North lose out in Semi-Final thriller

Under 11's Girls unbeaten in Bedmond Festival.

In their final game they beat Watford Youth 2-0 with goals from Megan Cockhill and Louise Herren.

22nd April 2007

Under 15's

Under 12's

Under 12's West

Bring Home the Silverware

Hertfordshire Football Association Under 12's Challenge Cup Champions 2006/07

15th April 2007

Under 15's

North edged out in see-saw game

1st April 2007

Under 14's

Under 14's South  2 v 2 Harpenden

The first Sunday of the Easter break saw both sides short of players and a very strong wind acted as if it was worth two extra players for the team with it behind them.

St Albans elected to play into the wind and up the slope in the first half and did a good job despite finding it difficult to get out of their own half. The visitors early domination was broken down and the home side started to create chances by keeping the ball on the floor. Unfortunately none of them were taken. After 30 minutes the visitors scored when a corner was cleared outside the box and the shot took the wind and sailed out of the keepers reach.

The lead was short lived as yet another quick break was put away by Lewis Martindale. 1-1 at half time would have been good but disaster struck when a harmless high ball was allowed to bounce by the keeper and he was deceived by the new hard surface.

Although a goal down it was anticipated that the second half would see the home team dominate and it was hoped they would not worry about a single goal deficit. The domination was total but the ball would not go in the net. Massimo Marenghi repeated last weeks move but his chip was caught by the wind and bounced off the crossbar. Another goal attempt hit the post and two more hit players on the line. Players had shots but did not get them high enough to get the wind behind them. Eventually Massimo Marenghi scored the equaliser.

Despite playing nearly all the game in the visitors half the winner would not come. Freddie Brown stepped in to central defence and put on a commanding performance. Not only snuffing out attacks but using the ball well afterwards. He shared Man of the Match with Kieren Rawal who put on a dynamic display at right back that dealt with opponents and drove on the team.

25th March 2007

Under 15's

City keep the dream alive

The Under 15 North played Pinnacle in a League game.

In the first fixture between thses two sides , one of the best Youth football games I have ever seen ended with City edging the game 5 - 4. It would have been too much to expect another game like that , but with so much at stake , both teams had to go for it. City started stronger and although genuine chances were hard to create , it was City who looked like they were going to strike first. Against the run of play , it was Pinnacle who scored first when the ball sat up on the edge of City's box , and the shot was rifled home. City came back immediately and with Yates ability to go past his man inside and out , Pinnacle were rocked and had to give away several fouls to stop some good passing football. Another good run by Yates and a whipped cross was flicked on by a superb Thatcher header leaving their keeper with no chance. City stayed on top for the rest of the half but could not score again.

In the second half City again pushed Pinnacle back , although they still remained dangerous on the counter attack. A period of sustained pressure finally paid dividends when a goal bound shot was deliberately handled by a defender. Charles Norman took responsibility and scored with a good shot low to the keepers left. Pinnacle came back again and City could not relax but with Harris , Hiller , Ashcroft and Baker on top of their game City held on . City's third came when another shot was adjudged to have been deliberately " armed " away , and another penalty was awarded.
Norman stepped up again , and if anything scored with an even better shot to the same corner. Pinnacle should have scored when they were awarded a free kick on the edge of City's box but an amazing one handed save by Tom Channing kept the lead intact at 3 - 1. Pinnacle, however , just don't know when they are beaten and City had to endure a torrid last ten minutes when Pinnacle threw everything they had at City. They did score when a point blank header was almost stopped by Channing but the ball agonisingly rolled over the line. A final score of 3 - 2 to City takes them to second in the League with a probable title decider against Hemel next week.
 

Under 14's

18th March 2007

Under 15's

City stay on track with Double win

The Under 15 North played Nascot Wood in a Double header.

After last weeks frustrating games City knew that they had to win both these games if they were to have any chance of retaining their League title. In extremely windy conditions , blowing corner to corner, City chose to defend against the wind in the first half and had to work very hard against Nascot who worked the ball around well.

City began to master the conditions , playing the ball on the ground and pushed Nascot back and were rewarded when Campion , picking the ball up 30 yards out unleashed a ferocious shot which flew over the keeper and into the net. Nascot tried to come back but City's defence held firm until half -time.
City thought that they would be able to capitalise on the conditions in the second half , but with the ball moving all the time , it was much more difficult to create flowing football. City comfortably ran the clock down for a 1- 0 win.

In the second game the wind seemed to have picked up and City playing against it in the first half , created better chances. They took the lead when Armstrong but a great through ball to Thatcher who ran in and slid the ball past the advancing keeper.
Nascot played some bright football and could have equalised when a flashing shot just missed the far post.
In the second half , with conditions nearly unplayable City played sensible football and denied Nascot any chances at all. The game finished 1- 0 and six points was just reward for the dominance City had enjoyed all afternoon.
 

Under 14's

Biggest score of the season for the West

Despite the very windy conditions and poor pitch West racked up their biggest score of the season beating Alex Park 7-2.  West always looked comfortable and opened the scoring after Greg Springall tucked away a Scott Howlett rebounded shot after 5 minutes. Alex Park struck straight back with their only goal of the half 2 minutes later with a great shot over the top of Alex Cobb in the West goal who had no chance.  West dominated possession but it wasn't until the 26 minute they scored again as Jamie Heaffey fresh off the bench won the ball deep in the West half and ran the length of the pitch to round the keeper. 5 minutes later West looked sure to score when Stuart Cole after some good work with Ryan Rickard down the left put in an excellent cross over the keeper but there was no one to tap in to the gaping goal.  Chris Welch however made no mistake on the stroke of half time to tap in a  Jamie cross after he beat the keeper to a well weighted through ball. 

The second half started brightly after a shot from Jamie rebounded off the keeper for Scott to finish well for West's fourth.  Elliott Jay was unlucky when he went just wide 10 minutes later.  West conceded again after an uncharacteristic mix up in the defence let a cross be just headed in the bottom corner. West soon struck back when Stuart Cole flicked on to Greg for his second.  George Figg then added to the tally with a well struck free kick and Greg rounded it off with a hat trick after Stuart fed him through.  The West defence had an excellent game with Ross Whinnett, Charlie Craigen and Ryan Maher standing out.  The whole team played really well and had it not been for the conditions could probably have scored a few more especially from some excellent George corners but they can be really happy with themselves for an excellent performance.  

Under 12's

11th March 2007

4th March 2007

Disability Squad

Under 16's

Dreary, miserable game

Under 14's

25th February 2007

Under 15's

North in Limbo after match abandoned

Under 14's

Harpenden 3 v 1 St Albans City Youth Under 14's South

Having not played since the first week of the month it was back to square one for the St Albans team. The solid team performance on Feb 4th had been forgotten. The muddy pitch with some standing water reduced the game to basics and Harpenden did the basics better in the first half and dominated the game with the visitors depending on quick counter attacks.

The defence played well however and they were unfortunate to go in at half time a goal down after being caught out by corner kick that bounced off a player at the near post.

The second half started well and the vistors equalised with a scrappy goal when Joe Caunce was the first of four St Albans players to get to a ball that bounced off the keeper when he blocked the first shot.

But that was it. Team discipline disintegrated, the momentum was lost and territorial domination was frittered away. The inevitable happened when the team were caught on a quick break and they went behind. Although looking for an equaliser they were caught near the end when evryone stopped to appeal for off-side, the inevitable was the result and the game went beyond their reach. They did not stop trying in the time that was left.

Danielli Kitchen had a solid game in goal in difficult conditions. Richard Cook and Kieren Rawal dominated the flanks in the first half. Player of the Match was given to Neil Jardine who seemed to be everywhere, even taking over as the central defender for the final 10 minutes.

18th February 2007

Under 16's

City West 11, give Muswell Hill toughest game of the season

Many people would struggle to defend their team after losing 6-2 at home. However, this scoreline in St Albans Under 16s West’s game did not reflect the game at all. In fact it was City that had the majority of the play from the start, and quickly picked up on Muswell Hill’s potent threat of quick strikers up front, playing a high back line. The boys could have been forgiven for thinking it was just not their day, seeing shots saved and bundled off the line. But their persistence paid off when a stunning ball through the defence by Nick Glasgow left Reece May to rocket the ball home from 15 yards.

The boys continued to press and looked the much more dominant side as the teams went into half time at 1-0 St Albans. After the break the boys looked to double their lead, but it was Muswell Hill who struck an equaliser, when they broke through the defence and crossed the ball to score from point blank range. The boys looked tired with only 11 players and no subs, but continued to press and were rewarded when Reece May restored their one goal advantage with an overhead kick from a corner. But, barely moments after City’s goal, Muswell Hill equalised again with a similar goal to the first, with tired defenders struggling to cope with the threat of the fast Muswell strikers.

The boys watched the game slip away from them with just 10 minutes to go when Muswell Hill scored when a seemingly easy-to-deal with corner was not cleared and allowed Muswell Hill to take a cheap lead. The boys could hardly believe it when Muswell extended their lead just a minute later, when another cheap goal came as a Muswell striker slotted home from point blank range. A fifth was added not too dissimilarly to those that had preceded it, with another run through the back. A sixth was added to add insult to injury, when a poor back header saw both the goalkeeper and defender struggle to get to the ball before the oncoming striker, who passed the ball into the empty net.

All of the boys played superbly well, and I cannot fault their effort. Both the St Albans lads and the Muswell Hill boys could not believe the scoreline after the game. And, after the first half performance, it is hard to see what more we can do to win regularly in this division.

Under 15's

North bow out at penultimate hurdle

Under 8's

11th February 2007

Under 14's

Points shared for the 14's West

4th February 2007

Under 16's

Injuries hit City West.

St Albans City West came away from Berkhamsted with no points after a disappointing match saw the boys lose their first game in four.

Early pressure from St Albans was cancelled out by strong Berkhamsted defensive resistance, and just 10 minutes in the boys went 1-0 down when a perfect lob caught out the goalkeeper and defence.

Just 5 minutes later, the boys were in more trouble, as a near identical goal went in, except this time it bobbled off the strikers shin, and somehow found the top corner.

The boys were 2-0 down for barely a minute as Berkhamsted took advantage of the obvious problems City had at the back, and went 3-0 up when a Berkhamsted striker skipped through the defence to place home their third.

St Albans did well to bring the score back to 3-1 when Nick Glasgow’s superb control saw him power the ball into the net with his left foot.

But just when it looked like City had a foot in the game, and were about to go into half time with just two goals to make up, Berkhamsted added a fourth to make the half time score 4-1 Berkhamsted.

St Albans did all they could to reform and mount some sort of attack on the Berkhamsted goal, but the infamous ‘long ball’ game that had become accustomed to Berkhamsted’s style of play on their small pitch in recent years seemed to work, as the City defence struggled to deal with it. This was not helped, of course, with picking up 4 injuries to key defenders during the game, and at one time having a striker and two defenders in the back four. St Albans grabbed what looked to be no more than a consolation goal when Harold Chodeva scissored in City’s second.

In truth, although the boys battled hard, Berkhamsted could have scored a few more than they did, but for resilient defending and a few good saves from keeper Matt Bennett. The game finished with the boys losing 4-2. As disappointing as the result was, few could argue that, on the whole, Berkhamsted did not deserve the three points.

Keeper Matt Bennett picked up the Man of the Match award for a strong performance in goal, pulling of some great saves, especially in the second half.

Under 15's

North go hunting for Leopards

The Under 15 North played Whetstone Leopards in the League.

A foggy morning and a cow field of a pitch was not very promising, but games like this have to be played and won if the boys are to retain their League title. Right from the start it was obvious that the boys were determined that these inconveniences were not going to get in their way. The first goal came when Yates picked up a ball just outside the area and rifled the ball just under the bar. Luke Campion , given a run up front and clearly enjoying himself had a few near misses before Norman picked him out with a great pass which Campion glanced in with a deft header. Yates beat his man and put in a great cross which Campion despatched into the bottom corner for 3 - 0. The fourth goal was a great individual effort from Thatcher who went on an a mazy run where he beat at least four players in their penalty area before sliding the ball past the keeper.
 
Half time brought a brief respite for the Leopards but as soon as the game restarted City were on the attack again and Armstrong put in a deep cross to the far post which eluded the keeper and just went in. The sixth goal saw Thatcher slide the ball through to Campion who completed his hat-trick with a shot just inside the far post. A brief attack by Leopards saw a tragic / comedy moment when a back pass by Harris hit a " bobble" just in front of keeper How and the ball jumped over his attempted clearance. We have been waiting for Andy Harris to open his City account for a number of years , but we always thought it would be for us , not against us. Normal service was resumed when Armstrong, working hard , picked out Campion who slotted his fourth goal of a busy game. He came off but the punishment continued when Crawford put the ball on a plate for Stefan Williams to score for the sixth consecutive game. The final goal was left to Norman who scored one of his "thunderbolts" from the edge of the box.

A final score of 9 - 1 sets the team up nicely for what will undoubtedly be a much harder game in next weeks County Cup Semi-Final.

Under 14's

League Double for the 14's West

West completed a league double over Berkhamsted Raiders with a comfortable 6-2 victory in freezing conditions, as they put in an excellent performance.

West started brightly, and in the first ten minutes there were chances for three of the attacking players to open the scoring, however Greg Springall, Scott Howlett and Jamie Heaffey all had their shots either saved, or they went just wide. It wasn’t long before the first goal came though, as after twelve minutes a great ball from Stuart Cole on the left wing, was finished by Greg with ease. Raiders, who are currently bottom of the league, didn’t let their heads drop though, and five minutes later they equalized after West failed to clear a free-kick. It didn’t remain level for long though as two minutes later West regained the lead in similar circumstances, as Ryan Rickard’s free kick gave Scott the chance to score from close range.

Ten minutes before half-time Matt Peckham scored with a great shot from 15 yards to make it 3-1, and despite possession being split fairly evenly in the first half, West were creating more openings and the Raiders keeper was certainly the busier.

The second half began with a goal in the first minute, as a corner by Matt was knocked on by Ryan R to Stuart, who scored from only a few yards out. West were playing some great football, and the midfield of Chris Welch, Matt, Ryan and Stuart were controlling events. Further chances were being created and a fifth goal soon arrived after a Ryan R laid the ball back to Greg on the edge of the area, and although his great shot hit the bar, bounced down and then came out, the linesman judged the ball to have crossed the line.

As the second half wore on, and with a comfortable victory in sight, West lost a bit of their shape and concentration, which allowed Raiders to grab a goal back as an excellent shot gave Alex Cobb in goal no chance. The final goal of the match came in the last minute as Matt’s corner was flicked on by Charlie Craigen for Chris to wrap things up. This was an excellent performance which contained some great passing moves that could have seen West reach double figures on another day.

Final Score: Under 14 West  6 – 2  Berkhamsted Raiders

St Albans City Youth U14 South 5 v 1 VEP Knights

Midway through the second half I thought the score was 4-0 and a fog was starting to roll across the ground. I was worried. Is it the painkillers, I am taking, producing yet another side effect, we appear to have scored goals; an hour gone and we have not conceded a goal and now the whole thing appearing to dissolve into a foggy miasma that will find me standing on blasted Colney Heath. It was only when another parent said "I don't believe it. Here we are 4-0 up and the referee is going to abandon the game because of fog!" that I was reassured.

For a number of reasons the team was down to its bare bones and only two substitutes but it did not seem to matter. The game was won in midfield with Neil Jardine, Freddie Brown and Freddie Eames doing the damage. They put pressure on the opposition midfield players, they won the ball and they played pass after killer pass to their forwards and through the visitors defence. Neil Davidson came on to add more of the same later in the game. For the first time this season every goal kick, free kick etc was won by a yellow shirt.

Behind them the makeshift defence were like a rock. They gave the visitors no space and mopped up the desperate long balls the forwards were left to chase. Danielli Kitchen had one of his quietest games but still pulled off a great one handed save from a long distance shot across his goal. Jamie Spurway dominated the defence and was given Man of the Match. A difficult choice given the almost faultless performance by the stand in central defender Richard Cook. Kieren Rawal worked like a Trojan on the right where the visitors seemed to use for all their attacks leaving Iqbal Johan in a covering role.

Up front Lewis Martindale, Peter Stiles and Massimo Marenghi showed what they could do if given the ball and demonstrated their skills. Lewis scored a first half hat-trick from goals created in different ways but finished well.

The second half was very tense at the start and both teams knew the next goal could decide the game. David Peyton came on at left back where he had an excellent game providing the boost the team needed. Eventually it was Massimo who used his strength to burst through the defence and score the fourth. It was just as well as tiredness was creeping in and the bigger players on the other team were starting to create more attacks.

Near the end the inevitable happened and a lapse in concentration allowed the visitors to score and spoil what would have been the first clean sheet. It was a couple of mistakes but also a mistake by the visitors to dare to score. Virtually from the kick off an angry Neil Jardine was given the ball and he ran through the whole defence to score a fifth goal that seemed to knock the last hopes out of the resilient visitors.

Under 11's

North hold on for the points

On a foggy Sunday morning SACY U11 North took on Alexandra Park U11 South in North London.

St.Albans kicked off, hoping to keep their second place status. Alexandra Park had an early break when the centre-forward shot at the City goal just inside the area but the ‘keeper Eddie Rose was in a good position to make a save. The first half was more or less a defensive game with Robert Ward clearing off the line deep into the half.

The second half contained more breaks and both teams stepped up their game as they got closer to getting that vital goal. Finally the deadlock was broken when Jacob Noonan played a through ball to Daniel Casotti (who as we know has lethal finishing) struck into the corner of the net. City managed to hold on to the win that they needed.

Man of the Match went to Eddie Rose for having a safe pair of hands and for keeping a clean sheet.

Report by Eddie Rose

28th January 2007

Under 16's

City West solid performance.

St Albans West picked up all 3 points at the weekend, with a convincing 4-1 win over Omonia.

After starting brightly, City found themselves 1-0 down within 3 minutes, when an Omonia striker curled the ball spectacularly into the top corner. The boys did well to re-group and fight back, and their efforts were rewarded just 5 minutes later, when Reece May levelled the scoring with an elegant chip over the oncoming Omonia goalkeeper.

City found themselves 2-1 up soon after, when Reece May scored his second of the game, thanks to a deflection and fumble from the keeper. City continued to push and play good football, but the teams went into half time at 2-1 to City.

In the second half the boys had difficulty keeping the ball in Omonia’s half, so Omonia continued throwing players forward, which allowed City to break, and Nick Glasgow to score his first of the season, when he followed up a saved shot, and headed City’s third. Another quick break led to City’s fourth, as Reece May secured his hat-trick with a similar goal to his first, lobbing the keeper from outside the area.

Although Omonia had good attacking possession towards the end of the game, City’s defence proved strong and the boys took their third league win of the season, lifting them out of the bottom two.

On a day of good performances all over the pitch, Harold Chodeva was chosen as Man of the Match, for some strong challenges and showing composure on the ball, playing superb passes from start to finish.

Under 15's

North march confidently into County Semi-Finals

The Under 15 North played Borehamwood 2000 in the County Cup 1/4 Final.

City, inactive since early December would have liked a warm up before this potentially difficult game, but a frustrating series of postponements added to the tension of this important fixture. Last minute injuries meant a re-shuffled team , but with the strength of this squad confidence was high. The game started with City pushing forward, probing at their defences, and it wasn't long before Luke Thatcher capitalised on a small mistake by racing in on their keeper and calmly sliding the ball home. The game ebbed and flowed for a while and then Stefan Williams scored a special goal. He picked up the ball , ran forward a few yards and then lobbed the keeper from 30 yards . Even though the keeper wasn't far from his line the accuracy of the shot was too good. A strong wind gathering strength would be against City in the second half.

It was vital to ride out the first ten minutes when Borehamwood would be throwing everything at City, but disaster struck when a deep cross was just touched in at the far post for 2- 1. City pulled their sleeves up and refused to let their opponents back in the game. City's third came when Yates passed to Norman , who slotted the ball through to Stefan Williams on the edge of the area. His turn of speed took him past two defenders whereupon he smashed the ball into the top right hand corner. City's power all over the pitch had been to much for Borehamwood but the boys were not finished yet.

Ferdinand chasing and harassing defenders , caused a mistake and through great determination managed to square the ball to Talbot who nicked the ball under the keeper. James Yates was giving their defenders a very hard time and their increasing tiredness eventually led to him being dragged down in the area for a penalty. Norman grabbed the ball and confidently despatched it in the bottom corner for a final score of 5 - 1.

City march on to a home Semi-Final against Hemel Hempstead. Book your seats for this one , it will be a titanic battle for local bragging rights as both of these teams have won the County Cup before.

Channing, Baker, Armstrong , Hiller, Ferdinand , Talbot , Crawford , J. Williams, Campion, S.Williams , Thatcher ( How ,Yates , Norman ,Harris )

Under 14's

21st January 2007

Under 12's

14th January 2007

Under 16's

City West ‘hang-on’ to a draw.

St Albans will be disappointed with a 1-1 draw at home to bottom of the league Hammer, although injuries showed from the start. City had only 12 players fit to play, but from the kick off it seemed that the injuries wouldn’t tell over the 80 minutes. Although City were positive on the ball, it was Hammer who had the majority of the ball and chances in the first half. The first half came and went with both keepers seemingly untroubled, as the teams went into half time at 0-0.

After half time, injuries began to crop up, and the City lads found it hard to concentrate on attacking when the majority of the fit boys were covering for struggling team mates, although special credit must go to Aaron Lumsdon, Harold Chodeva, Reece May and Daniel Burtt, who battled hard when they got the ball to turn the game round by themselves.

Reece May’s effort was rewarded 15 minutes into the half when he slotted coolly across the Hammer goalkeeper, although it seemed like the angle was against him. Hammers equaliser came just 5 minutes later, and it was a soft one. A floated corner evaded everyone in the box, only for the ball to be played back into the box, and City defenders just stood and watched as the Hammer attacker powered the ball into the net from point blank range.

City continued to try and press but tired legs showed as they played out a 1-1 draw.

Aaron Lumsdon got Man of the Match for the extraordinary effort he put in, throwing himself into challenges and playing some superb through balls in the second half.

Under 14's

Harpenden Hawks 0 St Albans City West 0

Martin Robinson in goal was rarely troubled in the first half as the West defence looked very solid against a very physical and sometimes dangerous Hawks team, whose sliding challenges only occasionally found the ball. West found it difficult to play their normal high standard passing game despite an excellent performance from Stuart Cole in the midfield. West probably edged the procession however they also failed to get much on target and their best effort was a Carl Biggs shot from a George Figg corner which went over the bar.

The second half was much the same but Alex Cobb had to pull off an excellent one handed save from the only shot on target from Hawks. George Figg was forced to limp off after a nasty challenge but this seemed to inspire West and they then upped the tempo. Tom Weaver and Ross Whinnett then started to link up well on the left with Stuart and started to create some pressure. In the last 10 minutes West should have snatched victory when an excellent through ball opened up the Hawks defence and left an open goal for Carl from a difficult angle but the shot unfortunately went just wide. Greg Springall also had a chance 2 minutes later but his shot went just over. West probably deserved the win but its just that sort of season.

7th January 2007

Under 16's

City second half collapse, in a game of two halves.

St Albans City suffered their sixth loss in eight, with a disappointing 5-3 loss away to Minchenden Youth.

Both sides started well, with good attacking opportunities. Eventually, it was Aaron Lumsdon who broke the deadlock, with a header beating the oncoming keeper from a lofted cross from Martin Hunter. St Albans went 2-0 up when Daniel Burtt finished calmly passed the struggling Minchenden goalkeeper. St Albans looked comfortable for the rest of the first half, showing football that picked holes in the Minchenden defence, a defence that has one of the best records in the league.

Half time score 2-0 to St Albans.

Two substitutes were introduced at halftime, Zack Zacharia to replace injured Michael Gamble in midfield, and Ben Ryan to giv