04 Nov 2026
Aveley 1 St Albans City 0 (Isthmian League Premier Division). Photos by Amy Hughes
After this disappointing midweek defeat, St Albans City manager Gary McCann warned his team they will have to be “a lot better” – starting this Saturday against second-placed Welling United, writes Jess Unwin.
After weeks of various cup competition distractions, Saints are now focused on climbing the Premier Division table and chasing the club’s pre-season target of a top-three finish.
McCann told the club’s YouTube channel he expects the game against Welling at Clarence Park to be “a tough game” and added: “We’ve got to show a reaction from the Aveley disappointment.”
He continued: “We’re a good side and that’s been proven in recent weeks. We’ve had a blip and it’s now about getting back on the horse and being prepared for another really tough fixture.
“We’ve got to be a lot better than we were against Aveley…I’ve no doubt the players can pick themselves up.”
Alejandro Machado’s second-half goal on 53 minutes – a long-range drive from a free kick – was enough to condemn St Albans to defeat against the Aveley on Monday night.
Club skipper Zane Banton did earlier have a first-half shot from a tight angle blocked, but it was the Essex side who were closest to opening the scoring, denied only by St Albans keeper Sam Donkin’s excellent low save.
After the break, Alex Dyer’s strike from the edge of the area was high and wide, and later Zak Sowden-Fletcher probably had City’s best chance to score but his header was cleared off the line.
Aveley very nearly doubled their lead in the dying moments when Machado jinked his way into the penalty box and unleashed a shot that Donkin did well to keep out.
McCann said: “I’m really disappointed with the team and I’ve not said that too often this season.” Despite periods when Saints controlled the game, he was unhappy that “our final ball and our desire to get more bodies in the box just wasn’t good enough”.
Inih Effiong, who dropped to the bench for Monday’s Aveley game, scored a hat-trick for St Albans on Saturday against bottom-of-the-table Whitehawk, securing three league points and avenging City’s recent FA Trophy defeat to the Hawks.
Effiong and strike partner Kai Brown are now engaged in a game-by-game contest to be the club’s top scorer – a situation that’s a welcome improvement on the club’s over-reliance last season on Leo Sery.
Whitehawk were 1-0 up a half-time after taking the lead on 38 minutes through Kamarni Ryan, but Saints were a different side following the break.
Effiong headed his first on 56 minutes before adding his second on 62 minutes, calmly slotting home when put through one-on-one against the home side’s goalkeeper Hugo Fisher. City’s burly number nine made is 3-1 after 85 minutes by rounding Fisher and finishing from a tight angle.
St Albans manager Gary McCann’s changes in the second half included moving Brown inside to pair with Effiong for the first time this season. That, said McCann, and a flat-four shape in midfield allowed City to be “a little more aggressive, get up the pitch and sustain attacks”.
On Effiong, he told the club’s YouTube channel: “There’s an awkwardness about him when you’re watching him at times but, let me tell you, defenders don’t want to play against him, and all of his three goals were proper centre forward goals of high quality.”
He added: “I’m really pleased for him. He’s been out for a couple of weeks after a minor procedure and we’ve missed him. Those three goals today served us really well.”
The City boss said pairing Effiong and Brown together was an “an absolute handful” for any opponent and added: “It’ll be something we’ll be looking at going forward for sure.”
• Saints’ game against Welling United this Saturday (7) is a 3pm kick-off at Clarence Park. On Tuesday next week (10), they’re home again for a Herts Senior Cup tie with Welwyn Garden City. Kick-off is 7.45pm. Match tickets are now available from the club’s St Albans City Football Club mobile phone app, as well as from City’s website and, of course, at the turnstiles on the day.
