St Albans City’s eight match unbeaten run was brought to an abrupt halt on Tuesday as Eastleigh strengthened their Blue Square South championship aspirations with a 3-0 victory at the Silverlake Stadium.
In fairness to the Saints they more than matched Ian Baird’s side terms of possession, but where as the Spitfires looked a genuine threat on the few occasions they got close to goal City were simply toothless anywhere near the penalty area.
The form of both sides going into the match could hardly have been better. City were unbeaten in eight, with just one goal conceded in that time, while the Hampshire side had lost just one of their previous 11 games and defeated league leaders AFC Wimbledon at the weekend.
A close game was in prospect, and so it proved, except in the vital area close to goal where Eastleigh were several levels above that of the Saints.
Injury to Jonathan Hunt forced City manager Steve Castle into one change from the draw at Thurrock with James Fisher returning to the midfield, while Gary Cohen replaced Simon Martin in attack. Eastleigh were unchanged from the weekend.
St Albans started in positive fashion with the ball being pushed around with confidence but the Spitfires almost snatched an early lead when Tony Taggart gave chase to Alex Bailey’s headed back pass that Lee Butcher grabbed just in time right on the edge of his penalty area.
Paul Hakim won the first corner of the match on six minutes, City went on to gain seven corners to Eastleigh’s three but such was the Spitfires defensive dominance that the Saints failed to turn a single one of them into an effort on target.
City, playing in front of one of their smallest ever away followings, continued to look threatening with Hassan Sulaiman having a shot blocked for a corner, while Hakim had a dangerous low cross well gathered by home keeper Jason Matthews.
But St Albans bright start was washed away through Eastleigh’s first serious attack on 13 minutes when the home side scored an excellent goal.
Jonny Dixon challenged Ben Martin to a high ball and touched a short pass to Taggart before peeling away from Martin to take the return pass and beat Butcher from 15 yards with a crisply struck low right-footed effort that went at pace across the City keeper and into the far, right hand, corner of the net.
Within a minute City could have been back on level terms when Scott Cousins’s excellent pass picked out Hakim who cut the ball low into the penalty only for it to be put behind for another City corner.
On 21 minutes Eastleigh moved into what already appeared to be an unassailable lead with a beautifully constructed and clinically finished second goal.
Peter Adeniyi and Dixon worked the ball out to the left to Ashley Carew whose perfect cross completely deceived Butcher and was headed home at the back post by the unattended Jamie Brown.
Five minutes from the break Dixon almost set up another goal with a good flick into the goalmouth that Taggart met with a diving header but Butcher did well to block.
Seconds later Butcher was in action again to save Carew’s well struck low drive after the former Barnet player cut in from the Spitfires left flank.
The half ended with City spurning an opportunity to reduce the arrears with Ben Martin’s header from a Cousins corner flying over the centre of the goal.
It was to be Cousins’ final contribution to the entertainment as Hector Mackie replaced him during the interval. Mackie went to the left of the midfield with Everitt taking Cousins place at left back.
Despite Eastleigh’s two goals the opening 45 minutes had been a low-key affair, lacking in excitement and flair but it was made to seem positively thrilling by a tedious and dull second half that was littered with five yellow cards.
Eastleigh made virtually certain of their first home win over the Saints at the fourth attempt with a generously awarded penalty on 59 minutes. Referee John Busby not only decided that Everitt had been climbing when contesting a header with Brown but also, amazingly, deemed it to be worthy of a yellow card.
Everitt’s misery was complete when Taggart swept home a prefect left-footed penalty low to Butcher’s left for his 12th league goal of the season.
St Albans were now on course for their heaviest Conference South defeat for more than 13 months, and in 46 minutes had conceded as many goals as in their previous nine matches.
Castle made further changes during the half with Simon Martin taking the place of Cohen while, for the final few minutes, Craig Mortimer replaced Solomon Shields who was nursing an injured left knee.
The match however, continued to plod along with Eastleigh dominating the important areas and City seeing plenty of the ball where, it could said, it did not matter.
Bailey, on 63 minutes, won the first corner of the second half. Mackie, who did his chances of a recall to the starting XI no harm at all, sent the corner into the centre of the penalty area where an off balance Everitt looped a header over the bar.
Ben Martin showed his frustration after being penalised for a foul on Matt Groves by shoving the former Dorchester Town striker to the ground and collected his tenth booking of the season in the process, ruling him out of the final two games of the campaign.
Another chance went begging for City on 72 minutes when James Quilter crossed to the back post where Everitt headed the ball back across the goalmouth where, crucially, no City strikers were to be seen.
Having scored from three of their previous five on-target efforts Eastleigh were denied a fourth goal on 79 minutes when Butcher dived to his left to push Brett Williams low effort out for a corner.
Having allowed precious little added time at the end of he first half, referee Busby added five minutes onto the second half during which time both sides almost notched a goal.
The impressive Adeniyi played a short ball up to Groves and drove the return pass just over the City goal from 18 yards. City hit back with Mackie attempting to send Simon Martin away only for Matthews to save bravely at the strikers feet as Baird’s side moved to within four points of AFC Wimbledon. |
