7:20pm Sunday 21st March 2010
By Steve Carley
AN inspired performance from veteran goalkeeper Paul Bastock denied Worcester City victory at St George’s Lane.
In a one-sided encounter, City pummeled St Albans from start to finish yet failed to deliver the knock-out blow. If this had been a boxing match it would have been stopped long before the final whistle.
Bastock, the 39-year-old former Boston United stopper produced save after save to repel several efforts from Alfie Carter, Marc McGregor and Rob Davies.
Such was their dominance without reward, you got the feeling City could still be playing now without having scored.
It was frustrating for the players and fans alike and cannot have been good for the blood pressure levels of manager Carl Heeley.
The boss was an animated figure as chance after chance went begging and St Albans escaped with a point they scarcely deserved. Indeed, the closest they came was when Chris Sullivan rippled the side-netting with a 20-yarder at the end of the first-half.
Even more galling for City would have been the news that relegation rivals Lewes drew 0-0 at Bishop’s Stortford, meaning another op-portunity to pull further clear of the dropzone had gone. However, it wasn’t for the want of trying from a team ravaged by injury and suspension.
There was no Rob Elvins or Shabir Khan, both serving bans, while captain Tom Kemp was ruled out with a shoulder problem.
Striker Matt Dinsmore and midfielder Ryan Burge were unavailable and winger Josh Emery missed out through illness.
In came Jason Pike, signed last week from Bridgnorth Town, for his debut on the right wing, while defender Josh Quaynor, the latest player to join from Cheltenham, was on the bench.
Having assembled a side, Heeley must have been cursing his luck as on-loan Stoke keeper Danzelle St Louis-Hamilton pulled up with a thigh strain and was replaced by Jake Mere-dith after 18 just minutes.
Meredith, too, ended up in the wars after being caught by the dangerously high boot of Adam Everitt two minutes before the break. Everitt escaped with a yellow card, Meredith was left with stud marks on his face.
Things, though, started well for City as they took the game to St Albans from the off. The home crowd got their first glimpse of newcomer Pike as the midfielder got on the end of Carter’s cross and had his effort blocked by Peter Smith.
Soon after, Bastock performed the first of his heroics, turning Carter’s effort over the bar before denying the same player close in moments later.
Pike then fired inches wide and McGregor planted a header into the arms of the keeper as City turned up the heat.
A feisty affair threatened to boil over 11 minutes before the break as McGregor was cited for an off-the-ball incident which left Smith on the deck and the Worcester striker was booked.
The game was still simmering when, two minutes before the break, Everitt went in studs-up on Meredith despite the City keeper appearing to already have the ball in his grasp.
Everitt caught Meredith clean in the face, leaving the replacement keeper pole-axed and referee Ian Rathbone with a melee to break up.
Everitt was eventually cautioned by the official, much to the disdain of the crowd, while stand-in skipper Graham Ward was booked for dissent.
Normal service was resumed after the interval as City went on the attack.
Within five minutes of the restart, Davies, playing on the left, neatly worked the ball and drove in a shot which Bastock parried. McGregor somehow contrived to blast the rebound against the bar from two yards but, fortunately, he had already been flagged offside.
A fine move seven minutes later saw Craig Wilding excellently control Meredith’s long pass and play in Carter but the striker’s curling shot was beaten away by Bastock.
More agony was to follow as Pike retrieved the ball, sent in a cross from the right and McGregor was again denied by the keeper.
Heeley’s men began to crank up the pressure and squandered their best chance on 76 minutes. Jamie Price swung in a corner from the right, Wilding flicked the ball on to Carter and for once Bastock was beaten. Unfortnately, Carter somehow headed over the bar from two yards and St Albans survived.
Bastock again proved Carter’s nemesis six minutes from time, throwing his body in the way of another goal-bound effort.
Mark Clyde, back from injury, then stret-ched every muscle in vain trying to divert Price’s free-kick over the line in the final minute but City’s luck had finally ran out.
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