Clarence Park was awash with goals and rain – but not spectators – on Tuesday night as St Albans City’s season of unmitigated disaster plummeted to new depths when Steve Castle’s side was tumbled out of the Herts Senior Cup by a Boreham Wood side from a Division below that of their hosts and that played for an hour with just ten men after former Saint Ryan Moran was sent off.
In recording their first win under new manager Ian Allinson, Wood added their name to the growing list of clubs to achieve personal bests against the Saints this season. This was the Woods highest ever score at St Albans, their first win in seven visits and is the highest score at the Park by a visiting lower league side for eight years.
Such statistics were unthinkable after 74 minutes when Wood led by Moran’s 53rd minute opener and defences dominated a tie riddled with basic errors and totally lacking any decent quality football. Then, in the space of 45 minutes eight goals of wildly varying quality flew in at either end to set up an absorbing finale.
Although City fielded four of their youngsters this was a side with more than enough experience to see off Boreham Wood but other than for a brief spell late in the second half it was a match in which City, despite being ahead three times, never dominated and were eventually undone by Wood’s remarkable never-say-die attitude.
During a desperately dull opening 45 minutes neither goalkeeper was seriously tested as headers by Chris Seeby and Corey Campbell for City, and Moran for Wood, failed to stretch either custodian. Indeed it took a refereeing decision as dire as anything witnessed at Sutton at the weekend to open the floodgates as Moran played the ball towards the City penalty area where Campbell was clearly hauled down before Sammy Winston set up Moran to drive the ball into the Hatfield Road goal off the diving George Clark.
Sadly for Moran – a veteran of 146 games for the Saints - his return to Clarence Park was shattered on the hour when he was dismissed for picking up a second yellow card. Fifteen minutes later the tide seemed to be turning City’s way as Olijimi Oshin fouled Seeby some 25 yards out and with a truly glorious controlled shot with his right instep Scott Oakes curled the free kick into the top right hand corner of Clint Drake’s goal via the underside of the crossbar.
Three minutes later Oakes swept a cross from the left beyond the back post for Miguel De Souza to put City ahead with a well placed header past the out of position Drake. But just when City looked set to move into the last four referee Gary Evetts intervened to award a penalty as Daniel Gabriel took an elaborate tumble as Derek Brown moved in to clear the ball. Sammy Winston ignored Clark’s jumping around antics the goalline to calmly slot home the equaliser.
Seven minutes into the first period of extra time City wet ahead again when Oakes crossed from the right towards substitute Allister Collins, the bouncing ball ran on to Greg Deacon who controlled it before cutting inside and unleashing a powerful right footed drive from 18 yards that eluded Drake with ease.
Still Wood refused to lay down and six minutes later Winston went on a powerful run through the City defence and hit the ball towards the far post where Ricardo Amado gleefully clipped it home from close range off the upright. St Albans, however, regained the advantage with their fourth goal on 105 minutes when a Jake Attwood cross was not properly dealt with by the Wood defence who could then only look on as Oakes stinging shot soared low into the net with a slight deflection of Dave Cook – brother of former City boss Steve Cook.
Yet again the Whites came back and on 109 minutes Stuart Reeks struck a superb effort from 20 yards across the static Clark and into the far corner of the net and just four minutes from time Wood’s ten men completed their astonishing victory when James Hawes went through three unconvincing City tackles before setting up Amado for his second goal and Wood’s fifth of the night.
Report by Dave Tavener |
