Injury-time penalty gives City the win

Southern League Premier Division

St Albans City 2

Swindon Supermarine 1

SAKHO Bakare kept his cool to net an injury-time winner from the penalty spot as St Albans City edged out basement side Swindon Supermarine.

Bakare’s winner was his 11th goal of the season and handed City their fifth win their last seven outings to leave David Howell’s side six points adrift of the play-offs although the City boss felt his side struggled to get to grips with the game.

“We never got going and to be quite honest we were lucky to get the three points and come away with the win in the manner we did,” Howell said afterwards.

“What probably, ridiculously, kind of killed us was scoring so early I feel because I think the complacency had set in before we scored – we didn’t have that urgency, we were getting caught in possession, we were giving away free kicks, we were inviting pressure – and it was tailor made for a side bottom of the league to come and press and close us down. We played into their hands but when we scored we felt we were doing the right thing but you’ve got to break a side first and they weren’t broken. I think the equaliser they got just before half-time was coming for about 10 or 15 minutes.

“Even though we didn’t play well we kept ourselves in the game and at 1-1 in the second half I think territorially and possession wise we had the lion’s share without creating a great deal.”

Captain James Gray had put St Albans into an early lead when he converted from Dewayne Clarke’s cross with just six minutes played but Swindon battled back and were rewarded with a 36th minute equaliser when Matt Wright headed home.

It looked like the teams would have to settle for a point apiece until deep into injury time when referee Colin Reeve spotted that Ryan Watts’s cross had been handled and Bakare duly converted.

“I didn’t know what happened, I was more concerned who was going to take it (the penalty),” explained Howell.

“Sakho was confident and wanted to take it and fortunately he tucked it away. Probably that was his only contribution but at the end that was enough and it gave us the three points and it adds another goal to his tally.”

City: Jupp; Matthews, Gray �, Ngakam, Bernard (Lansiquot 74); Clarke (Ehui 56), Hyde, Ijaha, Watts; Bakare, Martin.

Subs not used: Cutchey, Jinadu, McGonigle.

Swindon: Harrison, Lapham, Cole, Horgan, Allen; Wells (Morris 88), Bampton, Dean, Stanley; Wright (M. Ehteridge 69), Cook.

Subs not used: H. Etheridge, Wood, Prictor.

Referee: Colin Reeve (Huntingdon)

Att: 446