St Albans City returned home on Saturday night after completing a fifth visit to Twerton Park without scoring and, given how woeful they were in going down 2-0 to a Bath City side beaten 7-1 just a week earlier, it could be some time before they again find the target in Conference South.
Honours were fairly even during an opening 45 minutes desperately lacking in good passing football but after the break it went completely wrong for the Saints.
Bath went ahead within a minute of the restart and during the final 20 minutes should really have handed out the thrashing that the visitors second half showing deserved.
Bath made a couple of changes to the side crushed at East Thurrock United, leading scorer Dave Pratt was one of the victims after going four games without a goal.
St Albans stood down Tom Ward, James Kaloczi and Lee Clarke, as Darren Locke, Sam Corcoran and John Frendo returned.
Frendo, who missed City’s cup defeat to Concord Rangers due to jetting off to Spain to watch Real Madrid play Barcelona, had one clear opportunity to get the fans back on his side by scoring but failed to hit the target.
Whilst Frendo was no worse than those around him, seldom did he look likely to end his leanest run with St Albans, which now extends to six games without a goal and scoring in just one of his past ten appearances.
Bath started the brighter of the two sides with the lively Ross Stearn firing over and Nick McCootie bursting into the penalty area and pulling a fingertip save out of Joe Welch with a powerful rising effort.
The play evened out during the remainder of the half with the Saints first threatening on 20 minutes with a crisp drive from outside the penalty area by Lee Chappell that went narrowly wide.
James Comley sent a tame effort through to home keeper Jason Mellor who then had to move a bit more sharply to collect a shot from Corcoran that changed direction when deflecting off Frendo.
Saints joint-manager James Gray was happy to go in goalless at the interval with the aim being to push on after the break.
Unfortunately for St Albans, the Romans had the same intentions and when the Saints failed to clear a throw-in from the Bath left, Andy Watkins was afforded space to send a perfect cross to the back post where Stearn leapt above Chappell to head in the opening goal on 46 minutes.
Creating much of penetration in open play has become a problem for the Saints in recent weeks and that their best chance of the afternoon, on 68 minutes, came from a throw-in was of little surprise.
Chappell’s throw into the heart of the penalty area was glanced on to the back post where Frendo hammered the falling ball downwards then looked stunned as it bounced up and over the home goal.
Three minutes later St Albans made an attacking substitution when withdrawing central defender Locke and sending Clarke on to partner Frendo.
But it was Bath who were the most threatening side during the final 20 minutes and should really have won by a more conclusive margin.
Stearn, who provided the threat from the flanks that was beyond City’s wide men on the day, was denied when Welch made an excellent full length save away to his left following a well struck free kick.
The Saints had a let off when John Kyriacou stumbled inside his own penalty area but just managed to recover before McCootie could pounce.
But by now the Saints were reeling and chances continued to come for Bath as Stearn shot wide and McCootie just failed to turn in a cross.
When McCootie squandered a completely free header from Frankie Artus’s cross on 84 minutes he was replaced by Pratt, who received a rousing reception from the home support.
It was a move that proved costly for the Saints as three minutes later Watkins stormed past Kyriacou and sent over the ideal cross for Pratt to delicately glance the ball wide of Welch for his tenth goal of the season.
St Albans are back in cup action on Monday, 3rd November, when Cheshunt are the visitors to Clarence Park in the 1st Round of the Herts Senior Cup.
Saints supporters present at Bath expressed more than a little surprise that the club is not offering reduced admission prices for the Cheshunt game, with adults being charged the normal £15 seen for Conference South matches.
Kick off is at 7.45pm. |
