Tom Davis under pressure from Simon Martin
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A brace of sublime goals from Ben Walshe and a crucial first half penalty save by the evergreen Paul Bastock carried St Albans City to a fifth win in seven Conference South matches on Saturday and also clinched the Saints first win at a wind and rain swept Ship Lane for five years.
In securing their first success in nine games against the Essex club the Saints looked to have strengthened their cause in the battle against the drop only for results elsewhere to leave thirteen clubs pondering the threat of relegation, but should City maintain their present form then their concern will soon be from a distance.
With the talented Gary Elphick out injured, manager Colin Lippiatt pulled off a masterstroke in placing Dean Hooper alongside Ben Martin with Chris Seeby going to right-back, the experience of Hooper helped Ben Martin to completely nullify the threat posed by Glenn Poole and former Saint Simon Martin.
With a driving wind not really helping either side, St Albans started the most promisingly although Bastock was the first keeper called into action when Kris Lee drove a low cross towards the near post. Moments later former Saint Richard Goddard, Thurrock’s most impressive performer on the day, put Lee away but Scott Cousins just managed to get a boot in and help the ball back to Bastock who hoiked it to safety.
A spell of City pressure saw a Walshe free kick headed over the bar and from the ensuing corner, swung in on the wind by Matt Hann, home keeper Andy Woodman only just succeeded in tipping the ball over the bar.
St Albans though were not to be denied for long and on 23 minutes scored one of the outstanding goals of the season as a series of one-touches cut the home defence apart. Walshe, Tom Davis, again in good form, Ram Marwa and Lee Clarke were all involved as City worked the ball across the pitch before Cousins ran at the Thurrock back line and slipped the ball into the penalty area to Marwa whose delicate touch into the path of Walshe was confidently stroked home to the keepers right from 12 yards by the City winger.
Nine minutes later Thurrock were presented with a golden opportunity to restore parity when Simon Martin raced clear of Cousins only to be sent tumbling in the penalty area by the retreating City defender. Bastock, however, was in no mood to surrender his clear sheet lightly and guessed correctly in dropping to his right to easily smother Poole’s soft left-footed spot kick.
It was expected that Thurrock would get at the Saints more in the second half but other than for an early long-range effort by the lively Poole, that went a yard wide, Colin McBride’s struggled to stretch a City defence that is currently looking the best of any Saints back line in the past five years. Even so, City had a let off when Bastock, in appalling conditions in which to keep goal, failed to hold a cross but as Thurrock looked to pounce on the loose ball Davis sent Walshe storming down the left flank only to fire well wide after an enthralling 50 yard sprint.
Midway through the half, during Thurrock’s most dominant spell in the game, Poole curled in a free kick from in front of the main stand to substitute Tresor Kandol but, surprisingly, the home sides leading scorer put his free header wide of the target. On 72 minutes Poole swung over another free kick from the same position and Bastock, with a staggering volume of rain crashing into his face, did well to back-pedal and palm the ball over.
But two minutes later it was third time lucky for Thurrock as Goddard headed one more in-swinging Poole free kick from the Yellows right in for the equalising goal as City complained furiously about both Kandol and Simon Martin impeding their keeper.
With conditions deteriorating underfoot the game was clearly in some danger of being called off and there appeared scant hope of City taking all three points but three minutes after Goddard’s strike the Saints resilience shone through once more. Luke Cornwall, far quieter than on his debut the pervious week, won a free kick some 23 yards from goal from which Walshe swept home a beautifully struck, left-footed, low free kick to Woodman’s right.
City sought to cement their victory by sending on fresh legs in the form of Tom Beech for Cornwall while for the final few minutes defensive strength was added with the introduction of Chris Zoricich for the match-winner Walshe. Thurrock almost salvaged a draw three minutes from time when Bastock parried a shot from Poole and Goddard threw himself at the loose ball but was beaten to it by Bastock. The ball flew out of the keeper’s hands for Kandol to score only for referee Graham Horwood to award City a free kick for a foul on Bastock and hand Goddard the sixth yellow card of the afternoon.
Report by Dave Tavener
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