Still waiting for first home league win!

Manager Steve Massey had been busy during the week bringing in two new signings, but by the first quarter of the match City were trailing 3-0!

A perfect afternoon for football got even better for the visitors after just ten minutes when they found themselves two up.

While most of the 451 attendance were still checking out the new signings Aaran Pugh, returning for his second stint at the club, and striker Ben Watson who has also joined the White Tigers from Dorchester, the visitors had made our defence look a mess.

Indecisiveness allowed Chris Watters the opportunity to place home the first, while central defender James Kaloczi headed home the second.

Perhaps it could have all been different if skipper Paul Kendall had done more with a free header in the 17th minute, but five minutes later that miss was made to look even more crucial when Darren Locke was allowed a free run in at goal to get on the end of a Watters left wing cross. 22 minutes on the clock, and we were 3-0 down.

Just past the half hour we saw evidence of Watson’s quick thinking in the opponents penalty area when he chested a ball into him down towards Cody Cooke. The midfielder couldn’t get an effort in towards goal but with the ball rolling to Neil Slateford, the visitors ‘keeper, 43 year old Paul Bastock, at least had a shot to save.

Three minutes before the half-time break, a defender was sacrificed by Truro as Dan Evans was replaced by striker Liam Eddy.

The last piece of first half action probably summed up the luck we seem to be having at the moment - Matt Andrew (one of three City players to be shown a yellow card) having a shot on target deflected off for a corner. It did perhaps though give everyone some hope for a change of fortune in the next 45 minutes.

Hope was raised even higher soon after the break when Watson showed some cool finishing to reduce the deficit.

Soon after that, in a seven minute spell, Eddy shot over, Pugh had a tremendous overhead kick bounce back into play off the upright and Les Afful forced Bastock into a near post save.

When Watson knocked in Joe Broad’s cross for City’s second, even though it was 20 minutes in arriving, the atmosphere in Treyew lifted with anticipation that a come-back was going to be the news of the day.

The optimism unfortunately lasted all of 4 minutes as out of absolutely nowhere Lee Chappell surprised everyone, especially home goalkeeper Ollie Chenoweth, with a long range 72nd minute shot that went in off the underside of the cross-bar.

The result was well and truly settled in the 77th minute when a Shane White defensive header rather fortunately dropped down to the feet of John Frendo who immediately fed in first half substitute Elliott Bailey to slot the ball home from the edge of the penalty area.

Credit though to Steve Massey’s men as Cooke’s second stunning finish in two games pulled the scoreline back to a more respectable 5-3 in favour of the visitors.

However it was St Albans who finished the day off in style with two more goals in stoppage time. Chris Henry rounded Chenoweth and slid the ball home, despite a valiant effort from Kendall to prevent the effort; and with five minutes of added on time completed, Frendo made it 7-3 when his effort went through White’s legs with Chenoweth seeing the ball too late to do anything about it.

The result leaves City still looking for their first home league win of the season, but the good thing is that we only have to wait until Tuesday to have that remedied.

Poole, who also lost heavily today (5-2 at Stourbridge) visit Treyew Road - 7.45pm kick off. Don’t miss it.

City : Chenoweth, D Evans (Eddy 42), White, Kendall, Pugh, Broad (Brokenshire 92), Afful, Cooke, Watson, Andrew (Sims 92), Slateford. Subs not used : Broomfield, Copp

St Albans : Bastock, Hall, Chappell, Marwa, Kaloczi, Locke, Georgiou (Henry 57), Comley, Frendo, Nowkeji (Bailey 37), Watters (Taylor 77). Subs not used : Osobu, Gray

Yellow Cards :- City : Cooke, Kendall, Andrew, Afful
St Albans : Watters, Hall, Marwa

City’s Man of the Match : Les Afful