got the game underway but quickly lost possession and within the opening 40 seconds Paul Bastock had to save low down from the talented Ashley-Paul Robinson.

Two minutes later Chris Seeby did well to block Warren McBean following a flick by Jerrome Sobers while Bastock was called into action again to deal with another low drive, this time from Adrian Stone following Robinson’s precise through ball.

City were equally attack minded but were experiencing less success in breaking down the Bromley defence. James Fisher fired well over before Simon Martin shimmied his way deep into the penalty area only for keeper Williams to smother the low cross.

It was a feat Williams was to repeat on several other occasions during the match but once the ball was off the ground the keeper was clearly struggling.

Williams looked set to be tested when Simon Martin ran through but a stunning last ditch tackle by Sobers cleared the danger - just a mild misjudgement and the defender would surely have conceded a penalty.

The opening goal on 22 minutes was a peach with Bromley breaking swiftly down their left as a City attack broke down. Former Saint McBean sent Robinson foraging down the touchline and from his penetrating low ball to the centre of the edge of the penalty area Hall took control and planted a perfect shot to Bastock’s right to open the scoring.

Within two minutes both Jonathan Hunt and Simon Martin miscued from close in as an equaliser beckoned and with further strikes on 29 and 31 minutes the visitors appeared to have already amassed an unassailable advantage.

McBean, who made two appearances in the Conference National with St Albans, ran at Ben Martin before claiming the second goal with a shot that left Bastock flat-footed as it skidded past him off the unfortunate Martin.

And the game looked to be over when Robinson threaded the ball into the path of Stone whose first attempt was well saved by Bastock low to his left. But before the custodian could recover Stone, although grounded, cleverly stretched to crack the third Bromley goal into the York Road net.

A somewhat miffed Lee Clarke was hauled off on 34 minutes as James Quilter was sent on to bolster a Saints midfield that was struggling to contain a now ebullient Bromley middle quartet.

Despite the size of their task growing almost by the minute it was clear that City, desperate to end a worrying goal drought, were still in the game. Simon Martin had a header hacked off the line and Hakim should certainly have reduced the deficit with a close ranger header after a Hunt cross skimmed the head of visiting skipper Liam Norval.

Possibly eager to get a goal if only to reduce the level of half time ear bashing that was almost certainly coming their way, City ended the half with heavy pressure on the Bromley goal and on 43 minutes the comeback began.

Williams, under pressure from Ryan Frater, failed to clear a Hunt free kick from out on the City right, Hakim, beyond the far post, chipped the ball back into the middle where the keeper again failed to make contact and Martin duly headed home. In the time remaining both Sulaiman and Fisher fired well over the target.

City began the second period as they ended the first and the confidence that Bromley positively oozed earlier in the day was now sitting somewhere in the dressing room. By the 53rd minute that confidence had become a gibbering wreck as City struck for a second time.

Williams did well to block a firm drive by Hassan Sulaiman who had smartly brought down a Hunt cross, but as the keeper then spilled the ball Norval did well to head away for a corner as Sulaiman chipped the ball towards Hakim.

The reprieve was merely fleeting as from Hunt’s corner on the City left the ball swung in beyond the far post for Ben Martin to lash a wonderful volley into the back of the net.

It seemed inconceivable that City would not now salvage at least a point from a side they had beaten in the five most recent meetings between the two clubs.

Just after the hour, from another Hunt corner – the corner count was an emphatic 10-1 in City’s favour – Williams flung himself spectacularly to his left to cling onto a Ben Martin header. On 63 minutes City did get the ball into the goal through Quilter but the effort was rubbed out due to a foul by Hakim on Williams as the duo challenged for a Simon Martin cross.

Moments later Castle shuffled his pack when he withdrew the tiring Seeby. Sulaiman dropped to left back, Hunt switched flanks and substitute Sam Hurrell occupied the left wing.

For a while Bromley found breathing space in which to keep City stretched with a rasping effort from 25 yards by Luke I’Anson that flashed narrowly wide and a powerful rising effort from Stone, following good work by Mark Corneille and McBean, that drifted away from Bastock’s near, left hand, post.

But the likelihood of Bromley sliding to a humiliating defeat having earlier led by that three-goal lead appeared on the verge of becoming reality on 72 minutes when City drew level. Williams fell to the ground as Hunt’s corner was met on the edge of the six-yard box by Ben Martin who steered home a perfect header to complete City’s first league hat-trick in three years.

Now was the time for Bromley to show their true colours and Hall, who had been a joy to watch all afternoon, re-ignited their fire on 74 minutes with a through ball of the sort of quality that must be worth £130m of any Premiership clubs money as he arrowed a magnificent ball into the path of McBean who just managed to get goal-side of Scott Cousins.

Although Cousins stuck close to McBean the striker rampaged forward and hammered a powerful drive inside Bastock’s near post to edge Bromley into a 4-3 lead.

With just 12 minutes remaining Dagenham & Redbridge striker Danny Chance was given his debut, the 20-year old has recently had loan spells with Potters Bar Town and Hitchin Town.

City, to their credit, refused to accept defeat but a chance went begging when a Hurrell cross was knocked away to Quilter whose measured shot went a yard wide of the goal. Bromley suffered a serious loss on 83 minutes when Hall departed clearly suffering from concussion.

Yet two minutes later the visitors re-established a two-goal lead. Norval did well to win the ball down the Bromley right and the City defence stood statuesque as Corneille drilled a low cross into the goalmouth where I’Anson was able to stab home his second goal of the season and Bromley’s fifth of the afternoon.

Once again City lifted themselves off the floor and still Bromley’s victory was far from secure. As the clock ticked into the 90th minute Hunt whipped one more corner towards the near post from the City left and this time it was Charge’s turn to apply a deft header and beat Williams from close range at the near post.

St Albans threw Ben Martin into the attack for the almost six minutes of added time but there was to be no tenth goal as City went down to the tenth 5-4 defeat in their history – just for good measure it was the second time that Bromley had beaten the Saints but that unlikely score.

Prior to kick off a one minute silence was observed in memory of City supporter Graham Hamilton who died last week after a lengthy illness.