The Camrose has provided rich pickings for St Albans City during the course of the 23 years during which the Saints have visited the home of Basingstoke Town, but on Saturday City returned to Hertfordshire a touch miffed by the ill fortune which dogged their latest trip to face a very much in-form and high flying 'Stoke side.
Having bowed tamely out of the League Cup in midweek, the Saints put in a far more battling and committed performance against Ernie Howe's team and but for a cruel deciding goal at the start of five minutes of injury time City would have avoided being on the receiving of the first double by Basingstoke over the Saints. During the opening 45 minutes City's depleted squad more than held their own and with a better final pass and a more experienced attack may well have gained a half time advantage.
As it was City only had to wait 12 minutes into the second period before Steve Blaney opened the scoring but within the next seven minutes the Saints world began to fall apart. Firstly, Spencer Knight, highly skilled but hardly one of the most fearsome tacklers on the circuit, was dismissed for an alleged elbow into the face of Don Forbes, and, secondly, when Glen Howes scored the kind of glorious goal most players only ever get to dream about.
From then on in it was backs to the wall stuff for the Saints who responded to the task admirably until finally succumbing to Tim Sills late headed winner.
Basingstoke went into the game on the back of successive wins over Enfield and Aldershot and began positively but it was City who first threatened with Neville Roach sending a scorching volley just over Scott Tarr's goal following a Knight cross. For the next 15 minutes City appeared very comfortable but were clearly lacking punch in attack. On the half hour a good move down the left saw Danny Davis find Roach whose cross was met by Knight but his glancing header from a good position failed to trouble Tarr. Towards the end of the half Knight tried to put Blaney through the middle but the midfielder was held off long enough for Tarr to collect.
City's first half promise continued into the early part of the second period as Blaney's fine through ball sent Knight clear only for his low shot past the advancing keeper to roll wide of the far post. But City's relative dominance bore fruit on 57 minutes with a typically gritty goal. Gary Wraight, who continues to soldier on despite carrying an injury, won the ball some 30 yards from goal and in a tight space battled past three players before sliding over a low cross which Stoke defender Paul Wilkinson failed to clear properly and with a mishit volley from just inside the penalty area Blaney sent the ball bobbling inside Tarr's left hand post.
But City hopes of maintaining their unbeaten away record in the Premier Division since the turn of the year began to diminish on the hour when referee Mr Smith brandished a red card in Knight's direction for elbowing Forbes whom he had also inadvertently kicked just a couple of minutes earlier. Mr Smith had controlled the game with little fuss until that point but appeared to be flustered by the furore surrounding that decision and his performance for the final 30 minutes was less pleasing.
Unsettled by the dismissal City were simply stunned in the 64 minute when Howes, wide on the Stoke right, unleashed a magnificent angled drive which flew at some pace into the far corner of the goal despite young City keeper Andy Walker getting his fingers tips to the ball.
Following that goal Basingstoke laid siege to the City penalty area but with some resolute defending combined with the immaculate handling of Walker the Saints looked capable of salvaging a point. That said, eight minutes from time a header by Sills bounced off the top of the crossbar and seconds later the on loan Colchester goalkeeper spread himself well to beat out Lee Chudy's powerful drive.
City almost caused an upset on 88 minutes when from Blaney's corner Ben Andrews sent a looping header towards the top corner of the goal only for Tarr to grasp it at the last moment. One of the features Basingstoke's play throughout the afternoon was their willingness to leave a player wide down either flank and in the 90th minute that tactic paid rich dividends as Steve Baker, for the umpteenth time, crossed from the Stoke right, the ball glanced off Cook's head for Sills, in the centre of the goalmouth, to plant a simple header past the unfortunate Walker.
Report by Dave Tavener |