Lewes P St Albans City P James Ronayne at the Dripping Pan ST ALBANS City will have to travel to Lewes all over again after Wednesday s game was called off at half time due to fog. The fog came down 24 minutes into the game and referee Lee Venamore made

Lewes P

St Albans City P

James Ronayne at the Dripping Pan

ST ALBANS City will have to travel to Lewes all over again after Wednesday's game was called off at half time due to fog.

The fog came down 24 minutes into the game and referee Lee Venamore made the decision to abandon the game after it worsened during the half time break.

It was a frustrating decision for the travelling Saints fans who'll have to travel down to Sussex all over again when the fixture is rearranged.

The 45 minutes that were played also came at some cost for City who saw Adam Everitt and Solomon Shields pick up yellow cards and also saw Shields and James Quilter pick up nasty injuries.

Shields is expected to return to former club Leyton Orient to receive treatment on a hamstring injury while Quilter was heading for hospital straight after the game with a shoulder injury.

In the 45 minutes that did take place, Paul Bastock was City's star man pulling off a string of fine saves to keep Lewes out and David Galbraith missed a penalty after Luke Thurlbourne was fouled in the box which in the end didn't matter.

A back injury robbed City of Jonathan O'Donnell's services meaning a recall for Galbraith on the left hand side of midfield, while Mark Peters returned at the heart of the defence in place of Justin Clayton. Clayton has returned to Southend United after the League One side recalled all their players with the club suffering serious financial difficulties.

Peters was involved from the start. The big defender tackled Tim Rivers but didn't take the ball leaving the striker in on goal but his effort was tame and Bastock easily held it.

At the other end Gary Cohen was released and although his initial effort was smothered he did well to retrieve the ball. The ball eventually found its way to Thurlbourne who was upended by Anthony Barness and referee Venamore had no hesitation in pointing to the spot. Galbraith stepped up to take the penalty left footed but Lewes stopper Rikki Banks made a great save to deny the winger low down to his left.

A superb pass from Thurlbourne set James Fisher free on the left and his whipped cross found Alex Bailey at the far post. Unfortunately for City his header looped harmlessly over the bar.

City were indebted to Bastock who produced a great save to stop Lewes opening the scoring. The hosts broke free with Sam Crabb evading the challenge of Peters just inside the City half. It left Lewes with three men with just Bailey and Bastock to beat. Crabb squared the ball to Scott Chamberlain who danced around a now retreated Quilter and hit his shot low and hard only to see Bastock stick out a hand and stop the shot.

City were dealt a blow when Shields was forced off with a hamstring injury with Drew Roberts, only just back from injury himself, taking his place.

Bastock made another top save in first half injury time diving to his left to divert Rivers' shot wide of the post but it was to be the last action of a frustrating night for City.

Lewes: Banks; Barness, Pearson, Breach, Storrie; Wheeler, Walder, Chamberlain, Royce; Crabb, Rivers.

Subs not used: Archibald, Keehan, Louis, Peauroux, Timms.

St Albans City: Bastock; Quilter, Frater, Peters, Everitt; Shields (Roberts 42), Thurlbourne, Fisher; Bailey, Cohen, Galbraith.

Subs not used: Hakim, Chillingworth, Poku, Dedman.

Referee: Lee Venamore (Maidstone)

Att: N/A