8:49pm Saturday 4th September 2010
By David Tavener
St Albans City’s run without victory was extended to 15 Conference South matches on Saturday as Woking chalked up a 1-0 win at Clarence Park that was a good deal more comfortable than the final margin may suggest.
The Cards from Surrey totally dominated the opening 45 minutes and should have put the result beyond doubt long before interval.
St Albans displayed a greater determination during the second 45 minutes but can have no complaints as Woking extended their unbeaten run at the Park to a 13th match spanning a remarkable 38 years.
In an attempt to improve fortunes Saints boss Steve Castle has started making changes but while the ball continues to be whacked as long and as high as it was against technically superior opposition, as seen at the weekend, then there appears little hope of results changing for the better in the foreseeable future.
City gave debuts to experienced French striker Jean-Michel Sigere and former Rushden & Diamonds teenager Sean Shields while another young striker, Chris Benjamin, currently on work experience with the Saints from Leyton Orient, had his first outing at the Park.
Woking may be beset with financial troubles off the pitch but on it manager Graham Baker has a side that looks capable of mounting a serious challenge for the championship, on this evidence only waywardness in front of goal will hamper their ambitions.
Attacking the Hatfield Road end Woking played the ball backwards from the kick off and it was just about their only negative action of the half. The first of their 13 first-half shots at Paul Bastock’s goal was not long in coming.
Inside 80 seconds Dave Gilroy sent a snap shot from 20 yards wide of the home goal and three minutes later Francis Quarm, who made several good breaks from midfield, fired high over the target.
Woking should have moved ahead on eight minutes ironically following a rare City foray into the Cards half that resulted in the Saints only corner of the afternoon. Peter Smith’s first effort was headed away at the near post and his second was also repelled and Woking broke at speed and in numbers.
Gilroy played the ball out to Rikki Anane on the Cards right and from his low centre the unmarked Quarm, instead of taking his time, rushed a first time that sailed high above the large contingent of travelling supporters contributing to City’s highest attendance so far this season.
Woking continued to dominate with Moses Ademola scuffing a shot wide and Toby Little seeing his in-swinging free kick comfortably gathered by Bastock.
St Albans suffered a blow on 27 minutes when Shields was forced off through injury. During a midweek run out with the Reserves Shields looked as though he could provide the invention and cutting edge City currently lack but a troublesome calf has delayed his chance to prove himself.
Shields replacement, Drew Roberts, went to the left of the midfield with Robbie Martin switching over to the opposite flank.
Just after the half hour Bastock was called upon to make his first save when stretching to his left to beat out a firm drive from Ademola, the ageless City keeper was up swiftly to block the follow up effort of Anane whose initial pass had teed Ademola up.
The deciding goal came on 34 minutes and was the end product of patient approach play by the Cards.
After a series of short passes the ball was laid off to skipper Mark Ricketts whose excellent right-footed cross from the Woking right sailed beyond both Ademola and the far post to where Anane slid in to squeeze the ball past David Deeney and Bastock.
That lead should have been doubled a minute later when a chip over the City defence sent Gilroy clear only for the former Bath City striker to fire wastefully over the goal.
Four minutes from the break the two factors that kept St Albans in the match - Bastock and abysmal finishing - combined to thwart Woking once more.
After Bastock made a good save from Ademola the lurking Anane should have swept the rebound home from seven yards but succeeded only in blazing the ball high into the trees with a scissor kick.
Castle made his second change during the interval with Rob Magwood replacing Adam Everitt. And after a quiet start to the campaign the 18-year-old reproduced his good form of last season and suddenly a Woking midfield that strolled through the opening half had a terrier snapping at its heels.
Magwood also used the ball well in spreading good passes out to either wing.
Later in the half Castle switched James Fisher from midfield to right back with Deeney going to midfield. This too proved a success with Fisher looking far more competent at the back than in midfield while Deeney joined Magwood in making life less comfortable for the Cards midfield quartet.
The game itself scaled few heights after the interval but City were at least now competing and the thought persisted that Woking may yet rue being so wasteful in front of goal.
Even so, Woking’s ineptness close to goal continued with Ademola somehow hammering the ball over from six yards following a low cross from the left by Gilroy.
City had their first on-target effort of the day on 57minutes when Cards ‘keeper Lenny Pidgeley palmed a Robbie Martin free kick towards the edge of the penalty area where Roberts poked a tame effort straight back to Pidgeley.
Sigere’s debut came to an end on 61 minutes with Inih Effiong sent on to partner Benjamin, late in the game the duo were joined by Ben Martin as the Saints looked to improve a miserable record that has seen them score just once in the last five home games.
Although Pidgeley had little to seriously worry about, other than for a fine low angled drive by Fisher, City did attack with greater promise as the game wore on.
Effiong had a shot charged down with Robbie Martin drilling the loose ball over the top before Woking countered with a perfect deep cross by Anane being headed downwards and wide by Little when it appeared easier to score.
Another piercing run by Quarm took him into the home penalty area where Ben Martin charged down his attempted cross, Quarm immediately regained possession and chipped a dangerous ball into the goalmouth that Bastock did well to claw away as Little looked to pounce.
Quarm exchanged passes with Jerome Maledon as he ploughed his way through the home defence once more before Bastock saved at his feet. The ball ran into the path of Cards substitute, the former Saint Sam Hurrell, whose scuffed effort was cleared by the foot of the post by Smith.
With Ben Martin adding to the Saints aerial prowess in front of goal St Albans pressed for a late equaliser and five minutes from time Martin headed down a cross from Fisher that Effiong scooped over the bar.
Woking’s carelessness in front of goal continued into the dying minutes with Anane, after breaking free, hammering the ball wide of Bastock’s near post.
St Albans City: P.Bastock, D.Deeney, P.Smith, A.Martin (R.Magwood 46), B.Martin, R.Frater, S.Shields (D.Roberts 27), J.Fisher, JM Sigere (I.Effiong 61), C.Benjamin, R.Martin, subs; M.Peters, A.Everitt.
Woking: L.Pidgeley, M.Ricketts, C.Bush, J.Maledon, J.McNearney, A.Doyle, R.Anane (A.Innes 89), F.Quarm, D.Gilroy (G.Dali 83), M.Ademola, T.Little (S.Hurrell 73), subs; C.Faulconbridge, M.Pegler.
Booked: Dali.
Goals: 0-1 34 Anane.
Referee: Simon Knapp (Bristol).
Att: 490.
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