V
St Albans City
Chester City v St Albans City,Saturday 3rd February 2001
FA Trophy Round 4
CHESTER CITY 3 V 2 ST ALBANS CITY att:1442
Ruffer(13),Ruscoe(55),Blackburn(77) Simba(25),(89)
City scrape through to last sixteen of this seasons FA Trophy in unconvincing style as St Albans put on a spirited display
The tables where turned on City for this match, all season the blues have been pulling off giantkilling acts on league opposition themselves but this week St Albans City from the Ryman League visited the Deva with only one thing in mind and that was performing a giantkilling act over Chester and getting themselves in the hat for Round 5. It was their match of the season and they certainly played like it was and but for a little bit of luck on City's side and for some bad misses by the St Albans forwards they could quite easily have progressed through.
The blues actually started the match off well taking the game to St Albans and looking to grab an early goal. They won a corner on five minutes and when the visiting keeper spilled the ball on the edge of the six yard box it resulted in a huge goal mouth scramble before Saints keeper Hurst finally dived onto the ball whilst Martyn Lancaster was just about to tap it into the open net. Minutes later and the keeper was called into action again, Scott Ruscoe hit a rasping shot from the edge of the box which was finely tipped around the post by the Saints keeper to the delight of the 200 St Albans fans in the South Stand. Soon after it was 1-0 though, Scott Ruscoe was fouled on the left hand side of the St Albans box and from the resulting free kick Carl Ruffer nodded the ball into the net at the far post. Many including me now expected City to really go for the throat and finish the minnows off but it certainly wasn't to be like that as the Saints began to push forward. They grabbed an equaliser on 25 minutes, Saints winger Steve Blaney lofted a cross into the Chester area which looked an easy take for keeper Wayne Brown but he hesitated and former French International Amara Simba got to the ball first to head it into the net for 1-1. St Albans dominated for the rest of the first half but couldn't make it pay and at half time the sides went in 1-1.
The second half started and the blues began to take control of the game again and 10 minutes in where 2-1 up. Matt Doughty crossed the ball into the centre of the box where Scott Ruscoe was on hand to head the ball past Richard Hurst. Chester where now dominating, fans favourite Jimmy Haarhoff hit an effort which actually went out for a throw in whilst Mark Beesley missed his best chance of the game. In between all this St Albans should have equalised, Steve Blaney was clearly offside but it wasn't given and he found himself in acres of space on the edge of the box with only Brown to beat but his shot cannoned off the post to the relief of the home fans. Jimmy Haarhoff missed another chance for Chester soon after, Carl Ruffer fed the ball through to Scott Ruscoe his shot was parried by the Saints keeper and Haarhoff picked up the ball put his resulting shot could only find the side netting. Little Jimmy soon made up for his miss though he made a fine tackle in the middle of the park before threading the ball through to Chris Blackburn who clipped the ball over the advancing keeper for 3-1. City piled forward looking for a fourth, Mark Beesley and Paul Carden missed chances whilst the Saints were reduced to 10 men when Ryan Moran was sent off for a reckless challenge on Matty Doughty. St Albans did grab a second on 89 minutes when Simba poked in his second but the blues held on to keep the FA Trophy campaign on course.
Chester:Brown,Fisher,Doughty,Ruscoe,Lancaster,P.Beesley,Ruffer,Carden,M.Beesley,Haarhoff,Blackburn Subs:Woodyatt,Moss,Woods,Wright
Man Of The Match:Martyn Lancaster-Had an excellent game at the back sustaining the excellent form he is in at present.
Copyright Blue Army Website 2001
