The league table may suggest St Albans City have little to play for this season but Steve Castle’s resolute band of players put in another fully committed performance when denying a resurgent Lewes victory during a highly entertaining goalless draw at the Dripping Pan on Wednesday.

Any signs of the inner turmoil that has blighted the club in recent weeks were hard to detect on the pitch as the Saints played their part in keeping the battle for Blue Square South survival going right into the final week of the season by stopping Steve Ibbitson’s Rooks from grabbing the third successive victory required to overhaul fellow strugglers Worcester City.

St Albans took the honours before the interval with Lewes doing likewise after the break.

Lewes showed one change from the side that gained a crucial victory at Worcester on Saturday with Jack Walder replacing Rob Gradwell. With Peter Smith declared the Saints were unchanged from the weekend draw at Braintree.

On a crystal clear though chilly evening in deepest East Sussex the Saints started in a positive frame of mind with the 3-5-2 formation appearing a favourable formation amongst the players.

Inside the opening quarter of an hour City had racked up four corners and with Smith and James Fisher attacking well down the flanks the Saints were able to attack in numbers.

Inside the opening couple of minutes Gary Cohen clipped a low ball into the penalty that Smith was looking to force home before a defender nipped in to concede a corner. Fisher’s dangerous in-swinging dead ball was smartly tipped away for another corner by keeper Rikki Banks.

This time Smith curled the ball into the goalmouth where the incoming Adam Everitt just failed to make a clean contact right in front of goal and the ball was scrambled clear.

Everitt quickly made amends with an excellent block on David Wheeler after the Lewes midfielder had been set up by Walder’s fine defence splitting pass. From James Fraser’s corner Chris Breach half volleyed just wide of the visitors goal.

City were quickly back onto the attack with Smith drilling the ball across the face of the goal. Seconds later Everitt and Rob Magwood combined to work the ball inside to Ross Dedman for the immaculate 17-year-old to side step one challenge and force Banks to push the ball away high to his right with a fine effort from fully 35 yards.

City continued to threaten with Ian Dunn winning another corner when giving chase to a lofted punt by Ryan Frater and Fisher attempted a cheeky lob that the alert Banks collected in comfort.

Although not able to create clear openings Lewes were not without chances with Joe Keehan putting a soft header through to Paul Bastock following Breach’s cross and seconds from the interval Breach flashed a header just wide following a corner.

St Albans began the second period pretty much as they had the first by attacking the home goal. Cohen, one of several players to really shine in the descending gloom, was twice tripped close to the edge of the Rooks penalty area.

Smith went close with a beautifully struck effort from the first free kick that just clipped the fingers of Banks before going out for a corner, the second effort was charged down by the solid Lewes wall.

Midway through the half a good headed flick by Dunn sent Cohen away only for Banks to make a good save low to his left.

Lewes sought to strengthen their attack with the introduction of Jean-Michelle Sigere for Joe Keehan but the former Stevenage striker was in a wasteful mood.

Chris Sullivan battled his way through the middle of the park on 69 minutes to release Dunn but the Bostonian blazed the ball into the bank of City supporters high behind the home goal.

The final 15 minutes of a half in which both sides gave it their all were extremely open as the two teams threw caution to the wind and searched for the decisive match winning blow.

On 78 minutes the City goal led a charmed life as Jamie Crellin and Sigere worked to the ball across the penalty area to Walder on the Rooks right with his piercing low drive flashing across Bastock and striking the base of the keeper’s right hand post before being put to safety.

One of the most pleasing aspects of the game from the Saints perspective was the maturity of 17 and 18-year-old midfielders Dedman and Rob Magwood, neither has had a better game for the club and received excellent support from the likes of Frater, Everitt and Smith while Fisher also turned in one of his best performances of the season.

Even when Dunn was replaced on 81 minutes and Castle returned to a 4-4-2 formation with Mark Peters in attack and Fisher and Smith slotted in as orthodox full-backs, the teenage midfielders continued to shine.

Even so, Lewes began to offer a greater attacking threat and score the goal that would lift the club out of the relegation zone for the first time since December.

Fraser squared a good ball to Sigere who opted not to shoot when well placed and passed it in turn to Walder whose rushed effort flew high over the goal.

Walder hammered another effort goalwards that looked set to fall kindly to Steve Brinkhurst only for Fisher to step in and coolly head the ball back to Bastock, moments later Crellin tried his luck but again the finish was wayward.

As the game moved into added time City increased their number of teenagers on the pitch to three with Jack Ashcroft replacing the excellent Magwood.

Ashcroft wasted little time in announcing his arrival with superb right-footed diagonal cross that saw Cohen cut in front of his defender and head a couple of yards wide of the home goal.

Still the action was not over and Wheeler looked odds on to score right at the death after Fraser smartly skipped his way along the goalline and cut the ball into the middle only for Bastock to add to the Rooks relegation fears with a dramatic save right on the goalline.

Lewes: R.Banks, A.Barness, L.Hamilton, A.Pearson (J.Crellin 46), J.Walder, S.El-Abd, D.Wheeler, C.Breach, J.Keehan (JM Sigere 67), J.Fraser, S.Brinkhurst, subs; W.Peauroux, K.Louis, L.Pople.

St Albans City: P.Bastock, R.Dedman, P.Smith, R.Magwood (J.Ashcroft 90), A.Everitt, R.Frater, M.Peters, J.Fisher, I.Dunn (D.Johnson 81), G.Cohen, C.Sullivan, subs; H.Wheeler, T.James, M.Emery.

Booked: Walder, Breach, Peters.

Referee: Andrew Laver (Portsmouth).

Att: 505.