SAINTS STUN LEADERS TO CLOSE GAP AT THE SUMMIT
HOW’S this for a title race? St Albans City dismantled leaders Dartford to move six points off the top with a game in hand.
Fresh from a 7-2 hammering of East Thurrock, Ian Allinson’s Saints underlined their promotion potential.
Sam Merson took his tally to six in two games – and 19 for the season – with a first-half quickfire double before Percy Kiangebeni and Rhys Murrell Williamson completed the job.
“Look at the first 15-20 minutes and they probably had the three best chances,” Allinson said. “They’ve had a couple of headers and hit the posts – if they go in it’s a different game. So we rode our luck a bit, but you’re always going to against Dartford because they’re a very good side.
“We managed to get goals at important times. There wasn’t much between the teams before half-time and the two goals were probably the difference going in. Until then it was an open game – probably too open, it was like a basketball game.
“We started a bit slowly in the second half but the third goal put everybody back to bed and we were comfortable after that.”
Before Merson’s two goals, both sides had their chances. Dartford skipper Elliot Bradbrook twice saw headers kept out – keeper Dean Snedker at full stretch and then defender Ben Herd hacked off the line .
And City defender Tarik Moore-Azille needed to make a
vital covering tackle when Andy Pugh looked set to put in Alfie Pavey’s cut-back.
Solomon Sambou fizzed a shot past the post for the Saints and Tom Bonner had to be at full stretch to poke out the rebound from Murrell-Williamson’s powerful low drive after he’d cut in from the right as the game zipped back and forth.
Zane Banton couldn’t smuggle the ball in from point-blank range when Darts’ keeper Deren Ibrahim couldn’t gather Tom Bender’s acrobatic effort. Then, in-form Merson struck. First he expertly flicked a looping header from Kieran Monlouis’ inswinging cross in off the crossbar.
Within three minutes it was two when the striker powered another header, this time from Murrell-Williamson’s corner, into the net.
With the Darts’ defence on the ropes, Banton had a chance to make it three, but hit the sidenetting when he got in behind.
Dartford needed to score next and inside six minutes of the second half Bradbrook’s volley from outside the box thumped the post.
It proved crucial with two goals in six minutes sealing it for the hosts. Percy Kiangebeni curled a wonderful effort into the corner from 22 yards and, after Ibrahim’s flying save to deny Merson a hat-trick of headers, star man MurrellWilliamson’s deflected shot made it four.
Dartford had to play the last 15 minutes a man down with Danny Harris limping off and boss Tony Burman having already used all his permitted subs.
“We’ve been beaten by the better side.” Burman said.
“They got two goals at the right time in the first half, which is disappointing.
“First 30 minutes it was fairly even, we had some chances, but we lost organisation.”