Teen Sport News were at the FA Cup first round match between St Albans City and Mansfield Town today.
Despite a lead from St Albans, Mansfield were way to good, as the League Two side thrashed the Saints 8-1.
Here is our match report:
St. Albans City started brightly and were rewarded by a goal, scored by Darren Locke, after ten minutes. A cup set looked like it could happen, and the atmosphere at Clarence Park was buzzing.
Mansfield weren’t going to go down easily, and piled the pressure on the Saints. St Albans defended bravely, and kept them out for half an hour.
On one occasion, the St Albans goalkeeper, who had been quite high up the pitch many times already, was caught off his line. Luckily, Mansfield Town’s shot smashed off the crossbar!
However, the home side fell apart in the last five minutes of the half. A quick goal dampened the Hertfordshire side’s hopes. Then, the worst happened, with a Mansfield goal almost straight from the restart, which silenced the Clarence Park faithful.
The second half was a different story. St Albans came out fighting, and a controversially disallowed wonder-goal could’ve given them the equaliser.
However, things soon fell apart for the Saints. If the game had only been 70 minutes long, St Albans would’ve had a defeat, but a result to be proud of.
Sam Clucas scored four goals as Mansfield ran rampant in the last 20 minutes, as the League Two side scored six to make a 8-1 score line.
However, the score line definitely flattered Mansfield. St Albans, for a team many divisions below their opponents, played very well. Their defence did let them down at times, but many Mansfield goals were quick breaks that were hard to deal with.
On the whole, it was a great day out (especially for a Mansfield Town supporter!). With a attendance of 3,251 instead of a usual 200, it was one of the biggest days in St Albans’ recent football history.
Teen Sport News 