A combination of exceptional goalkeeping by Bedford Town’s Ian Brown and the predatory brilliance of striker Drew Roberts sent St Albans City spinning to their first Southern League defeat of the New Year on Saturday as the Eagles battled to a 2-1 victory at Clarence Park.
City made an unsuccessful attempt to prise Roberts away from Bedford and back to Clarence Park for a third spell earlier in the season and after seeing the Eagles leading marksman claim his 25th Premier Division goal of the season – and third against the Saints – it is not difficult to understand City’s desire to reclaim him.
But the foundation for Bedford’s victory was laid in the opposite goalmouth where Brown pulled off a string of quite superb saves and demonstrated impeccable handling in the face of some fine crosses from the home side.
City manager David Howell made two changes from the side that defeated Swindon Supermarine the previous week with former Saint Chris Seeby, following a spell in Dubai and then Slough Town, returning at right back, while Howard Newton, from Staines Town, replaced Dewayne Clarke on the right wing.
On a cold grey afternoon the football was frantic early on with neither side prepared to play a calm passing game.
City’s early threat came down the flanks with Newton looking particularly lively and it was only two excellent defensive headers by the impressive Bedford back line, following crosses by Newton and Sakho Bakare, that denied City clear efforts on goal.
Roberts gave warning of his intentions on 17 minutes when finding space as Max York crossed from the Eagles right but in stretching to reach the ball Roberts headed well off target.
Bedford, unbeaten in the three previous league games between the two clubs at Clarence Park, moved closer to extending that record with an exceptionally well-worked goal that involved eight passes to feet and a cool finish on 21 minutes.
Bedford moved forward down their right flank before James Hatch received York’s pass and laid it inside to Aaron James.
With an exquisite ball through the City defence, that Saints captain James Gray attempted to intercept only to miss, James sent Josh Beech clear to calmly clip home his first goal of the season over the diving Nick Jupp.
City looked to have drawn level three minutes later when a Nerada Bernard cross sailed over both Bakare and Simon Martin but was met with a goal-bound right-footed volley by Newton at the back post only for the diving Brown to pull off a stunning point blank save right on his goalline.
Bedford generally kept City away from the danger zone for the rest of the half and could have increased their lead when Jupp raced from his penalty area only to put Bernard under pressure with an unexpected pass.
The Eagles seized possession but after darting into the 18-yard box Gareth Price fired wide.
Brown was on hand to frustrate City again shortly before the interval when stretching to tip over the top a cracking drive from 25 yards by Bernard following a sweeping move across the pitch involving Newton, Martin and David Ijaha.
Bedford held the upper hand during the final 15 minutes of the opening half but City dominated for long stretches after the interval as they went in search of a fourth straight win.
Martin poked the ball wide inside the opening seconds as he sought to punish some rare slack defensive work by the Eagles and seconds later he cut the ball back into the path of Ryan Watts whose drive sailed way over the top.
City’s comeback was almost terminated on 54 minutes when Ollie Thorne glanced a York cross to his right only for Jupp to do well to beat the ball away.
Bakare created a chance out of virtually nothing when receiving Watts low pass on the edge of the penalty before flicking it up into the air and spinning to send a good effort into the goalmouth that Brown did well to hold.
Bakare continued to offer City’s best hope of getting back on level terms and on the hour a Newton cross appeared to have set up the equaliser but again Brown pulled off a fabulous save when clinging onto the Frenchman’s diving header.
With a decision that baffled many in the crowd of 463 Howell replaced his leading scorer, Bakare, with the experienced Paul Furlong on 64 minutes in a move that the City manager later acknowledged was not a success due to the former Chelsea striker not being at his sharpest after a recent lay off.
Brown’s stubborn resistance, however, was finally broken on 74 minutes but it took a central defender rather than a forward to pull City level.
Seeby, playing his first game for St Albans in three years, clipped a free kick into the Bedford penalty area that two Eagles defenders attempted to head clear but only put on a plate for Gray to drill a powerful right-footed effort to the right of Brown from 12 yards.
But just six minutes later and City were punished for not sticking close to Roberts.
Hatch crossed from the Town right and Roberts found sufficient space between Gray and Seeby to send a classy volley across the diving Jupp and inside his right hand upright.
As City pushed forward for a late equaliser Bedford counter-attacked with obvious menace.
Roberts burst clear before slicing a shot high and wide and moments later he broke away again and squared to Thorne whose poor first touch let City off the hook.
City’s final two chances came to nothing as wild efforts from Chris Henry, signed on Friday from Tonbridge Angels, and Micah Hyde saw the ball head for distant corners of the ground.
Prior to the match St Albans City played their part in the city-wide ‘Residents First Weekend’ with a very well received hour-long talk on the history of the club presented by City supporter Nick Moon. |
