Adam Parker
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Colin Lippiatt was presented with his first victory as manager of St Albans City on Tuesday but the tremendous fight put up by Ryman League Division One new-boys Cray Wanderers will have brought home to the new Saints chief just how much of a rebuilding task lies ahead.
Cray overturned a two-goal deficit on Saturday to take this 2nd Round FA Trophy tie to a replay and again on Tuesday at Clarence Park Ian Jenkins side twice came from behind to force an extra thirty minutes during which they were unfortunate to bow out.
Cray, due to an overly robust style, won no new admirers from St Albans over the two games but when they let their footwork do their talking during extra time they could, and maybe should, have ousted a Saints side that has forgotten how to defend.
On a bitterly cold evening it was City who made the early inroads with Matt Nolan firing well over and Chris Seeby, with a header after Ian Rawlings had deflected the ball high, forcing Steve Northwood into a good save by the foot of the post.
St Albans bright start was rewarded on 17 minutes when Nick Roddis played a short ball inside to Nolan who turned and drove a glorious effort from 22 yards high to the left of the static Northwood and into the Hatfield Road goal. With that goal St Albans early dominance faded and towards the end of the half Cray had two half chances one of which saw Ross Lover shoot wide and the other ended when Paul Bastock denied Jamie Wood.
Bastock was in the thick of the action soon after the restart as he slipped when making a clearance, which almost let in the bustling Phil Collins but on 55 minutes the Wanderers did restore parity. Nolan neglected to close down a clearance by Northwood from well outside his penalty area and as the City backline stood motionless the ball somehow went the length of the pitch to send Matt Woolfe away and with a crisp drive Bastock was beaten.
For a while City were on the back foot and Bastock had to save low down from Drew Watkins as the blue tide ebbing towards the home tide gathered strength. Jamie Wood cut in from the Cray right only to shoot well over and Bastock stretched to catch Woolf's attempted lob as Cray seized the initiative.
But the game twisted back in City's favour on 68 minutes when Clarke, shortly after seeing his downward header from a Dean Hooper cross bounce up and over the crossbar, smartly controlled the ball and clipped in his fifth goal in four games after Seeby's shot from a Matt Hann corner had been blocked on the line.
Such are St Albans defensive frailties that even now the result was far from decided but both Collins and James Taylor were off-key with wayward headers after being left unattended by City's inadequate backline. As Cray pushed forward City relieved the pressure with a slick attack down the left which ended with Hann cutting inside and shooting low only for the shot to well taken by Northwood.
With a phenomenal workrate Cray kept attacking the Saints and four minutes from time their persistence paid off when James Millar crossed powerfully to the back post where the unmarked Jamie Kempster headed home with ease. Chances were aplenty during extra time with Bastock making a vital save at the feet of Millar and Clarke testing Northwood from the edge of the box before, on 102 minutes, Nolan laid a perfect pass off for Roddis to have a clear run at goal before guiding his first goal for the Saints past the diving keeper.
Nolan and Clarke both wasted clear chances to put the result beyond doubt before time was called and City had claimed an unconvincing place in the 3rd Round for the first time in four years. |