St Albans v Dartford

Report

Joe Brophy

Dartford had a day to forget on the road as they were comfortably beaten 4-0 by free-scoring St Albans City in the National League South.

A first-half brace by Sam Merson was followed by second-half strikes by Percy Kiangebeni and Rhys Murrell-Williamson ended the Darts nine-game unbeaten run.

Dartford remain three points clear at the top of the table after Hampton and Richmond’s unbeaten run also came to an end at Bath City.

An inform Merson struck twitch in the space of three minutes to give the Darts a mountain to climb going into the break.

A dinked cross from Kieran Monlouis found Merson in space on the right who glanced a header in off the bar.

Before Dartford had a chance to recompose Merson had grabbed his second after some slack marking from a corner.

Tom Bender almost made it three for City with an audacious overhead kick that unfortunately landed at the feet of Zane Banton who somehow hit the woodwork from inside the six-yard box.

Elliot Bradbrook narrowly failed to halve the deficit after he too smacked the post when a poor clearance fell kindly for him.

It just wasn’t to be Dartford’s day and the Saints third goal took the stuffing out of the Darts attacking force.

Kiangebeni was given far too much time and space on the edge of the box to cut inside and bend his effort into the top corner.

It was soon four when Murrell-Williamson’s heavily deflected shot wrong-footed Ibrahim and found the net.

From then on, the travelling Darts crumbled, and Ibrahim was forced into a number of smart saves to keep the score-line down.

Dartford were left to play the remaining ten minutes a man down after Danny Harris went off injured and Tony Burman had already used his three substitutes.

A day to forget for Dartford but they remain the team to catch in the National League South.

 

St. Albans Team: Snedker; Herd; Bender; Noble; Moore-Azille; Kiangebeni; Murrell-Williamson; Sambou; Merson; Monlouis; Banton

St. Albans Subs: Walker; Lucien; Bradbury; Gardiner; Eadie.

Dartford FC Team: Ibrahim, Harris, Onyemah, Bonner, Vint, Collier, Hayes, Bradbrook (C), Pavey, Pugh, Murphy

Dartford FC Subs: Mills, Ofori-Acheampong, Della-Verde, Brown, Noble

Attendance: 802