St Albans City's year long search for a cup victory - other than in a penalty shoot-out - petered out tamely with another defeat at York Road on Saturday as Maidenhead United, without a home league success this season, bushed aside a disappointing City performance to reach the 1st Round proper of the FA Trophy.
Saints manager Dave Anderson was looking to build on two encouraging displays over the past week but his plans were disrupted due to striker Richard Butler, midfielder Jon Stevenson and defender Jomo Faal-Thomas all being cup tied. Replacements, Reiss Noel, Paul Semakula and Paul Armstrong, flitted in and out of a game in which City, particularly towards the interval, looked capable of avoiding defeat only to offer precious little as an attacking entity after the break.
Johnson Hippolyte�s Magpies went into the game on the back of four defeats in five games but could have put this match to bed inside the opening five minutes. On 20 seconds Serge Makofo, following a Manny Williams cross, fluffed a simple opening in front of goal while Noel almost marked his return with an own goal as he sliced the ball perilously close to Nick Eyre�s goal.
Eyre�s fears about who was friend and who was foe intensified on five minutes when Lee Clarke, who normally clears a significant of opposition corners, blocked Wes Daly's low corner towards the near post only to then stab it past the bemused Eyre for the opening goal.
City took 18 minutes to seriously worry the home defence, at which point the otherwise anonymous Stephane Seanla latched onto a Hasim Deen throw only to be blocked close to goal. United squandered another chance to double their lead on 28 minutes when one-time Saint John Hastings crossed low to leading scorer Williams who sliced wide a guilt-edged opening.
Just after the half hour City thought they had drawn level when a deep Armstrong corner was powered towards goal by Deen. Magpies Portuguese keeper Chico Ramos saved well with Gary Elphick�s follow up blocked right on the goalline.
An encouraging end to the half for Anderson's troops - searching for a fourth win in 37 games - saw Armstrong fire straight at Ramos following a neat lay off by Clarke but the City captain was wasteful moments later when a delightful floated through ball by Paul Bruce opened up the home defence only for Clarke's half volley to fall gently to the right of Ramos who saved with ease.
Playing up the slope after the break St Albans faltered badly as an attacking force with Ramos not called upon to deal with a single direct shot. United had no such problems as 14 goal attempts kept the visitors defence busy. To the credit of the Saints backline, three times in the opening minutes of the second period vital blocks were made as Maidenhead threatened to run riot.
Williams maintained his poor finishing of the first half when scooping the ball wide after being set up by Darti Brown while City's best spell saw a run of three successive corners fail to cause Ramos more trouble than a routine punched clearance.
With Makofo causing City mounting problems it was of little surprise when Maidenhead, on 72 minutes, made certain of their first home cup with over the Saints. Defender Mark Nisbet sent an excellent ball down the Magpies right to Makofo who sailed past Semakula and crossed low to Hastings whose shot parried well by Eyre, only for the unmarked Williams to tap in his 11th goal of the season. |
