Robbie Simpson's first goal at Clarence Park for four and a half years carried St Albans City to a hard earned sixth consecutive victory on Saturday but it was not enough to satisfy City manager John Kendall who clearly has no intention of letting his side sit back on what is already the clubs joint-best winning run for eight years.
Kendall's disappointment with Saturday's performance is easy to understand as Harrow Borough, themselves enjoying their best undefeated run in the Ryman League for many a year - eight matches - were the more cohesive side in the most difficult of conditions but despite controlling the game for long stretches Eddie Stein's side could not penetrate a defence which extended its unblemished Premier Division run to 334 minutes.
Without doubt it was St Albans who created the better chances and while Harrow can justly claim to have bossed much of the game they could not have argued had City ran in four or five goals. That said this was not a match to savour as a strong wind running straight down the pitch carrying with it almost incessant rain, made it awkward for either side to take full control.
Facing into the wind during the opening 45 minutes, Harrow should have gone ahead inside three minutes only for Nikyolai Lund to squander a free header from a Frank McCormack cross. City's response was far from swift as their midfield struggled to get a grip on proceedings but on 24 minutes Chris Piper set off on a characteristic foray across the park before playing the ball out to David Pratt who rode one challenge before crossing only for Amara Simba to head well wide. Just after the half hour Peter Risley, playing a league match for the first time in two months, began a move down the left and ended it with a rasping drive across the face of David Hook's goal.
Three minutes later City's best move of the match, this time down the right flank, saw David Pratt and Simba create space for Gary Ansell to run through and beat Hook with a neat chip only for the ball to drift just wide of the far post. Five minutes from the break a good through ball by Lund sent Gabby Williams away but City keeper Richard Hurst was out smartly to deny the striker his first goal for the visitors.
Saints began the second half in very positive fashion and could have gone ahead inside a minute. Danny Jones intercepted a square Harrow pass and ran into the penalty area where his low drive was well blocked by Hook's ample frame. The ball spun out to Ansell whose shot went through the legs of one defender before being cleared off the line by Andy Rose. Shortly after, Ansell sent a rising effort just over the top from the edge of the penalty area following a delightful turn and pass by Piper.
Piper, though, blotted his copybook on 57 minutes when shooting weakly into the side-netting after drawing Hook from his goal following excellent approach play by Jones. At the opposite end of the pitch Hurst continued his run of good form with a solid punch to clear a dangerous Otis Roberts cross and the former Kingstonian custodian also did well to smother the ball as former City Reserve team player Hasan Oktay tried to tee-up Lund.
As the strength of the rain intensified a goalless outcome seemed inevitable, especially after City substitute Simpson somehow beat both Danny Nwaokolo and Hook in a confined space by the goalline before slipping the ball into the goalmouth where it was whacked to safety.
But in the 87th minute the Saints made sure of their fourth successive league win. Piper once again ran at the visitors from a deep position before laying a good ball out to Spencer Knight whose goalbound shot was tipped away by the full stretch Hook. Before the ball could roll out of play Ansell knocked it back into the goalmouth and was up to challenge Hook after it deflected high off a defender. Ansell won the battle and the ball fell nicely for Simpson to volley home from a couple of yards out for his first goal at the Park since scoring for Tottenham Reserves in April 1996. |
