Saints march on as Everitt sinks the Fleet (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

Saints march on as Everitt sinks the Fleet

10:28pm Saturday 13th March 2010 in

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Steve Castle’s battling St Albans City side continue to defy the odds and climbed to their highest position in Blue Square South for 16 months with a dramatic 1-0 victory at Clarence Park on Saturday over fellow play-off chasers Thurrock.

City, looking for a fourth consecutive win, were pressed back for long stretches by Hakan Hayrettin’s attack-minded Fleet but in goalscorer Adam Everitt and goalkeeper Paul Bastock the Saints possessed two players whose indestructible spirit was the key to a most unlikely success.

Everitt headed the winning goal right on half time but was also a match saver with three crucial blocks in front of the Saints goal.

Bastock, just two months short of his 40th birthday, pulled off a string of decent stops and then, with the last touch of the match, made a sensational save to take City’s points tally through the 50 barrier.

The man whose header Bastock dramatically flipped at full stretch over the crossbar, Kenny Clark, slumped to the ground exasperated in the York Road penalty area as Thurrock saw their season-long promotion push fade with a third successive reversal.

Playing precise and fast passing football Thurrock threatened to tear City apart prior to the interval but dogged defending, skilful goalkeeping and the occasional wayward shot allowed St Albans to extend their winning run.

Castle named an unchanged starting XI from the side that won at Eastleigh the previous week and even had the luxury of a full substitutes bench as Ian Dunn returned to the fray as one of a growing band of players to turn out without remuneration.

The Fleet made two changes from their last outing, these included a return after injury of former City left-back Lee Flynn who barely put a foot wrong on his return to Clarence Park.

The other change saw Lewis Smith, a recent capture from Chelmsford City, make his first start and for the opening 45 minutes was in exceptional form and only denied a goal by the brilliance of Bastock.

Attacking the Hatfield Road goal, Thurrock made their attacking intentions clear from the off and it meant that for the second successive home game the Saints were forced to backpedal in numbers yet emerge ahead at half time.

Within the first two minutes Clark had had a shot charged down, Bastock pulled off a breathtaking point blank save from Smith and an in-swinging left-footed Flynn corner bounced right across the face of the home goal.

The Fleet looked odds on to break through at any time but chances continued to be squandered as Fola Orilonishe failed to get a touch as Smith flashed the ball across the six-yard box, the Thurrock striker followed this by heading high over the goal from a Leon McKenzie cross.

The Fleet continued to exert great pressure and looked to have scored when David Bryant met a cross on the goalline only to be denied by Everitt who then charged out to deny Matt Bodkin what looked for all the world a goal from the rebound.

Quite remarkably, City should have taken the lead on 24 minutes when James Lindie latched onto a poor headed back pass and appeared to have the goal at his mercy after going to the right of keeper Joe Woolley but a poor finish allowed Woolley to deflect the ball out for a corner.

After that it was a return to backs to the wall defending for St Albans as former Saints midfielder Hayrettin urged his side forward from the touchlines.

Everitt blocked Smith again on the half hour, referee Simon Knapp brushing penalty appeals for handball, and Bastock gave Everitt a rest when saving well from McKenzie’s crisp drive from 18 yards.

Three minutes from the break Lindie’s problems in front of goal resurfaced when he failed to make a firm contact to Chris Sullivan’s knock on from the again excellent Peter Smith’s ball down the left.

The game was turned on its head right on 45 minutes when a James Fisher shot from just outside the penalty area took a slight deflection to earn City their second corner of the match.

Other than for the slip that let in Lindie, Thurrock had been untroubled at the back but as Jake Beecroft swung the ball in right-footed from in front of the main stand Everitt was left unattended to head to Woolley’s left for his second match-winning goal of the season.

In the limited time remaining Thurrock attacked once more with a blistering Flynn free kick leaving Beecroft as a crumpled heap on the ground, Flynn slashed the loose ball off into the park with his less trusty right foot.

City may have been in retreat for much of the opening half but it was still possible to enjoy Thurrock’s approach work, along with Bath City and, surprisingly, Dorchester Town, they are one of the most impressive visitors to the Park this season.

The second period, however, really struggled to match the opening 45 minutes but from City’s perspective at least the pressure was relaxed for 25 minutes.

Sullivan, playing on the left of the midfield, went forward to great effect midway through the half as he weaved his way thrillingly past three defenders before having his run curtailed just as he looked to cut the ball into the goalmouth.

Three minutes later Beecroft slipped a lovely ball through the middle of the Fleet defence and into Drew Roberts’ path but the Saints leading scorer was denied his 14th goal of the season as Woolley fell to his left to smother the low shot.

Dunn replaced Sullivan on 71 minutes but the combination of two strikers of similar styles, Dunn and Lindie, was not a great success.

The final 20 minutes saw Thurrock apply more pressure to the home goal. Everitt headed a Flynn corner out for another corner that Clark nodded goalwards only for Bastock to push the ball upwards and gather safely as it dropped.

Lindie had a third opportunity to open his account on 78 minutes but after latching onto Smith’s pass and going to the right of the advancing Woolley the former Southend United player pushed his shot well wide.

Back came Thurrock again with Matt Judge having a shot charged down – again strong appeals for handball were rejected – and Paul Olima fired the loose ball across the goal and just beyond Bastock’s left hand post.

Lindie was replaced by Mark Peters for the final few minutes and as the game moved into its fifth minute of added time Castle sought to eat up a few more seconds by sending on teenager Ross Dedman for Roberts.

But a substitution was far from the last action of the game as the Saints had to endure a heart-stopping goalmouth scramble. As a free kick fell close to goal Bastock produced an astonishing diving point black save from Orilonishe with Reiss Gilbey’s follow up put behind for a corner.

Referee Knapp allowed Flynn to swing the ball in from the Fleet right. Clark, standing about 12 yards out and towards the back post looked to have looped a header back across goal and into the far top corner only for Bastock to extend his left arm and somehow claw the ball over the top to clinch victory for the Saints.

City’s supporters may have been silenced by the Directors bizarre decision to withdraw the messageboard from the club website but Castle’s players refuse to be muzzled and with eight games to play are just five points outside the final play-off place.

St Albans City: P.Bastock, J.Fisher, P.Smith, R.Magwood, A.Everitt, R.Frater, J.Beecroft, J.Quilter, J.Lindie (M.Peters 87), D.Roberts (R.Dedman 90), C.Sullivan (I.Dunn 71), subs; P.Lokando, A.McWeeney.

Thurrock: J.Woolley, C.Pope, L.Flynn, R.Swaine, K.Clark, L.Smith (R.Gilbey 69), M.Bodkin (M.Judge 60), L.Lalite, D.Bryant (P.Olima 76), L.McKenzie, F.Orilonishe, subs; M.Paine, P.Anderson.

Goal: 1-0 Everitt 45.

Booked: Everitt, Pope.

Referee: Simon Knapp (Bristol).

Att: 343.