By David Tavener
St Albans City's lengthy wait for goals from their strikers came to a welcome end at a blustery Clarence Park on Saturday as Bath City surrendered an interval lead to go down 2-1 and become the Saints fifth successive Blue Square South victims.
St Albans winning run, all by the odd goal, carries Steve Castle's rejuvenated City side to a seasons high seventh in the table.
The headed goals put away by Simon Martin and Paul Hakim will lift a huge weight off a strike-force that has lacked a cutting edge this season and with the confidence that is growing with every passing win City head into November confident of maintaining the remarkable turnaround in their fortunes.
Bath provided the sternest opposition City have faced during the winning streak and with more clinical finishing the Romans could well have extended their own winning run to a third game.
Castle opted for the starting XI that won at Welling in midweek and was almost rewarded with a goal inside 26 seconds. Gary Cohen broke away down the City left and crossed to the edge of the six-yard box where Simon Martin managed to head the ball goalwards, but being unable to get above the cross failed to get sufficient power to trouble giant Bath keeper Paul Evans.
Less than a minute later and it was Bath's turn to threaten as a low cross by Lewis Hogg flew across the home penalty area to Dave Gilroy who scuffed his shot weakly through to a grateful Paul Bastock.
The bright opening set the tone for a match that frequently suggested it was going to be a thriller only to be hauled back by wayward passing and misdirected crosses. But for all of its technical faults the game was none the less entertaining and intriguing.
The lack of accuracy close to the anger zones was highlighted when Lee Clarke, revelling in midfield but unfortunately laid low with a knee injury just prior to the interval, led a City attack through the middle of the pith but with Simon Martin to his right and Sam Hurrell to his left, over-hit a through ball that allowed Evans to snuff out the danger.
City went into the match without having conceded a single goal at the Hatfield Road end of the ground this season but 13 minutes into the ninth encounter played at the Park Bath's right-sided midfielder Sekani Simpson clipped a misdirected cross into the goalmouth that, possibly aided by the wind, looped over Paul Bastock at the near post and fell just inside the far upright.
Bath had a golden opportunity to double their advantage in the following minute when the impressive Stuart Douglas shrugged off Ryan Frater and hammered a powerful drive just beyond Bastock's right hand post.
At this point Bath looked to push forward whenever possible but were almost pulled back on 21 minutes when Jonathan Hunt played a ball inside to Simon Martin whose audacious attempt at lifting the ball over the advancing Jones only just failed.
The Romans survived another close call on 25 minutes when a Hunt free kick evaded a cluster of players in the centre of the penalty area and also Ben Martin as the defender looked to cash in at the back post.
However, the clearest chance of the half came the way of the visitors when Douglas, a constant thorn in the Saints side prior to the interval, broke clear of a square defence and, ignoring appeals for offside, raced to the edge of the penalty. But as Bastock came from his line Douglas bizarrely looked to play in Gilroy rather than finish it off himself. The error of that decision was not only exposed by Gilroy having strayed offside but also that the ball rolled harmlessly wide.
Clarke's return to the starting line up was curtailed at the interval due to a knee injury; James Quilter stepped into the breach and was to play a significant part in the destiny of the points. Eight minutes after the restart Castle withdrew the quiet Hurrell with Hakim restored to the attack.
Cohen moved to the right of the midfield and after looking completely lost up front responded with a series of runs down the flank that added new impetus to the Saints attack. Hakim, determined to win back his place in the side, also added new zest to the Saints' cause and after receiving a throw-in from James Fisher weaved past two defenders and drove the ball into the penalty area where a clearance thudded into Quilter and looped over the goal.
Five minutes later, the 61st, City drew level with an excellent goal. A Bath attack down the Saints left broke down and as the ball was played forward Simon Martin glanced a header onto Hakim who in turn fed Quilter.
After moving forward Quilter checked his run and played a short ball wide to Hunt who slipped it between the legs of Gethin Jones and crossed to the back post where Simon Martin had continued his run and headed downwards to Evans left for his third goal of the season.
Neither side looked content to settle on a point and Bath almost regained the upper hand when the outstanding Adam Connolly chipped a fine ball into the box that Chris Holland headed over Bastock but onto the roof of the net.
With 15 minutes remaining Scott Cousins tried his luck with a speculative 35-yard free kick that Evans backtracked to catch. For the next few minutes Bath pressed hard to claim a third successive win over the Saints.
Ben Martin continued his good form with a superb intervention as Connolly looked to free Darren Edwards, but Frater was less comfortable as his sliced clearance from a Connolly cross went just wide of the home goal while Bath went even closer with a clever free-kick routine on 79 minutes.
As Bath gathered en mass to the right of the City penalty area Lewis Hogg hammered a fine effort towards the near post only for the ball to veer a yard or so away from the target.
Having been forced to defend for a spell City hit back with devastating effect on 82 minutes to claim the points with the type of clinical finishing that had proved beyond them in recent matches. Fisher firmly headed away a cross from the Bath that was seized upon down the City right by Cohen.
After initially dithering inside his own half Cohen gathered momentum and left Romans skipper Jim Rollo sprawling on the turf before crossing to around eight yards from Evans goal where Hakim dived to send a crisp header through the falling keeper's arms for his fifth goal of the season.
Behind for the first time, Bath fought hard to deny the Saints a fifth successive win, something not achieved since December/January 2005-06. After a frantic scramble inside the penalty area, Bastock saved high to his left from Simpson and in the fourth minute of added time the City keeper was in the right spot to hold a close range header from Gilroy. |
