Weymouth may have suffered a break-in but St Albans City were victims of self-inflicted wounds at the Wessex on New Year’s Eve as David Howell’s Saints slithered to a 3-1 Southern League defeat.
City had almost twice as many attempts on goal than their hosts and manoeuvred themselves into excellent positions on a number of occasions only for crosses of a dire quality to let the Terras off the hook.
St Albans were unhappy with the quality of the matchballs loaned to Weymouth after vandals slashed their stock of official Southern League balls but, as Howell accepted, conditions were the same for both sides.
And to blame the balls for the ineptness of their crosses and the looseness of their shooting would be to hide behind the truth that City were victims of their own failings.
Weymouth, four places below their guests at kick off, made two changes from the side that drew at Frome Town on Boxing Day while City brought in Tobi Jinadu and Dewayne Clarke for the suspended James Gray and injured Ryan Watts.
The left-sided Clarke, 33, was making his City debut following his recent move from Haringey Borough.
City also had two new faces on the bench in central defender Cedric Ngakam, signed in midweek from Aveley, and midfielder Danny McGonigle from Harrow Borough.
The visitors were slow starters at the end of their longest journey of the season and Weymouth made the early running and took the lead on nine minutes with what appeared to be a truly magnificent strike by Stephen Reed.
A Terras attack looked to have broken down when Micah Hyde robbed Byron Napper of possession but as the ball came to the gloved Reed he unleashed a thunderous left-footed volley from 36-yards that sailed over the head of City keeper Nick Jupp and dropped just under the crossbar.
Howell believed that the goal was down to the low quality of the ball as it moved in various directions before crashing into the back of the net. Even so, it was a strike that no other player came close to emulating on an afternoon of unseasonal mild temperatures.
After a timid opening City first threatened with Paul Furlong shooting wide but the Saints were soon back in trouble when a miss-kick by Jupp gave the ball straight to Craig Duff but his shot was also miscued and went tamely back to the keeper.
Weymouth secured a merited two-goal lead on 24 minutes following two successive corners. From the first Jupp and Warren Byerley met at the near post with the City keeper deflecting Byerley’s header out for another corner.
This time City left Sam Poole unattended at the back post and the central defender headed home, via Jupp’s right hand, from Reed’s corner for his first league goal for the club.
Following this second setback St Albans started to make more of an impact on the game but home keeper Nick Jordan was barely troubled by efforts from Hyde, Simon Martin and Furlong.
The latter stages of the half petered out with little fuss but the dreadful quality of City’s crossing was epitomised in the final minute when Hart’s effort from the right not only sailed over the goal but also over the stand roof and out of the ground.
St Albans were a different proposition after the break and dominated for long stretches but again a lack of accuracy with their crossing and poor finishing was in contrast to some patient passing approach play.
Just three minutes after the restart the deficit was reduced following a flowing move down the City left.
One-time Weymouth defender Narada Bernard started the move with a ball down the flank to Clarke and after collecting a return ball Bernard passed to Martin.
The experienced Martin touched the ball inside to Clarke whose shot from 20 yards was parried by Jordan who still lay prone as Furlong swept home the rebound.
As Weymouth visibly wilted City looked capable of drawing level and on the hour only good blocks by Poole and Scott Dixon denied Furlong before he fired his third attempt over the top, As the pressure mounted Clarke pushed the ball through the legs of Napper and cut it back to the impressive David Ijaha whose low shot deflected narrowly wide off Sam Malsom.
Furlong then collected Poole’s headed clearance and teed up Hart whose first time shot was comfortably gathered by Jordan.
The game was effectively settled with the third Weymouth goal on 69 minutes, which ended City’s best spell of the day.
Duff collected a throw from the Terras right and cut inside Clarke before pushing the ball into James Coutts.
A poor first touch by the midfielder should have allowed Jinadu to clear but his sliced kick simply gave the ball back to Coutts who beat Jupp with a controlled angled drive from eight yards.
Still, though, City could have got back into contention when Ijaha broke from deep and fed Hart but his low shot lacked venom and the sprawling Jordan saved with his knees.
Furlong, put away by substitute Aaron Lansiquot, was next to miss out when facing Jordan with the keeper relieved to see the former Chelsea striker shoot straight at him.
City’s last hope disappeared when Ijaha went on a mesmerising run past Reed, Coutts and Poole only to have the ball whipped from his toe by the outstretched leg of Jordan inside the six yard box. |