Woeful Magpies lucky to lose by just four goals (12.11.05)

IF THE Magpies’ confidence was dented by last week’s 8-1 thrashing at Bognor Regis, then it was smashed to pieces by an efficient St Albans team on Saturday.
As the one-sided contest progressed, the Magpies’ self-belief and spirit drained away until they were a shadow of the team which recently produced an excellent performance to beat Dorchester.
At no stage this season have the Magpies played worse.
Even with nine men against Bognor, things never slumped so low.
Yet they started well and on five minutes Lee Newman set up Abdul Saeed Osman who cross was met with a glancing header by Ryan Ashe. The finish lacked power to beat Paul Bastock in goal, but at least showed promise for the remainder of the match.
However, far from being a kick-start to the Magpies aspirations, it was the climax of their endeavours.
Apart from a turn and shot by Newman 20 minutes later, the home side did not produce another goal scoring opportunity.
In fact they barely produced any football worthy of the name as with every missed pass, half-hearted tackle and piece of possession gifted away, the home side descended into the mire.
Added to this St Albans were a solid no-nonsense outfit at the back, and creative going forward.
The diminutive Matt Hann showed electric place down the flanks and was a constant thorn in the side.
He alone could have had four or five goals, rather than the two he had to settle for, as the visitors must have created a dozen chances to find the back of the net.
But for an excellent second half display from keeper Paul McCarthy, the Magpies could have conceded eight for the second successive match.
Defenders Chris Elsegood and Brendan Gallen battled hard, and led a rearguard action which somehow ensured they leaked no more goals after 47 minutes, but it was more luck than judgement.
The visitors were first on the scoresheet after seven minutes when Hann set up Dean Cracknell, then the provider turned scorer when he charged down a McCarthy clearance and tapped in.
Just before the break Paul Hakim spun on the edge of the box and drove home thanks to a massive deflection, and then two minutes after the re-start Hann chipped the keeper in a one-on-one scenario.
The decent crowd, which included former Magpies boss Alan Devonshire and several former players, could do nothing to lift the backpedalling hosts.
As the match progressed, the only time the hosts crossed the halfway line as a unit was when they trudged off together after the final whistle had mercifully been blown.
Manager Carl Taylor will now have the enormous task of picking up the shattered pieces and gluing together a team that believes in itself again.

STRONG-ARM TACTICS: Lee Newman is given short shrift by Aaron Bennett at York Road on Saturday.