12 Nov 2025
St Albans City 2 Brentwood Town 3 (Isthmian League Premier Division) – report from Jess Unwin at Clarence Park, photos by Jim Standen
There were mutterings of concern among some St Albans City supporters at a rainswept Clarence Park on Tuesday night after City fell to their second successive league defeat and slipped down the table to 17th spot.
In an action-packed first half, Saints twice clawed their way back from a goal down to Brentwood Town, and reached the break on level terms at 2-2. For those in the 784-strong crowd cheering on Saints, there was optimism the home team could go on to win the game, playing downhill towards the Hatfield Road end.
But that hope steadily faded in the second period and Benas Vaivada scored the winner for the visitors on 82 minutes, forcing the ball home after City had failed to take several chances to snuff out the danger.
Just 13 matches into a 42-game season, there’s a whole lot of football still to play but, right now, City’s journey towards an immediate return to the National League South looks to have hit some bumps in the road.
The search to find a new permanent manager after the shock exit of Ian Culverhouse is still ongoing. His departure couldn’t have been more badly timed and could prove to have significant consequences.
The hamstring injury suffered by interim player-manager Michael Bostwick, just as he was turning in match-winning performances for Saints, is also ill-timed. And Saints supporters will argue this is exacerbated by the absence of other more experienced players – Jamal Fyfield is still recovering from injury, while new centre back Adrian Mariappa hasn’t been available for the past two City games.
Speaking post-match to the club’s social media, Bostwick confirmed he’s still carrying that hamstring injury. He praised the team’s effort against Brentwood but admitted the result was “frustrating”.
He added: “We need to start picking up wins and that’s our aim going forward. Hopefully the fans will stick with us and we’ll come through this period and get out the other side.”
While Brentwood have been the early pacemakers in the Isthmian League Premier Division, Tuesday night seemed like a good time to be facing them, with the Blues having
lost their three previous games and having been replaced at the top of the table by Folkestone Invicta.
Saints started well with Keiron Gauthier and Alex Dyer both sending chances over the bar before skipper Zane Banton’s shot was blocked by the outstretched leg through on goal, of Brentwood keeper Melvin Minter saved with an outstretched leg.
However, when Gauthier’s 13th-minute missed clearance let in Daniel Ogunleye, the striker bore down on the City goal and finished clinically to give the visitors a 1-0 lead.
Just four minutes later, Sam Smart’s marauding run into the Brentwood box was only stopped at the expense of a penalty – an easy decision for the referee – and Banton stepped up to send Minter the wrong way to and make it 1-1. On 27 minutes the visitors retook the lead at 2-1 with the goal of the game from Vaivada, who hit an explosive shot from the edge of the box that gave on-loan City keeper Mackenzie Chapman no chance.
The frantic, end-to-end action continued with another Brentwood shot pushed over the bar by Chapman before Gauthier got City back on level terms once again, scoring a 34th-minute equaliser from close range after good work by Banton.
After the break, the early exchanges suggested this contest could go either way but while City began to labour in stringing together moves that really threatened the visitors’ goal, Brentwood increasingly looked like the team most likely to break the deadlock.
Nonetheless, when the winner did come it was doubly disappointing for City fans with the Saints defence definitely culpable in allowing Vaivada the opportunity to get his second and make it 3-2.
This time, despite a flurry of substitutions and six minutes of extra time, Saints never really looked like they could come back a third time.
- This Saturday, Saints take on struggling Essex outfit, Canvey Island FC. The Gulls are languishing in the division’s bottom three and have won only two games so far, conceding 26 goals in the process.
New Canvey manager Garry Kimble was appointed at the end of October and replaced former England and Premier League manager Peter Taylor. Kick-off at Canvey’s Park Lane ground is 3pm.
St Albans City have yet another cup match on Tuesday next week when they return to Clarence Park to take on Potters Bar in the Velocity Cup. Kick-off is 7.45pm. - There was no Magnus Norman in the squad against Brentwood – the first time the goalkeeper has been absent this season.
Replacing him in the game was Mackenzie Chapman, who has joined St Albans City on loan from League Two outfit Salford City.
The 23-year-old has experience at Oldham Athletic, where he made his Football League debut, as well as at Oxford United, Blackpool and Bolton Wanderers, plus non-league loans at Southern League Central sides Banbury United and St Ives Town.
