Fisher Athletic, bottom of Blue Square South, were swept aside at Champion Hill on Saturday as St Albans City extended their undefeated run to a fifth game with a four-goal second half salvo that included a brace for Simon Martin on the day the striker moved into the Top Twenty list of all time City appearances.
Former City Youth player Martin, who made his First team debut 13 years ago, ended a barren spell of more than four months since his last league goal with two clinical finishes to round off a comprehensive City victory.
But maybe the accolades should be heading towards the other end of the pitch as the City defence not only kept its fifth successive clean sheet but it is now more than four and a half games since an opposing side even managed as much as a shot on target against Steve Castle’s rejuvenated Saints.
Goalkeeper Lee Butcher, brought in on loan from Tottenham Hotspur as cover while Paul Bastock recovers from his fractured eye socket injury, has had little chance to gain experience as he still awaits the opportunity to make a save two games after making his debut.
Castle made just one change from the side that held champions-elect AFC Wimbledon in midweek with Ben Martin returning in place of Hector Mackie who is serving a one-match ban after being dismissed whilst playing for Haringey Borough.
With the captain re-installed to join the excellent James Quilter in the middle of the defence, Scott Cousins reverted to his preferred left back position and Alex Bailey reclaimed the right back slot. This allowed Hassan Sulaiman to move to the right of the midfield while Jonathan Hunt, who was in superb form, held the opposite flank.
Hunt was not alone in catching the eye as young Solomon Shields once again played a leading role. The 19-year-old central midfielder never wasted a single pass and is showing an excellent temperament now that he has grown accustomed to Conference South football.
The pitch at the home of Dulwich Hamlet is showing all the hallmarks of a surface that has to cope with the demands of two sides playing home matches on it. Close on half of the playing area was bereft of grass, something that contributed to more than the occasional bobble.
Fisher, fielding a fully amateur side, went into the match on the back of a 1-0 win over Bath City, it was a result that ended a staggering run of 16 straight defeats. Twice within the opening 11 minutes Dave Mehmet’s side could have moved closer to chalking up a second successive victory.
On six minutes defender Cedric Abraham, the Fisher captain, launched a long ball that saw Wayne Grant speed away from the City defence but with just Butcher to beat the striker sliced his shot a good 15 yards wide of the target.
Possibly encouraged by the way in which route one football opened City up, Marc Talbot replicated the move on 11 minutes with his long kick sending Carlton Murray-Price away, but again a rushed shot bounced harmlessly wide of Butcher’s left hand upright.
City hit back with Paul Hakim winning the first corner of the match a minute later. Hunt played the ball short to Shields and, after receiving a return pass, clipped an in-swinging cross towards the back post that Hakim rose to meet but surprisingly missed.
As if to prove that they could be as inept as the home side in front of goal another clear opening went begging when Sulaiman scuffed a shot wide from a good position after being set up by Hakim.
City looked set to take control of the game at this point but chances continued to go begging as Cohen just failed to latch onto a ball across the face of the goal by James Fisher, while Hakim headed narrowly wide from a Hunt free kick.
Fisher’s early threat diminished as the game moved on but on 38 minutes Seb Schoburgh turned swiftly inside the penalty area and fired across Butcher but, unfortunately, also wide of the far post.
Seconds later home keeper Stuart Robinson did well to turn aside a shot by Hakim, created by Shields, that was not as clean as City’s leading marksman would have liked due to the uneven pitch. And as St Albans hankered an interval lead both Hunt and Fisher had shots charged down.
The second half must rank as one of Athletic’s poorest of a desperately unhappy campaign as City had 16 attempts on goal compared to the home sides zero. The corner count was also somewhat in City’s favour at nine to one.
Thirteen minutes had passed with little of note occurring before the tide turned dramatically in City’s favour. Sulaiman began an attack down the City right with a short pass inside to Shields who allowed Sulaiman to continue his run with pass towards the goalline.
Sulaiman sent a low cross into the goalmouth that Cohen again to failed connect with but Hunt, coming in at the back post, gleefully tucked away his seventh goal of the season.
A minute later Fisher sent a half volley wide of the goal and on 61 minutes Cohen, receiving a short corner from Hunt, cut into the penalty area and from an acute angle had two quick fire shots parried by Robinson, with the second landing on top of the crossbar.
On 63 minutes the game was effectively put out of the south London clubs reach as Ben Martin beat Robinson to City’s sixth corner of the half, swung in from the right by Hunt, to head home his fifth goal of the season.
With the game just about safe Castle took the opportunity to give a run out to players short of First team football in recent weeks. On 72 minutes Simon Martin and Adam Everitt replaced Cohen and Cousins, the latter was having a particularly good afternoon. Shortly after, Ryan Frater replaced Quilter.
Martin, playing his 253rd game for the Saints yet his first for St Albans at Champion Hill, took just three minutes to put his imprint on the game. Hunt sent a glorious ball down the right side of the home defence that Martin, with his first touch, guided under the advancing Robinson to put City three up.
For once City were increasing their tally without relying on Hakim whose frustrating afternoon continued with a blocked shot that deflected just over the bar, and another effort into the side netting.
Simon Martin crowned his memorable day by scoring City’s fourth goal with a splendid close-range diving header from a Fisher cross. And Fisher himself, a born again Saint since moving into the midfield from right back, was only denied a goal when Robison did well to beat over the bar his fierce volley from Hakim’s clever chipped pass.
Four minutes into added time Athletic finally won their first corner of the game and in cleanly catching Schoburgh’s deep cross Butcher was delighted to be called, a tad belatedly, into action.
The day could hardly have gone more smoothly for Castle but at 16 points away from the play-offs and 16 points clear of the relegation zone St Albans are very much in midtable.
Of more interest to the manager will be the return to action of Everitt and Frater as he contemplates having almost his full squad to choose from ahead of next Saturday’s visit to Clarence Park by Newport County. In the meantime he also has to find some training facilities by Monday evening after an electrical fault wiped out the Clarence Park floodlights. |
