St Albans City enjoyed a rare clear run around the M25 on Saturday but little else went right for Ian Allinson’s Saints, as title favourites Ebbsfleet United ripped them apart with three early goals at Stonebridge Road en route to a 3-1 National League South victory.

Just for good measure defender Tom Bender picked up City’s fifth red card of the season.

Bender’s dismissal was harsh, as it was nothing more than a mistimed tackle when attempting to get the ball from Anthony Cook when the Fleet defender was running at full tilt. It was particularly galling for Bender as, up until that incident, the City left-back had been just about the best player on the pitch.

With a dozen goals in their three previous matches Daryl McMahon’s expensively assembled Fleet side went into the game in rich form but still made three changes from the starting XI that shoved AFC Sudbury out of the FA Cup the previous weekend.

Included in the Fleet side was former Saint Sean Shields.

City went one better with Allinson making four changes from the side that won at Dereham with Ben Herd (injured), Darren Locke, Shaun Lucien and Sam Merson all being stood down.

George Casey came in at right-back while Ryan Johnson, who it later emerged was not fully fit, stepped into the centre of the backline, with Matt Ball coming into the midfield and Dipo Akinyemi to the attack.

City’s demise though had been in little doubt from as early as the eighth second when Ebbsfleet opened the scoring – and this after St Albans had taken the initial kick-off .

Louie Theophanous got proceedings underway by tapping the ball to Ball who ran into the Fleet half.

The midfielder appeared to be fouled by Jack Powell but referee Sam Purkiss, who had a decent game, ignored Ball’s appeal and the ball ran to Sam Deering.

The former Whitehawk player moved forward and from a couple of yards inside the City half launched a quite brilliant right-footed shot that sailed over City ‘keeper James Russell and did not touch land again until crossing the goalline.

It is believed to the quickest goal ever conceded by St Albans but it was a setback from which they should have recovered.

City looked to have regained their composure immediately and from a slick eight-pass move created space for Ball to cross low into the home penalty area.

Reiss Greenidge made a hash of his attempted clearance and presented the ball straight to Akinyemi but the unmarked striker completely scuffed the shot with his weaker left-foot and Ebbsfleet had been let off the hook.

The game had still to reach the fifth minute when Ebbsfleet so nearly added a second goal.

Deering intercepted a pass by Josh Hill and, from the left, slid a good pass into the path of Darren McQueen who, first time, touched it inside to the tireless Stuart Lewis whose first time shot was deflected wide by the legs of the diving Russell.

City survived the resulting corner and from a corner of their own, that was headed back out to David Noble, Johnson headed over.

The Fleet were in irrepressible form going forward and St Albans were undone for a second time on 15 minutes.

Hill beat McQueen to head the ball away but it went only as far as Lewis who sent a well-weighted pass wide of the central defender for McQueen to race clear and neatly fire low to the right of Russell for his fifth goal of the season.

Seven minutes later and a rout looked to be unfolding as the Kent side moved into a three-goal lead.

There appeared to be little danger when Johnson cut out a through ball intended for McQueen.

But things started to go wrong when Russell played Johnson’s back pass out to Hill whose pass to Scott Thomas appeared unwise due to the midfielder having Deering breathing down his neck.

And so it proved as Deering nipped in to gain possession and exchange passes with Danny Kedwell before beating Russell with an excellent right-footed angled drive across the City custodian.

The match was all but over as a contest but St Albans did create chances, but of their eight first half attempts on goal only one forced home keeper Nathan Ashmore into making a save.

Theophanous touched wide a cross by Lee Chappell while Akinyemi, after a header into the goalmouth by Bender following a Ball corner, headed over from close in.

Bender, who got forward with regularity and to good effect, set up Ball from one such run but the former Wealdstone’s player’s shot from 20 yards flashed narrowly wide.

City continued to pose a threat with Chappell heading over after Ashmore got little distance on a punched clearance, and Akinyemi, breaking with purpose after collecting the ball on the halfway line, shot high and wide.

In between these threats to the home goal Ebbsfleet went close to adding a fourth when Kedwell headed on a long kick by Ashmore and sent McQueen clear only for his shot to be well saved by Russell.

Maybe it was not too surprising but the second half failed to live up to the goalmouth drama of the opening 45 minutes but any complacency that may have seeped into Ebbsfleet’s game was kicked out when City reduced the arrears with a fine goal on 58 minutes.

St Albans played the ball from the back from Russell to Hill to Johnson whose ball down the left was too long for Bender but with an excellent tackle Bender regained possession and found Theophanous.

City’s leading scorer played the ball to his right to Akinyemi who, with space aplenty, shifted onto his right foot and, from 25 yards, unleashed a powerful effort that clipped the left hand of Ashmore on its way into the back of the net.

For a while the play became open and exciting with City pushing to get right back into the game and United looking to re-establish a significant lead.

But Akinyemi’s third goal of the campaign was as good as it got for the visitors and only an offside flag denied Kedwell from claiming a fourth goal following an excellent cross by Cook.

Any hope that City retained of salvaging something from the game disappeared with Bender’s unfortunate departure.

Ebbsfleet’s attack gained greater potency in added time when Charlie Sheringham came on for young McQueen – this led to the game finishing with the sons of both Teddy Sheringham and Paul Merson being on the same pitch.

Sheringham flashed a shot just over the City goal and showed his quality when taking a Kedwell header on his chest and laying the ball off to Deering.

Deering, sensing a hat-trick, rolled a low cross-shot wide of the back post when a cut-back would have presented either Sheringham or Cook with a simple tap-in.

Ebbsfleet’s victory lifts them into fourth place while City slide out of the play-off places down to sixth.

League football takes a backseat next Saturday, 1st October, as St Albans City welcome Isthmian League Premier Division side Worthing to Clarence Park in the 3rd Round Qualifying of the FA Cup.

Following a 3-0 defeat at Billericay Town on Saturday Worthing currently sit in 16th position in the 24-team Division.

Kick-off is at 3pm.

Ebbsfleet United: N.Ashmore, A.Cook, S.Shields (J.Connors 66), M.Phillips, M.McCoy, R.Greenidge, S.Lewis, S.Deering, D.Kedwell, D.McQueen (C.Sheringham 90), J.Powell (D.Rance 66), subs not used: J.Miles, JP Kissock.

Booked: Phillips.

St Albans City: J.Russell, G.Casey (S.Merson 79), T.Bender, L.Chappell, R.Johnson, J.Hill, M.Ball (S.Lucien 60), Sc.Thomas, L.Theophanous, D.Akinyemi (R.Hoenes 64), D.Noble, subs not used: D.Locke, B.Herd.

Booked: Noble.

Dismissed: Bender.

Goals: 1 1-0 Deering, 15 2-0 McQueen, 22 3-0 Deering, 58 3-1 Akinyemi.

Referee: Sam Purkiss (Highbury).

Att: 1,039.