Nerves twitched at Clarence Park on Saturday as Frenchman Sakho Bakare scored a fine brace to put St Albans City in command against Frome Town but when the visitors struck in the seventh minute of added time fears grew that City would fail to hold on to a two-goal for the fourth time in five games.

Fortunately for City’s lowest home Southern League attendance of the season referee Steve Phipps decided that six minutes and 30 seconds of added time was sufficient and blew for time before City could restart the game and the Saints climbed back into the top half of the table with a 2-1 win.

City, for the first time this season, named an unchanged starting XI and had the better of a tame opening 45 minutes played out in wonderfully warm late summer sunshine that engulfed the entire ground.

Both defences shaped up well early on with decent chances being rarities. City left back Kosi Ntlhe was highly impressive while the dominance of Ryan Moran in the air nullified the Town attack.

The Frome goal survived an anxious moment when a Ryan Watts free kick caused mayhem in the York Road goalmouth with Barrie Matthews eventual shot being cleared from close to the goalline by Tom Evans.

On 20 minutes Shaun Benison got behind the home defence but as he stretched to poke the ball forward City keeper Nick Jupp raced out to blocked the effort.

The sedate feel to the first half was maintained as Frome right-back Josh Brigham had lengthy treatment for a mouth injury following a clash with the in-form Jerome Walker.

Once recovered, Brigham sent a long throw to the edge of the penalty area that led to Kriss Miller attempting a spectacular overhead shot that went not far wide of Jupp’s right hand post.

A minute from the break a promising City attack ended with skipper David Ijaha sending in a rare left-footed drive that keeper Darren Chitty dived to smother. Chitty immediately launched the ball down the pitch, where Matt Smith seized possession and shot over the home goal.

Just when the half looked set to finish goalless Chitty was hit with a devastating Bakare bang-bang.

On 45 minutes the Parisian virtually whipped the ball from the feet of Walker and twisted 15 yards from goal before sending a fine effort to Chitty’s left for the opening goal.

Deep into added time, Bakare struck for the sixth time this season. Watts sailed past Brigham on the City left and crossed towards the back post where Bakare stretched to head the ball beyond Chitty’s groping left hand.

The visitors from Somerset sought to hit back quickly with Smith having a shot charged down while a City counter-attack ended when Chitty raced from his goal to clear before Bakare could pounce once more.

Quite remarkably, City led 2-0 at the interval for the third successive match, the question was now could they finally hold on to that lead.

Frome offered a far greater attacking threat after the break but City were now playing with confidence and Danny Hart, freed by Bakare, had an effort cleared inside the goalmouth.

Frome squandered two good chances early in the second half.

The stooping Benison somehow headed wide from no more than a couple of yards out following a long throw by Tom Evans and then a Ben Thomson free kick was missed by both Ryan Bennett and Dean Evans as it bounced across the face of the City goal.

Just after the hour Bakare delightfully skipped past Brigham and crossed to Ijaha whose first effort was blocked and his second trickled gently through to the keeper.

After a tepid opening half the second 45 minutes continued to be a more open and interesting affair and Hart, teed up by the excellent Watts, tested Chitty with a cracking drive that the keeper tipped over.

On 71 minutes Bakare and Matthews were replaced by Paul Furlong and Nathan Haisley. Furlong held the ball up well and enabled City to retain possession while Haisley displayed the tough tackling midfield dominance the side has cried out for all season.

A free flowing move led to a Hart cross from the right being glanced wide by Furlong while at the opposite end a spell of Frome pressure came to nothing when substitute Luke Ballinger made a hideous dive inside the penalty area for which he was most fortunate not to be cautioned.

Hart’s influence on the game continued to grow when he received a short pass from Walker and forced Chitty to save just under the crossbar. Hart’s next effort, however, went close to taking out a red kite that circled the ground for several minutes.

Ten minutes from time Moran headed clear for the umpteenth time, Tom Evans reclaimed possession and, from the Frome left, sent a searing in-swinging right footed cross crashing into the back post with Jupp well beaten.

An exchange between Dean Evans and Thompson resulted in Reece Yorke scooping the ball to safety from inside the City six-yard box.

A minute from time a Furlong header went wide following a Watts free kick while in the third minute of added time Mike Perrot, from a Ballinger cross, looped a header goalwards that Jupp excelled to backtrack and tip over for a corner.

Given recent matches it seemed inevitable that City would fail to hold on the two-goal lead and in the seventh minute of added time – almost 12 minutes for the entire game – Ballinger clipped a delightful free kick from 20 yards out over City’s defensive wall and inside Jupp’s right hand post.

But as the final whistle sounded before the game could restart it was no more than a consolation goal for the visitors.

St Albans City: N.Jupp, R.Yorke, K.Ntlhe, D.Ijaha, M.Cutchey, R.Moran, D.Hart (Se.Shields 83), B.Matthews (N.Haisley 71), S.Bakare (P.Furlong 71), J.Walker, R.Watts, subs; T.Jinadu, W.Viner.

Frome Town: D.Chitty. J.Brigham (L.Ballinger 75), T.Evans, D.Flockton, R.Bennett, M.Smith, K.Miller (K.Tooze 62), D.Evans, S.Benison (T.Plummer 62), M.Perrot, B.Thomson, subs; A.Lapham, M.Reaney.

Goals: 45 1-0 Bakare, 45 2-0 Bakare, 90 2-1 Ballinger.

Referee: Stephen Phipps (Abingdon).

Att: 303.