City go down to rivals (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

City go down to rivals

4:52pm Monday 28th July 2008 in

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Disappointing finishing cost St Albans City the opportunity of victory as local rivals Boreham Wood came from behind to claim a 2-1 pre-season victory at Meadow Park.

City's sole goal on Saturday came on 12 minutes following a powerful surge by Paul Hakim. Running from inside the City half he shrugged off several challenges before slipping the ball out to the left to Lee Clarke whose low cross was met but fluffed by Hassan Sulaiman. With quick thinking, the grounded winger, facing away from goal, scooped the ball between his feet back towards goal and beyond the grasp of the bemused and also prostrate Noel Imber.

However, the home side were back on terms six minutes before the break when keeper Paul Bastock was left helpless as Eugene Ofori headed home a Chris Watters free-kick from close range.

But the goal that settled the game on the hour was a pure fluke. Greg Morgan got the better of Scott Cousins, as he had for the equaliser, and whipped over a toe-poked cross from ten yards inside the touchline that looped over a crestfallen Bastock and fell inside the back post.

Either side of those two goals though, City should have netted a second.

James Quilter shot wide with just Imber to beat and Sean Ridgway, following a fine move, lacked sufficient power in his shot when placing the ball low to the keeper's left.