Ware 2 St Albans City 3
20 July 2011
WARE’S first home game after the summer break ended in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Evo-Stik Southern League Premier Division side St Albans City on Tuesday night.
With the Saints also undergoing an overhaul on the playing side following the appointment of ex-Harrow Borough boss David Howell as their new manager, a number of unfamiliar faces were present in both teams.
New Ware boss Stuart Nethercott now has a lot to mull over after assessing the abilities of a number of players, having fielded two different sides for the first and second halves of the game.
St Albans took the lead after only five minutes when left-back Jerry Lyons failed to clear a cross-field ball in from the Saints’ left, leaving Ivan McCaider with a simple tap-in.
Five minutes later, Ware striker Ricci Crace saw his deflected shot go out for a corner after a defensive error by the visitors, before the front man set up Davie Edmee to cut in-field from the right and drive a left-footed effort towards goal, which the Saints’ keeper did well to keep out.
New Ware front man Darrelle Russell fired over the bar a minute later, before Crace again forced a save from the opposing keeper after being fed by Herve Malimabue.
Ware levelled in fortuitous circumstances on 28 minutes when a long ball out of the defence by Jon Stevenson was headed over his own keeper by Saints defender Sam Lion, the retreating custodian unable to scramble back in time to prevent the ball crossing the line.
In the closing stages of the first half, Ware keeper Dominic Colman made two excellent blocks to prevent the visitors from regaining the lead.
Colman’s second half replacement Obey Murefu had a night to forget. After suffering problems with getting to the game earlier in the evening, the popular Ware stopper had an unfortunate part to play in both of St Albans’ second half goals.
Nine minutes after the restart, a strike from Alexis Nicholas hit the post and bar, before ricocheting in off the back of the unlucky Murefu.
Then on 65 minutes, Murefu fatally spilled a cross from Robbie Quatramini from the left, allowing Jason Nicolau to tuck home the Saints’ third goal of the evening.
There was an exciting finish to the match as Ware pulled themselves back into the contest with an 83rd minute goal.
A ball in from Mike Elliott, who occupied the left-back berth in the second half, was headed home by Marcus Sammons, but the hosts were unable to find a late equaliser.
Ware: Colman, Bostock, Lyons, Stevenson, Bastian, Edmee, Malimabue, Johnson, Russell, Crace, Kayembe. Subs: Teasdale, Elliott, Andreos, Hibbert, Patterson, Martin Bowyer, Wilson, Murefu (GK).
