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30.09.2006 at 15:00 Wessex Stadium

Attendance : 1676

Weymouth

2 - 1

St Albans City

Referee : Andrew Rodda (Exeter) Nationwide Conference

Goalscorers
Wayne Purser (80, 85) Paul Hakim (59)
Opening squads
Arran Lee Barratt
Steve Tully
Roy O'Brien
Tony James
Simon Downer
Abdou El Kholti
Dean Howell
Simon Weatherstone
Ben Smith
Chukki Eribenne
Wayne Purser
Paul Bastock
Gary Elphick
Ranbir Marwa
Paul Hakim
Lee Clarke
Lee Flynn
David Theobald
Duane Jackman
Magnus Okuonghae
Alexis Nicolas
Chris Seeby
Substitutes
Trevor Challis
Jason Matthews
Shaun Wilkinson
Richard Logan
Jason Tindall
Dean Cracknell
Nick Roddis
Damien Batt
Nathan Simpson
Rob Norris
Substitutions
Shaun Wilkinson -> Tony James
(74)
Richard Logan -> Abdou El Kholti (74)
Trevor Challis -> Wayne Purser (88)
Dean Cracknell -> Ranbir Marwa (75)
Rob Norris -> Gary Elphick (89)
Yellow cards
None Paul Hakim (44)
Red cards
None None.
Match report

Paul Hakim on the attack
St Albans City's fall from top place in the Nationwide Conference towards the wrong end of the table continued at the Wessex Stadium on Saturday as two late goals secured victory for Garry Hill's Terras and condemned the Saints to a fifth consecutive defeat. Ahead through Paul Hakim's (pictured) excellent strike on 59 minutes City looked good value for a third away success of the season until Wayne Purser struck twice in the final ten minutes including what, for the visitors, was a cruelly deflected winner.

Luck alone will not win championships, or send a side down, but at the moment Colin Lippiatt's side must be wondering just what they have to do to get their fair share of the stuff as none, certainly not of the good variety, seems to be coming their way at present. This match was far from a classic but, until the latter stages, City were deservedly ahead through Hakim's fifth goal of the season and were defending with such fortitude that a third successive Weymouth defeat was growing increasingly likely.

City gave a debut to Alexis Nicolas whose calmness on the ball in midfield added a welcome assurance to the Saints play and it was only when City opted for use of the long ball, aligned with a couple of substitutions by the home side, that Weymouth gained the upper hand. Gary Elphick and Ram Marwa returned after injury and Duane Jackman also returned to the starting line up. New signing Nathan Simpson was on the bench. Making way for the incoming players were Kurt Husnu (released), Tom Davis (suspended), Rob Norris (relegated to the bench) and Damian Batt whose late arrival at the Wessex Stadium cost him a place in the starting XI and a verbal blasting from the manager.

The first half was low on excitement but City, possibly shading the play, were happy to go in goalless at the interval, particularly after a run of four straight defeats. Weymouth started the brighter of the two newly promoted sides with Purser just failing to reach Dean Howell's low cross while an excellent piece of skill by Chukki Eribenne created an opening that was ended by Magnus Okuonghae's fine block for a corner. Good work by Lee Clarke and Paul Hakim saw the latter send Duane Jackman away but a late whistle for a foul on Hakim, who gave an outstanding performance, thwarted his clear run on goal.

City took 20 minutes to win their first corner and maybe Okuonghae, who along with Elphick and Dave Theobald at the back hardly put a foot wrong, maybe should have done better with his back post header. On the half hour a deep cross from Steve Tully was met at the back post by Simon Downer whose header across goal was caught by Bastock who, in so doing, carried the ball out for a corner. St Albans responded with a Hakim through ball proving just too long for Jackman while an attempted lob by Terras skipper Ben Smith went well wide of the Saints goal.

The half ended in an unsatisfactory manner as a young City supporter was, somewhat heavy handedly, ejected from the ground by a steward while Hakim collected a yellow card for what appeared to be a touch of petulance.

Now playing into the breeze, St Albans began the second half in positive mode and for twenty minutes looked the only side likely to force a win. Three minutes after the restart Downer, who conceded an inordinate number of free kicks without being cautioned, fouled Hakim and from Nicolas's 22-yard free kick the ball went high to Arran Lee-Barratt's right and struck the crossbar before being scrambled away. A goal on debut would have capped an impressive performance by the former Chelsea and Brighton player whose touch and quick vision should prove of enormous benefit to the Saints in the weeks to come.

Nicolas was also twice involved in a build up that saw Clarke, having his best afternoon for some weeks, blocked with Theobald shooting wide from the rebound. More good work by the industrious Hakim saw the Saints leading scorer break down the right and cross to beyond the far post where Lee Flynn really should have hit the target but fired wide. Another fine attack down the City left saw Nicolas feed Clarke who moved the ball inside to Jackman and from his 20-yard effort the ball dipped on its way over Lee-Barratt's goal.

With the home support becomingly increasingly agitated, St Albans went ahead in the second half of a match for the first time this season. Clarke played a ball inside to Nicolas who spread it out to Chris Seeby. The right-sided City wing-back played the ball across the edge of the penalty area to Clarke whose good touch sent Hakim into the area and with a crisp drive across the diving keeper he became only the third visiting player in six games to score at the Wessex Stadium this season.

Having looked comfortable up to now City should have been able to secure at least a welcome and much needed point but Weymouth upped the tempo with Howell cutting in from the left and forcing Paul Bastock to save by his near post while a poor clearance by the City keeper offered Eribenne a snap-shot that proved harmless. On 71 minutes Eribenne was far more impressive with a tremendous drive from 30 yards that Bastock had to parry before collecting.

Three minutes later former City boss Hill made a double substitution while City replaced the tiring Marwa with Dean Cracknell. Still City appeared in no serious danger although Smith sent a diving header well over and some uncharacteristically wayward kicking by Bastock was sending the ball out of play and handing possession back to the Terras far too frequently. Also, City were showing a growing tendency to get the ball forward early when they had looked far more in control when playing it on the deck and through the midfield. Even so, it was still somewhat out of the blue when Weymouth drew level on 80 minutes.

On what was one of very few times, the Terras found space down the flanks with Smith sending Howell down the Weymouth left and as he attempted to cut across Bastock two City defenders appeared to become a tangled heap leaving Purser with a simple tap in.

Within two minutes City could have scored a crucial second goal but Elphick, at the back post, headed wide from Flynn's deep free kick. Three minutes later and Weymouth made certain of extending their magnificent home record to just one defeat in 32 league matches when Flynn struggled to clear a high ball and as it landed substitute Richard Logan saw his shot deflect off Purser and wrong-foot Bastock to nestle inside the keepers left hand upright.

City pushed for an equaliser during four minutes of added time but despite a couple of free kicks in dangerous positions no way could be found through eleven Weymouth shirts packing the home penalty area.
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