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

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08.08.2009 at 15:00 Avenue Stadium

Attendance : 450

Dorchester Town

3 - 0

St Albans City

Referee : Andy Newell (Bristol)

Blue Square South

Goalscorers

Ivan Forbes (37)
Neil Martin (50)
Ivan Forbes (74)

None.

Opening squads

Ryan Northmore
Mark Jermyn
Jake Smeeton
Tom Mitchell
Gary Bowles
Ken Hill
Neil Martin
Jamie Gleeson
Ryan Moss
Phil Walsh
Ivan Forbes

Paul Bastock
Alex Bailey
Luke Thurlbourne
Jason Mitchell
Ryan Frater
Adam Everitt
Gary Cohen
Danny Green
Solomon Shields
James O'Donoghue
James Fisher

Substitutes

Matt Groves (75)
Ashley Vickers
Harry Montacute
Connor Flood
Regan Coward

Jamie Thurlbourne
Darren Quinton
James Quilter
Daniel Chillingworth
Drew Roberts

Substitutions

Matt Groves -> Ryan Moss(75)

Drew Roberts -> Danny Green (44)
Daniel Chillingworth -> James O'Donoghue (55)
James Quilter -> Jason Mitchell (60)

Yellow cards

Jake Smeeton (54)
Gary Bowles (68)

None.

Red cards

None	Adam Everitt (78)

Match report

St Albans City endured a dreadful start to the new Blue Square South season on Saturday as defender Adam Everitt was dismissed for a truly shocking challenge during the Saints 3-0 capitulation to Dorchester Town at a sun-drenched Avenue Stadium.

An early season visit to the Dorset club was one the Saints viewed with genuine optimism but aside from a 25 minute spell during the first half Steve Castle’s side were barely in contention as the Magpies kicked off their campaign with an identical drubbing to the one they handed out to St Albans on the opening day two years ago.

Castle gave debuts to three players in his starting XI but the trio were each hauled off within the hour as the game slipped speedily from City’s grasp. Dorchester had just two new faces on the pitch at the kick off but it was one of last seasons veterans, Ivan Forbes, who did most damage to the Saints.

The 21-year-old Portuguese striker scored twice and gave City left back Everitt a torrid afternoon, and after failing to take out his tormentor with one wild hack Everitt succeeded with a gruesome two-footed lunge that horrified even his own manager.

Such problems appeared unimaginable early on as City, playing in a 4-3-3 formation, sprayed the ball around with precision and great authority. The only downside to some delightful approach work was the lack of a cutting edge.

Gary Cohen was joined up front by new boys Jamie O’Donoghue and Danny Green for the opening half but this grouping proved woefully inadequate in breaking down a Magpies defence superbly marshalled by Kevin Hill.

Later in the game, with the more experienced Drew Roberts and Daniel Chillingworth lining up alongside Cohen, City were still toothless in front of goal and the five strikers given a run out will need to improve dramatically to turn City’s fortunes around.

The brightest area of the park for City was the midfield where James Fisher was joined by Solomon Shields and Luke Thurlbourne. That trio dominated proceedings for the opening 25 minutes but found the going tougher once Dorchester threw off their inhibitions.

City had the first attempt on goal when Town’s new goalkeeper Ryan Northmore was called upon to save Fisher’s header from a Cohen cross. Just three minutes had passed and it was to be City’s only on-target effort of the afternoon.

In fact, both sides had trouble locating the target early on as Thurlbourne and Jamie O’Donoghue were both way off target for the visitors while Phil Walsh fired high over the City goal following Forbes’ lay off.

Forbes soon began giving Everitt problems and the Magpies had penalty appeals rejected as the duo stumbled inside the penalty.

A delightful City move ended with Cohen cutting in from the left and earning a corner with a low drive that was deflected wide of the goal. From Thurlbourne’s near post corner Neil Martin headed away for another corner.

But as City’s early promise waned Dorchester responded positively although a header into the home goalmouth by Saints captain Ryan Frater suggested that City could still be a threat.

As the Magpies grew in confidence Ryan Moss wasted a clear opening when heading over from inside the six yard box following a Mark Jermyn free kick, but the reprieve was short-lived as Dorchester took the lead on 37 minutes with a highly controversial goal.

Jamie Gleeson threaded a ball through the middle of the City defence to Moss who appeared to be tripped by Frater as he slipped a pass out to Walsh on the left. A linesman’s raised flag for the trip was overruled by referee Andy Newell while City howls for offside as Walsh played the ball across the penalty area for the unmarked Forbes to score also went unanswered.

St Albans’ response during the remainder of the half was, at best, muted and the hauling back of all players to defend free kicks allowed Dorchester to attack in numbers with no fear of a City counter-attack.

The increasingly influential Tom Mitchell put a free kick over the City goal while Paul Bastock, after doing well to get a punch to the ball whilst under pressure from Moss and Walsh, looked on with relief as Gleeson’s follow up was blocked by central defender Jason Mitchell.

Thankfully City managed to start the second half without resorting to another huddle that did little good for their first half performance, but other than for an excellent curling left footed effort by Drew Roberts, after cutting in from the right flank, that went just beyond the back post, there was little offered to deny Roy O’Brien’s side victory.

Roberts had replaced Danny Green just prior to the break as the teenager struggled with shin splints. Green had shown himself to be a threat when in possession but sadly was spending too long out of the game to really make an impact on his debut.

The odds of City avoiding their first defeat at the Avenue Stadium lengthened on 50 minutes when Tom Mitchell’s low drive into the penalty area from 20 yards was turned in from close range by the debut making Martin.

Thereafter St Albans were virtually a sitting target for a Dorchester side that, despite this thoroughly deserved and convincing victory, is unlikely to be amongst the front runners come next April.

As the chances increased in regularity Walsh twice let City off the hook with poorly directed headers when well placed.

But on 74 minutes Frater, of whom so much is expected this season after Ben Martin’s move to Chelmsford, make a basic error as he attempted to dribble his way past Forbes only to be easily dispossessed by the livewire winger.

Frater’s woes continued as he gave chase back into the penalty area only to stumble as Forbes scuffed his shot from 14 yards to the right of the static Bastock and into the back of the net.

At three-down City look bedraggled and eager to begin the long trek home, Everitt made an earlier start than his team-mates.

Forbes teased and tricked his way past Everitt and even avoided a wild hack by the desperate defender but on 78 minutes when Forbes collected the ball on the touchline a red mist descended over Everitt’s eyes and this was followed immediately by a red card as Forbes lay in crumpled heap after a shocking flying two-footed lunge by Everitt.

The closing stages found little respite for City’s beleaguered defenders as Dorchester sought to increase their goal difference. Gleeson went close with a free kick while the ball pinged around the goalmouth like a pinball during a spell of sustained pressure.

Dorchester, with former City favourite Ashley Vickers amongst their substitutes, maintained the pressure with Gleeson firing over and Jermyn denied by Bastock.

Speaking after the game City boss Steve Castle admitted to being disappointed and added that the players know that they can perform a lot better than they did here.

As news spread of the departure of both Hassan Sulaiman and Jonathan Hunt, due to the players being unhappy with the terms offered to them, Castle stated that he has not yet given up hope of doing a deal with either player.

Adam Everitt will receive a three match ban for his dismissal at Dorchester, the suspension starts on 22 August.