TWO EARLY goals by Blue Square Premier Division leaders Aldershot Town ensured that struggling St Albans City were in no position to pull off a cup upset on Clarence Park on Tuesday as Gary Waddock's Shots cruised to a 4-0 victory in the 5th Round of the Setanta Shield.
In a game dominated by the visitors the one bright note struck by the Saints was the performance of teenage striker Bradley Gray who is currently with the club on a work experience loan from Leyton Orient.
Gray, after twice being involved in the build up, had the first shot of the game inside the opening minute and a minute later won the first corner of the game with a dangerous cross that the Shots Venezuelan keeper Mikhael Jaimez-Ruiz watched closely before tipping over the bar.
But that, as far as City were concerned, was as good as it got as Aldershot, not too surprisingly, dominated the remainder of the half and were a goal to the good on four minutes. Saints manager Steve Castle was highly critical of City's defending and he had every right to be with the first goal being just one of three that ought to have been dealt with more efficiently.
Scott Davies swung in a right-footed corner from the Aldershot left that Ricky Newman headed back across goal for the lively Kirk Hudson to fire home.
Aldershot's lightning pace and accuracy of passing was too much for the Saints and a slaughter of the relegation haunted Saints did appear to be on the cards. Fortunately for City Hudson failed to make a clean contact when close to goal after a Rhys Day header had set him up from another Davies corner, while both Joel Grant and Elvins squandered clear openings.
City also suffered an unexpected blow when Hasim Deen, their most consistently good outfield player this season, limped off with a dead-leg on 12 minutes to be replaced by Jomo Faal-Thomas. Seven minutes later and the game was all but over as a basic misunderstanding handed the Shots a second goal.
Newman landed a free kick on the edge of the City box between Ben Martin and the advancing Nick Eyre. A lack of understanding led to the duo looking on as Elvins nipped in to poke the ball wide of the stranded keeper before virtually walking it into the Hatfield Road goal.
Aldershot's fourth successive win over the Saints was briefly threatened when Hassan Sulaiman and James Quilter set up Marcel McKie for a shot that was sliced wildly off target, and on the half hour Simon Martin laid off a Sulaiman cross to Dean Cracknell whose crisp drive was comfortably taken by Jaimez-Ruiz.
Any hope City had of staying even remotely in contention at the interval was shattered in added time with more dire defending paving the way for the third Shots goal. Davies was again instrumental in the build up with his low near post corner not being cleared with Hudson possibly helping the ball on for Elvins to bundle in his second of the night.
The second half was a scrappier affair but it the was clearly superior Shots that continued to dominate although it was evident that the earlier rout was not going to materialise. Indeed four minutes after the break City almost reduced the arrears. As a City attack looked to be breaking down Ryan Frater cleverly lifted the ball over the visitors defence to Gray whose lob comfortably beat the keeper but also drifted over the target.
Midway through the half and Sulaiman nipped in to take possession when Newman and Jason Milletti got in a tangle but the City's wingers shot fizzed untouched across the face of the goal. A minute later and Jaimez-Ruiz had to stretch high to grab a looping Simon Martin header following a good cross from the City right by Faal-Thomas.
Aldershot, having put five past St Albans in two of the three most recent encounters between the clubs, added their fourth goal on 75 minutes and it was a strike to savour as Scott Donnelly, who had been outstanding throughout, unleashed a glorious right-footed drive from 30 yards that Eyre could only admire as it flew high to his right and into the back of the York Road goal.
The Shots almost did complete another nap hand late in the game when Davies got the ball past Eyre following an excellent run by Elvins but referee Ian Cooper, who had little trouble controlling a free flowing match, spotted that the ball had been punched into the net. |
