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27.01.2009 at 19:45 Clarence Park

Attendance : 248

St Albans City

2 - 3

Welling United

Referee : Andrew Parker (Stanford-le-Hope) Blue Square South

Goalscorers
Paul Hakim (63)
Sam Hurrell (73)
Sanchez Ming (9)
Charlie Sheringham (34 pen)
Charlie Sheringham (87)
Opening squads
Paul Bastock
Scott Cousins
Ben Martin
Ryan Frater
Adam Everitt
Gary Cohen
James Quilter
Paul Hakim
Jonathan Hunt
Craig Mortimer
James Fisher
David Wilkinson
Ryan Johnson
Sonny Cobbs
Jack Parkinson
Graeme Andrews
Gavin Dayes
Sanchez Ming
Lee Blackburn
Loui Fazakerley
Charlie Sheringham
Orlando Smith
Substitutes
Hassan Sulaiman
Simon Martin
Sam Hurrell
Daniel Charge
Chris Seeby
Matthew McEntegart
Tony Sinclair (54)
Delando Smith
Richard Stevens (82)
Charlie Mitten
Substitutions
Chris Seeby -> Ryan Frater (21)
Sam Hurrell -> Jonathan Hunt (59)
Simon Martin -> Craig Mortimer (63)
Tony Sinclair -> Gavin Dayes (54)
Richard Stevens -> Loui Fazakerley (82)
Yellow cards
James Quilter (80)
Adam Everitt (90)
Gavin Dayes (23)
Lee Blackburn (76)
Red cards
None. None
Match report
St Albans City staged a stirring fightback for the second successive home Blue Square South match on Tuesday night only for Welling United, through Teddy Sheringham’s son, Charlie, to snatch victory in the 87th minute.

City made a bright start yet found themselves two goals in arrears by the 34th minute – courtesy of a deflected shot and a harsh penalty – before pulling level with second half strikes from Paul Hakim and Sam Hurrell.

But City were condemned to their sixth defeat in nine league games as the Wings extended the Saints winless run to the worst the club has suffered during four seasons as members of Conference South.

Welling, beaten 1-0 at home by St Albans during City’s seven-match winning run earlier this season, made three changes to the side beaten by Chelmsford at the weekend while City made two alterations.

Gary Cohen returned to the attack in place of Simon Martin, and 18-year-old Craig Mortimer made his first start in the league as Hassan Sulaiman was relegated to the bench. Cohen’s pace certainly caused the occasional problem for the visitors defence while Mortimer started well before being starved of service out on the right flank.

St Albans began the game in a more positive mood than of late but home keeper Paul Bastock was still called into action within 13 seconds of the kick off as Sheringham quickly made his presence felt.

Just nine minutes had elapsed when the Kent side opened the scoring. Sheringham squared the ball across the Saints penalty area to Sanchez Ming whose right-footed shot from 20-yards clipped the outstretched leg of James Fisher and spun high inside Bastock’s left hand post despite the keeper getting his fingertips to the ball.

Fortunately for City’s lowest league attendance in just over four years Steve Castle’s side responded positively with Mortimer sending in an excellent left-footed drive from 30-yards that the debut making Wings keeper David Wilkinson, on loan from Crystal Palace, palmed around the post.

Wilkinson also displayed fine handling when catching a deep cross from Cohen and a corner from Jonathan Hunt.

With City’s attack having looked staid of late the injection of Cohen’s pace proved most welcomed and on 15 minutes the striker burst clear of a surprised Welling defence and latched onto a long headed through ball from Fisher only to be denied by Wilkinson who moved swiftly from his line to block at the cost of a corner.

City’s good spell continued with Cohen flicking on a long punt from Bastock to Hakim who wanted one touch too many inside the penalty area and was duly dispossessed.

Despite the threat to their goal Welling looked a particularly well organised side and in the likes of Sheringham, Ming and Orlando Smith were not short of ball players, while captain Lee Blackburn toiled away endlessly in midfield.

Ming tested Bastock with a low drive just moments before City lost Ryan Frater with a recurrence of his troublesome left hamstring. Chris Seeby came off the bench to go to right back with Fisher moving inside to partner Ben Martin.

Seeby was quickly seen in an attacking position as a Hunt free kick was partially cleared as far Seeby whose firm drive went through a cluster of players before drifting comfortably wide of the target.

Seeby was back in the thick of the action on 34 minutes when he was penalised for a foul on Smith when it appeared that the Welling winger cleverly jumped into the City defender to win a penalty. Sheringham competently beat Bastock from the spot with a shot high to the keepers right as Bastock fell to his left.

Welling were in complete control at the interval and when Smith forced Bastock into a save soon after the restart the omens did not look good for City. But a hint of what was to come was given when a long throw by Adam Everitt was knocked away only as far as Hunt who failed to keep his shot down and sliced a wild effort high and wide of the York Road goal.

Seconds later Hunt was replaced by Hurrell. Former Sky One Football Idol winner Hurrell has failed to impress thus far when starting for St Albans but, as is his wont, gave another encouraging performance when used as a substitute.

Even so, Welling seemed to be cruising to victory but were guilty of being over indulgent with one or two party pieces that simply handed possession to their hosts. The worst example was a ludicrous pass along the edge of his own penalty area by right back Ryan Johnson on 63 minutes that put the ball straight into the path of Hakim.

City’s leading marksman shuffled forward a few paces before neatly sending Wilkinson the wrong way to notch his 11th league goal of the season.

Before the game restarted Castle sent on Simon Martin in place of Mortimer. Martin joined Hakim in attack as Cohen was switched out to the right of the midfield where he continued to worry Andy Ford’s side.

In fact, Welling went from a position of almost supremacy to looking distinctly vulnerable. City were now playing with greater confidence than seen towards the end of the first half and were aided by an unexpected nervousness in the Welling ranks.

A long throw by Everitt was helped on by Ben Martin to Hakim whose deft touch was hacked away from close to goal. City captain Martin then played the ball out to Cohen whose cross looked perfect for the incoming Hurrell only for a defender to just get a firm enough touch to deny the substitute a clear header at goal.

But Hurrell was in no mood to be denied and when a short pass by Sheringham on 73 minutes allowed Scott Cousins to win the ball City broke at speed. Hurrell was involved three times – even surviving appeals for handball – and exchanged passes with Simon Martin before surging forward and placing the ball across the diving keeper and just inside Wilkinson’s left hand upright as the custodian dived to his right.

Having wiped out a three-goal deficit in their previous home league match City found the two-goal handicap a breeze and now searched for the goal that would give them their first league win since 8 November.

Everitt’s trademark long throw’s continued to trouble the Wings with Hurrell having a close range effort blocked after Ben Martin had helped on an Everitt special.

Hakim had an opportunity to grab the glory with free kick but his dead-ball kick from 25 yards was calmly watched on its way over the bar by Wilkinson.

Seven minutes from time Ben Martin must have believed he had made certain his side would avoid a third successive league defeat when sliding in with a stunning tackle to thwart the free Sheringham, but just four minutes later Sheringham showed all of his father’s poaching instincts to grab the decisive match-winning goal.

Cousins was exposed as he tried to seize possession from Ming who played the ball back to Blackburn before taking a return pass from in front of the boardroom and drilling a powerful low ball across the face of the City goal for an unmarked Sheringham to fire into the Hatfield Road net.

Sheringham squandered a good chance to complete his hat-trick when blazing a free kick off into the darkness of the surrounding parkland while City twice went close to salvaging a draw.

Cohen played a good ball into the path of Hakim, who advanced down the right touchline, before sending a good low ball into the penalty area that James Quilter had whipped off his toes at the vital moment, and City’s final hope of staving off their fifth home defeat of the season vanished when a Cousins corner just eluded Ben Martin but was brought down by Seeby whose rushed shot crashed into the sparsely populated terraces.

The attendance of 248 is City’s lowest for a league match since December 2004 with the empty terraces matched by the director’s box as not a single St Albans director was present.
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