WITH THE aid of an Akanni-Sunday Wasiu header deflected into the back of the Havant & Waterlooville net by Paul Hakim at a rain drenched and windswept Clarence Park on Saturday St Albans City clinched a 1-0 victory that lifts the Saints out of the Blue Square South relegation zone for the first time in more than six months.
Having gained just 20 points from their opening 31 league games this season, the Saints have astounded Blue Square South followers in recent weeks with only an injury time equaliser conceded at Thurrock stopping Steve Castle’s side from recording six straight victories.
St Albans won just one of their first 16 home games, now City have taken maximum points from the last three and conceded but one goal. Such form has filled the Saints with supreme confidence as they prepare for a final run in that pitches them up against three fellow relegation battlers in the final five matches of a dramatic season.
Underfoot and overhead conditions dictated that flowing football would be at a premium but both sides knuckled down to produce a match that may have lacked goalmouth excitement but was nonetheless enthralling viewing.
Three successive matches of City fielding an unchanged XI came to an end with illness ruling out Paul Bruce with his place being taken by experienced midfielder Jonathan Hunt. It may be more than five years since Hunt last played senior football but the mind was still sharp and his contribution was certainly of great benefit to the cause.
Attacking the York Road goal during the opening 45 minutes Havant, their name etched into Football Folklore after this seasons thrilling FA Cup adventure, had the wind to their backs but never fully mastered the conditions. Passes hit way beyond their intended target was something that troubled both sides when the wind was behind them.
After a quiet opening City had a golden opportunity on 12 minutes when a slip let in Sunday but the Nigerian dithered just long enough for Neil Sharp to slid in with a crucial tackle. And midway through the half Sharp was at it again as this time he made a telling block on Hakim following exciting approach play by the troublesome Hassan Sulaiman.
For the next ten minutes Shaun Gale’s side enjoyed their best spell but against a defence that has now conceded just two goals in six matches the genuine threat on the home goal was limited. A slip let in former Bognor striker Luke Nightingale but the alert Paul Bastock was out swiftly to slid in and divert the ball away for a throw.
City, on 33 minutes, closed in on their fourth win in the past five meetings with the Hampshire club with a superbly constructed goal that made light of the trying conditions. Sunday was twice involved in the build up as City patiently worked the ball up and across the pitch.
Receiving a pass from Sunday, the excellent Scott Cousins whipped in a good left-footed cross that the marauding Sunday headed goalwards, but for the second successive match he was denied a goal as the ball flicked off Hakim’s shoulder and into the net.
A minute later Sulaiman collected the ball on the right and cut inside before darting through the middle only for his low shot to be comfortably gathered by the diving Kevin Scriven. But City had a scare on 36 minutes when a miscued clearance by Bastock fell straight to Baptiste whose snapshot looped over the stranded keeper to strike his right hand upright. Nightingale latched onto the rebound but was promptly flagged offside.
Three minutes from the break a long ball from Cousins was headed back to the Hawks keeper by former Saint Gary Elphick, but before Scriven could claim possession Hakim picked up a yellow card for punching the ball over the advancing keeper and into the goal a la Maradona.
With a play off place slipping from their grasp Havant sought to salvage at least a point and during the second half strengthened their attacking options by, gradually, sending on three strikers. Possibly the clearest opening fell to Baptiste on 57 minutes but his half volley from 18 yards following a Tony Taggart pass lacked power and was easily smothered by Bastock.
Two minutes later slick work between the impressive Hawks captain Jamie Collins and Nightingale led to Baptiste getting free down the right only for his dangerous low cross to be cleared by James Fisher who once again put in another near faultless display.
Havant maintained the pressure with a cross by Charlie Henry being blocked by the busy and imposing Ryan Frater, Jay Smith instantly clipped the ball back into the middle where Taggart glanced a header well wide.
City responded with a long punt catching the visitors napping. Hakim shrugged off Elphick and went beyond Scriven but having been forced wide his attempt at goal from virtually on the goalline proved too tight an angle as the ball rolled across the face of the target and out for a goalkick.
Havant came again with Collins crisply struck low drive towards the Hatfield Road goal being cleanly collected by Bastock who further thwarted the Hawks with two perfect catches from potentially dangerous crosses.
But Bastock’s crowning moment saw him smartly tip over Nightingale’s rising drive from Smith’s deep cross from the Waterlooville right. Substitute Gavin McCallum saw the ball fly well wide after failing to make a firm enough contact to a Jamie Day corner but as the visitors became ever more frantic it was Castle’s rejuvenated Saints that finished the game, which had almost six minutes of added time, the stronger.
With five minutes remaining a Lee Clarke through ball was hacked away by Scriven as Simon Martin closed in and sensing the time to go for glory Fisher pounced on the loose ball only for his speculative effort from 40 yards to clear the goal by some considerable margin.
The final minutes were akin to a Punch and Judy show as one bench bellowed at referee Ian Crouch to complain about alleged time wasting while the other implored the New Eltham official, who had excellent game, to blow for time.
Regardless of such shenanigans, City pushed for a second goal with Clarke typifying City’s determination by charging into the penalty area to block Scriven’s delayed clearance with the ball ricocheting off the reinstalled City captain and out for a throw.
Deep into added time Sulaiman squandered an opportunity to score for the first time since September when a fine square ball by Clarke got him goalside of Taggart – who was booked for an attempted foul – and clear into the box only for his low shot to be blocked by the keeper with the ball bouncing off the retreating Taggart for a corner.
That corner led to Hunt whipping the ball into the middle but for City it was just a case of counting down the seconds.
The only blow for City on a day of great significance as daylight was put between themselves and the relegation places was another knock to Hakim who faces an anxious week to get fit in time for next Saturday’s fascinating relegation shoot-out with Welling United at Park View Road.
City hope to have Hasim Deen and Paul Bruce back in contention but are likely to be without the suspended Ryan Frater.
Report by David Tavener |
