After several weeks of moving towards National League South safety on the back of spectacular goals it was the scrappiest of plundered goals and quite superb defending that secured a massive 1-0 victory for St Albans City over promotion-chasing Maidenhead United at York Road on Saturday.

Just four weeks after seeing off lodgers Hayes & Yeading United at York Road with a dominant performance, St Albans bared their teeth with probably their best defensive performance of the season to dent Maidenhead’s play-off push.

Saints boss Ian Allinson admitted that his side rode their luck at times, but given the number of crucial interventions, tackles and headers that the four players immediately in front of goalkeeper Joe Welch made, it was richly deserved good fortune.

City showed one change from the starting XI that lost to Maidstone the previous weekend, with Scott Thomas coming in at right-back for the dropped Ugo Udoji.

Thomas justified the faith shown in him by his former manager at Boreham Wood by putting on his best show since joining St Albans last summer.

Ben Martin used his vast experience to organise the backline, Eddie Oshodi was calmness personified while the often maligned Tom Bender recovered from a difficult start to nullify United’s threat from the right flank.

St Albans’ belief in their ability to stave off the drop will be boosted considerably from this win but overall this was not a match to savour.

The opening 45 minutes were poor while much of the second period saw the Saints defending in numbers as the Magpies sought to strengthen the best home record in the Division.

On a surprisingly chilly afternoon in Berkshire St Albans played up the slope and into the wind for the first half and created precious little of note.

But City’s defensive strength soon became evident as Oshodi moved across swiftly to put the ball out for a corner as United’s lively diminutive striker Dave Tarpey threatened to burst clear.

The game livened up on 15 minutes when Welch saved a tame effort from Christian Smith and launched a counter-attack with a long kick that sent Louie Theophanous scampering away but his low cross was just a touch too far ahead of fellow striker Charlie MacDonald.

United looked set to take the lead on the half hour with just about the most fluid move of a scrappy game.

Josh Huggins ran at the City defence before laying the ball out to James Mulley on the right.

Mulley played the ball back to Ryan Upward who cushioned a pass into the box to Huggins whose quick turn left Martin flat on the turf. Jake Reid looked certain to turn in Huggins low cross to the back post only for Thomas to step in and whack the ball to safety.

After Thalassitis and Theophanous both put shots out of the ground Tarpey tested Welch again with an effort well-struck but straight at the City keeper.

Thalassitis, after a surging run from the City left, fired narrowly wide before Welch had to be watchful to collect a Tarpey free kick that bounced its way through a crowded penalty area.

Another promising United move down their right just before the break again had City stretched but once more excellent defending, this time by Bender, cut out Mulley’s attempted drag-back to the free Huggins.

A point away to the fifth placed Magpies, having already beaten them at Clarence Park, would not have been a bad day for the Saints but City started the second half looking for a goal that would heap more pressure on a cluster of clubs involved in a gripping relegation battle.

City won a corner just three minutes after the restart, and when Sam Corcoran’s set-piece was returned to him the Saints skipper sent the ball deep beyond the back post to where MacDonald hammered a half volley across the face of the goal and Theophanous could do no more than divert the ball wide of the target.

A long throw by Lee Chappell caused United problems when ‘keeper Carl Pentney failed to collect and City maintained the pressure when Thalassitis and MacDonald worked the ball back from the goalline to the edge of the penalty area, where Corcoran’s controlled shot with his right instep flew past Pentney and thudded into the upright.

MacDonald was quickly onto the rebound but his follow up effort went a couple of yards wide of the target.

But after starting the half on the back foot Devonshire’s side soon regained the initiative and hammered away at the City goal.

Bender’s fortunes dipped when he was cautioned for holding Mulley and from the ensuing free-kick, clipped in left-footed from the United right by Harry Pritchard, the City defender headed high past Welch into his own net but was saved by an offside flag against possibly a brace of Magpies.

Thoughts of City completing their first double over Maidenhead in six years were fading fast and hanging on for a point looked to be the order of the day as Reid went perilously close with a header, Smith fired just over with a long range effort and then Huggins, teed up by Upward’s delightful pass, was thwarted as Welch spread himself at the cost of a corner.

Reid, scorer of a midweek hat-trick against Whitehawk, was determined to increase his position as United’s leading goalscorer but a shot from 18 yards was cleanly caught by the diving Welch.

City eased the pressure with a move down the left that ended with Thalassitis playing the ball inside to Corcoran whose crisp drive went only just the wrong side of the target.

City’s stubborn resistance looked to have finally been breached nine minutes from time when Smith headed the ball forward and substitute Ben Wright hooked a clever between Oshodi and Martin.

Reid broke into the penalty area and shot left-footed across Welch but the City custodian got the faintest of touches with his outstretched left hand to turn the ball around the post.

The importance of that save became clear just two minutes later when former Stevenage player Thalassitis scored his first goal on away soil.

At hardly any time in the move that clinched victory did a goal look to be on the cards, yet with sheer dogged determination Thalassitis may well have secured himself a place in St Albans folklore.

United looked to be starting a promising move of their own when Thomas got the better of Tarpey and helped the ball onto Anderson.

The on-loan Peterborough winger had struggled to make an impact until now and again his chance was gone when Magpies skipper Alan Massey blocked his run.

The ball ran to Maidenhead left-back Rene Steer whose attempted clearance went square along the top of the penalty area to Thalassitis.

Initially sent wide, Thalassitis came back inside and after getting two favourable ricochets off United players Upward and Huggins, he rode a mistimed tackle by Massey.

The ball then ran through the legs of Steer and the City striker stretched to cut a right-footed shot low through the legs of the diving Pentney; fortune favoured the brave.

St Albans saw out the remaining seven minutes, plus four of added time, in relative comfort to gain a third consecutive away victory, something last achieved at this level eight years ago.

In spite of winning for the sixth time in eight games City remain just one place off the foot of the National League South table but are now just one point adrift of both Hayes and Havant, with the latter to visit Clarence Park next Saturday.

Prior to then the Saints demanding end of season run-in takes them to Hemel Hempstead Town this coming Tuesday, 12th April. Courtesy of City’s win at Maidenhead, and their own win at Eastbourne, the Tudors climbed into a play-off position on Saturday.

Kick-off at Vauxhall Road is at 7.45pm.

Maidenhead United: C.Pentney, J.Huggins, R.Steer, R.Upward, A.Massey, D.Inman, J.Mulley (B.Wright 79), C.Smith, J.Reid, D.Tarpey, H.Pritchard, unused subs: M.Nisbet, G.James, K.Forbes, K.Wiltshire.

St Albans City: J.Welch, Sc Thomas, T.Bender, M.Thalassitis, E.Oshodi, B.Martin, H.Anderson (D.Green 88), S.Corcoran, L.Theophanous, C.MacDonald (B.Gibson 68), L.Chappell, subs not used: D.Locke, A.Iweduino, E.Udoji.

Booked: Bender.

Goal: 83 0-1 Thalassitis.

Referee: Sam Purkiss (Highbury).

Att: 567.