Frenchman Sakho Bakare swept home a dramatic penalty equaliser six minutes into added time on Tuesday night to salvage a Southern League Premier Division point for St Albans City from a sensational 4-4 draw with county rivals Hitchin Town at Clarence Park.

City, possessing a pretty dismal home record over the past five years, were looking down the barrel at 3-1 in arrears at the interval, but against a fancied Hitchin side demonstrated the heart for a scrap when coming back from behind three times to secure the highest scoring draw in 102 years of games between the two clubs.

Hitchin will know that this was a match they should have won, while City will surely have learnt the lesson of the need to get tighter to the opposition, especially in midfield where the experienced Luke Gregson ran the show.

St Albans manager Dave Howell called at half time for his side to show more passion, more heart and a better understanding of what is required to play football at this level. He got everything with plenty to spare.

Howell made two changes from the side that won at Barwell on Saturday.

Brian Haule returned to the attack in place of the unavailable Paul Furlong while Sean Shields shook off a niggling back pain to replace Craig Davies wide in midfield.

Hitchin, looking to record a fourth straight win on recent visits to St Albans, began confidently and were quick to exploit the space afforded them by a slack City midfield. And with good prompting from the midfield the Town attack of John Frendo and Zak Burke were soon threatening a goal.

In fact, within nine minutes of the start Hitchin were two goals to the good.

On five minutes a long ground level forward ball from Hitchin left back Marc Leach ought to have caused the home defence no problems but Frendo was quick to take advantage of a static backline and raced clear before sliding a perfect shot to the left of the diving City keeper Kyle Merson.

Four minutes later and Hitchin looked to be coasting to victory when taking a two-goal lead.

Carl Williams’ side, attacking the York Road goal, played the ball across the park with supreme confidence until Gregson threaded the ball through to Jerome Anderson on the edge of the penalty area.

Anderson, who made one appearance for City four years ago, cut to his left before drilling his shot against the underside of the bar with the ball rebounding up into the roof of the goal.

Hitchin looked on course for a hatful but within sixty seconds the first of many dramatic twists occurred as City right back Matt Pooley picked up possession on the halfway line.

With barely a challenge he moved forward and in from the touchline before sending a wonderful dipping effort from around 25 yards over keeper Martin Bennett who had strayed far too far from his goal.

City’s most likely route to a second goal appeared to come through Rob Haworth who continued his early season good form by winning a succession of headers but all too often there was no support on hand to pick up the pieces.

The Canaries continued to play the more coherent passing game but City went close when Brian Haule, set up by Haworth, had a shot deflected narrowly wide.

The visitors were fortunate to maintain their lead when Haule laid the ball off to Sean Shields who skipped past Dean Gilbert with ease and stung Bennett’s hands with a cracking low angled drive.

The ball flew high off of the keeper’s palms to Haule whose goal-bound header was about to be helped over the line by Haworth only for Laurie Stewart to stretch and toe poke the ball away.

Haworth was involved in two penalty appeals prior to the interval.

In the first incident he seemed to go to ground somewhat easily when running alongside Tom Pepper and in the second the ball clearly struck his arm following a header by Leach but with there being no intent a somewhat whistle happy referee George Sprague for once remained silent.

Hitchin pushed hard during the latter stages of the half and a succession of near misses was finally rewarded two minutes into added time.

Gregson played the ball up to Burke who stumbled, with Pooley, to the ground but was up swiftly to lay the ball into the path of Anderson who beat Merson with a perfect right-footed effort from well outside the penalty area that curled inside the keeper’s left hand upright.

Howell made a double change during the interval with the quiet duo of Haule and Hart being replaced by Jerome Walker and Bakare.

The second period made a more sedate start than the first but Hitchin still required a goalline clearance by Stewart to protect their lead after Ryan Moran headed goalwards from a Sean Shields cross.

The match took what appeared at the time to be an insignificant turn on 61 minutes when Frendo was booked for dissent towards linesman Daniel Richardson who had wrongly penalised him for an alleged foul on Barrie Matthews.

Within the next six minutes City stunned their biggest league crowd for ten months with two stupendous strikes past a bemused Bennett.

Saints captain David Ijaha, on 65 minutes, won the ball in the middle of the pitch and fed Sean Shields who then demonstrated the ruthlessness he usually saves for Reserve team matches.

With space in front of him Shields unleashed a wonderful effort from around 28 yards that thundered to the left of Bennett and into the York Road.

Clarence Park was still celebrating that early contender for Goal of the Season when just two minutes later Sean Shields, who won the corner in the first place, played a short corner in from the City left to Solomon Shields who in turn rolled the ball into the path of Ijaha.

With space and time all around him Ijaha, from 25 yards, scooped a right-footed shot beyond the diving Bennett for his first goal for the club.

Gone was the hesitancy that blighted City’s first half performance and now it was the all green men of Hitchin that were in retreat.

Solomon Shields collected a long throw from Barrie Matthews and although his shot lacked power Bennett still had to go full stretch to clip it to safety. From Shields ensuing corner Ryan Moran headed over.

Bennett emphasised the pressure that was mounting on his side as he rushed one clearance out for a throw and then did likewise from a goalkick.

But this remarkable match had no intention of sticking to the script and on 75 minutes the Canaries claimed an excellent fourth goal.

Substitute Callum Donnelly clipped s delightful ball in from the Town left that Frendo controlled with nonchalant ease at the near post before stroking his second goal of the night into a vacant Hatfield Road net.

Two minutes later Ieuan Lewis was not far away from adding a fifth Hitchin goal but the visitors suffered a huge psychological blow on 79 minutes when Frendo needlessly picked up a second yellow – and in turn red – card for kicking the ball away after his side had won a free kick following a foul by Matt Cutchey on Gilbert.

Hitchin were doing a sound job in denying the Saints more clear chances while at the opposite end of the pitch both Lewis and Donnolly drove shots across Merson but also, just, beyond the far post.

The final drama looked to be taking place one minute into stoppage time when referee Sprague fell to the ground with cramp.

After a prolonged delay the referee was replaced by his senior linesman, Richardson, with retired school teacher, football administrator, reporter and qualified referee David Willacy taking the flag resplendent in spectacles, normal shoes and casual trousers.

With more than six minutes of added time already played the final nerve jangling twist unfolded in front of Willacy as Sean Shields won the ball from Donnelly after the Hitchin player had intercepted a pass from Ijaha down the City right.

Donnelly attempted to win the ball back but only succeeded in sending Shields crashing to the ground under the nose of the makeshift referee who pointed with calmness to the penalty spot.

But there was not much calmness to found elsewhere within the 107-year-old stadium, and the tension built during the 47 seconds between the award of the penalty and Bakare striking the spot kick firmly to Bennett’s left for the point saving eight goal of a remarkable night.

St Albans City: K.Merson, M.Pooley (J.Ehui 79), B.Matthews, D.Ijaha, M.Cutchey, R.Moran, Se.Shields, So.Shields, R.Haworth, B.Haule (S.Bakare 46), D.Hart (J.Walker 46), subs; J.Sonuga, M.Alebiosu.

Booked: Matthews, Pooley.

Hitchin Town: M.Bennett, T.Pepper, M.Leach, L.Stewart, D.Gilbert, L.Lee, I.Lewis, L.Gregson (J.Edgerley 72), Z.Burke (J.Arlick 90), J.Frendo, J.Anderson (C.Donnolly 53), subs; T.Fontenelle, M.Cole.

Dismissed: Frendo.

Goals: 5 0-1 Frendo, 9 0-2 Anderson, 10 1-2 Pooley, 45 1-3 Anderson, 65 2-3 Se.Shields, 67 3-3 Ijaha, 75 3-4 Frendo, 90 4-4 Bakare (p).

Referee: George Sprague (Cambridge).

Att: 452.