St Albans City rounded off another exceptionally good week for the club with a brace of goals from James Kaloczi and a clinical strike by the debut making Jamal Lowe securing a hard fought 3-2 victory over a doughty St Neots Town at Rowley Park on Saturday.
The Saints were good value for their first win over the Cambridgeshire side but were pushed all the way and trailed, briefly, to a St Neots side that is in a transitional stage following a recent change of management.
St Albans, on the other hand, may start with a fluctuating XI each week but have progressed leaps and bounds in recent weeks and are starting to look genuine Southern League Premier Division promotion candidates.
City made two changes from the side that started at Cambridge City in midweek.
Midfielder Danny Green and striker Elliot Bailey were relegated to the bench as James Comley returned as captain and Lowe, currently on a three-month loan at Clarence Park from Barnet, stood in alongside John Frendo, as a family wedding caused Mark Nwokeji to be absent.
On a chilly afternoon and under threatening skies the match got off to a ragged start before Kaloczi, who was in outstanding form, made an excellent sliding block to thwart Jake Woolley.
Lowe gave warning of what was to come with a surging run down the City right and exchange of passes with Frendo that ended with the debut-making Town keeper Nathan Abbey saving for a corner.
Frendo had a tame effort easily gathered by the one-time St Albans keeper Abbey, while City’s leading goal scorer also poked an effort wide when challenged by Brett Longden.
Frendo pleaded forcibly to referee Ian Rathbone to award a penalty but the Northampton official looked to have been right to ignore the appeal.
Frendo was frustrated again when his clean header to a Chris Watters corner was headed off the goalline by former City trialist Ed Adjei.
A swift counter-attack saw Frendo send Lowe away but Abbey saved in relative ease.
St Albans persistence was finally rewarded on 36 minutes. Lowe won a free kick that Comley struck to the far post from the City right.
Tom Ward went down in the penalty area under pressure from ex-Saint Ryan Frater. The ball bounced off Town full back Arthur Lee and took a deflection off the grounded Ward – who received an accidental kick from Frater at the same time – and as the ball bounced loose Kaloczi nipped in to poke home the opening goal.
But the lead was held for just two minutes before Town were handed a route back into the game when Mr Rathbone penalised Kaloczi for the faintest of touches on Woolley.
Jay Davies struck the resulting penalty to Paul Bastock’s right to restore parity.
It was a savage blow sustained by St Albans that St Neots used to full effect and began to play with greater confidence.
Even so, City almost regained the lead immediately when a Watters corner was well met the back post by David Keenleyside whose header was blocked close to goal.
The second half began on a sour note when Adjei, with no other player close by, fell to the ground and left the pitch on a stretcher.
St Neots put that blow behind them to take a 2-1 lead on 54 minutes when Brett Longden’s precise chipped cross from the right side of the penalty area was smartly headed past Bastock by another former City striker, Matt Nolan.
St Neots were now in full flight with the left-sided Lewis Hilliard causing all manner of problems.
City responded with an attack minded double substitution that saw Watters and Keenleyside sacrificed for the arrival of Chris Henry and Greg Ngoyi. It was a bold move that was to pay rich dividends.
Henry was soon in the thick of the action to slip a pass inside to Frendo who twisted several ways before curling an exquisite shot towards the top corner that Abbey tipped over in spectacular fashion.
City maintained the pressure from the half cleared corner with Howard Hall placing a fine pass into the path of Frendo who was denied by Abbey once more.
There seemed to be a measure of justice when St Albans drew level on 63 minutes.
Comley whipped another free kick from the Saints left towards the back post where Kaloczi excelled to out-jump Gavin Hoyte and Lee to send a looping header over Abbey’s flaying right arm.
Moments later Comley fed Henry whose ball through the middle of the home defence freed Ngoyi, but his first time ground shot was blocked by the thigh of the sprawling Abbey.
St Neots, though, were far from finished as an attacking entity and Hilliard flashed a shot over the bar before Bastock, almost nonchalantly, flicked a Nolan header over the top.
The lead changed hands for a third and final time on 83 minutes when the visitors closed in on their first win at the neat Rowley Park stadium.
Ram Marwa broke up a St Neots attack and sparked a spell of sustained pressure on the home goal. Town looked to have survived when Lowe’s shot was blocked only for Ngoyi to win the ball straight back for St Albans.
Ngoyi laid the ball off to Comley who ran wide of three Town defenders before cutting it straight to Lowe who, in sending a placed effort to the left of the diving Abbey, produced a finish identical to Keenleyside’s first goal at Cambridge to clinch the three points.
Still the drama was not over as twice in a matter of seconds Abbey pulled off fine saves from both Frendo and Henry, while Ngoyi shot into the side-netting.
St Neots ended the day with just ten players on the park after Davies was dismissed following a shocking two-footed lunge at Henry.
City skipper Comley was also cautioned during the ensuing melee while Hilliard went into the book for a mistimed tackle on Hall.
Defeat for St Neots edges them into the bottom three while St Albans, on the back of 12 unbeaten away matches in all competitions, now sit just one point outside the play-off places.
But City’s promotion push is back on hold for two weeks while the Saints face cup ties against Beaconsfield Sycob (at Clarence Park on Monday, 25th November), Tonbridge Angels (away, FA Trophy, 30th November) and Hertford Town (away, Herts Senior Cup, 3rd December).
With one defeat in 16 games and four straight wins since bowing out of the FA Cup the Saints are in irrepressible mood at present. |