By David Tavener
With a truly wretched second half performance at Church Road on Saturday St Albans City slipped to 2-1 defeat to Hayes & Yeading United and extended their dismal winless run in Blue Square South to a staggering 13th week.
City served up their better football during a promising opening 45 minutes but with a bewildering second half display Steve Castle's side completed a 12th successive game without victory.
And if City should produce any more performances of the ineptitude shown in the welcome spring sunshine in west London at the weekend then a return to the Isthmian League next season after five years away will become more a probability than possibility.
Castle made two changes from the side that drew at Bishop's Stortford with Adam Everitt ruled out due to a back injury, while Danny Charge is no longer with the club after City decided against extending his loan period.
Captain Ben Martin returned to the heart of the defence and James Fisher to right back having completed their respective one-match bans. Once again Martin was comfortably City's man of the match but also collected his seventh booking of the season along the way.
Hayes & Yeading United also showed two changes from the side that drew at Havant the previous weekend while Dale Binns made his home debut.
The start City made was as bright as the weather with Paul Hakim wining a corner within the opening 30 seconds. But the player to benefit most from the situation was Binns as he led a speedy counter-attack that ended with the well-travelled striker firing over Paul Bastock's goal.
Before the first ten minutes had elapsed former Saint Ram Marwa had tested Bastock with a volley that dipped viciously just in front of the keeper, while at the opposite end James Fisher headed wide from a Jonathan Hunt free kick.
Esmond James won United's first corner on 15 minutes and had Josh Scott made a firmer connection to the inswinging cross then the striker would surely have celebrated his 12th goal of the season.
The half was blighted by the amount of time the ball spent mingling with the high clouds and also the excessive use of referee Chris Miller's whistle. But strangely Mr Miller chose not to blow on 19 minutes when Scott, fed by Will Hendry, appeared to be pulled back by Martin with the ball running safely through to Bastock.
United skipper Tom Cadmore was harshly cautioned for a foul on Hassan Sulaiman on 24 minutes and from the ensuing free kick, swung in left-footed by Hunt, Fisher headed against the crossbar although home keeper Delroy Preddie appeared to get a touch despite a goal kick being awarded.
Ryan Frater's injury disrupted season took another turn for the worse on 28 minutes when a hamstring strain cut short his participation. It was anticipated that right back Chris Seeby would replace the stricken central defender with Fisher moving alongside Martin.
Instead, Castle sent on Simon Martin. The former Hayes front man joined Hakim in attack with Gary Cohen taken out of the attack and sent to the right of the midfield. Hassan Sulaiman dropped from that position to right back and then Fisher did indeed tuck inside.
City were just about coming out on top in the dour struggle but the side with the lowest away from home goals-for tally in the Division almost fell behind when Bastock needed two attempts to collect Steve Gregory's fine effort from 30 yards.
The half really came alive during its closing seven minutes. Simon Martin did well to muscle his way past Gary MacDonald and chipped a good ball into the path of Hunt whose header was well saved by the diving Preddie and scrambled away for a corner.
But it was Garry Haylock's side that broke the deadlock on 43 minutes when City failed to accept two chances to clear their lines by the corner flag. Matt Ruby slid the ball inside to Hendry and from his precise pass into the six-yard box Marwa ignored appeals for offside to tap his side ahead.
City's afternoon almost fell apart completely less than a minute later when Scott raced after Danny Allen-Page's through ball only to be tackled outside the penalty area by Bastock.
Although the football had been far from memorable it would have been an injustice for St Albans to trail at the interval and justice was served when an equaliser was chalked up just prior to the half time whistle.
Hunt sauntered down the City left flank and darted to the goalline before cutting a perfect pass into the path of Solomon Shields who calmly stroked the ball past Preddie. Shields debut goal capped a fine personal first half performance and his sprint of sheer glee back to the halfway line was a moment to treasure.
Preddie was none too pleased at conceding a goal so late in the half and as he came off the pitch he bellowed a four-letter expletive and hurled a bottle of water towards the tunnel area. Fortunately for the petulant keeper the missile did not strike any spectators.
But City's relief at getting level so quickly lasted barely three minutes into the second period. Fisher made an excellent tackle to concede a corner, but in the scramble that followed Binns dead ball kick Fisher headed the ball against his own crossbar and Ruby nodded in his first home league goal of the season.
In the ten minutes after the interval United laid siege to the City goal and the Saints, now with Quilter partnering Ben Martin and Fisher in midfield, were all at sea.
Bastock did well to palm over the top Hendry's deft flick and from another Binns corner Cadmore headed home but Ruby was penalised for a foul on Bastock.
On 55 minutes a suspiciously offside looking Scott raced clear but had his shot from 18-yards easily taken by Bastock. The sustained pressure eased as the half went on but City's complete lack of cohesion showed no sign of abating.
A good chance for United went begging when Scott, put through by Hendry, shot low against Bastock's right hand upright.
Midway through the half and City at last eased the pressure with Hakim doing well to win the ball and turn swiftly only for his shot from 20 yards to sail comfortably wide.
Twelve minutes from time City finally mustered an on-target shot when Hunt put the ball through to Fisher but his low shot lack the necessary strength to trouble Preddie.
City's well-recorded incompetence in front of goal on opposition soil was underlined on 81 minutes when MacDonald conceded a free kick, and was booked, for bringing down Cohen in full flight. As United pondered how many men to have in their wall Hunt skied his shot from 22 yards high over the home goal. |
