The remarkable transformation of St Albans City since the arrival of John Kendall as manager surely reached its zenith at the weekend as the Saints destroyed Dr Martens League side Bashley with a stunning performance deep in the heart of the New Forest.
Looking at the large masses of sitting water throughout the New Forest on the way to the Recreation Ground it was clear that the playing surface was going to be heavy but to Bashley's credit the pitch, although difficult in patches, was in as good a condition as could have been wished. During the opening 45 minutes City attacked down the slight slope with the half Bashley defending being the most saturated. After the interval City revelled in being able to go forward towards the firmer end of the pitch and with Spencer Knight and David Pratt running amok down either flank the visitors were simply unstoppable, the quality of City's football was absorbing.
Since defeating Salisbury City in the previous round, Bashley have lost two of their three games played and been without a match for two weeks due to the weather. City on the other hand had won nine of their previous ten games, the difference in confidence was evident from the off and the Saints took just four minutes to open the scoring. Knight played the ball out to Garry Cook who slipped it inside to Gary Wraight, as the former Stevenage player brought the ball down he was sent tumbling by Bash defender David Goss. Referee Gooding pointed to the penalty spot and with a rising drive to keeper Dean May's left Gary Ansell emphatically scored his first goal in seven games.
On ten minutes a headed goalline clearance by the robust Paul Masters denied Ansell a second goal while midway through the half City hinted at what was to come as Ansell, making light of the swamp like conditions in the middle of the park, lifted the ball out to Harvey who outstripped Simon James before crossing to the back post where Garry Cook seemed certain to score but, somewhat embarrassingly, placed a tame header wide of the target. Cook redeemed himself on 32 minutes when from Ansell's low pass across the penalty area the former Hereford midfielder cut the ball back to Knight whose clever step over created the space for Chris Piper to curl a perfect first time effort inside May's left hand post. Bashley's only serious threat on the City goal prior to the break saw a mass scramble end with David Pratt heading the ball away for a corner. By the interval it was evident that City's passing game and tireless running was getting the better of Bashley's more physical style but had the Forresters been able to pull a goal back soon after the restart then the outcome could have been in some doubt, as it was City simply ran riot. Inside 15 seconds the lead could have been extended and for the next 15 minutes City bossed the midfield and ran Bashley's defence rugged.
Piper had a header saved before he scored City's third goal in the 55th minute. Ansell and Harvey combined down the right, Knight controlled the deep cross and pulled the ball back to Gary Wraight whose shot was touched into the path of Piper by Pratt. City's top scorer stretched and looked on as his toe-poked effort trickled through the mud beyond May's desperate dive and over the line. Three minutes later Piper turned provider as he ran at Bashley from deep before passing wide to Ansell, after cutting inside one defender the striker coolly sent May the wrong way to stylishly claim his second of the afternoon. On the hour Wraight took possession as Masters lost his footing and advanced before beating May with a shot which deflected off Bash skipper Andy Darnton.
St Albans kept their foot on the accelerator and went close with a fine effort from Knight but the in-form winger was not to be denied for long and in the 70th minute his deft header from Harvey's left wing cross gave him his third goal in consecutive cup matches.
Still City were not finished and nine minutes from time Mark Rooney sent Pratt away down the right and with a calmly placed shot inside the near post he claimed his first goal of the season. Eight minutes later Ansell missed out on a hat-trick when his header from Knight's cross hit the woodwork while Bashley had the mild satisfaction of scoring the final goal of the day as Graeme Gee tucked home a rebound after Richard Hurst had used his legs to thwart Tony Diaz.
Report by David Tavener |
