Clinical finishing at one end of the pitch and an outstanding performance by teenage goalkeeper Andy Walker at the other carried St Albans City to their biggest Ryman League victory since August on Saturday and earned the Saints their third Premier Division double of the season and first ever over Essex side Heybridge Swifts.
Boosted by an early strike from midfielder Richard Evans the Saints had little trouble in carving open a Heybridge side which harbours dreams of a top three place in the table but, on this evidence, certainly defensively, look to be well short of a side with such lofty ambitions.
As for the Saints manager John Kendall and his squad deserve all manner of awards for the way they have continued to pick up decent results in recent weeks against a back ground of horrendous internal strife and tightening monetary constraints. Without doubt many managers would have thrown in the towel weeks ago but Kendall and his assistant Jeff Wood have gallantly stuck to the task and deserve all praise bestowed upon them.
Attacking the Hatfield Road goal the Saints required just 104 seconds to add to the last minute winner Amara Simba plundered at Scraley Road back in November. David Pratt swung over a corner from the City right to beyond the back post which the impressive Steven Morison headed back into the middle for Richard Goddard to lay off to Evans who beat Kingsley Banks with clean strike low to the keepers right. In 115 games for the Saints it was only Evans third goal for the club but his second against the Swifts.
Heybridge almost pulled level in the fifth minute with a low effort from Kris Lee which Walker did well to parry and then scramble across to push out for a corner as Lee went for the rebound. City should have extended their lead on 12 minutes when Pratt pulled the ball back to Nicky Gyoury whose cross was met on the full by Steve Blaney but the midfielders volley went straight into Banks midriff.
Walker thwarted Lee for a second time on 18 minutes and that save grew in significance on the half hour as a goalkick from Banks was quickly returned towards the edge of the Swifts penalty area. Morison sped clear of the Heybridge defence and with a powerful ground shot across the diving Banks the former Leicester City Academy player opened his account for the Saints.
Both sides continued to create chances with Morison going close for the Saints and Walker saving well from Adam Gillespie before the points were effectively sealed on 39 minutes when the Saints scored an excellent third goal. Pratt advanced down the right and cut the ball back from the goalline to Morison whose clever step-over allowed the ball to run onto Goddard. The makeshift striker dallied before slipping a perfect pass into the path of the excellent Gary Wraight whose shot from ten yards smacked into the centre of the goal.
To their credit Heybridge came back strongly after the break and within three minutes of the restart Simon Parker blocked an attempted clearance by Walker but as he sought to force home the dropping ball he was beaten to it by the covering Gyoury. Although pressed back for long stretches during the second half City were not without chances as Pratt tested Banks with a scorching effort and only a late block by Ian Wiles denied Morison a second goal. At the opposite end the crossbar came to City's rescue following a shot on the turn by Lee, the home goal also led a charmed life through a series of goalmouth scrambles but at the final whistle young Walker had successfully kept his fourth clean sheet in eight outings but saw the Man of the Match award presented to the equally outstanding Ryan Moran.
Report by Dave Tavener |