St Albans City’s transformation from relegation fodder to a high-scoring winning machine gathered momentum at Clarence Park on Saturday as the Hawks of Havant & Waterlooville were ruthlessly slaughtered 6-0 by Ian Allinson’s rampant Saints.

St Albans have pulled off some remarkable results in recent weeks as a gap of eight points between themselves and safety has been wiped out in next to no time, but this romp against a side level on points at the start of the day and, supposedly, fighting for their survival in National League South really does take some believing.

City were frustrated and disappointed when not taking all three points from Hemel Hempstead in midweek but any ill fortune that they felt went against them on that occasion was repaid with some to spare on Saturday.

The Saints first goal owed much to a huge deflection off a Hawks defender, for the second goal City have a sleepy linesman to thank as an offside Charlie MacDonald teed up Louie Theophanous, while, for the third, Havant keeper Ryan Young came to collect a Lee Chappell free-kick but stopped and allowed the excellent Michael Thalassitis to head into an unguarded goal.

By this time just 23 minutes had elapsed and the Hampshire club, who arrived at Clarence Park three and half hours before the kick-off, were out of the game.

St Albans made two changes from the side that drew at Hemel with Ben Martin and MacDonald returning from injury in place of Tom Bender and Darren Locke.

Chappell returned to his favoured left-back position in place of Bender only for a leg injury to force his retirement early in the second half.

The match got off to an unusual start with referee Anthony Da Costa making City kick off three times due to players crossing the halfway line before the ball was in play on the first two occasions.

And when it did get underway Havant quickly dispossessed their hosts and, on seven seconds, had the first shot of the game through Shamir Mullings.

The effort was well off target but Havant’s attacking intent looked to be clear; how quickly it all went wrong for Lee Bradbury’s side.

Just in case they were not already aware, Havant learnt on three minutes that Chappell possesses a rather long throw that City have used to good effect in recent weeks.

From Chappell’s throw on the City left, Martin rose the highest at the near post and glanced a header into the goalmouth where it struck the head of the surprised Josh Hill and looped into the net.

Without Hill’s unintended intervention it would not have been a goal but City were happy to hand it to Martin.

The margin of City’s win suggests that they hammered away at the Hawks goal all afternoon, but it was not like that at all and it was more St Albans superior physical strength and lethal finishing that paved the way for the rout.

Ben Swallow did well down the Hawks left on eight minutes and his teasing cross was only just too far ahead of the inrushing James Hayter in front of the home goal.

The second City goal on 14 minutes enjoyed a couple of slices good fortune in the build-up while the finish was exquisite.

Harry Anderson could easily have been pulled up for a gentle push on Brian Stock as a header by the excellent Eddie Oshodi dropped close to the hallway line.

With Stock on the ground Anderson moved forward and slipped a ball out to the right for the offside MacDonald to seize upon. The veteran striker floated a delightful cross to the middle of the penalty area where Thalassitis headed it on to Theophanous.

City’s leading goalscorer was forced wide by Young but turned quickly and with unerring accuracy shot low inside the keeper’s near, right hand, upright for his 20th goal of the season.

St Albans had twice let slip two-goal leads during Allinson’s first 12 league games in charge and Havant needed to reply quickly to follow in the footsteps of Concord and Hemel.

Andreas Robinson glanced a header wide from a Stock free kick as the Hawks sought to get back into the game but on 23 minutes St Albans put the outcome beyond doubt.

Chappell launched a free-kick into the York Road penalty area from around 40 yards out. Young dashed from his goalline but seeing a cluster of players in front of him stopped abruptly and Thalassitis, from around 12 yards out, sent a well-placed header into the back of a vacant net.

Allinson was concerned that City eased up for the remainder of the half and Havant certainly had chances to reduce the arrears, even if a second away league win of the season was nothing more than fantasy.

Former Bournemouth striker James Hayter fired narrowly over from 25 yards, while Ben Swallow, coming in from the right, was denied at the near post by City keeper Joe Welch and then had a second goal-bound effort headed out for a corner by Martin.

Another chance went begging for the visitors when Dan Strugnell flashed a shot across Welch’s goal and just wide.

Havant continued to have a better spell until their world caved in for a fourth time on 40 minutes when James Kaloczi broke up an attack.

The Hawks looked to have stopped a City counter-attack only for Chappell to restart it with a ball down the left touchline to Thalassitis.

After cutting inside Stock, Thalassitis played a perfect ball down the flank to the unmarked Theophanous whose arrowed low ball towards the near post was turned in by MacDonald, although there was a suspicion that Hawks defender James Haran may have applied the final touch into his own net.

Havant tried again to reduce the deficit prior to the break with Hayter heading a Swallow cross into the path of Mullings but his low volley went wide of the home goal.

Welch was called upon to make his only serious save of a surprisingly nippy afternoon early in the second half.

The City keeper punched away a Swallow corner but Robinson returned the ball into the penalty area where Haran looped a header towards the top corner of goal only for Welch to leap acrobatically to tip the effort over for another corner.

St Albans continued to look dangerous whenever they moved forward and Hawks defender Strugnell did well to head the ball out for a corner as Theophanous hung in the air waiting to put away a cross by Scott Thomas.

Thomas has really flourished since moving to right-back three games ago and this was another fine performance by the 26-year-old former Boreham Wood player.

Gradually the pressure was building again on the Havant goal and on 68 minutes Corcoran scored what could well have been City’s goal of the season had voting not taken place prior to the kick off.

Young launched a goal kick into the City half that Martin headed back into the Havant half. Hill failed to control the ball and allowed the predatory MacDonald to seize possession and quickly lay it off to Thalassitis.

With his third touch Thalassitis clipped it up to Corcoran, his first touch played in MacDonald who had continued his run into the penalty area.

The former Brentford striker laid another inch perfect first-time ball inside to Corcoran and the midfielder underlined what an excellent season he has enjoyed by guiding the ball, first time, of course, wide of the sprawling Young for the fifth goal.

Welch protected the five-goal lead when smothering an effort from Mullings and ten minutes from time Havant’s humiliation was complete, as City scored for the sixth time.

St Albans have counter-attacked to great effect since Allinson was installed as manager just over two months ago and Havant became the latest side to feel the full force of a City breakaway.

Martin headed away a long ball into the City half, Anderson then lifted the ball over a Havant backline that appealed in vain for offside as Theophanous broke clear from the halfway line.

Young blocked the striker’s first effort on the edge of the penalty area but Theophanous quickly regained possession as Hill dithered and laid it off to Anderson.

Resisting the temptation to shoot, Anderson touched the ball back to Billy Gibson whose shot was parried by the diving Young who then had little chance of getting across to his right hand post to stop Thalassitis from tucking away his fourth goal in three games.

With that goal City had won two or more league games by six clear goals or more in the same season for the first time since Sid Prosser’s side of the 1970-71 season.

City had two more opportunities to secure their biggest win in the National League (Conference) South.

Theophanous, sent clear by Thalassitis’ header, scooped a half volley over Young but was just a fraction off target, as the ball dipped into the base of the stanchion.

And Danny Green, in just his second outing since returning from a broken nose suffered last summer, flashed a header across the goal and just wide following a Gibson corner.

With this latest win St Albans have collected 19 points from the past eight matches yet, remarkably, are still only two points clear of the relegation places, which merely underlines just what a seemingly hopeless position the club was in prior to the arrival of Ian Allinson.

City’s bid to secure their future in National League South takes them to Ruislip next Saturday, 23rd April, to visit Wealdstone.

The Stones are virtually safe from the drop but Gordon Bartlett’s side will be keen to stop St Albans from completing the double over them.

Kick off at Grosvenor Vale is at 3pm.

St Albans City: J.Welch, Sc Thomas, J.Kaloczi, S.Corcoran (D.Green 81), E.Oshodi, B.Martin, H.Anderson, M.Thalassitis, L.Theophanous, C.MacDonald (B.Gibson 73), L.Chappell (T.Bender 48), subs not used: D.Locke, E.Udoji.

Booked: Anderson.

Havant & Waterlooville: R.Young, D.Strugnell, J.Haran (L.Molyneaux 82), B.Stock, A.Robinson, J.Hill (W.Cummings 82), B.Swallow, T.Lewis, S.Mullings, J.Hayter, N.Ciardini (G.Barker 38), subs not used: S.Donnelly, M.Paterson.

Booked: Stock, Swallow, Mullings.

Goals: 3 1-0 Martin, 14 2-0 Theophanous, 23 3-0 Thalassitis, 40 4-0 MacDonald, 68 5-0 Corcoran, 80 6-0 Thalassitis.

Referee: Anthony Da Costa (Cambridge).

Att: 702.