Dipo and Junior inspire Saints to perfect start

Eighteen-year-old Akinyemi, currently with the Saints on loan from Stevenage until January, despatched a stunning opportunist goal to give Ian Allinson’s new-look side an interval lead and was only denied an equally impressive second by the woodwork.

Morias, 25, displayed the form that persuaded Allinson to make him the only summer signing to cost a fee and capped a positive performance with a much-needed second goal deep into added time.

There was an air of being well-organised rather than thrilling to City’s play while it was the cutting-edge in the Saints armoury compared to the toothless thrusts of the visitors from Canvey Island that proved to be the difference to the two sides.

There were times when the game seemed to drift almost aimlessly but, other than for a few anxious moments in the closing stages, there was seldom any doubt as to where the points were heading.

Both teams showed significant changes from when they last met at Thames Road in March with each side fielding just five of the players who made the starting XI on that occasion.

Adam Flanagan’s Beachboys threatened to cause City problems when winning three corners in next to no time.

Each was repelled with minimal fuss and that Concord failed to get a shot on target prior to the interval merely underlined the grip City’s backline held over the Rangers strikers.

Indeed, the closest Rangers came to scoring before the break was a speculative effort from 45 yards by Steve Cawley that drifted wide following a misplaced pass by Tom Bender.

City, on the other hand, did move forward with some promise and three times before the interval Morias threatened to find the target.

His first effort was saved low down by Ben McNamara, his second, a clever shot on the turn following a pass from Shaun Lucien, pulled a fingertip save from the former Boreham Wood ‘keeper, while the third attempt, a header from a Lee Chappell corner, was kicked off the goalline by Jay Dowie.

A spell of sustained City pressure saw Ben Martin get on the end of a Shaun Lucien cross and force McNamara into making another full length save to his left, Marvin Ekpiteta completed the clearance just before the ball could roll over the goalline.

A goal for Martin would have been a fitting reward for the central-defender on the day that he became the 23rd player to make 250 appearances for the club.

City’s dominance was rewarded on 33 minutes and a crowd – the Saints largest opening day home attendance for ten years – that had been subdued suddenly came alive.

Ironically the goal came at a time when the Beachboys were pressing around the home penalty area.

Dean Mason’s attempted pass along the edge of the 18-yard line was intercepted by Lucien and partially cleared by Martin before Bender launched the ball from five yards outside of his own penalty area to deep inside the Concord half.

Akinyemi left Ekpiteta and John Easterford in his wake before calmly sending a first-time lob from 22 yards over McNamara who was hopelessly adrift in no-man’s-land.

Akinyemi had a golden opportunity to add a second just prior to the break following another swift counter-attack.

Having started the move with a pass down the left flank to Morias, Akinyemi burst at speed into the penalty area to take the return pass but his clipped shot from seven yards glanced off McNamara’s body, as the keeper dived at his feet, and sailed just over the crossbar.

Seven minutes after the restart and Akinyemi continued his one-man assault on the Concord goal with a fine effort from 20 yards that struck the keeper’s left hand upright.

On this occasion the teenager had been set up by Scott Thomas who, in maintaining the good form that he has shown all summer, won the ball from Beachboys captain James White.

Thomas also started City’s next attack of note when intercepting a pass by Harvey Hodd and sending Louie Theophanous marauding down the left.

After moving inside Theophanous slipped the ball back to the left to Lucien whose placed low shot towards the far post was safely gathered by McNamara.

St Albans ability to open up Concord with swift breaks continued with James Russell flicking a corner out wide to Ben Herd who quickly found Lucien and from his well-placed pass down the left Morias hurtled towards the penalty area.

Twisting inside Dowie, Morias had an opportunity to shoot but instead, unselfishly, squared a pass to Theophanous. Struggling to control the ball the Saints current Player of the Year had to settle on simply winning a corner.

Concord may well feel that they did enough to salvage a point late on and certainly City had their work cut out to protect their lead.

Beachboys substitute Alex Akrofi, receiving a good pass from Dowie, twisted majestically away from Thomas and Ryan Johnson only to see his ground shot palmed around the post by the alert Russell.

Akrofi then handed St Albans a dose of their own medicine when leading a counter-attack with an excellent ball that sent Cawley clear.

But Cawley, the scorer of 20 league goals last season, failed to open his account for the current campaign when his attempted right-foot chip over Russell failed to gain any great elevation and the keeper beat it away with his left hand.

Cawley, though, had a hand in what, for a fleeting second, looked to be the equaliser on 89 minutes. From his throw on the Concord right the ball eventually came to Dowie on the edge of the penalty area.

The midfielder’s first effort was blocked by Herd and his follow up was parried by Russell before being turned in by Ekpiteta.

The raised flag of linesman Abigail Marriott curtailed the celebrations although the offside decision was, most likely, against Akrofi following the initial shot rather than against the goalscorer.

The frustration of former Chelmsford City player Ekpiteta continued to grow as he headed over from a corner in added time.

St Albans showed no such mercy when adding a decisive second goal two minutes into added time.

Russell sent a goal-kick deep into the Concord half that Ekpiteta headed out to Sam Collins. Attempting to come inside, Collins lost possession to City substitute Ian Rees who threaded a superb ball into path of Morias.

With a blistering right-footed drive across McNamara into the Hatfield Road net Morias conclusively ended Concord’s late rally.

The points were now safe as City won on the opening day for the first time in five years.

City open the away leg of the new National League South season on Monday, 8th August, with a short trip to face Wealdstone. Kick-off at Grosvenor Vale, Ruislip, is at 7.45pm.

There will be several familiar faces on both sides on the pitch and in the Stones boardroom will be a face familiar to City supporters in Nick Archer who resigned as St Albans chairman during the summer to fill the position of vice-chairman at Wealdstone.

St Albans City: J.Russell, B.Herd, T.Bender, L.Chappell, B.Martin, R.Johnson, S.Lucien (I.Rees 70), Sc.Thomas, L.Theophanous (S.Merson 82), J.Morias, D.Akinyemi (R.Hoenes 79), subs not used: M.Ball, J.Hill.

Booked: Chappell.

Concord Rangers: B.McNamara, R.Girdlestone, M.Onyemah (S.King 46), J.Dowie, J.Easterford, M.Ekpiteta, D.Mason (A.Akrofi 46), J.White, H.Hodd (A.Teniola 78), S.Cawley, S.Collins, subs not used: A.Topley, J.Carlos.

Booked: Dowie.

Referee: Alan Dale (Ipswich).

Att: 606.