St Albans City F.C. History & Archives - Fixtures & Results | St Albans City F.C. History & Archives

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21.09.1946 at 15:00 Clarence Park

Attendance :

St Albans City

5 - 1

Apsley

Referee :

FA Cup Prem

Goalscorers

Dave Sayers
Charlie Correyer
Albert Price
Bob Christopher
Jack Coates

None

Opening squads

Herbert Rolph
Roy Whitby
Arthur Benn
L 'Jock' Ellison
Jack Smith
Stan Kirkham
Albert Price
Charlie Correyer
Dave Sayers
Bob Christopher
Jack Coates

Substitutes

Substitutions

None.

None

Yellow cards

None.

None

Red cards

None.

None

Match report

The Citizens had little difficulty in overcoming their first hurdle in the F A Cup competition. Apsley are far below their pre-war standard and have yet to re-capture that dash and finishing spirit which, in the old days, made them such dangerous opponents in cup-ties, capable of upsetting the calculations of the best of sides. They never appeared likely to pull off a surprise at Clarence Park on Saturday.

St Albans had completely re-constructed their attack for this game. There was certainly more skill and method in the vanguard, but there was such a marked lack of speed and dash, that it would be idle for the team builders to take the view that all their problems have been solved.

J Coates, who had figured in the Crystal Palace first eleven on several occasions this season, showed capital ball control and made astute passes, particularly to A M Price, whose form in a new position at outside right was highly promising.

Correyer was slow in the middle. Sayers’ best moves were his long passes to the opponents wing, which opened up the game, and Christopher, who placed the ball to advantage, got the best goal of the day with a glorious header.

Bean worked untiringly in support of his forwards. Apsley were weak in attack and St Albans’ defence, in which J Smith was outstanding, were seldom seriously extended. Rolph had few difficult shots to handle.

St Albans, who fell into the offside traps set by the Apsley defenders with amazing frequency, had the ball in the net twice, only to be ruled offside before COATES opened the scoring with a hard low opportunist shot in the tenth minute. CHILDS gathered a ball which bounced awkwardly and then baffled defenders to equalise five minutes later.

Soon after the equaliser St Albans regained the lead when Coates went through from the kick off and passed to CORREYER who netted without an Apsley player touching the ball.

A long pass by Sayers enabled PRICE to cut in and notch St Albans’ third goal in the 25th minute while CHRISTOPHER, with a beautifully judged header from a centre by Price, gave the Citizens a four-one interval lead.

Three minutes after the resumption Christopher ran through and placed a low centre out of the reach of Stratton for SAYERS to complete the scoring. With that lead St Albans seemed content and the rest of the game was dull with Apsley continuing to work their offside trap very successfully.

Allsop, at centre back, A Groves, a youthful left back and G Oldham, a former Middlesbrough player whose experience was of great value to his side when he moved to right back, did best for Apsley. G Stratton, the former Herts County custodian, gathered the ball as safely as ever.

In the next round, to be played on October 5th St Albans City are at home to Hertford Town, who have, with the choice of ground in each case disposed of Leavesden 6-2 and Saffron Walden 7-2.