The first goal of the season for James Fisher and an exquisitely finished second by Gary Cohen deep into added time secured a 2-0 Blue Square South victory for St Albans City over high flying Basingstoke Town on Tuesday night.

City were good value for the three points but were still searching for that desperately needed cutting edge before Cohen popped up to settle the match with his first goal at the Park since March.

Steve Castle made two changes from the side that performed so poorly at Bromley at the weekend with Paul Bastock returned in goal in place of teenager Michael Emery, while Cohen came into the midfield in place of 18-year-old Jonathan O’Donnell.

Basingstoke manager Frank Gray stuck with the starting XI that drew with Welling United on Saturday and probably rued not starting with striker Jahson Downes who added genuine menace to an otherwise staid attack after coming off the bench.

City made an encouraging start with Peter Smith’s exciting runs down the left flank soon catching the eye. Inside four minutes a cross by the former Poole Town player was only just missed in front of goal by Lamine Sagna.

After that promising start the game lost its way with too many high balls but when City did get the ball on the deck they stretched a Basingstoke side looking to avoid its fifth successive reversal at Clarence Park.

Both sides had cause for concern when City skipper Ryan Frater and Town midfielder Jide Ogunbote collided on 17 minutes. Frater required prolonged treatment to a damaged shoulder but was able to see out the remainder of the game and was his normal dominant self.

City took the lead on 29 minutes with the only on target effort by either side before the interval.

Roberts, down the City left wing, played the ball back to Smith whose cross into the goalmouth was headed away from Sagna but only as far as Fisher who cracked the ball into the York Road net for only his second ever goal at the Park – the other was against Basingstoke last season.

Having got back his taste for goals Fisher had a second attempt later in the half but fired the ball high over Craig Atkinson’s goal.

Any threat offered by the visitors tended to come from long balls but City competently dealt with a visiting side that began the day in a play-off place and ended it at the foot of the current form table.

And any hope Stoke retained of getting back into the game faded in three minutes of madness by midfielder Steve Laidler. On 34 minutes he was cautioned for dissent by fussy referee Ian Rathbone and dismissed two minutes after catching Godfrey Poku as the two players raced at speed to gather a loose ball.

Playing wide on the left of the midfield Cohen was able to get forward with ease and one darting run to the edge of the penalty area led to the ball breaking loose to the industrious Poku whose shot comfortably cleared the target.

The half ended with Sagna collecting a needless booking for kicking the ball away long after being hauled up for offside.

St Albans began the second half clearly intent on taking the game away from their depleted visitors as quickly as possibly but a clear opening went unaccepted when Roberts clipped a fine cross into the six yard box that Sagna again failed to turn in.

City should have been fully punished on 62 minutes but were let off the hook by an astonishing miss by Town captain Robbie Rice.

City right-back James Quilter sought to shield the ball out for a goal kick but had it whipped off his toes by Ryan Stephens. David Pratt quickly slipped the ball square to Rice who, from six yards, somehow blazed the ball high over the home goal.

For City keeper Paul Bastock it was a moment to savour as he is still livid after being sent off at Basingstoke last month for an alleged foul on the Stoke skipper.

Sagna’s evening ended midway through the half as O’Donnell came off the bench, a move that allowed Cohen to return to the forward line.

Roberts quickly brought the teenager into the game with an excellent crossfield ball that O’Donnell controlled with his head before unleashing a crisp drive comfortably over the Hatfield Road goal.

But most of the drama came during the final ten minutes, extended to 15 by excessive added time.

On 80 minutes Roberts delightful pass sent Cohen into the penalty area. Cohen slipped the ball wide of the advancing Atkinson but had his run terminated as the Town keeper clattered into him.

Atkinson wisely stayed grounded for treatment for three minutes but must have been as surprised as the rest of the second smallest crowd for a match between the two clubs when he was only shown a yellow card.

And Atkinson’s joy did not end there as he then ended Roberts 100 percent penalty success rate by diving to his right to beat the resulting spot kick away.

Eager to make amends, Roberts was quickly back inside the penalty area to block a clearance from Atkinson but was unfortunate as the rebound allowed the keeper to collect before City’s leading scorer could pounce.

City looked as though they might yet pay for not finishing the game off when Downes tore through the middle of the pitch. Quilter stumbled as he tried to stay with the elusive Downes and brought the striker crashing down with him.

Possibly mindful that he had not sent off the Basingstoke keeper for a similar incident a few minutes earlier Mr Rathbone let Quilter off with just a yellow card. Former Saint Sean Hankin drove the ensuing free kick through the defensive wall but straight into Bastock’s arms.

Roberts, busy and a handful throughout, had the final say in the fifth minute of added time when he once again sent Cohen sprinting away and this time the City striker got both himself and the ball wide of Atkinson before quite beautifully sliding home his second goal of the season from the acutest of angles.

St Albans City: P.Bastock, J.Quilter, P.Smith, G.Poku, J.Clayton, R.Frater, J.Fisher, S.Shields, L.Sagna (J.O’Donnell 65), D.Roberts, G.Cohen, subs; M.Peters, D.Johnson, R.Dedman, M.Emery.

Basingstoke Town: C.Atkinson, R.Rice, M.Finlay, F.Franks, L.Christon (A.Mitchell 85), S.Laidler, J.Ogunbote, T.Williamson, D.Pratt, R.Stephens (J.Downes 65), M.Warner (S.Hankin 65), subs; I.Jones, R.Kitteridge.

Goals: 1-0 Fisher 29, 2-0 Cohen 90.

Booked: Sagna, Smith, Quilter, Atkinson, Pratt.

Dismissed; Laidler.

Referee: Ian Rathbone (Northampton).

Att: 205.