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08.10.2004 at 19:45 Clarence Park Attendance : 286
St Albans City
1 - 3
Thurrock
Referee : C.Miller Conference South match

Goalscorers
Ben Abbey (86)
Cliff Akurang (7)
Tresor Kandol (37)
Lee Hodges (61)
Opening squads
Mel Capleton
Richard Thomas
Miguel De Souza
Chris Zoricich
Ranbir Marwa
Gary Wraight
Jamie Southon
Lee Clarke
Ben Abbey
Ben Walshe
Chris Seeby
Billy McMahon
David Collis
Richard Goddard
John Purdie
Jimmy MacFarlane
Martyn Lawrence
Steve Heffer
Shane Thompson
Lee Hodges
Tresor Kandol
Cliff Akurang
Substitutes
Wesley Jackman
Ben Martin
Adam Smith
Amadou Gerber
Peter Afolayan
Simon Martin
Kris Lee
John Buffong
Mark Goodfellow
Ryan Kirby
Substitutions
Amadou Gerber -> Jamie Southon (35)
Ryan Kirby -> Steve Heffer (79)
Simon Martin -> Cliff Akurang(65)
John Buffong -> Lee Hodges (84)
Yellow cards
Ranbir Marwa (63)
None
Red cards
None. None
Match report

Ben Abbey
St Albans City have certainly suffered more setbacks over the past five years – admittedly many self inflicted – than most clubs suffer in a century but there were glimmers of hope to be taken from last Friday’s predictable Nationwide South defeat at home to a well drilled Thurrock.
Visiting sides view a visit to Clarence Park as easy pickings these days and once Thurrock scored a simple goal in the opening minutes there was no doubt which way the points were heading but before the Saints second smallest crowd of the season had slipped away they had seen some enterprising passing football from the Steve Castle’s side.
The City manager regularly points out the relatively high amount of possession his side have during games but much of this undoubtedly is because the opposition are usually at least one goal to the good by then and are quite happy to let the Saints spread the ball around the middle of the pitch because they know they can easy stifle City’s powder-puff efforts around the penalty area. This match was a perfect illustration of that fact.
Thurrock required just seven minutes to set about extending their good run against the Saints to one defeat in 11 meetings as a Shane Thompson cross from the Thurrock left was met by Cliff Akurang who was somehow left unattended by Miguel De Souza and Chris Zoricich to head past Mel Capleton in the York Road goal.
City should have been level on 16 minutes when Ben Walshe, who had by far his most impressive 90 minutes for the Saints, sent a free kick towards Billy McMahon’s back post where Jamie Southon swooped only to somehow head over the bar when virtually on the goalline. An excellent tackle by De Souza denied Akurang an almost certain second goal before Walshe went close with a fine effort after being set up by the tireless Lee Clarke.
Thurrock put the game out of City’s reach in the 37th minute when a long through ball by John Purdie was helped on by Akurang’s exquisite touch, Tresor Kandol again ran between City’s central defenders only to have his first shot well saved by Capleton but there was nothing City’s best player so far this season could do nothing to stop Kandol from netting the rebound for his eighth goal of the campaign.
City’s season was summed up just before half time when McMahon tipped a dangerous Walshe cross out for a corner but from the dead-ball Ram Marwa, in addition to kicking the ball, uprooted the corner flag and allowed Thurrock to mount a swift counterattack that needed a vital block by Richard Thomas to avoid any further damage.
City began the second half encouragingly with Abbey having a close range effort well blocked by McMahon but on 61 minutes referee Mr Miller adjudged that Gary Wraight handled a header by Thompson and the talented Lee Hodges calmly sent Capleton the wrong way from the penalty spot to claim the third Thurrock goal.
With Walshe probing down the left, City, although now completely out of contention, began to at last stretch the visitors’ defence. Seeby, following a half cleared Walshe cross, pulled a fine save out of McMahon with a rising shot, Clarke fired well over after good work by Thomas while the Northern Ireland U21 international also had a shot comfortably saved as did Zoricich before Wraight put Abbey through, in the 86th minute, and with a neat shot inside McMahon’s left hand post the diminutive striker notched his first goal for the Saints.
Simon Martin, who received a warm welcome from City supporters when coming on as a second half substitute for the visitors, would have added a fourth against his former club but for an excellent save by Capleton.