The lack of discipline that has crept into St Albans City’s game in recent matches proved costly on Tuesday as neighbours Hemel Hempstead Town took advantage of the Saints having Junior Morias sent off for the second time in four days by snatching a dramatic equaliser to secure a 2-2 draw four minutes into added time.

Hemel had dominated the final 30 minutes at a hot Clarence Park and a series of high balls pumped into the home penalty area finally paid off when the ageless Ollie Thorne smashed the ball into the roof of the net.

Thorne had indeed been a thorn in City’s side throughout the evening, as he was involved in the incident that saw Morias sent off on 39 minutes.

The duo tussled for the ball in front of the cantilever stand and as they spun round Thorne caught Morias full in the face with his right forearm and sent him to the ground.

The City striker responded by jabbing one foot into the back of Thorn’s right thigh and the other foot into a more tender area of Thorne’s anatomy.

Referee Ali Ajibola wasted no time in showing Morias the red card.

St Albans had no complaints about that decision but they were less than happy with Hemel defender David King receiving only a yellow card when, again, shoving an arm into the face of Tom Bender when the pair challenged for a header on 19 minutes.

In spite of these flash points it had been a cleanly contested local derby and followed a familiar path of recent encounters as the Tudors scored inside the final five minutes for the fifth consecutive league meeting.

But Hemel scoring late on should not have made a jot of difference to the outcome, as St Albans had enough good chances to win this game and probably two more.

City made two changes from the draw at Maidenhead.

With injury ruling out Ben Martin, Ryan Johnson and Andrew Iwediuno, Darren Locke was recalled from his dual-registration with Barton Rovers, while Shaun Lucien also returned to the starting XI in place of David Noble.

Hemel got off to a flying start with Jonny McNamara winning the first of their ten corners on 35 seconds but for all of the Tudors success in winning corners the greater threat on goal came from the home side.

The point was rammed home on seven minutes when Scott Thomas, from ten yards inside the City half, hit a pass through the middle of the Town defence.

Kyle Connolly moved across to intercept but missed the ball and allowed Louie Theophanous a clear run to fire under Hemel ‘keeper Jamie Butler for his eighth goal in six games.

Eighteen seconds after the restart and St Albans almost had a second goal when Morias, sent away down the right by George Casey, cracked a ferocious shot past Butler but a couple of inches wide of the post and into the side netting.

The Hemel goal was living a charmed life and on 13 minutes the post came to the rescue of Dean Brennan’s side.

Morias chested down a long kick by James Russell and from fully 30 yards former Tudor Ben Herd drove a superbly controlled half-volley into the keeper’s right hand upright.

Butler was soon proving to be of value in general play rather than just between the sticks and from a free-kick of his on the halfway line James Potton found space close to the goal-line and sent a controlled volley into the goalmouth that Russell bundled around the post for a corner.

Sam Corcoran curled the set-piece towards the near post where Russell just managed to scramble it away before the ball crossed the line.

Thomas, who could not claim an ‘assist’ to a single goal during last season, provided the platform for the second City goal of the night on 32 minutes and his third assist of the season.

Receiving a short throw from Casey, Thomas hooked the ball from midway inside the Saints half over the Hemel backline and perfectly in line for Morias to run onto and, with great skill, chip his fifth goal of the season over Butler.

Four minutes later sloppy play at the back between Butler and Connolly allowed Morias to rob the latter and tee up Lucian or a snap shot wide on the right that sailed over the stranded Butler but also the goal.

Had Lucien not rushed his shot he may well have spotted an unmarked Theophanous waiting for a simple square pass in front of the goal.

With St Albans finding no problems in unpicking a hopelessly exposed Hemel defence anything other than a sizeable City victory at this time seemed impossible.

But that all changed on 39 minutes when Morias was dismissed, although on another night Thorne could well have joined him in the long walk to an empty dressing room.

At first City made light of their numerical disadvantage and Butler had to move quickly from his line to block a shot from Theophanous after an excellent through ball by Thomas had found another gaping hole in the Tudors rearguard.

Even for a while after the interval, with chances created at one end and the defence on top at the other, it appeared that St Albans were about to defeat their neighbours for the first time in nine league games.

Six minutes after the restart Lucien ended a positive run with a shot that rolled a couple of yards wide.

A minute later and Hemel fired a warning of what might lie ahead when James Potton got a touch to a near post Connolly corner and the ball was headed away at the back post by Thomas, but only as far as Lewis Taaffe whose shot through a crowded penalty area was cleanly collected by Russell.

Theophanous had a strong claim for a penalty rejected when Thorne missed the ball and took the strikers leg, but in opting to stay on his feet and get a shot away Theophanous possibly lost his chance of gaining a spot-kick.

Thomas continued to be a major influence on the game and just after the hour he cut out a Taaffe pass intended for former City captain Corcoran and in a lengthy run sailed past Ed Asafu-Adjaye.

The midfielder then laid a pass inside to Theophanous but Thorne just managed to get a touch to the ball and diverted it closer to the outrushing Butler than Thomas had intended, and allowed the keeper whip the ball from the toe of the Saints leading goal scorer.

From then on the Tudors began to extra heavy pressure on the Saints, although the dominance was with possession rather than threats on goal.

But Michael Richens, on for the substituted Corcoran, caused a flutter in the home camp with a fine effort from 25 yards that clipped the woodwork.

Back in April Hemel came from two-down to draw when the sides met at Vauxhall Road, that comeback started in the 69th minute and a sense of déjà vu engulfed Clarence Park when the deficit was again reduced in the same minute.

The ball was worked to and fro’ across the home penalty area until Connolly, attacking down the Hemel right, got the better of Bender and crossed low towards the near post, Russell parried the ball but it went straight to the toe of substitute Michael Weiss who made no mistake from four yards.

St Albans’ depleted numbers had to defend in depth for the final 20 minutes, plus almost five and a half minutes added time.

Yet they did so to great effect and a Hemel equaliser was more a possibility than a certainty.

There were anxious moments along the way, such a shot across goal by Richens following a long ball by Matt Saunders.

The pressure was added to by Butler with the Tudors custodian having free reign to wander forward at will and send a series of long high balls into the Hatfield Road goalmouth.

As the ball was lumped almost ceaselessly into the City penalty area Russell, not the tallest of goalkeepers, received great support from those in front of him.

St Albans quite brilliant backs to the wall second half performance looked to have been rewarded on 88 minutes when a stunning counter-attack was launched following a Hemel throw-in deep inside the City half.

Bender, who continued his run of rich form, clipped the ball to substitute Dipo Akinyemi down the left wing.

The on-loan Stevenage player was tracked all the way into the Hemel penalty area by Connolly but he then cut inside the full-back and with a thunderous right-footed angled shot sent the ball screaming past Butler and against the inside of his left-hand upright.

Herd and Lee Chappell retained possession and fed Bender who went on a powerful run down the left that won City’s second and final corner of the night.

The set-piece came to nothing but it ate up valuable time and further time went by when Butler wastefully sent a free-kick sailing out of the ground.

Another breakaway saw Akinyemi feed Sam Merson but Asafu-Adjaye moved across quickly to block the shot.

As the game moved into the second minute of added time Locke ended another Hemel attack, Butler promptly returned the ball high into the box but this time Russell rose highest to ease the danger.

But, in the fourth minute of added time there was to be a twist in the tail and Hemel’s last minute hoodoo over St Albans struck once more.

Butler collected a long clearance by Bender and, unchallenged, crashed another high ball into the box from ten yards inside the Hemel half.

This time the Tudors got the break they had been praying for.

Former Saint James Kaloczi won the header on the edge of the six-yard box and got a stroke of luck as the ball hit Josh Hill on the back of the head and looped up perfectly for the unmarked Thorne to volley home from nine yards.

The goal sparked hysteria on the away terrace but Thorne was cautioned for throwing his shirt into the crowd.

Thirty-three seconds later and it was all over.

Despite dropping four points in the past two matches St Albans stay in third place in National League South but now take a break from league action to concentrate on making progress in the FA Cup.

This coming Saturday City travel to Norfolk to visit Isthmian League Division One North side Dereham Town in the 2nd Round Qualifying, kick-off at Aldiss Park, Norwich Road, is at 3pm.

City will be without the suspended duo of Martin and Morias on Saturday with the latter facing a possible five-match ban.

St Albans City: J.Russell, G.Casey, T.Bender, L.Chappell, J.Hill, D.Locke, S.Lucien (D.Akinyemi 72), Sc.Thomas, L.Theophanous (S.Merson 72), J.Morias, B.Herd, subs not used: D.Noble, M.Ball, R.Hoenes.

Dismissed: Morias.

Hemel Hempstead Town: J.Butler, D.King, K.Connolly, J.McNamara (M.Saunders 58), E.Asafu-Adjaye, O.Thorne, J.Kaloczi, S.Corcoran (M.Richens 63), J.Robinson (M.Weiss 49), J.Potton, L.Taffee, subs not used: T.McKenzie, D.Snedker.

Booked: King, Thorne.

Goals: 7 1-0 Theophanous, 32 2-0 Morias, 69 2-1 Weiss, 90 2-2 Thorne.

Referee: Ali Ajibola (London).

Att: 903.