10:12pm Saturday 20th February 2010
By David Tavener
A game of fluctuating fortunes and inconsistent refereeing decisions ended with Staines Town completing their first ever league double over St Albans City on Saturday as the Saints scored a hat-trick of headed goals before bowing down to a 4-3 Blue Square South defeat at Wheatsheaf Lane.
On chances created – Paul Bastock pulled off three outstanding saves – Steve Cordery’s in-form Swans were good value in extending their unbeaten run to a tenth match but with a late Gary Cohen goal City kept the tension going right to the final whistle.
City made one change from the side that gained a creditable draw at Thurrock the previous week with Paul Hakim returning to the attack in place of the unavailable Jake Argent.
Staines brought in three players from the side that defeated Bromley a week earlier, with the return of right-sided midfielder Mazin Ahmed and striker Scott Taylor proving to be astute alterations. Ahmed was a constant thorn in City’s side while Taylor doubled his goals tally for the season with a first half brace.
The opening passage of play saw the home side dominate possession but City’s defence held firm and threatened to collect its second successive clean sheet.
In fact it was St Albans, with a scuffed effort well wide by Paul Hakim following a low Peter Smith cross, who could have made the early inroad.
Town came close to taking a fortuitous lead on 11 minutes when a Leroy Griffiths free kick struck team mate Taylor and almost fell to the same player in front of goal only for Bastock to move swiftly and gather the falling ball.
Staines continued to pose the greater threat with Gareth Risbridger heading over from a corner and Taylor just failing to make a firm contact with a low cross that fizzed across the face of the visitors’ goal.
City’s resistance held until the 21st minute when Griffiths crossed from the Staines left for Taylor to stretch and score with a back post header.
Having been pressed back up until this point City now began to express themselves more positively with some decent passing football. Two minutes after the goal James Quilter leapt well to meet a Jake Beecroft free kick but headed across the goal and well wide.
But City did pull level on 28 minutes with a well constructed and executed goal.
Peter Smith played the ball across the pitch to the right sided Beecroft whose perfectly placed back post cross was smartly headed home by the incoming Ian Dunn.
With his third goal in just three games Dunn, in exposing City’s shortcomings in front of goal this season, was, albeit briefly, the Saints joint-second highest scorer.
City now moved forward with confidence but had a narrow escape on the half hour when Bastock was called upon to make an astonishing point blank save from Taylor, only for the play to be pulled back due to a foul a split second earlier by Michael Kamara on Dunn.
A City attack on 32 minutes looked to be petering out when James Fisher miscued a soft low cross into the penalty area that Swans defender Yado Mambo sliced over his own goal for the Saints first corner of the afternoon.
Beecroft lifted the set-piece towards the back post where Mark Peters steamed in to beat home keeper Louis Wells with a powerful downward header to Wells right for his second goal of the season.
But just as the game looked to be shifting in City’s favour back came Staines to draw level on 36 minutes.
Andre Scarlett got the better of Peters 25 yards from goal only to see his shot, from inside the penalty area, thud into the base of Bastock’s right hand upright. The rebound fell beautifully for Taylor, from 12 yards, to slot home his fourth goal of the season.
Again City hit back quickly with a well-flighted ball from Drew Roberts looking to have teed up Hakim for his first goal of the season only for Kamara to pop up with a wonderful tackle to concede a corner.
The match twisted drastically in favour of the Swans a minute from the interval when Godfrey Poku was deemed to have tripped the marauding Taylor just outside the penalty area.
City protested vehemently against the decision but having given the free kick referee Stuart Butler could easily have dismissed Poku as the final defender but, instead, settled on a yellow card.
Any injustice City may have felt towards the decision was multiplied seconds later as Ahmed, seeing Bastock standing close to his left hand upright, found the back of the net off the inside of the opposite post.
Quite remarkably, the interval arrived with all of the five goals having come from the only on-target efforts of the half. After the break there was not such an equal threat in front of goal as Staines on-target shots outnumbered City’s seven to one.
Despite the high number of goals the game was interesting more than thrilling and the opening ten minutes after resumption suggested that the defences were going to enjoy a quieter second period.
All that changed on 55 minutes when Griffiths slipped the ball inside from the Town right and a deft touch by Taylor forced Bastock into a fine save stretching low to his right.
And the 39-year-old City custodian was back in action soon after to spectacularly tip over Scarlett’s rising shot from 16 yards, following another ball in from the elusive and experienced Griffiths.
Dunn’s afternoon ended on 63 minute as Gary Cohen joined the fray on the left of the midfield, with Roberts moving forward to partner Hakim.
The outcome looked to have been put beyond all reasonable doubt on 66 minutes when both Smith and Poku stopped chasing and appealed for a goalkick as Ahmed outwitted the pair of them. As the linesman’s flag remained un-raised Ahmed crossed carefully for Griffiths to beat Bastock with a half volley.
City had little option but to attack and a fine run by Solomon Shields almost brought reward when he exchanged passes with Hakim only for his shot to blocked by the combined effort of Mambo and Kamara with the ball appearing to strike the arm of the latter, although a penalty was not forthcoming.
A well worked free kick between Griffiths and Scarlett led to Marc Charles-Smith testing Bastock with a diving header that was collected comfortably.
Nine minutes from time City reduced the deficit when Cohen headed home smartly at the back post following a corner – won by Smith - clipped over from the Saints left by Beecroft.
Stained looked decidedly edgy during the final 14 minutes, more than five minutes of added time were played, as City went for just three at the back and threw Peters into the attack.
But it was at the opposite end of the pitch that another goal almost came when Taylor found space inside the penalty area but Bastock was again equal to the task with one more top drawer save.
Staines Town: L.Wells, S.Jackson, M.Kamara, D.Gordon, Y.Mambo, A.Scarlett, M.Ahmed (D.Thomas 79), G.Risbridger, M.Charles-Smith, S.Taylor (D.Sterling (89), L.Griffiths, subs; M.Ifura, H.Newton, J.Courtnage.
St Albans City: P.Bastock, J.Fisher, P.Smith, G.Poku (R.Magwood 78), M.Peters, J.Quilter, J.Beecroft, S.Shields, I.Dunn (G.Cohen 63), P.Hakim, D.Roberts (J.Lindie 74) subs; R.Frater. R.Dedman.
Goals: 1-0 Taylor 21, 1-1 Dunn 28, 1-2 Peters 32, 2-2 Taylor 36, 3-2 Ahmed 43, 4-2 Griffiths 66, 4-3 Cohen 81.
Booked: Scarlett, Poku. Roberts, Cohen, Peters.
Referee: Stuart Butler (Coxheath).
Att: 460.
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