Goals from Zane Banton, George Hoddle, Shaun Jeffers and Mitchell Weiss were enough to put St Albans City back on the fringes of the National League South play-offs.

They beat Havant & Waterlooville 4-1 at home to move ninth in the standings, just one point behind seventh-placed Torquay United and only three off third-placed Chelmsford City.

It was a fourth straight success for the Saints, and a sixth in the last seven league games, but it didn't have manager David Noble totally purring with content.

He said: "For 60 minutes it wasn't as comfortable as the score panned out but it's obviously nice to win any game of football and score four goals.

"It's hard to win any game and it was no different. Despite their position in the league, they are a full-time team and they proved it in the first half.

"They were by far the better team and we were slightly lucky to go in level.

"We kept the ball better in the second half. Our possession was non-existent in the first half, whether that was people not showing for it, people not seeing the passes or we picked the wrong options.

"It was probably a culmination of all three but when we gave the ball away, they kept it."

"[However], the players deserve a huge amount of credit as I've said before [for this run]. We've done it off the back of a poor run."

It had been 1-1 at half-time, Ryan Seager cancelling out Banton's opener before Cambridge United loanee Hoddle put Saints back in front on 67 minutes.

Jeffers and Weiss then wrapped things late on, Jeffers getting his 11th league goal of the campaign on 89 before Weiss got his eighth, three minutes into stoppage time.

The boss had praise for two of the scorers.

Noble said: "Zane scored a great goal in the first half.

"He went and sniffed it out. He didn't stay on the left wing. He drifted into the middle, took his time on the ball and made space for the shot.

"He took it lovely.

"But like everyone his second half performance was a lot better."

"George is a very intelligent footballer. It's becoming game in, game, week in, week out.

"He excelled in that second half and the power of running for a boy of 18 is exceptional."

City will now turn their attentions to league leaders Yeovil Town on Saturday and the boss sees no reason why they cannot continue their good run.

He said: "I look to win every game of football and we will doing everything we can to win.

"Yeovil are runaway leaders at the minute and look very strong but we'll be looking to win.

"This is what makes the best teams. When you play the top teams, you raise the game."

The Clarence Park pitch may have been good to go on Tuesday night despite a day of rain but a pitch inspection on Sunday declared it unplayable, meaning the ladies' game with Wroxham in the Eastern Region Premier Division was postponed.

They are at home again on Sunday when they play Haringey Borough.