St Albans City’s manager Ian Allinson is looking for a home tie in today’s FA Cup fourth qualifying round draw – but wants more consistency from his side after their 2-1 win over Bridport.
As with the last round against Cambridge City, Saints went into a two-goal lead but then allowed a goal back and the side from three divisions lower put them under pressure as the game reached its conclusion.
And that is something Allinson wants to see improved.
He said: “We worked extremely well to get in front, played really well, scored two good goals and should have put the game to bed.
“And then we decided that was another and we didn’t need to do any more, we could go home.
“From nowhere they get a free-kick which they put into the box and it’s in the back of the net.
“And it was always going to be a problem after that because at 2-1 they’ve got nothing to lose.
“We didn’t keep the ball as well as we had done earlier on and I felt we got a little bit unprofessional.
“It’s a shame because our first half was good but as I keep saying we’ve got an inconsistency about us at the moment.
“You’ve got to give them massive credit but at 2-1 they’ve got something to play for.
“At 3-1, 4-1, 5-1 they’ve got nothing to play for but we’re the ones who’ve allowed them back into the game because we’ve not taken our chances in one area and not defended a set-piece in another.
“I think we need a tie where we’re going to turn up.
“A home tie would be great but it’ll just be nice to get to the first round again.
“It was great for the town, it was great for the supporters and it’ll be great for the changing room.
“I really believe think the changing room in there is as good as anything I’ve worked with but we have to have that mentality that we can see games out and at half-time I couldn’t trust them to do that and that’s a worry.
“We need to have leaders on the park and talk to players and move the ball.”
One plus point was the first goal for the club for Percy Kiangebeni.
And, although he still need to continue his hard work, the City boss was delighted for his summer signing from Enfield Borough.
He said: “We’ve got to be careful with Percy as he hasn’t played much football and I just felt he got a little tired in spells.
“He started off really sharp, scored his goal and then he had 15 minutes just before half-time where I felt he was trying to get his second wind.
“And then in the last 15 minutes I thought he was struggling as the ball was bypassing him in midfield, he got caught in possession two or three times.
“There all the things we need to work on with him, he’s got to shift the ball a little quicker, but he’s 20-year-old and he’s taking things onboard.
“And it was great for him to get his goal and celebrate with the crowd as well.”
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