Steve Watts scores at Northwood
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The pained expression on the face of some St Albans City supporters at Chestnut Avenue on Saturday was not caused solely by their fundraising walk to the game but more by the manner in which Steve Castle’s under-achieving side almost succeeded in throwing away three vital Ryman League points to just about the poorest side they have encountered during this sorry season.
Northwood have the dubious honour of being the first side this season to succumb to the Saints in both Premier Division meetings but for a while, after Wood had overturned a two goal deficit into a rare lead, there was the possibility of St Albans stumbling to one more deflating defeat.
There was little hint of the near slapstick to come during the early stages as both Steve Watts and Lee Clarke had efforts blocked close to the Woods goal before City deservedly went ahead on 24 minutes. Northwood partially cleared a corner as far as Castle whose wild shot was retrieved by Jake Attwood – starting a league match for the first time – with a curling cross-shot towards the near top corner of the goal the former City Youth player forced Lee Carroll to unconvincingly palm the ball away but only straight to Watts who smartly drilled in the opening goal.
Clarke went close for a second time, following a cross by former Woods captain Dave Sargent, before City went two up on 29 minutes with a strange goal. Derek Brown played a harmless looking ball through from the halfway line, Clarke stepped out of the way which allowed Gary Wraight to run through and competently slide his fifth goal of the season past Carroll.
City maintained the pressure with a powerful drive from 25 yards by Sargent being parried by the keeper before the danger was cleared. But the game took a dramatic twist on 41 minutes when Brian Fitzgerald squeezed between two City defenders and pulled the ball back to Chris Gell whose chip to the far post was headed in Alistair Heselton.
Having been well out of contention for 40 minutes Northwood drew level on 52 minutes. Chris Zoricich was cautioned for a foul on Gell and from the ensuing free kick Heselton curled the ball to Clark’s left, the City keeper pushed the ball against the woodwork but as the ball bobbled along the goalline Brown, in attempting to clear, hammered it into the side netting for the equalising goal.
Having now conceded two goals in a game for a ninth successive match, City went behind just five minutes later when Heselton took the ball off Corey Campbell and crossed to the far post where Brown inadvertently handled. Heselton ignored Clark’s goalline jig to complete his second brace in successive home games.
With their fine passing football of earlier a distant memory City were sinking fast and had Rob Smith dismissed from the dugout for some unflattering remarks to a linesman, moments later Heselton sent a dipping free kick just over the visitors goal.
The ineptness of both sides was building for an exciting finale and with two scrappy goals in six minutes it was the Saints who provided the final telling twist. On 68 minutes a Wraight throw from the City right towards Brown was returned to him via a Woods defender, Wraight promptly despatched a stinging drive across the six yard box that clipped the fingers of the diving Carroll before being turned in by the unfortunate Luke Evans.
Six minutes later the seventh goal in 47 minutes was scored when a spell of Saints pressure culminated in Brown getting the ball into the goalmouth where Castle completely miscued from five yards out but was relieved to see the ball bounce off Carroll and into the path of Clarke who hammered in the deciding goal.
Still the thrills were not over as Kieran Knight went close for Northwood and only a superbly timed tackle by Greg Deacon denied Ben Yiadom a certain goal.
Report by Dave Tavener |