As ludicrous as it may seem St Albans City could well have spent Saturday night looking forward to the draw for the First Round Proper of the FA Trophy rather than trudging back to Hertfordshire reflecting on a 6-0 drubbing received at the hands of three-times Trophy winners Woking.

Looking for a second win at Kingfield inside 11 days the Saints dominated the early stages and ought to have built a substantial lead within the opening 20 minutes. But when not one of seven chances created had been accepted there was a danger that the Cardinals would sense that this was to be their day.

And so it proved as Graham Baker’s side more than doubled their tally of home goals scored this season and handed the Saints their heaviest FA Trophy defeat for 23 years.

City boss Steve Castle brought in 19-year-old goalkeeper Michael Emery to cover for the suspended Paul Bastock while Alex Bailey made way in midfield for the return of James Fisher after suspension.

It was felt that Woking fielded a weakened side for the recent league game between the two sides and at the weekend the Cards starting XI showed six changes from the side that was beaten by St Albans last time out.

Amongst the alterations was a debut for new signing Trevor Benjamin, for whom Woking is the 24th club of the former Leicester City striker’s career.

But whatever changes the Cards made it appeared likely to make little difference to the outcome as City began confidently and soon had Woking in retreat.

After Benjamin put a header wide of the City goal the Saints took charge. Midfield general Godfrey Poku fired wide of Ross Worner’s goal with a decent effort from 25 yards while Gary Cohen, cutting in from the City right, forced the keeper to save low down.

Fisher was heavily involved early on and sent Drew Roberts away down the right only for his shot to clip the roof of the stand on its way out of the ground.

Another chance went begging when Fisher crossed from the City right but Jonathan O’Donnell, looking for his first goal for the club, was crowded out in the penalty area and sent a tame effort through to Worner.

St Albans maintained the pressure when winning the first corner of the match but nothing was forthcoming from that set piece and four free kicks close to the penalty area also failed to force Worner into a save let alone produce a goal.

Still City flowed forward with Solomon Shields passing to Fisher then continuing his run to meet the return inside the penalty area only to fire wide of the target. It was hard believe that just 16 minutes had elapsed when Fisher met a Roberts free kick and headed over the crossbar.

Woking were not only struggling to contain City’s repeated attacks but could make little headway against a Saints defence in which left-back Peter Smith was quite brilliant.

But, on 20 minutes, City’s world fell apart to a cruel goal.

A Giuseppe Sole corner was cleared away from the penalty area only for a Harry Arter shot, which was going wide, to take a wicked deflection off the blameless James Quilter and loop high to Emery’s left and inside the post for the opening goal.

In an instance the game had changed and the Cards, four games without a goal and with just four goals at Kingfield all season, grew in confidence.

Mark Ricketts poked an effort just wide after Sole had skipper past Quilter, and Emery saved a crisp half volley from Sole after Benjamin had chested down a pass from Arter.

City rallied on 44 minutes with Smith winning the ball and surging down the left flank to receive Shields through ball only for his low cross to skim across the face of Worner’s goal with no City forwards able to apply the killer touch.

From the ensuing goal kick Woking strengthened their position with Moses Ademola afforded ample space to turn on the edge of the penalty area and neatly chip the ball over the out of position Emery for a well-executed second goal.

As light first half rain was replaced by a downpour at the start of the second period so the goals too began to flow as Woking scored their third two minutes after the restart.

Ricky Anane went on a powerful run down the Woking right and along the City goalline before cutting the ball back to Jamie Hand.

Emery did well to beat out Hand’s drive but was helpless to stop Anane from drilling in the rebound.

The Cards were now rampant and City looked on course for a drubbing of considerable proportions. Justin Clayton did well to block an Ademola cross for a corner but there was still an anxious moment for the Saints to contend with as Emery weakly punched Sole’s corner back across the face of his own goal.

A chance went begging for City when Frater challenged for a deep Poku free kick with Clayton hammering the loose ball high over the goal. Frater required lengthy treatment after taking a whack to the face when challenging for the free kick.

The Saints were again off target when substitute Lamine Sagna, scorer of the winning goal at Kingfield earlier in the month, miscontrolled a through ball from Shields but quickly regained his composure to send the ball whistling just wide of the home goal.

And City’s last real hope of salvaging something disappeared when Roberts, sent scampering down the right by Quilter, skipped inside two defenders only to see his low drive, which was drifting narrowly wide, easily gathered by Worner.

At the other end of the pitch Woking still looked likely to add to their tally. A cross by Nicky Nicolau ended with Benjamin sending a fine overhead effort just over the bar while Sole had a headed goal disallowed following a two-handed push on Quilter.

On 61 minutes the Cards did add a fourth goal but again it was a piece of dreadful misfortune for the Saints as Benjamin’s header from an Ademola cross was bundled into the City goal by the unfortunate Frater.

Five minutes later and Ademola was again the creator as from his low cross from the Cards right Arter crashed the ball past Emery from ten yards.

With so much time still remaining the mood of the visitors matched the stormy Surrey skies and referee Ben Knight, whose performance lacked consistency, did little to aid their growing gloom.

The Waterlooville-based match official blew his whistle excitedly when Arter, despite appearing not to have been touched, fell dramatically to the ground.

Referee Knight called the already cautioned Shields towards him when, quite clearly, Poku was the City player he should have been looking for.

It was only after furious protests from an enraged posse of City players, and generous persuasion by several Woking players, that Knight was finally convinced that he had got the wrong man and Shields should stay on the pitch.

The stay of execution simply allowed Shields to witness the sixth Woking goal in the 90th minute.

Emery almost prevented the goal that equalled City’s biggest defeat in the competition when he did well to save from Hand following Arter’s powerful run but the young keeper could do nothing to stop Sole from planting the rebound into the St Albans net.

Woking: R.Worner, R.Anane, N.Nicolau, M.Ricketts, T.Hutchinson (A.Thomas 68), T.Sinclair, J.Hand, H.Arter, T.Benjamin (M.Bryant 76), M.Ademola (L.Medley 68), G.Sole, subs; S.Sloma, M.Pegler.

St Albans City: M.Emery, J.Quilter, P.Smith, G.Poku, J.Clayton, R.Frater, J.Fisher, S.Shields, G.Cohen, D.Roberts, J.O’Donnell (L.Sagna 52), subs; M.Peters, A.Bailey, C.Mortimer, A.McWeeney.

Goals: 1-0 Own goal 20, 2-0 Ademola 44, 3-0 Anane 47, 4-0 Own goal 61, 5-0 Arter 66, 6-0 Sole 90.

Booked: Anane, Hand, Shields, Smith, Roberts.

Referee: Ben Knight (Waterlooville).

Att: 823.