Drama was in plentiful supply at Grosvenor Vale on Monday as St Albans City and Wealdstone fought out a 2-2 National League South draw amidst claims of skulduggery and ineptitude.

St Albans had one player booked for feigning injury, one for diving and another, who by the admission of his own manager, was fortunate not to see red.

Yet the Saints still had good grounds for feeling hard done by when Rhys Hoenes went tumbling inside the penalty area in added time following an alleged trip by former Saint Josh McLeod-Urquhart and a penalty was not forthcoming.

Playing down the slope during the first half Wealdstone got off to a flying start and were inches away from taking an early when Tom Bender, under pressure from Elliot Benyon, struggled to clear a bouncing ball and Dylan Williams lashed in a fierce shot that James Russell finger-tipped onto the crossbar.

The Stones followed this with a succession of corners, one of which was conceded by an embarrassing miscue by Ben Martin that was greeted with great amusement by the home supporters at the expense of their former, short-term, player.

For all of Wealdstone’s early pressure the only direct threat on Russell’s goal was a glancing Ricky Wellard header from a David Hunt free kick.

It was something of a surprise though when St Albans, against the run of play, opened the scoring on 12 minutes with a goal that Stones ‘keeper Jonathan North will have nightmares over for many a long night.

A City attack down the right looked to petering out when the ball went back to central defender Ryan Johnson who knocked it long down the flank.

Wealdstone left-back McLeod-Urquhart – a veteran of 21 games for St Albans three years ago – took control of the situation and headed the ball in the direction of his goalkeeper.

The ball bounced slowly towards the penalty area and North, in attempting to drag it back into his box, failed to control it and the alert Dipo Akinyemi darted in from the touchline to nudge the ball wide of the diving keeper before sliding it into the goalmouth for Junior Morias to score from three yards.

Wealdstone went straight onto the attack from the kick off with Benyon and Danny Green charging straight down the middle but good work by Martin and Scott Thomas cleared the danger.

But City did only manage to retain the lead for two minutes before the Stones drew level following a long throw from the right by Hunt.

St Albans got the ball away as far as the edge of the penalty area only for Williams to do well to help it forward into the path of Benyon for the 28-year-old former Saint to hammer a rasping left-footed angled drive across Russell for the equaliser on his home debut.

City left-back Bender endured a rough 90 minutes with the former Forest Green Rovers player being on the receiving end of a late lunge by Green midway through the half, for which Green was booked, while Bender was booked himself during the second half when the referee accused him of feigning injury.

Martin, also, failed to stay out of the limelight for long and on the half hour looked to be in serious trouble.

Following a pass from Lee Chappell, Martin seemed undecided as to whether he should play the ball away or let it run through to Russell.

Williams spotted the indecision and raced in to get the ball on the edge of the penalty area.

Seeing Williams approaching Martin appeared to lean forward with his arms out to block the Stones players’ run.

This Martin achieved this but only to open hostility as the home players, management and supporters called for decisive action from referee Ian Fissenden, who turned a blind eye to the incident.

Three minutes later Shaun Lucien, one of five former Stones in the City side, went down in the penalty area when sticking a leg out to catch Hunt as he went past the defender.

Mr Fissenden was not conned by Lucien’s antics and brushed aside the penalty appeal.

There was an equally bizarre incident on 36 minutes when Wealdstone wanted St Albans to kick the ball out of play so that Hunt, put out of action by a hamstring injury, could have treatment.

But with Hunt already off the pitch City kept on playing only for Hunt to then slide himself back onto the pitch before being substituted.

After Benyon shot powerfully into the side netting Wes Parker, following an Elliot Godfrey corner, fired over the crossbar from just seven yards out.

Two minutes into added time Louie Theophanous, cutting a somewhat forlorn figure out wide, headed on a long kick by Russell to Morias who played the ball wide to Akinyemi.

The teenager got the better of the outstanding Eddie Oshodi but saw his rising shot from a tight angle pushed away for a corner by North.

City began the second period in encouraging mood with Morias ending a good run but shooting a yard wide, while Lucien cut away from Wellard and skipped past Urquhart before sending a good low cross across the face of the goal that was crying out for a touch to send it into the net.

A good chance went begging for Gordon Bartlett’s side when Williams got away down the left and cut a pass back to Urquhart who shot wastefully wide.

St Albans regained the lead on 50 minutes and it came from a source that will be familiar to Stones supporters as it was created by the long throw of their former captain Chappell.

From midway inside the Wealdstone half Chappell arrowed a throw towards a cluster of players inside the home penalty area.

Martin got a head to the ball to help it onto Theophanous who twisted quickly before sending a slightly scuffed shot to the right of the wrong-footed North.

Following that second goal St Albans looked to be reasonably comfortable for a while and but for an astonishing save by North the points could well have been in the bag.

The Stones keeper did not have many saves to make but one he made when clutching on to a ferocious volley by Theophanous, after Martin and then Morias had headed on a Ben Herd corner, was remarkable.

The importance of that save was revealed just 61 seconds later when the ball was despatched into the back of the City net for the second Wealdstone equaliser.

After a short spell of both sides conceding possession cheaply in the middle of the park Green chipped a delightful pass forward to Urquhart who, from just outside the penalty area, chested it down to Wellard who went wide of Martin and with his third touch sent a shot across Russell for his first goal for the club.

A good City break saw the attacking trio of Theophanous, Morias and Akinyemi have chances to shoot before the ball broke for the again impressive Scott Thomas to send a volley a couple of yards wide.

The drama continued into added time with St Albans seemingly winning a penalty when substitute Rhys Hoenes went down after clashing with McLeod-Urquhart inside the penalty area.

But again the man in black deemed it to be a dive and in the face of wild City protests Hoenes’s name went into the referee’s notebook.

Video footage supports referee Fissenden in not awarding St Albans a penalty when Lucien went down in the first half and whilst the Hoenes decision was a deal more marginal a good case could again be made in favour of the Gillingham-based official.

Wealdstone sniffed a chance of victory five minutes into added time when a free kick by Godfrey led to a mass scramble before Cadmore shot over the bar.

The draw lifts St Albans into third place in the fledgling league table but that will change following other games tonight (Tuesday).

The Saints are back on their travels this coming Saturday, 13th August with a National League South fixture away to Bath City, kick off 3pm.

St Albans have failed to score in any of their previous six visits to Twerton Park.

Wealdstone: J.North, E.Oshodi, J.McLeod-Urquhart, W.Parker (T.Hamblin 57), T.Cadmore, D.Hunt (E.Godfrey 36), M.Whichelow (S.Kabba 77), D.Green, E.Benyon, R.Wellard, D.Williams, unused subs: J.Hutchinson, C.Brown.

Booked: Green, Hunt.

St Albans City: J.Russell, B.Herd, T.Bender, L.Chappell, B.Martin, R.Johnson, S.Lucien (R.Hoenes 72), Sc.Thomas, L.Theophanous, J.Morias, D.Akinyemi (S.Merson 82), subs not used: M.Ball, I.Rees, J.Hill.

Booked: Lucien, Bender, Hoenes.

Referee: Ian Fissenden (Gillingham).

Att: 824.